Corgi Classics Limited
Encyclopedia
Corgi Classics Limited is a die-cast
model manufacturer which has its origins in the Corgi Toys brand introduced by Mettoy in 1956.
s by Mettoy Playcraft LTD, the toy car company founded in 1936. These new toy cars were soon a huge hit because at the time they were the only toy cars on the market that included transparent plastic
windows, they soon became known as "the ones with the windows".
Although Corgi has had many model car competitors ranging from Dinky Toys to Lledo
, its name is well known to this day. In its first year of trading Corgi sold an 2.75 million cars, making it a clear leader of the British toy car industry. In 1966 Corgi won the Queen's Award To Industry and the National Association Of Toy Retailers' Highest Standards Award, two prestigious awards. In March 1969 a year's supply was destroyed in the Swansea
factory by a fire, a major setback which cut profits tremendously. Despite this, Corgi continued to remain among top collectables for many years.
Sales increased in the late 1960s and early '70s after the James Bond
Aston Martin DB5
and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
car was released, but sales were fell sharply after the 1969 fire, which led to substantial ground being lost to its main rival Dinky, but by 1971, the Swansea factory was back to full production again after major repairs costing over £1.3 million. The Queen's silver jubilee model edition released in 1977 was an instant bestseller
, along with another nostalgia model, Edward VII's coronation state coach of 1901. After a rapid decline in sales, in 1983 economic analysts said that decline was inevitable; children and adults had moved on to more sophisticated toys, others however did not agree; they believed if it had not been for the fire there would have been no problem.
Corgi reformed as Corgi Toys Ltd. in 1984 and turned its attention to regaining the British toy company's confidence. Three years later Corgi turned to the export market for profits, soon distributing in Australia
, Europe
and the United States
. Shortly after this Corgi started the Collectors Club, which quickly gained worldwide membership.
In 1989 the company was taken over by Mattel
, the worldwide toy manufacturing giant (manufacturer of Barbie
Dolls and Hot Wheels
cars), and production was moved to Leicester, the Mattel headquarters. Corgi then introduced a new range: Corgi Classics, selling nostalgia cars, vans and trucks from the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s, aimed at those who had grown up during that period. At around the same period in the US, Corgi released a new range of truck
s, fire tenders and bus
es based on North American prototypes, though these were not as successful as had been hoped.
Corgi Classics turned to British television for model ideas, and soon released models such as Mr. Bean's Mini, Inspector Morse
's Jaguar
and later models based on Enid Blyton
's Noddy tales. A variety of firms ranging from Cadbury's chocolate to Guinness
beer to Eddie Stobart
haulage have had Corgi scale models made of their road vehicles. In 1995 Corgi introduced a new range of 1/76th scale UK and Hong Kong bus models under the Original Omnibus Company banner; by 2007, the total number of individual model releases in this sub-range had exceeded eight hundred.
In 1999 Corgi Classics Limited was taken over by Zindart, an American collectors specialists. By 2000, as in the 1960s, Corgi was once again the top British model maker. In 2002, Corgi bought the rights to the Lledo
name (and many of the molds), taking over the popular Days Gone series. The Lledo Vanguards series was also acquired in the deal. Days Gone and Vanguards models were sold by Corgi under the Lledo moniker until 2004, after which the Lledo name was dropped and the models officially became part of the Corgi Classics line.
In 1999, Corgi debuted the Aviation Archive line of diecast military airplanes. Beginning with 1/72 scale, Corgi created one of the most expansive and widely collected lines of highly detailed limited edition collectable die-cast metal aircraft. This line has been expanded in successive years to include new moulds and liveries and even new scales, such as the super-detailed 1/32 scale Aviation Archive line. Corgi followed with a new line of 1/50 scale armoured vehicles
ranging from World War II
up to through the Vietnam War
. In 2006, Corgi began selling hand painted, spin-cast metal figures and soldiers in the Forward March series which compliments their 1/32 and 1/50 scale lines of vehicles.
In May 2008, international models and collectiales group Hornby
announced the acquisition of Corgi Classics Limited for £8.3 million.
Die-cast toy
The term die-cast toy here refers to any toy or collectible model produced by using the die casting method. The toys are made of metal, with plastic, rubber or glass details. Wholly plastic toys are made by a similar process of injection moulding, but the two are rarely confused...
model manufacturer which has its origins in the Corgi Toys brand introduced by Mettoy in 1956.
