Category Archives: GAMA

Some of My Family Collection

By Jorge Ignacio Prieto

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

We have many toy cars in our family collection, including RAMI, GAMA, Dinky Toys, etc. All of them were bought by my father when I was a child. He started the collection of cars when he was 12 (today he is almost 80), and we (my father and his children) have been involved in this hobby since then. Here are some RAMI cars which were bought in Europe and others in my country, Chile, many years ago.

Since our early years in childhood we played with the little cars, constructing houses, streets and cities to complete the scene. My father is a great architect. He taught us to take care of cars from a very young age. We could play, but then we had to put them away and take care of them. So those cars are in very good condition as you can see in photos. Click on each photo to see which exact model they are.

When possible, my brothers, my father and I still buy some cars for the collection. In the photo below are some 1:43 Peugeots from Solido, RAMI, GAMA, Ixo, Dinky and Minichamps.

Here are two Old Timer Peugeots from Guisval (red) and GAMA (blue) up close. Click on the photo to see what they are exactly.

I hope you enjoy these photos. I had seen the MAR Online article on RAMI and thought that other collectors would enjoy seeing some that made it all the way to Chile!


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Mercedes-Benz 600 from GAMA

By Maz Woolley

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

The Mercedes-Benz 600 has been modelled by many model makers in many scales. Here we look at the SWB version modelled by GAMA in around the 1980s in their GAMA MIni range which was claimed to be a precision model to collectors quality and competed with the contemporary diecast offerings from Schuco and Märklin. Like Schuco, GAMA were a long established producer making models in what was then West Germany. They were based in Fürth near Nuremberg which is a traditional centre of German Toymaking and where Schuco is based. GAMA is said to be a contraction of the name of its founder George Adam Mangold and had a very long history of producing tinplate toys starting in the 19th Century. By the 1960s these evolved into toys made of tinplate and plastic some of which were remote controlled. The quality of their output varied from models of manufacturers promotional quality to simple toys. Diecast models started in 1959 and were generally to 1:42 or 1:43 scale although some 1:25 models were also offered. The GAMA Mini series of diecasts was an attempt to appeal to the collector market springing up at the time as well as to sell to younger people and made its appearance from the 1970s onwards. GAMA took over Schuco in the mid1980s and confusion sets in as GAMA models were boxed as Schuco and vice versa, whilst some GAMA tooling went to Czechoslovakia to be produced by Gonio. Schuco were taken over as part of the creation of the SImba-Dickie group and I assume that GAMA was also taken over at the same time though the brand is not listed as used by Simba-Dickie.

The Mercedes-Benz 600 was produced from 1963 until 1981. It was an extravagant statement of wealth and importance. Its celebrity owners helped to glamorise the car with Elvis Presley, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Rowan Atkinson, all owners at some point in their lives. Unsurprisingly Jay Leno has one in his collection.

The short wheelbase version was produced in the largest number; over 2,000 were built. Fewer than five hundred of the long wheelbase were produced, and fewer than 50 of the Landaulet.

Model makers have tended to focus on the long wheelbase version due to its impressive size and appearance. With contemporary models from Corgi, Dinky and in a slightly smaller scale SIKU springing to mind as well as more recent models from Vitesse and True Scale Miniatures in 1:43 scale. In 1:87 scale Wiking made a contemporary model and has also produced an updated version more recently. Brekina has also featured it in the Starmada range.

Here GAMA have produced the short wheelbase version of the Mercedes-Benz 600. The model shown in this article is painted in silver but it was also made in black and metallic blue. It is shown in both 1988 and 1990 catalogues and was probably introduced considerably earlier in the 1980s. It is marked 1:45 scale and has a metal base and lower section and a plastic upper section.

The GAMA model is quite impressive despite it being shorter than most Mercedes-Benz 600 models but a lot of plastic has been used in the construction of the model and the gaps between plastic and metal sections are obvious in places.

