http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/Morris%20Marina%20TC/2009-Mar042.jpg
The Dinky Jensen FF casting to make their pocket version
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/Morris%20Marina%20TC/2009-Mar038.jpg

Strange small wheels on that one!
Wouldn't mind wheelin' a 1:1 around though, Chrysler 440 big block powered and all...

Yo Mick, clear your p.m. box. :wave:

Yo Mick, clear your p.m. box. :wave:

Yo Dave :wave: its cleared!

The concept Alfa P33 looks like a boat on wheels to modern eyes. Playart copied the Corgi in this instance.
The Dinky Jensen FF shown above has been with me since I was 8 years old - a bit chipped and sunfaded but not too shabby...


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/2009-Mar048.jpg

Cool!

Yeah, cool!
Some one of show car or something?

Yeah, cool!
Some one of show car or something?
Yes, prolly Geneva 1968 or thereabouts - I like the Alfa Carabou better than the P33........
Here is the Corgi De-Tomaso Mangusta that inspired Playart
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/Morris%20Marina%20TC/2009-Mar051.jpg

Playart just called this one ´UNCLE car´ regarding Oldsmobile as being irrelevant as a selling point
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/Morris%20Marina%20TC/2009-Mar050-1.jpg

I'm liking this small one/big one thread, keep'm coming!

This shot is taken by a good friend Jason from that other forum - I wish I had the pink Playart Roller to park besides my Bentley!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e7/Fred7A/DSC09276.jpg

Guess I've never seen many Play Arts - didn't know what all they had to offer.
I only have the Toyota 2000 GT and some Toyota thingy.
Looks like they had some interesting releases - any full size US land barges?

Guess I've never seen many Play Arts - didn't know what all they had to offer.
I only have the Toyota 2000 GT and some Toyota thingy.
Looks like they had some interesting releases - any full size US land barges?

Yes - copies of the Lesney 55 Mercury Police wagon & Hotwheels Custom Barracuda
Lets see your Toyotas DAVE! These are wonderful castings,and the 2000GT is a copy of the Corgi

I'll halfta do some diggin'!

What began life as the Corgi oo7 car, lost its special features and was copied by Playart - oddly the hardtop version which could have been made using the same baseplate and front bumpers has a new different baseplate - Playart missed a trick. Mercury wagons are coming this week, but i dont have the Playart Custom Barracuda to lineup against my redline.........
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/Morris%20Marina%20TC/2009-Mar050-2.jpg

That coupe is pretty sleek looking.
Allmost too much so - like it might be too long proportionally. I diggitt though.
And you know what?
I'm fulla crap. Those Toyotas I have are Tomicas! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

That coupe is pretty sleek looking.
Allmost too much so - like it might be too long proportionally. I diggitt though.
And you know what?
I'm fulla crap. Those Toyotas I have are Tomicas! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

I think you have explained why there are 2 completely different castings- the convertible is a thick waisted stubby but accurate copy of the Corgi which was distorted to fit in the rocket firing mechanism whereas the hardtop has the correct profile perhaps modelled on a real car or maybe an obscure diecast brand like Tekno.1970s HongKong was full of Toyotas,Datsuns and Hondas so these unique castings in the range can most likely have been designed using a 1:1 car unlike the exotic foreign motors......

By this video, now I see you're right about the Playart coupe you have pictured is the more accurate of the two.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C7SsoEw2eQ&NR=1

I can see from the video that this car clearly inspired the Datsun 240Z - Toyota missed the opportunity that this car created and Nissan made a mint from it....
Here is the Playart copy of the Mercury C111 - they also copied the Mercury Fiat Dino but I dont have one to make a comparison shot although occasional poster here Baskingshark does........
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/Morris%20Marina%20TC/2009-Mar049-1.jpg

And here is the copy of the Lesney Mercury wagon, issued also as a police car and a family wagon with tow hook (odd Lesney never gave this casting a tow hook although there appears to be a cut out for one.....)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/Morris%20Marina%20TC/2009-Mar050-3.jpg

I can see from the video that this car clearly inspired the Datsun 240Z - Toyota missed the opportunity that this car created and Nissan made a mint from it...
Profoundly great point, I never thodda that!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/2009-Mar063.jpg
There can be no doubt that the tiny Rover 2000TC was copied from the obscure 50,000 peices only Corgi Rover of 1972.Its very tiny size leads me to believe that it was designed for tiny hubcap wheels in 1972 alongside the other tiny cars in this 1/64 range but for reasons unknown not released until 1975 by which time these larger one peice wheels were standard.Very hard to find in any colour or condition today,i count myself lucky to have this playworn example....

great info and pics

Playart copied the Corgi Ford Cortina Mk3 even down to the vinyl roof overlaps and side casting guides for the Police stripe tampo. The steering wheel being fitted on the left side instead of the right side proves that Playart used the special Ford Europe promo model for the launch of the real car(c10,000 made) which was in fact uniquely issued by Corgi with left hand drive .Both the Cortina and Rover were part of the 5th wave from 1975 or 1976 - dating Playart releases is not so precise given very limited promo material available,although waves on 12 new cars in each of the first 4 years seems confirmed from boxes and blister listings
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/2009-Mar075-1.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/toys/2009-Apr031.jpg
This Hong Kong copy of the Lesney Setra coach was made by Tins Toys rather than Playart, but aside from the wheels its well done..........