The Corgi Toys era: 1956 to 1995
Corgi Toys was launched in 1956 as a new range of die-cast toy model carModel car
A model car or toy car is a miniature representation of an automobile. Other miniature motor vehicles, such as trucks, buses, or even ATVs, etc. are often included in the general category of model cars...
s by Mettoy Playcraft LTD, the toy car company founded in 1936. These new toy cars were soon a huge hit because at the time they were the only toy cars on the market that included transparent plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
windows, they soon became known as "the ones with the windows".
Although Corgi has had many model car competitors ranging from Dinky Toys to Lledo
Lledo
Lledo was a brand of die cast toys, founded in 1982 by Matchbox co-founder Jack Odell and Burt Russell. The factory produced diecast vehicles in Enfield, England from 1983 to 1999...
, its name is well known to this day. In its first year of trading Corgi sold an 2.75 million cars, making it a clear leader of the British toy car industry. In 1966 Corgi won the Queen's Award To Industry and the National Association Of Toy Retailers' Highest Standards Award, two prestigious awards. In March 1969 a year's supply was destroyed in the Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
factory by a fire, a major setback which cut profits tremendously. Despite this, Corgi continued to remain among top collectables for many years.
Sales increased in the late 1960s and early '70s after the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
Aston Martin DB5
Aston Martin DB5
The Aston Martin DB5 is a luxury grand tourer that was made by Aston Martin. Released in 1963, it was an evolution of the final series of DB4. The DB series was named honouring David Brown ....
and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (car)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the vintage racing car which features in the book, musical film and stage production of the same name. Writer Ian Fleming took his inspiration for the car from a series of aero-engined racing cars built by Count Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s, christened "Chitty Bang...
car was released, but sales were fell sharply after the 1969 fire, which led to substantial ground being lost to its main rival Dinky, but by 1971, the Swansea factory was back to full production again after major repairs costing over £1.3 million. The Queen's silver jubilee model edition released in 1977 was an instant bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
, along with another nostalgia model, Edward VII's coronation state coach of 1901. After a rapid decline in sales, in 1983 economic analysts said that decline was inevitable; children and adults had moved on to more sophisticated toys, others however did not agree; they believed if it had not been for the fire there would have been no problem.
Corgi reformed as Corgi Toys Ltd. in 1984 and turned its attention to regaining the British toy company's confidence. Three years later Corgi turned to the export market for profits, soon distributing in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Shortly after this Corgi started the Collectors Club, which quickly gained worldwide membership.
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
, the worldwide toy manufacturing giant (manufacturer of Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
Dolls and Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
cars), and production was moved to Leicester, the Mattel headquarters. Corgi then introduced a new range: Corgi Classics, selling nostalgia cars, vans and trucks from the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s, aimed at those who had grown up during that period. At around the same period in the US, Corgi released a new range of truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s, fire tenders and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es based on North American prototypes, though these were not as successful as had been hoped.
Corgi Classics Limited
In 1995, Corgi regained its independence as a new company, Corgi Classics Limited, and moved to new premises in Leicester.Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
's Jaguar
Jaguar Mark 2
The Jaguar Mark 2 is a medium sized saloon car built from 1959 to 1967 by the Jaguar company in Coventry, England, as successors to the Jaguar 2.4 and 3.4 models, manufactured between 1957 and 1959...
and later models based on Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
's Noddy tales. A variety of firms ranging from Cadbury's chocolate to Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
beer to Eddie Stobart
Stobart Group
Stobart Group Ltd is a large British multimodal logistics company, with interests in Transport and Distribution, Estates, Infrastructure and Civils, Air and Biomass, through operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium...
haulage have had Corgi scale models made of their road vehicles. In 1995 Corgi introduced a new range of 1/76th scale UK and Hong Kong bus models under the Original Omnibus Company banner; by 2007, the total number of individual model releases in this sub-range had exceeded eight hundred.
In 1999 Corgi Classics Limited was taken over by Zindart, an American collectors specialists. By 2000, as in the 1960s, Corgi was once again the top British model maker. In 2002, Corgi bought the rights to the Lledo
Lledo
Lledo was a brand of die cast toys, founded in 1982 by Matchbox co-founder Jack Odell and Burt Russell. The factory produced diecast vehicles in Enfield, England from 1983 to 1999...
name (and many of the molds), taking over the popular Days Gone series. The Lledo Vanguards series was also acquired in the deal. Days Gone and Vanguards models were sold by Corgi under the Lledo moniker until 2004, after which the Lledo name was dropped and the models officially became part of the Corgi Classics line.
