Category Archives: Hachette Mercury

Mercury by Hachette – Series Concludes

By Fabrizio Panico

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

The end of the partwork (parts #43 to #50)

Lockdown is worsening in Europe, but apparently not in China. The Mercury partwork has carried on being issued, though with nothing else other than plain re-colouring. The two weeks delay, suffered during the summer season, was not recovered.

Since my last article eight more models have been added to the collection sold in Italy by Hachette, completing the partwork as expected. All in all a partly disappointing partwork. After many interesting moulds Hachette switched to a stingy regimen of plain re-use of those same moulds. In response many collectors decided not to complete the partwork. A shame, because fidelity to the original models was really high, and the colourful small boxes added a remarkable feeling to the models, but we can only hope that in the future someone else will propose a new partwork with at least a fraction of the missing models.


Hachette #43 is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #20 from 1961), with white paint, suspension, windows and grey interiors. Already seen a few months ago as #37 in a green livery with red interiors. It has the same box as #37. It looks like a picture of the real car superimposed on a simple drawing of the background.


Hachette #44 is the Autobianchi Bianchina Panoramica, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #10 from 1961), in a dull light green livery, with red seats, but no steering wheel. Already seen some months ago as #35 in a red livery with white seats. Another disappointing re-colour.


Hachette #45 is the Fiat 1800 saloon, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #2 from 1959), in a light grey monochrome finish. Already seen a year ago as #28 in a much nicer light blue livery with a black roof and white interiors. As already said the Mercury model was released at the same time of the real one, at first with windows and a two-tone finish, then adding interiors, later on with suspension, and in 1961 also in a monochrome finish (like the present release). At the same time the model’s box was modified, both colours and pictures, the second version is correctly used by Hachette.


Hachette #46 is the Fiat 1500 spyder, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 7 from 1960), in a light blue livery, with red interiors. Already seen almost a year ago as #31 in a quite dull light green livery with white interiors. The only other difference is in the wheels, a small detail change.



Hachette #47 is the Innocenti 950 Spider, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #10 from 1961), in a red livery with light blue seats. Already seen a few months ago as #38 in light blue, with red seats.


Hachette #48 is the Viberti BC5 tanker, a 1:76 scale model (Mercury #96) from 1953, already seen in the Aquila’s blue and white livery (Hachette #24), in the Petrolea’s red livery (Hachette #30), and in the matt olive green livery of the military version (Hachette #41). Now it sports the red livery of PetrolCaltex, the Italian name of the Caltex oil brand, founded in 1936 as the California Texas Oil Company, through a joint venture between the Texas Company (later called Texaco) and Standard Oil of California (later called Chevron). From 1947 the Caltex brand replaced the Texaco brand in Europe, while in Italy it was present as Petrol Caltex. In 1967 operations in Europe ceased and the network was split between Chevron and Texaco.


Hachette #49 is the Fiat nuova 1100, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #13) from the end of 1954, already seen some time ago as #36 in a blue livery, now in white, only a simple re-colour.


Hachette #50 is the Volkswagen 1200, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 15) from 1955, in a blue livery and chromed baseplate, and already seen in red as #16 and in the yellow and black livery of the Swiss Post as #6.


Editor’s note: We would like to thank Fabrizio for his painstaking coverage of this Hachette partwork which certainly included some nice replica models even if Hachette rather disappointed collectors by the number of re-used castings at the end of the series.


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Mercury by Hachette – Summer 2020

By Fabrizio Panico

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

Parts #37 to #42

With lockdown partially easing, the Mercury partwork goes on with the usual mix of new moulds and plain recolouring. There was a two weeks delay, very likely due to the holiday season. Six more models have been added to the collection sold in Italy by Hachette since I last reported. As usual fidelity to the original models is really high, the colourful small boxes adding a remarkable feeling to the models.

Hachette #37 is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #20 from 1961). It is in a pale green livery, with suspension, windows and red interior. Alas, Hachette in this case show a total lack of imagination: the green hue being the same already used for the previous Giulietta #25.

The original Mercury model was nothing else than a light reshaping of the previous Giulietta mould : a few minor changes to the front and the rear of the body, side indicators added and a new fuel cap on the right side. But they forgot to delete the fuel filler cap near the rear registration plate. Correctly the Hachette model replicates the mistake. Mercury was quite slow to replace the base Giulietta model with the new TI, reproducing the already obsolete 1957 version. The real car (TI meaning Turismo Internazionale) was presented in 1957 at the Monza racetrack, more powerful and elegant than the base model and clearly the dream of many Italians : at last a real sporting saloon, with an exhuberant twin-cam engine. The Giulietta TI received some small body updates in 1959 and then in 1961, maintaining its 1290 cc engine up to its demise in 1965, replaced by the Giulia 1300, after more than 90,000 units. Please note that the card box has a picture of the real car, instead of the usual drawing.