I can see from the video that this car clearly inspired the Datsun 240Z - Toyota missed the opportunity that this car created and Nissan made a mint from it....
Here is the Playart copy of the Mercury C111 - they also copied the Mercury Fiat Dino but I dont have one to make a comparison shot although occasional poster here Baskingshark does........


Very occasional!! I just discovered this thread a year or so after it was posted.

The Playart Fiat Dino is copied from the Mebetoys one, not the Mercury - you can tell because of the way the trunklid goes. I'll try and do comparison pics!

Resurrection time again for this thread!

Here's the Playart Fiat Dino together with a (rather overloaded) Mebetoys one:

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/BaskingsharkII/Fiats1.jpg
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/BaskingsharkII/Fiats2.jpg

In the second picture, notice that on both the the cars, there is a panel between the leading edge of the boot/trunklid and the bottom of the rear windscreen. On the real Fiat Dino this is not the case: the trunklid goes right up to the edge of the window. Also, both cars share the slightly-too-tall-looking glasshouse and the front grilles and bonnet/hood outlines are the same.

And while I'm resurrecting, I've suddenly noticed a very obvious one that I didn't notice for ages: the Playart Cadillac Eldorado is a copy of the Dinky Eldorado. Pics to follow...

Great Dino pix from Baskingshark :thumbsup:

It strikes me as odd that Playart flared their wheelarches and squared the front bumper rather than copy the Italians - could there possibly be another source for Playart´s master model?

However the Tin Toys 1/45 Dino does look like a very good copy of the Mebetoys around the wheel arches and trunk and badges,with only their clear rear lights insert being a radical departure in design.

They probably flared the wheelarches to fit their slightly-proportionally-bigger wheels and the bumper was changed because it's part of the front girlle moulding, which the Mebetoys isn't.

Here are the Cadillacs...

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/BaskingsharkII/Cadillacs1.jpg

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/BaskingsharkII/Cadillacs2.jpg

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/BaskingsharkII/Cadillacs3.jpg

I now have over 40 different colours on Playarts, and have an afternoon off watching cricket online so have been having some fun with my Playarts.
Here are most of the metallic colours from the hubcap era 1971-75 plus spectraflame red which may well be surplus Mattel paint.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/74072.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/74071.jpg

My Fiat Dino rainbow hasnt grown now for over 2 years.......

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/74073.jpg

Nice rainbow of colors, you have a nice collection.
I only have a couple of Playarts. The ones I want seem to go for big bucks.

Wow..........missed this thread back when it originally was started...probably because I spent most of my time on HT in the slot forums.

Funny,looking ver this thread.Im 49 years old,and my skull is a vast store house of arcane diecast information from when I was a kid.

I remember a LOT of brands,Match Box,HW's,JL,the obvious ones,but others like Corgi,Husky,Impy,heck,I even had a few Majorettes and Tomy Pocket cars as well.

I dont ever remember seeing Playart stuff in the stores.I dont know if it was a regional thing,or they were just never really in this country that much.

Great pics,and great info none the less.Great thread.

Mike

I dont ever remember seeing Playart stuff in the stores.I dont know if it was a regional thing,or they were just never really in this country that much.

Great pics,and great info none the less.Great thread.

Mike

Maybe you remember them branded as ´Peelers´ - Woolworths exclusives 1971-5??????
Later packaging for other stores was under the ´Fastwheel´ name in a yellow blister with checker outline of the bubble.

Maybe you remember them branded as ´Peelers´ - Woolworths exclusives 1971-5??????
Later packaging for other stores was under the ´Fastwheel´ name in a yellow blister with checker outline of the bubble.

Like Mike above, I do not remember these Playarts or Peelers or ...at all - in the 70-80s, I lived in the southern US. Not many Woolworths around where I lived (if any), I guess.
http://www.gasolinealleyantiques.com/diecast/images/playart/playart-type1card.JPG :confused:

Now, HW, JL, MB, Huskies/Corgi Juniors, I remember! :)

Maybe you remember them branded as ´Peelers´ - Woolworths exclusives 1971-5??????
Later packaging for other stores was under the ´Fastwheel´ name in a yellow blister with checker outline of the bubble.


Nope....I remember Woolworths quite well,from when I was a little kid right up until they disappeared....sometime in the '80;s I guess.Never remember seeing the Playart cars at all,under any name.

Tho I do know that somewhere buried I have boxes of loose cars,and I know that I have a few.Nothing spectacular,I know one is the Batmobile,and maybe a few others.


Mike