In 1999, Corgi debuted the Aviation Archive line of diecast military airplanes. Beginning with 1/72 scale, Corgi created one of the most expansive and widely collected lines of highly detailed limited edition collectable die-cast metal aircraft. This line has been expanded in successive years to include new moulds and liveries and even new scales, such as the super-detailed 1/32 scale Aviation Archive line. Corgi followed with a new line of 1/50 scale armoured vehicles
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
ranging from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
up to through the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. In 2006, Corgi began selling hand painted, spin-cast metal figures and soldiers in the Forward March series which compliments their 1/32 and 1/50 scale lines of vehicles.
In May 2008, international models and collectiales group Hornby
Hornby Railways
Hornby Railways is the leading brand of model railway in the United Kingdom. Its roots date back to 1901, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, Hornby launched its first 00 gauge train...
announced the acquisition of Corgi Classics Limited for £8.3 million.
Famous Corgi Classics limited models
This is a list of a few of the most famous Corgi Classics limited models:- Inspector MorseInspector MorseInspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
's Jaguar Mk II - Mr. BeanMr. BeanMr. Bean is a British comedy television programme series of 14 half-hour episodes written by and starring Rowan Atkinson as the title character. Different episodes were also written by Robin Driscoll, Richard Curtis and one by Ben Elton. The pilot episode was broadcast on ITV on 1 January 1990,...
's MiniMiniThe Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers... - The Italian JobThe Italian JobThe Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom....
Minis - Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
's TARDISTARDISThe TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
and DalekDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s - The Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
Dodge ChargerThe General LeeThe General Lee is the modified Dodge Charger driven by the Duke cousins Bo and Luke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. It is known for the chases and stunts, especially high jumps, in almost every episode, and for having the doors welded shut, leaving the Dukes to climb in and out...
with Bo and Luke figures - Basil FawltyBasil FawltyBasil Fawlty is the main character of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers, played by John Cleese. The character is often thought of as an iconic British comedy character, and has been deemed unforgettable despite only a dozen half-hour episodes ever being made....
hitting his Austin 1100BMC ADO16ADO16 is the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland...
Countryman with a branch - USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)The USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
and some other Star Trek shipsStarfleet ship registry and classes in Star TrekThe Star Trek science fiction franchise included a large number of starships, some of which were regular settings while others made only brief appearances...
, including Romulan and KlingonKlingon starshipsIn the Star Trek franchise, the Klingon Empire makes use of several classes of starships. As the Klingons are portrayed as a warrior culture, driven by the pursuit of honor and glory, the Empire is shown to use warships almost exclusively. This contrasts with the exploration and research vessels...
vessels.
See also
- Corgi Toys for detailed history of Corgi under the original parent company
- Die-cast toyDie-cast toyThe term die-cast toy here refers to any toy or collectible model produced by using the die casting method. The toys are made of metal, with plastic, rubber or glass details. Wholly plastic toys are made by a similar process of injection moulding, but the two are rarely confused...
- Diecast Collector MagazineDiecast Collector MagazineDiecast Collector is a British magazine dedicated to the hobby of collecting diecast metal vehicles. Published monthly, it is a thick, glossy magazine featuring a variety of articles on toy and model cars, trucks and buses....
- Jada ToysJada ToysJada Toys, Incorporated of Industry, California, USA is a manufacturer of collectible diecast model cars and radio controlled vehicles. It was founded in 1999 by husband and wife Jack and May Li...
- Model commercial vehicleModel commercial vehicleA model commercial vehicle is a scale model or die-cast toy that represents a commercial vehicle: truck , bus, etc.-Overview:Like model cars, model commercial vehicles are sold both as kits for the enthusiast to construct and paint and as pre-built, pre-painted collectible models...
- MaistoMaistoMaisto International Inc. is a popular toy brand of the May Cheong Group . Maisto manufactures die-cast models of automobiles, aircraft, and motorcycles...
- TomicaTomicaTomica is the line of die-cast toy vehicles and related products produced by Takara Tomy Co. of Japan . This is not the same as Tomica World, which is a line of motorized trains and vehicles and accessories that Tomy Co. of Japan has produced since the late 1990s...
- MajoretteMajoretteMajorette is a French toy manufacturer which mostly produces small die-cast cars, particularly in 1:64 scale. Traditionally, Majorette was centered in the area of Lyon.-History:...