Hachette #38 is the Innocenti 950 Spider, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #10 from 1961), in a light blue livery, with red seats.

This may be an exact reproduction of the original Mercury model but it appears wrong due to the incorrect height of the wheels axles within the body. It looks like a “low-rider”, a real shame as for many years this was the only reproduction of this small spider. The Hachette model is an accurate replcia so correctly reproduces the faults of the original. The real car was an Italian version of the BMC Sprite/Midget, re-bodied by Innocenti, the famous Lambretta scooter maker. During the fifties Innocenti explored the feasibility to produce on licence a car : after some tests with the Glas Goggomobil, it chose the Austin A40, assembling an “Italianized” body with British mechanicals. At the 1960 Turin Motor Show Innocenti presented the 950 spider, with a new body styled by Tom Tjaarda at Ghia and produced by OSI (Officine Stampaggi Industriali), the manufacturing side of Ghia. It was lLater produced with a 1100 cc engine and a coupé body. However, it faced strong competition (like the Fiat 850 both spider and coupé) and was phased out in 1969.

Hachette #39 is the Lancia Flavia 1st series, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #31 from 1961), already seen a year ago in a deep blue livery (Hachette #12), alas the only difference is the new bright red livery, a toy-like colour, quite uncommon on a real Lancia saloon.

Mercury’s Flavia was produced in three different “series”, the first one with windows and springs but no interiors. Later on it received seats, steering wheel and a different registration plate, but lost the very detailed rear lights, replaced by a simple decal. To sum up, a good reproduction of an innovative, but quite “awkward” car, much improved later on by the 1967 restyling.

Hachette #40 is the Fiat nuova 1100 Bern taxi, a 1:48 scale model (derived from the Hachette #36, the second series of the Fiat 1100 by Mercury) with the correct old plain grey box and a red and grey livery, very likely available only on the Swiss market, as a special request by the Swiss importer, the count Giansanti Coluzzi.

We have already met a similar “Bern taxi” model at the beginning of the collection with a red and yellow livery (Hachette #3), but derived from the Hachette #17. As already seen Mercury produced the Fiat 1100/103 in four different versions, starting in 1954. All series lack windows, seats and suspensions. Different headlights and grille define the differences between the versions. The first version (1954) has a grille of the horizontal bar type, separate from the body casting. The second version (late 1954) has a similar horizontal grille, but cast with the body. The third version(1957) has a completely modified grille featuring vertical bars and a central moulding. The fourth series (launched in 1958) is the only one to have the headlights cast directly into the mould and painted in silver (against the usual practice of creating headlights by inserts in the body, like small aluminium nails). Contrary to what reported in the previous article Hachette reproduced the fourth series as #3 and #17, not the third (sorry for the mistake).

Hachette #41 is the Viberti BC5 tanker, a 1:76 scale model (Mercury #96) from 1953, already seen in the Aquila’s blue and white livery (Hachette #24) and in the Petrolea’s red livery (Hachette #30.

The matt olive green livery identifies this model as a military version, about 1957-58, but it was never present in a Mercury catalog and it is deemed quite rare. We wait for at least another replica in a different livery, like Agip or Esso. much more interesting than the others recolouring.

Hachette #42 is the Fiat 600 1st series, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 18) from 1955, already seen in an orange livery (Hachette #15).

This time it appears in a light green livery, much more common on the real car, but alas nothing else than a plain recolouring.


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Mercury by Hachette -Spring 2020

By Fabrizio Panico

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

Mercury by Hachette – Parts #31 to #36

The “coronavirus” effects have been extremely heavy everywhere in the world and no-one expected such a disaster. Even model production has been affected and almost all partworks have been disrupted. In February Hachette promised to be back at the end of March (a five weeks delay) and respected the date, even if it was forced to switch the sequence it issued models in. Luckily we got three new moulds in the six recent releases: the Fiat 1500 spyder, the Bianchina Panoramica and the Fiat 1100/103 flat grille.

