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Discover a selection of models that will be on sale this week from tomorrow Monday, November 10, 2025 until Thursday, November 13 on our website AUTOJAUNE COLLECTION
en vente cette semaine: Solido – Ford Thunderbird coupé 128 -Dinky Toys GB – British Salmson 2 places 36G – Dinky Toys GB – Rolls Royce berline aérodynamique 30B – Solido – Ford Thunderbird coupé 128
I remember...
From the verse of a song by Georges Brassens, “Les deux oncles”: “The only generals we should follow at the heels of are the generals of the little tin soldiers.”
These words came back to me while looking at a collection of miniatures, accessories, and military figurines produced by Skybird in the 1930s and scheduled for this week.
This company deserves your attention for the care taken in its products. This English manufacturer has dedicated its production to the world of aviation.
Our English friends have always had a passion for airplanes. Skybird began producing wooden airplane models, sold in buildable boxes or fully assembled.
These are easily recognizable by their high level of finish. It seems to me that this Skybird production of airplane models, faithful reproductions, is unique.
No other manufacturer has had the folly to embark on such an adventure. The target audience was adults: assembling the struts, biplane wings, and wiring was beyond the reach of children.
Clearly, the mere sight of the various raw wooden components would have discouraged them. A decoration sheet and assembly instructions were included with the model.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Skybird – Engin projecteur électrique sur chenillles
Skybird even went so far as to create a magazine and a club.
The company was so successful that it expanded its production to include its model aircraft, producing hangars, as well as all the elements found only on airfields, such as anemometers, control towers, windsocks, and more.
The military quickly understood the benefits they could derive from aircraft in “modern warfare.”
modèle en vente cette semaine : Skybird – coffret anti-aircraft gun
modèle en vente cette semaine : Skybird – coffret Sound locator unit
Skybird has thus recreated the entire environment of a military airfield: defensive cannon, a listening system allowing aircraft to be heard from very far away, an anti-aircraft searchlight, etc.
We have some of these elements for sale this week. These accessories were delivered in beautiful boxes with expressive figurines: some are observing through binoculars or running at full speed, others are equipped with a parachute and ready to go into combat…
Continuing in its vein of creativity, the English company will also produce refueling vehicles as well as Lanchester trucks and armored cars, familiar to these airfields. It’s a real favorite.
I hope you’ll enjoy these products as much as I do. Before the Second World War, Liverpool, perhaps inspired by Skybird, also produced a superb series of military vehicles and figurines.
This week we have the Morris reconnaissance truck, which is a faithful reproduction of this vehicle. This range of military equipment, taken up after the war, symbolizes the good health of the company.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Morris engin de reconnaissance 152
At the time of the decline, at the end of the 1950s, there were no more new products in this military range.
As with the racing car range, Liverpool extended their presence in the catalog.
A good example is a boxed Austin Champ sold exclusively for the American market in the mid-1960s. Delivered with this type of box, it was a rare product.
The American market was in demand for military models. Dinky Toys, like Corgi Toys, took the easy way out and simply released military versions of models originally designed for another range.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Austin Champ USA 674
We have for sale this Willys Universal Jeep, which Liverpool will be outfitting with a khaki livery and adorning with a white American star.
These models are interesting and deserve your attention. For a long time, they commanded high prices. That’s over. Take advantage of them.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Willys Universal jeep US army 669
One last model from Denmark illustrates these points.
The American market was so important that Danish manufacturers resorted to these tricks themselves. I really like Vilmer’s Dodge trucks, especially the one equipped with a fuel tank.
Tekno never manufactured this body. The design is harmonious. The military version is very original and off the beaten track.
It’s rare.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Vilmer – Dodge camion dépanneuse
modèle en vente cette semaine : Vilmer – Dodge camion citerne militaire US army
modèle en vente cette semaine : Vilmer – Chevrolet camion toupie à béton
Schlumpf collection
During my last visit to the Schlumpf Collection at the National Automobile Museum in Mulhouse, I was in awe of an aisle at the beginning of the exhibition dedicated to the very first automobiles.
I especially admired their state of preservation.
This alignment gives a clear first impression.
These automobiles are closely linked to the world of horse-drawn carriages: the size of the wheels and especially the design of the bodies, all borrowed from carriages, vis-à-vis, and other contemporary horse-drawn carriages whose wheelwrights they shared.
I thought of this again when I saw two SRs (Simon and Rivolet).
