Discover a selection of models that will be on sale this week from tomorrow Monday, July 14, 2025 until Thursday, July 17 on our website AUTOJAUNE COLLECTION
en vente cette semaine:Dinky Toys France – Saviem Sinpar porte fers 885 – Dinky Toys GB – Volkswagen KDF avec canon anti char P.A.K 617 –– Dinky Toys GB Berliet gazelle avec missile R20 620 – Dinky Toys France – Unic Estérel semi fourgon SNCF Pam Pam 803
I remember...
…of the emergence of models derived from television series among miniature collectors. My earliest memory dates back to the first visit my father and I made to Jean-Michel Roulet in the late 1970s. I can still hear him explaining to us that the little Austin Moke with its Tiny giraffe at the wheel, inspired by the one in the children’s series “The Enchanted House,” would quickly become a sought-after piece. It was already rare. But many Dinky Toys enthusiasts hadn’t yet understood its appeal and disdained this type of product.
Recently, I reread the commentary in the journal Modelisme regarding the release of the Renault 4L Sinpar by Tanguy and Laverdure of Dinky Toys France. Mr. Greilsamer was dismayed by the choice of Bobigny and the treatment of this miniature. It must be said that this Renault, completely covered in graffiti, didn’t bode well… May ’68 was about to arrive, which for many led to the total loss of values and good taste.
Conservative ideas have often flourished in the collector world. Yet, the miniature is excellently reproduced. Claude Thivilliers is surely the designer of the prototype.
Another gendarmerie version exists on this perfect base. So I followed Jean-Michel Roulet’s advice and often thought of him when revisiting this type of product.
However, in my research and acquisitions, I focused on the “automobile” versions of television series. I have no affinity for television series in general, and even less so for science fiction ones. Unlike many collectors, I’ve never been drawn to futuristic vehicles, like Thunderbird spaceships and later “Space: 1999.”
Yet, with recent acquisitions of collections, such as Robert Goirand’s, I felt invested with a preservation mission. I kept these models with their specific boxes. I even found a certain pleasure in doing so. It took forty years for the idea to click.
This week we have a beautiful set including the famous Thunderbird 2 and 4, the 4 being the small module located in the “belly” of the ship.
modèle en vente cette semaine :Dinky Toys GB – Engin Thunderbirds 2 et 4 106
We have the latest version, in metallic blue, much rarer than the first green one. The display case is less spectacular than the “diorama” case of the first version… but it is much more fragile and rare.
Finding it in the same condition as the one for sale is difficult. These types of cases have long been neglected by enthusiasts.
The program also includes a machine that has always been difficult to obtain: the Joe 90.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Engin Joe’s car 102
This product deserves a brief introduction. With Dinky Toys’ acquisition of the Gerry Anderson license, it marked a significant comeback against its arch-rival, Corgi Toys, which had steadily gained market share since its launch in the mid-1950s.
Marcel Van Cleemput of Corgi Toys’s design office recognized this. It seems that Corgi Toys, overconfident because it already owned the James Bond and Batman licenses, didn’t take the competition from Liverpool seriously. Dinky Toys thus released a whole series of highly successful cars and special vehicles based on the Gerry Anderson universe, which was very popular in Great Britain at the time.
This week, we have two Spectrum models in different colors and this hybrid vehicle, the “Joe Car.”
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Auto Spectrum patrol car rouge 103
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Auto Spectrum patrol car 103
By chance, we also have a few models on this same theme, which are the result of Corgi Toys’ failure to acquire this famous license. The Swansea firm is setting its sights on other models. James Bond’s Toyota is splendid, but it’s difficult to make another model of the same hero, after the global success of the Aston Martin. The diorama alone is worth acquiring the product.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Corgi Toys – Toyota 2000 GT James Bond 336
Also on the program is an imposing, meticulously executed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a modified Pontiac GTO from the rock band “The Monkees.” The latter were the heroes of a television series whose aura did not cross the Atlantic. Yet these three Corgi Toys models are superbly made. But the failure of the license left its mark. The tide had turned.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Corgi Toys – Auto Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 266
modèle en vente cette semaine : Corgi Toys – Auto Monkeemobile 277
jet cars
For a long time, Norev’s “jet-car” series was snubbed by miniature enthusiasts. They only paid attention to the few new models in this series, such as the Peugeot 204 and 404 coupé. Rereading Modelisme, and Jacques Greilsamer’s comments, I noticed that he often highlighted the quality of reproduction and the accuracy of the shapes of these “Jet Cars.” He was also pleased that Norev was finally offering models in zamac. However, he noted and regretted that the models arrived a year, sometimes two years behind competitors. It’s true that the gestation period for a model at Norev was very long. I remember a 1968 Matra 630 still scheduled as a “new model” in the mid-seventies… at the time when Matra was launching its 670s… fortunately, it would never see the light of day. On the other hand, if the production run took a long time, the Villeurbanne firm often kept its models in the catalog for more than ten years.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Norev – Renault R15 TS 823
modèle en vente cette semaine :Norev – Renault 16TX 841
modèle en vente cette semaine :Norev – Citroën SM 807
This week, I thought of this when I saw the three beautiful Jet Cars scheduled for release. They are in the middle of their respective production runs.