Hachette #31 is the Fiat 1500 spyder, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #7 from 1960), in a pale green livery, quite dull, with white interiors. The baseplate is now chromed and reproduces roughly the main mechanical underparts, with working suspension. While the large separate windscreen is completely clear. The body is exquisitely detailed, from the wipers to the turn signals, the front grille to the rear lights. The original model was later released with a matt black baseplate and different wheels, in a lot of different colours.

The real car was presented at the 1959 Turin Motor Show, sister of the 1200 Cabriolet already seen in the same year at the Geneva Motor Show, both sporting an elegant body by Pininfarina. But while the 1200 wasn’t really a sport car, originating from the quiet 1200 GranLuce, the 1500 was powered by a twin cam engine built by OSCA, the Maserati brothers firm. Only small body details, like the front grille and the engine air scoop, allowed people to distinguish between the two versions, but the mechanical improvements justified the large price difference between the 1200 and the 1500. Later on the 1500 name gained an S and, following a small displacement increase, changed to 1600 S. Production ended in 1966, replaced by the new 124 Sport Spider.


Hachette #32 is the Alfa Romeo 1900 Super, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #16 from 1955). This casting has already been used at the beginning of the collection in a blue livery as Hachette #11. The livery is now a sort of bronze, a faithful Mercury colour, but not very nice. The well reproduced body is partially spoiled by the mould’s junction lines This is not helped by the colour, and indeed they are not quite so apparent on the original blue model.

The Hachette reproduces the first version of the Mercury model, with the front lights made from parts like small aluminium nails inserted into the body. However it not likely that the first version was ever produced in that colour, it is more typical of the second version, where the front lights were moulded into the body. No windows or interiors are present, it is just an hollow shell on wheels, but very faithful to the real one.


Hachette #33 is the Cadillac Eldorado, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #28 from 1956,) This was seen some months ago in a red livery as Hachette #18. One of Mercury’s real masterpieces, with a very high level of detail. It is now sporting a yellow livery like the one reproduced on the original box.

Like the previous version Hachette chose not to respect the original colour division: the hood cover is lacking the correct colour on its internal sides. It is finished incorrectly in body colour. But it must be said that similar “cost cutting” could be found on some original models, very likely towards the final years of production. Anyway a remarkable model.


Hachette #34 is the Fiat 1500 berlina, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #9 from 1964). This was again issued a few month ago in a grey livery as the Fiat 1300 berlina (Hachette #22). In fact the two models are identical,

Here Hachette has reproduced the second version of the Mercury one, with changes to the rear number plate (modified to allow the “Polizia” plate for the Mercury #35) and the “1300” lettering blanked on the chassis (to allow Mercury to sell the same model as a “1500”). There is a red interior and black steering wheel, exactly like the Hachette #22. Summing up, only the cardboard box is different, a bit disappointing.


Hachette #35 is the Autobianchi Bianchina Panoramica, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #11 from 1962), previously announced as # 31, but delayed due to the coronavirus. Quite a small model, with windows and seats, but weirdly lacking the steering wheel. It is faithful to the real car.

Launched in 1960, the Panoramica was based on the same mechanics of the Fiat 500 Giardiniera, with a longer wheelbase than the saloon and a flat engine rotated 90 degrees (nicknamed “sole”). More elegant than the 500 Giardiniera, and more accomodating and practical, thanks to the tailgate hinged at the top rather than side. The real car was produced until 1969. The original version of the real vehicle, the ‘Decappottabile’ , had a large canvas opening roof. The red livery on the model doesn’t show the opening canvas roof, but at the time the Mercury model was issued (1962) a lower price version of the real car called the “Normale” with a full metal roof was already available, . Production of the 500 Giardiniera was moved in 1966 to Autobianchi at the Desio plant, to be later sold as the Autobianchi Giardiniera until 1977.


Hachette #36 is the Fiat nuova 1100, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury #13, the first model in the new 1:48 collection from the end of 1954). It is similar to Hachette #17 and #3, released at the beginning of the collection. Similar, but not exactly the same. Mercury produced the Fiat 1100/103 in four different versions, starting in 1954. All series lack windows, seats and suspensions. Different headlights and grille define the differences between the versions. The first version (1954) has a grille of the horizontal bar type, separate from the body casting. The second version (late 1954) has a similar horizontal grille, but cast with the body. The third version(1957) has a completely modified grille featuring vertical bars and a central moulding (reproduced by Hachette as #3 and #17). The fourth series (launched in 1958) is the only one to have the headlights cast directly into the mould and painted in silver (against the usual headlights inserted into the body, like small aluminium nails).

