CASTING A LOOK OVER TOY CARS

-PRESS RELEASE-

Diecast Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s, a new book by Andrew Ralston provides a comprehensive overview of vintage diecast toy cars and the companies that made them during the 1950s and 1960s. A collectors guide on what has become an increasingly popular hobby over the last 25 years.

As well as examining the major names such as Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys and Matchbox (Great Britain), Solido (France), Tekno (Denmark) and Tootsietoy (USA), this book is unique in its coverage of many smaller and more obscure brands, not only from Europe or the USA but from countries as far afield as Japan, Israel and Argentina.

The book provides fascinating insights into the history of individual companies, accompanied by 300 photographs of rare examples, most of them with their original boxes. A further unique feature is the inclusion of a large selection of colourful and evocative illustrations from catalogues and period trade advertisements.

For the newcomer to the hobby, this volume will provide an ideal introduction to the history of the manufacturers active in this field, while experienced collectors will make many new discoveries.

The 128-page book is available now from bookshops or from www.veloce.co.uk.

THE AUTHOR
Andrew Ralston received his first Dinky Toy car, a Riley, when he was about five years old, and ever since has been passionately interested in anything to do with cars. He has built up an extensive collection of models, with a preference for the more unusual items, and has written many articles on the subject for magazines in Britain and the USA. Educated at the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford, Andrew is a teacher by profession and has also published numerous textbooks on the English language. He lives in Glasgow with his wife, Hazel, and daughter, Miranda.

Click here for more info about the book or click the link to buy a copy now using credit card or paypal.

CAST YOUR EYE OVER THIS

Diecast Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s by Andrew Ralston is well received by Octane magazine this month – "superbly illustrated softback."

VW GOLF GTI SCALEXTRIC TRACK

Ahead of the UK launch of the new Golf GTI on May 22, Volkswagen has constructed a Scalextric track on an epic scale inside a hangar to lend armchair (or office chair) enthusiasts the chance to race the new hot hatch online and against the clock.

The 30ft by 25ft track is the work of a team of 60 modellers and features over 200 scale buildings. It forms the basis for the ‘GTI Project’, a new online game through which you can control the 1:43 scale Golf GTI as it negotiates the hairpins, straights and narrow bridges that make up the track. There’s no need to spend hours setting it up on the living room floor, no potential damage to furniture (and family pets) should you crash at high speed. Simply log onto www.gtiproject.com and you’ll be guided to the virtual workshops of the GTI Project and the track itself.

As with the real thing, too much enthusiasm leads to crashes and lost time. A delicate approach and a little perseverance lead to quick times and your chance to appear on the online global leader board, possibly resulting in universal acclaim from friends and colleagues.

Along the way you can learn more about the new Golf GTI, from its new 2.0-litre TSI engine to the advanced six-speed DSG gearbox, colours, trims and performance information. In addition you can order a brochure or even book a test drive.

Set a particularly quick time and you’ll be entered into the prize draw to stand the chance of winning the opportunity to drive a new Golf GTI for three months.
Source:Volkswagen

Don't forget about the great new Veloce Essential Buyer's Guide reviewed here in Wheelspin, the magazine of the London & Thames Valley VW Club.


Click here for more info about the book.

REVIEWS FROM DOWN UNDER

A couple of great reviews this month from Australian Classic Car!

Tinplate Toy Cars
By Andrew Ralston.
"I suspect many of us remember tinplate toy cars from the 1950s and early 1960s. I certainly do, but sadly each and every one I owned has gone to that large Bandai garage in the sky. Most were based on American vehicles. They tended to be larger than Dinky Toys or die-cast cars, ranging from eight to 16 inches and usually powered by friction-drive mechanisms or electric motors. With radio control still years away, the electrical examples were often operated via a remote control box that also contained the batteries.

The 150 or so tinplate cars featured in this book
are part of a single collection and each one still has its original box. (I’m always amazed when boxes have lasted for so long and I always imagine some poor deprived child who wasn’t allowed to play with the toy). While the collection and therefore the book predominantly features American cars, there are also a small number of European and Japanese cars, as well as a chapter covering tin plate cars made in China and Argentina.
I particularly like the range of tinplate Mercedes and Jaguars.