While they retain beautiful wheels, equipped with a chrome hubcap, they will soon receive chrome-trimmed wheels; they feature the new “rainbow” gearboxes. It also took me a while to get used to this type of gearbox. Now I look at them with kindness as a marker of an era. Jacques Greilsamer had another complaint about this Jet Car series: the haphazard choice of colors.
In 2025, when I saw the Citroën SM’s lemon yellow, I thought of him. However, the approach to the collection has evolved. It’s a great pleasure to try to trace the color variations, even if, due to the product’s longevity in the catalog, they are numerous and difficult to list.
The dark metallic blue Renault 17TS, also offered, is an uncommon color. We see that at Norev, the paints used reveal significant nuances over the years. The Renault 16TX and its dark metallic red is a good example.
solido
Jacques Greilsamer understood faster than Jean de Vazeilles, the owner of Solido, that a market for collectors existed.
This seems logical, given that he owned a magazine and a world-renowned retail outlet: I recently saw photos of the famous Japanese collector Noburu Nakajima on a pilgrimage to Sebastopol Boulevard.
I reread his laudatory writings after the release of the first “Golden Age” Solido, the Mercedes SS. He admired the opening doors and the suspension. However, upon reading, one understands that he ranks it slightly below “his” references of the time: the Rio and other Dugus, which he rightly describes as “models.” He does, however, emphasize the Solido’s robust design.
The most interesting aspect appears later, in another chapter of this same issue. Some time earlier, his magazine had conducted a reader survey to find out which ten pre-World War II models they would like to see in their display cases. The Bugatti Royale, the Renault 40hp chauffeur-driven coupe, the Hispano Suiza, the 1925 Panhard et Levassor chauffeur-driven coupe, the Duesenberg J, and the Voisin 17hp were among the top ten models. Does this list ring a bell? These are the new models in the Golden Age series, spread over several years! Jean de Vazeilles would use this survey to compile his list of new models.
Mr. Greilsamer pointed out that the Peugeot 201 was on the list of the ten most popular models. He explained that “popular cars” were also of interest to enthusiasts, which seemed to surprise him. He would keep this in mind when he launched his Eligor range ten years later. This week we have a beautiful Voisin 17cv from Solido, the very one that is on the enthusiasts’ wish list.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Solido – Voisin 17cv carene 144
A superb achievement from Solido. For the record, Jean de Vazeilles’ father, Ferdinand, owned one. We also note that the first removable Major has a hood that is terribly reminiscent of this car. Finally, a little nod to Jacques Greilsamer and his Eligor range that he dared to launch, after the first oil crisis. I remember having the catalog and waiting months for the release of the 1974 Matra 670… it never arrived… how many times I opened the small catalog and looked at the drawing. I also remember the presence of an intriguing page with a Unic van truck, a Magirus coach and an International combine harvester… these products were subcontracted by a French firm called “Diano”.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Eligor – International 953 moissonneuse-batteuse
This week we have the rare International combine harvester for sale.
Without being able to prove it, it was probably ordered by the American company. The latter was supposed to distribute it through dealerships as a gift to buyers of the “real” one. Given the price of the machine, it’s a minimum! As is often the case, Diano, through Eligor, will distribute it through the sales network; this was common practice at the time. It’s an original piece. In my more than forty years of experience, I’ve noticed that this type of product has its customers. I’m one of them.
My favorite is the Hubley 1/60 GMC School bus
My favorite is the 1:60 GMC School Bus from Hubley.
This scale is attracting more and more collectors. I appreciate it too. This product exudes incredible charm. It’s easier for a 1:43 collector to accept 1:60 utility models than cars, for the simple reason that very few companies have reproduced trucks in 1:43 scale… Dinky Toys are generally reproduced in 1:50-1:55 scale… so the difference is much easier to discern.
Besides the beautiful color harmony, I appreciate its size. This type of bodywork, combined with its use as a school bus, transports us to the other side of the Atlantic.
en vente cette semaine : Hubley – GMC autocar School bus
Vincent Espinasse
also on sale this week
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