This Hachette model reproduces the second series, in a typical blue livery, with the correct old plain grey box. A nice addition to the collection. The real car was launched in 1953 to replace the pre-war 1100. It had the same engine but a new ‘pontoon’ four door body of unibody construction, pioneered in Fiat’s range by the 1400 in 1950. The 1100 was updated gradually until it was replaced by the new 128 in 1969. The 103 in the name refers to the post-war internal project number (it was 101 for the 1400).


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Lancia Appia Series One

By Maz Woolley

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

Public Domain Photograph by Luc106

The Appia was a small family car from Lancia introduced in 1953 at the Turin Motor Show. It replaced the Ardea which had been launched just before the Second World War and stayed in production until 1953. The Appia was the last of the line of Lancia’s using sliding pillar front suspension which reached back to the original Lancia Lambda. The Appia had a small V4 unit like the Ardea but it was a new design not the engine from the older car. A V4 engine allowed a very short bonnet for both cars. After three series of Appias each with steadily more powerful versions of the V4 engine, and some styling changes, they were replaced by the Fulvia, In addition to the saloon some special bodied cars were made by Pinin Farina, Vignale and other styling houses.

The Italians still favoured right hand side cars in the early post war years and over half of the Appia series one cars came with that layout, though left hand drive cars could be obtained by special order. A right hand seat for the driver is said to have been useful so they could clearly see the edges of the mountain roads. The small 1098cc engine was fairly potent as the car is said to have been able to reach a top speed of 120km/h (75mph). To help it reach such speeds the car was lightened by having doors and rear wings made of aluminium as well as bumpers. This led to owner’s complaining as the bumpers quickly became dented. The cars’ styling was like a ‘mini me’ for the larger, more powerful, and more luxuriously fitted, Lancia Aurelia. The Appia had the typical Lancia door opening arrangement where there was no ‘B’ pillar as the front doors opened forwards and the rear doors opened backwards and they closed together like a clam shell.

Sadly for Lancia the Appia did not prove the success they wanted and only just over 20,000 series one saloons were made. In 1956 Italian car magazine Quattroruote attributed low sales to a justified reputation for having many minor defects and strong competition from the Fiat 1100 and Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

This article looks at a Norev produced 1:43 scale model diecast in China and issued in a Lancia partwork series from Hachette and then briefly compares it with a replica of the contemporary Mercury model of the same vehicle.

The Norev made Appia is an excellent model with few compromises on quality despite its budget sales price. There may be no photoetched parts, or hot printed chrome, but the model isn’t much the worse for that.

Looking at blueprints of the car on the internet the shape of the model and its key features are captured very well. The separately added components like the radiator grille, lights, and door handles all seem to be correctly sized. The side profile of the car is well captured as photographs show.

The chrome side moulding has been printed well and runs very accurately from the rear bumper up and along the body side terminated at the edge of the radiator grille. The front windows are modelled open and the door handles are neat units correctly positioned. The wheels and tyres would be excellent on a much more expensive model. As the glazing consist of several thin units it is flush fitting. The silver trim is neatly printed onto the edges of the glazing unit, rather than on the body, a technique that I think makes a model look much more ‘real’.

The front of the car is good with all the key features well modelled, right down to the small number plate above the front bumper. The windscreen wipers are plastic but are quite thinly modelled so do not look too much too large, as is often the case. The grille is fine and looks like it has a faint wash on so it is not overly shiny. Under magnification you can see that an attempt has been made to print some some badge detail on the very small area where the Lancia badge sits at the top of the grille. The bumpers are shiny chrome, as are a few of those seem on real cars on the Internet, though an aluminium finish on the bumpers might have been more realistic.

To the rear the real car is captured well with a realistic period Italian number plate and the number plate decorations and lights neatly moulded and over printed in silver. The rear lights are translucent red painted over a chrome finished plastic base. On mine the red lens on one side has not been fully painted on.

Underneath basic details of the suspension, engine, exhaust and transmission details are moulded in with the final exhaust pipe a separate chrome effect part with a ‘fish tail’ finisher on the end.

Inside the model there is a high standard of finish for a budget model. The matte grey seats are correctly coloured for one of the two available wool upholstery options. No leather seats were fitted to the standard saloon version of this car. The dashboard is accurately painted in body colour, but unusually for a partwork the model has nice printed instrumentation. The steering wheel and column change are accurately modelled though the chrome embellishment on the steering wheel spokes on the real car is missing. Door cards are provided and the door fittings and furniture nicely moulded in, though none of the real life chrome parts are over printed silver.