The side view of the GAMA model shows the way that the whole top section is in plastics, roof, glazing and chrome effect trim form a unit. This is slotted into the lower metal section of the model from underneath. As a technique it can work well but here some of the chrome trim is rather heavy

The Mercedes-Benz star is present though moulded as a solid piece into the radiator shell. These models were sold as toys for those over three years old so it is hardly surprising that a more delicate solution was not tried. The radiator itself is a fair facsimile but the lights, though separate items, and just moulded metal ‘chromed’ items. The front panel is also very flat and lacks some of sculptural effect of the real car

The opening panels are a reasonable fit for the time but the engine is only suggested with a rather vague plastic rendition. The boot interior is not modelled at all it is just a silver space round the fixing which connects the body to the base.

Another sign of the limited hand finishing is the fact that the rear lights are not printed on. In fact there is no tampo printing at all with the 600 script and the Mercedes-Benz badge being cast into the boot lid.

The rear three quarter view shows how a silver plastic section is sandwiched between the base plate and the body to form the bumpers at both ends and the ‘chromed’ wheels arches as well as the sill embellishers.

The wheels are plastic and not rubber and the hubcaps are nicely moulded inserts.

This model is full of character for all its crudeness. It reminds us of how far ‘collectors models’ have come since the 1980s. Manufacturers at this time were seeking to make toys with as little hand finishing as possible to cope with rising production costs in Europe and tried to aim them at children as play things and adults as collectibles. This strategy could never satisfy adult collectors and ranges selling much more accurate models to the over 14s, which could include lots more small details, emerged by the late 1980s.

Although this model has an undoubted period charm it now looks crude next to the Vitesse Mercedes-Benz 600 which appeared aimed directly at collectors and went on sale only a few years after the GAMA.


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Gama Mercedes-Benz 300TD

By Frank Koh

This old diecast Mercedes-Benz 300TD diesel wagon was introduced by Gama in the late 1970s. From the 50s thru the very early 90s, this West German toy company established by George Adam Mangold produced some very interesting miniatures from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Opel, Audi/NSU, Volkswagen, and even an occasional non-German marque. Gama was even commissioned by the German auto manufacturers to produce some official dealer promotional models, mostly in diecast metal, but a few Gama cars were made in plastic and were battery-operated or friction-powered.

Personal favorites of mine from the Gama line included the Mercedes-Benz and Opel vehicles. In the late eighties and early nineties, many European manufacturers were hit hard by globalization, and Gama was one of the better known casualties. I miss this brand.

Like the real W123 series Mercedes-Benz station wagon, this 1:26-ish scale diecast model is built to last. The real 300TD was manufactured from 1978-85, so perhaps Gama stopped producing this one as well around 1985.   It is also the first factory-built Mercedes-Benz station wagon of modern times!

This Gama is all-metal construction, including a heavy chassis plate, resulted in a little car that can become a deadly weapon in the wrong hands.

In the quarter of a century that I have owned it, I have taken great care to avoid having this exceptionally heavy miniature roll off the table and land on my foot. Truth be told, they really don’t make model vehicles the way they used too.


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Opel Dealership Colour Samples

By Fabrizio Panico

All photographs by, and copyright of, the Author unless otherwise stated.

Editor: Manufacturers have from time to time worked with a model car maker to have samples available for the launch of the car. In a few cases they have even been painted in colours available on the soon to be launched vehicle. One well known example of this was the Dinky Triumph Herald which was painted in many real colours and supplied directly to Standard Triumph. Examples of these are now rare and expensive.  Fabrizio shows us a more recent example of a similar tie-up. 

Here are some photographs of a set of cars that I found this morning. It is a set consisting of ten 1:43 scale Opel Vectras. These  were made by GAMA in ten different colours. The set was made to distribute to Opel dealers to allow them to to show the colours available on this car. Note how the colour names are all printed on the box in front of each car.

The models are of the original Opel Vectra A sold from  1988. All the model are of the notchback version. GAMA also sold this model in their own range and also made the hatchback version too. The moulds for this model made their way to Bulgaria and new in box examples as currently available on eBay.

This dealer set is in excellent condition and makes a very nice display.


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