Each car is treated to a clear photo and informative text. There is also a chart detailing the cars’ estimated prices today, with categories ranging from the
highly affordable (US$50-$100) through to the almost unthinkable (US$5000 and up). An interesting and informative publication."

Click here for more info.

British Woodies from the 1920s to the 1950s
By Colin Peck
"When you think of ‘woodies’ you generally think of American cars, but there was a flourishing British industry as well. While many English woodies didn’t see their way through to the 1970s, they are now attracting real interest. This new publication in the Veloce ‘Those were the days…’ series describes how the shooting-brake evolved until it reached its
peak in the post WWII period, when steel was in short supply. It wasn’t limited to Morris Minor Travellers, either, as almost every manufacturer, large and small, offered a woodie in its order
books. Apart from the mainstream, manufacturers as diverse as Allard, Lea-Francis and Alvis offered woodies. There was also an industry in replacing rusted bodies with new timber bodywork, and
it was not unusual to
see a Rolls-Royce or Bentley so fitted. It was sobering to read that “the average recommended period between major re-varnishing was just two years if a decent level of weather protection for the wood was to be achieved”. Most woodie owners didn’t undertake the re-varnishing at all and sadly many woodie bodies rotted away in 10 years or less. This publication is as delightful as the cars themselves and contains a fascinating collection of period black-and-white photos as well as colour photos of restored examples. Highly recommended."

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BALERS AND COMBINES HARVESTED TOGETHER!

-PRESS RELEASE-

The Pocket Guide to Britains Farm Model Balers & Combines 1967-2007 is a new book by David Pullen – a man with a life-long passion for farming and a life-long passion for collecting models. Farm model collecting is becoming increasingly popular with people of all ages and Britains are a leading manufacturer with a long and distinctive history of producing these models. This brightly illustrated book is the first comprehensive guide for those interested in collecting these miniatures.
Published by Veloce at £16.99 in hardback and containing almost 500 colour photographs including six on each model from different angles, Pocket Guide to Britains Farm Model Balers & Combines 1967-2007 describes all the baler and combine models produced by Britains since they were first added to its farm model range 40 years ago, and also provides details of their development in 176 carefully laid out pages.
As well as standard models, this includes details and photographs of prototype and rare models. The history is complemented by a catalogue describing the main features, differences, issue dates and codes of each model produced. Each is illustrated with six colour photographs showing the model from different angles and also showing the issue packaging.

Full of infectious enthusiasm for his subject, David Pullen describes how he has collected many of these models over the years and researched their development. The book includes a long section describing how the range developed, plus details of prototypes and some of the manufacturing background. Also, to allow the reader to identify different model variations, catalogues are included in which individual models are examined – giving for each colour photographs, their main features and issue packaging.
The Pocket Guide to Britains Farm Model Balers & Combines 1967-2007 is available now from bookshops or from www.veloce.co.uk.
As ToyCollector.com said: "... the book has it all, each item is photographed from different angles, it gives you information about the actual baler or combine and then lots of specifications. It is a very comprehensive work covering this subject that just seems to have exploded after the turn of the century."
Click here for more info about the book.

THE WHO MAGIC BUS DIECAST MODEL

A limited edition, 1:43 scale model of a unique 1965, split-screen Volkswagen Transporter van with special The Who Magic Bus branding will be available to order online or from the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles network of dedicated Van Centres from later this week.



The Who Magic Bus Volkswagen Transporter van was created for a fundraising competition last year organised by UK charity Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) and legendary British rock band, The Who.



Only 1,000 of the 1:43 scale die-cast models of this vehicle are being produced, of which 100 will be available in the UK, at a retail price of £40. A donation of €2 from each model sold will go to TCT for children and young people suffering from cancer.



The Who Magic Bus is one of a range of models and toys available from Volkswagen’s Retro Collection of merchandise. Other items include scale models of the current Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles range such as the Crafter or Caddy vans, the California campervan (from £13.70), key rings (from £3.90), 1GB USB campervan memory sticks (£15) and a cuddly campervan soft toy (£15). The range will expand again later this year with the addition of a classic T1 Samba-Bus.

Source:Volkswagen/Newspress



A new diecast toy cars book is coming very soon from Veloce!



Diecast Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s by Andrew Ralston.