All in all a rather nice partwork model to fill out the ranks of my collection of Lancia 1:43 scale models and it will look good displayed with the Solido model of the Lancia Aurelia.

The model from Norev has been made to a good standard for a model sold in a partwork to general collectors today. It makes an interesting contrast to the Mercury #14 Lancia Appia #14 reproduction made for Hachette and sold as a partwork model in Italy. Fabrizio Panico, who is reporting on the Mercury partwork for us, looked at the replica model shown in this article when it was released, you may read his review here.

The Mercury model was made to a smaller scale of 1:48 which is clear when the models are posed side by side.

The Mercury is of course a replica of a model originally produced and sold as a child’s toy but it does have a special charm. Its simple finish and construction suit the rounded styling of the Appia very well and lend it a nostalgic charm. Whilst it is clear which is the better model of the car I think the Mercury captures the spirit of the car and its time in a special way that modern models cannot.


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Mercury by Hachette – Autumn 2019

By Fabrizio Panico

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

The Mercury partwork collection sold in Italy by Hachette continues on a regular basis, with a remarkable fidelity to the original models, even the colourful small boxes are identical to the original ones. Six more models have been added, but alas a few of them are just a plain new colour.

Parts #19 to #21


Hachette no. 19 is the Fiat 600 Multipla, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 19 from 1957), already seen at the beginning of the collection (Hachette no. 2), the only difference is a new two-tone livery.

The original model, without plastic windows, was soon enriched by a very basic representation of the seats, in plastic. The real car was presented in 1956 at the Brussels Motorshow and it can in fact be considered one of the forerunners of the modern minivan concept . But it didn’t win the public’s approval : it was considered “ugly” and dangerous for its driver in the case of an accident. Welcomed only by artisans and small traders, it obtained a larger success as a taxi, but Mercury never issued a taxi or a monochrome version.


Hachette no. 20 is the Fiat nuova 500, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 1 from 1958).

The model is very small, but full of details and enriched by the plastic windows. One big fault is the absence of the canvas roof. Very likely Mercury intended to present a trio of small cars : the Fiat nuova 500, the Autobianchi Bianchina (Hachette no. 9, Mercury no. 6) and the Isetta, but the last one never reached production. The real car was presented in the summer of 1957, with a very frosty response from the public, due to a poor cost to perceived value ratio. Fiat was forced to improve the equipment whilst keeping it at the same price, with an “historical” refund to the first buyers. Slowly the nuova 500 conquered the market, thanks to an improved economic situation, and went on to be a classic that is still famous today.


Hachette no. 21 is the Lancia Appia 1st series, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 14 from 1955), already seen at the beginning of the collection (see Hachette no. 7), the only difference is a new light blue livery.

As usual a simple model, but very faithful to the real one.


Parts #22 to #24


Hachette no. 22 is the Fiat 1300, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 9 from 1961), already seen as a “Polizia” version (see Hachette no. 13).

The model, with plastic windows and basic interior, represents the 2nd version of the Mercury one, with changes to the rear number plate and details of the chassis reproduced on the baseplate. It must be repeated that on the chassis some ribs are missing on the left side, strange indeed if you take into account the general extreme fidelity to the original models. The real car was the choice of the Italian middle class, it was also available as a station wagon produced for Fiat by OSI (Officine Stampaggi Industriali), connected to the famous Ghia coachbuilder.


Hachette no. 23 is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 3 from 1958), already seen at the beginning of the collection (Hachette no. 1), the only difference is a new bright yellow livery.

The Hachette represents the second version of the Mercury model, with a new different front grille and enriched by the plastic windows. The real car, produced by Bertone, was presented at the Turin Motorshow in 1954, before the Giulietta saloon, which was delayed by troubles in the soundproofing tests. Alfa Romeo made the unusual decision to present the coupé model before the saloon, because the launch of the new car, whose production had been financed by a public subscription of capital and linked to a national lottery, could not be delayed at the cost of a heavy impact on the brand’s credibility.


Hachette no. 24 is the Viberti BC5 tanker, a 1:76 scale model (Mercury no. 96) from 1953.

Why Mercury used the coachbuilders name for the model instead of the chassis maker (Fiat 680) could perhaps be explained by the tight cooperation with the Viberti firm to reproduce the model (by the way the Viberti plant was next to the Mercury one) almost like a promotional item. The blue and white livery well reproduces the “Aquila” one, an Italian oil company. Mercury released the Viberti in eight different liveries, very likely Hachette will follow, at least in part, this example. The model is very nice, and is a must for every collector.