The fire engine with its steam pump is truly autonomous. The high-perched presence of the driver’s seat and especially the steering wheel are proof of this. The whole is borrowed from the horse-drawn world.
modèle en vente cette semaine : SR – Camion pompier avec chaudière vapeur
The other model, a sedan, is also revealing.
Again, the driver’s compartment at the rear of the vehicle is reminiscent of certain hackney carriages. These products, which are nearly 120 years old, are extraordinary.
They are very fragile. However, being injected with lead, they do not suffer from metal conservation issues.
modèle en vente cette semaine : SR – Auto type Fiacre
The third SR also deserves your attention. It’s rare.
It’s a miniature reproduction of a beautiful toy, like those found in luxury stores like Le Nain Bleu. A horse on wheels. Let’s just say that this type of toy was reserved for children of the upper middle class; this miniaturization was reserved for others.
A toy within a toy, so to speak.
You have to be a child at heart to appreciate it.
modèle en vente cette semaine :SR – Engin cheval sur roulette
the conquest of oil
Solido dedicated its 300 series to industrial vehicles and trucks designed for the conquest of oil in North Africa.
Another era.
The company thus offered assembly kits in distinctive sand and green colors, complete with a derrick, water tank, and bungalow, in…
A truck cab epitomizes this Saharan universe: that of the Berliet TBO, Berliet being closely linked to the Algerian adventure.
This week we have two fine examples.
The first cab tows a flatbed semi-trailer on which a derrick to be built is positioned. This model always has its effect. Finding the complete derrick is not easy because it is fragile.
Modèle en vente cette semaine : Solido – Berliet TBO 200cv semi remorque porte derrick 300
The second is less common.
It is part of the assembly kit described above. The trailer is also available in a reversed color scheme.
This model is interesting. To complement its Berliet TBO cab, Solido chose another truck cab, with which it shares the chassis, designed specifically for the Saharan adventure. This is the aptly named Unic “Sahara.”
modèle en vente cette semaine : Solido – Unic Sahara semi remorque citerne Farine 301
modèle en vente cette semaine : Solido – Unic Sahara semi remorque ciment 301
This truck didn’t enjoy much commercial success with decision-makers: it seems to have been fragile and suffered from vibrations.
One thing is certain: in reality, this Unic never existed with a double rear axle. For technical reasons, particularly the shared chassis with the Berliet, Solido overlooked this technical aspect.
The coupling with the flatbed semi-trailer equipped with tanks is very realistic.
I don’t think it ever transported cement or flour like the models presented this week!
Here again, we’re in the realm of toy magic, and the design office gave free rein to its imagination.
The “flour” version equipped with steel rims is rare. I appreciate the first steel rims, which are aesthetically pleasing and do not warp.
Finally, still on the agenda this week, the Saviem SM300 car transporter is a true masterpiece.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Solido – Saviem SM300 porteur semi remorque porte autos Causse Walon 321
I appreciate the simplicity and functionality of the whole thing.
This scale model exhibits a truly modern design. It marked an era, and even today, I’m struck by its modern look.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Solido – Willeme Horizon tracteur semi remorque ridelles 302
modèle en vente cette semaine : Solido – Berliet TBO 300cv semi remorque ridelles 300
my favorite two masterpieces
My favorites. How do you recognize a masterpiece? Among other things, its timelessness.
This is the reflection I had when I saw two English Dinky Toys on the market this week.
Forty years ago, bringing out a dark blue Foden Mk 1 dropside or a gray Sunbeam Talbot 38B in mint condition on a swap meet table was a real eye-catcher.
Beyond these two models, it meant there would be other beautiful things on that table!
I remembered acquiring my blue Foden Mk 1 dropside. I paid £1,700.
Besides its rarity, this first version with a black chassis is aesthetically superb. This particular shade of blue is familiar from the British road landscape of the 1940s and 1950s.
Finding the model in mint condition has always been very difficult. Years have passed, prices have dropped considerably, but its rarity and beauty remain. Learn to appreciate it.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Foden MK 1 ridelles 501
The Sunbeam Talbot is my favorite model from the 38 series dedicated to 1940s convertibles.
The color contrast of the tonneau cover is a determining factor in this preference. I also appreciate the treatment of the large-diameter headlights. Another era.
The subtle harmony of the colors with the two shades of gray is splendid. One might prefer the more sparkling ones, red or yellow, but the one on the menu this week rarely comes up for sale, especially in this condition.
This is also, as with the Foden, a factor to consider.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – sunbeam 38B
Vincent Espinasse
also on sale this week