Collecting vintage diecast toy cars has become an increasingly popular hobby over the last 25 years, and this book provides a comprehensive overview of the companies that made these toys during the 1950s and 1960s.

As well as examining the major names such as Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys and Matchbox (Great Britain), Solido (France), Tekno (Denmark) and Tootsietoy (USA), this book is unique in its coverage of many smaller and more obscure brands, not only from Europe or the USA but from countries as far afield as Japan, Israel and Argentina.

The book provides fascinating insights into the history of individual companies, accompanied by 300 photographs of rare examples, most of them with their original boxes. A further unique feature is the inclusion of a large selection of colourful and evocative illustrations from catalogues and period trade advertisements.

For the newcomer to the hobby, this volume will provide an ideal introduction to the history of the manufacturers active in this field, while experienced collectors will make many new discoveries.

Click here for more info.

Delectable Collectables

Enjpy this clip of tinplate toy movie cars from the likes of ghostbusters and back to the future. If tinplate cars are your thing you might be interested to know that Veloce Publishing have this new book out..



Tinplate Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s from Japan

THE Collectors guide



By Andrew Ralston



Features



• Many of the toys pictured are so rare that the images have never been published before

• The toys are all drawn from the collection of Bruce Sterling of New York, recognised as one of the world’s top collectors in this field

• The author has been given unique access to this collection for the purposes of this book

• Includes valuable background information on the companies that made these toys

• Features a comprehensive selection of photographs of rare items from many different countries

• All models pictured are in mint condition, with original boxes

• Price guide gives an indication of current values and degree of rarity

• Provides a handy means of manufacturer identification

• An invaluable aid to collectors buying at auction and at toy shows

Description



After the Second World War, Japanese toy makers made tinplate replicas of many American and European cars, often reaching surprising heights of realism. Today, these tin cars are the most desirable of all vintage toys, fetching prices at auction in excess of diecast cars such as Dinky Toys. Seeking out the finest examples of these toys has been a lifelong passion for Bruce Sterling of New York, who has allowed his collection to be pictured in this volume.

150 of the rarest and best toys are shown, all of them in pristine condition with their original boxes. Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, Packard and many other famous American names are represented, in addition to a good selection of European vehicles. All the toys are described in detail and background information is provided about the prototypes on which they are based. A guide to current values is also given. This is a book that will be treasured, not only by specialist collectors, but by all who are passionate about vintage toys and classic vehicles.

Synopsis



Tin toys had been made in Japan before the second World War but they reached new heights of realism in the 1950s. The post-war American occupation of Japan gave Japanese toymakers ready access to the lucrative American toy market and as a result most of the tin toy cars made in this period were based on American vehicles like Cadillacs, Chevrolets, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Packards.Like the real things, these tin toys were big. A small one would be around eight inches long, with some of the largest stretching to eighteen inches. As such, tinplate was the ideal medium to capture the look of American styling of the 1950s, a period when size mattered and car manufacturers tried to outdo each other with the extravagance of their designs, the size of their tailfins and the amount of chrome. During this era of consumerism, Japanese toy production was at its peak, with exotically-named manufacturers like Marusan, Bandai, Yonezawa and Alps turning out vast quantities of tin toys. It proved to be a short-lived phase in the history of toy production. By the early 1960s, tin toys were falling out of fashion for various reasons: their sharp edges gave rise to safety concerns; die-cast models were becoming increasingly realistic and sophisticated, with many action features that appealed to children; the development of plastics in the toy industry made tin toys look increasingly old-fashioned. Half a century later, there are very few surviving examples of these magnificent playthings. Bruce Sterling of New York has devoted years to seeking out the very best examples of Japanese tinplate cars and has built up what is probably the world’s finest collection of these toys, every one of them in pristine condition, complete with their original boxes which are works of art in themselves. This book showcases 150 examples of the very rarest tin toy cars, many of them never having been pictured in books or magazines until now. Almost every major American motor manufacturer is represented here, together with a selection of commercial vehicles and a significant number of European cars too. All are illustrated in full colour and described in detail, and fascinating insights are provided into both the real vehicles and the companies who modeled them, together with a guide to rarity and current values. This is a book that will be treasured, not only by specialist collectors, but by all who are passionate about vintage toys and classic vehicles.





For more info click here