CHRISTMAS GIFTS; DINKY TOYS

Ninety years ago, Meccano Ltd. unveiled their range of ‘Hornby Modelled Miniatures’ as companions to their O Gauge railways. However, by April 1934, the firm branded them as ‘Dinky Toys’, and they dispensed with the suffix was dropped in the following year.

In 1956 Dinky had a rival in the form of Corgi in the battle for the nation’s pocket money. The Binns Lane factory in Liverpool responded to this new rival with the 1958 Austin A105 Westminster, their first product with windows.

1960 saw the introduction of ‘Fingertip Steering’, and three years later, the Holden Special Sedan became the first Dinky with jewelled headlamps.

1964 represented a breakthrough for the concern, with the Mercedes-Benz 600. Corgi’s Chrysler Ghia L6.4 of the previous year was the first British die-cast with all opening panels, so Dinky responded with the W100.

It did not matter that neither car was precisely a common sight on the average high street, for each appealed to the discerning ten-year-old motorist who could afford the steep 14/11d price tag.

And in 1965, the Phantom V was not a genuinely magnificent counterpart to the Mercedes-Benz and undoubtedly one of the company’s ‘Top Ten’ die-casts. Nevertheless, the price was the same as the 600, so budding international plutocrats aspired to own both, proving a kind relative gifted them a postal order for 29/10d.

The Rolls-Royce and Mercedes Benz also distracted from Corgi’s Aston Martin 007 DB5 was a must-have toy for Christmas of that year, but Binns Lane had plans for its first ‘character car’. FAB 1 from Thunderbirds commenced a long line of Dinky ‘Century 21’ although some of the company’s management regarded the move into TV spin-offs with trepidation.

However, their fears turned out to be groundless, and a spokesman told the media, “No less than 940 orders – some for as many as 6,000 models – came within 24 hours of retailers seeing it”.

Dinky had also defeated Corgi to obtain the rights from Gerry Anderson’s company, and their die-cast version of Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward’s Rolls-Royce was possibly one of the most sought after Christmas presents for 1966.

Its features included rockets fired from behind the radiator grille, harpoon launchers in the boot and an opening canopy. Naturally, FAB also contained models of Lady Penelope and Aloysius ‘Nosey’ Parker. In Thunderbirds, the latter’s accent eerily anticipated certain East Enders characters.

In 1971 Dinky presented Gerry Anderson with solid silver FAB 1 as a tribute to his shows’ impact on the company. Meanwhile, if you were lucky, that die-cast model shaped package under the tree might contain:

Ed Straker’s Car from UFO. Here was a model that a) looked dynamic and b) was fitted with a “keyless clockwork motor”. Plus, borrowing the family mop to put on your head provided a reasonable facsimile of Ed Bishop’s wig;

Or

A Range Rover. This was an extremely desirable model, with opening everything, jewelled headlamps and an accurate representation of those distinctive lines.

By 1975 Dinky unveiled what was possibly its most ambitious model to date. Space 1999 was a series that varied between the ambitious and the surreal, not least the story of a homicidal robot voiced by Bernard Cribbins, but the hardware was genuinely innovative.

The die-cast version of the Eagle Transporter (“From the successful TV series!”) was equally impressive, especially with its detailing. The laboratory module pod underneath its chassis had opening doors and could also be released.

The Transporter represented the last hurrah for Dinky as the Binns Road factory closed in 1979. By then, the brand had inspired generations of car enthusiasts worldwide, so to celebrate, here is some Pathé newsreel footage of the factory in action. And this writer is still seeking a Fiat 2300 Familiare ‘Camera Car’…