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Mercury by Hachette – Summer Update Parts 13-18

By Fabrizio Panico

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

Six more models have been added to the Mercury partwork collection sold in Italy by Hachette. Fidelity to the original models is really high, even the colourful small boxes are identical to the old ones and clearly add a remarkable feeling to the models.

Hachette no. 13 is the Fiat 1300 Polizia, a 1:48 scale model from 1964, based on the standard Fiat 1300 but with its own catalogue number (Mercury no. 35, while the standard one was no. 9). The 1300/1500 range was the Fiat for the middle class in 1961: modern and comfortable, with styling clearly inspired by the Chevrolet Corvair.

The model livery is the classic ‘Italian police’ olive green, with a series of decals making it typical of the cars patrolling the highway A1, the ‘Autostrada del Sole‘ (Highway to the Sun) to connect North and South of Italy. On the roof there is a blue beacon, whilst there is an aerial is on the rear wing. The body, with plastic windows and basic interiors, is derived from the 2nd version of the Mercury model, with changes to the rear number plate and details of the chassis reproduced on the baseplate, but still with the ‘no. 9’ of the civilian version. It must be said that on the chassis some ribs are missing on the left side, strange indeed if you take into account the extreme fidelity to the original models.


Hachette no. 14 is the Lancia Appia 3rd series, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 5) from 1959, at the same time of the real one. Lancia updated the styling of its bestselling model for the with the 3rd series. In order to face off the competition, but it still maintained their usual class and sobriety.

As usual a simple model, but very faithful to the real car, now with a front inspired by the Flaminia. The body is rich in details, but there is a small mistake: the small fuel filler cap is on the wrong side. The livery is light blue, there are plastic windows, but no interiors. Hachette reproduces the first type of Mercury box, with a green car (red was shown on the second type).


Hachette no. 15 is the Fiat 600 1st series, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 18) from 1955. The real car was presented in the same year at the Geneva Motor Show, and for a long time it was the best selling car in Italy. Economical but with enough space for a whole family (though without a lot of luggage!) it started Italian mass motorisation, like the Renault 4CV in France or the Volkswagen in Germany.

It was produced until 1969 in Italy, but then continued to be made in other countries for a long time after that. A small model, with a bright orange livery (a bit unrealistic), but very well detailed. Better than the similar Dinky one, avoiding its awful small plastic wheels. No interiors or windows.  At the start it was sold in a grey box, later on in the classic red and blue Mercury box, here faithfully reproduced by Hachette.


Hachette no. 16 is the Volkswagen 1200, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 15) from the 1955, the civilian version of the Volkswagen PTT (Hachette no. 6, Mercury no. 15/A) already seen at the beginning of the collection. In 1955 the “Beetle” had already passed the milestone of one million cars produced, its engine had been boosted to 1200cc and the split rear window replaced by an oval one.

It was then being exported in considerable numbers to the United States and was chosen by Mercury as the first foreign car to be reproduced. A simple but faithful model, with a dark red livery, no windows or interiors, it appears to be larger than usual (1:45 scale?). At the start Mercury tested a few models with the bumpers separated from the baseplate, but then decided to go with the usual solution.


Hachette no. 17 is the Fiat nuova 1100, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 13) from 1957, the civilian version of the Fiat ‘Berna Taxi’ (Hachette no. 3, Mercury no. 13), another model already seen earlier in the collection. Mercury had already made a model of the 1953 version, and when Fiat showed its 1956 face lift version, with a new front grille and some new details, it was decided to update the moulds, to copy the evolution of the real car.

To Mercury’s credit it must be said that this philosophy (copying the real car evolution) has been frequently respected, both with the reproduction of the new models (like the Lancia Appia) and of the different face liftings (like the Fiat 128). The first version had the headlights inserted into the body, like small aluminium nails, while the second one, reproduced here, had the headlights moulded into the body. Another simple but faithful model, no windows or interiors, with a nice light green livery. The cardboard box was not updated and has the same picture as the 1953 version, with an horizontal grille instead of the new one with a central light.


Hachette no. 18 is the Cadillac Eldorado, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 28) from 1956. It was one of the three US cars chosen by Mercury with an eye to the US market (the others were a Ford Continental and a Studebaker Golden Hawk). Its dimensions are comparable to the Dinky Cadillac and Packard, and rightly Mercury called them ‘Super-models‘. Not only to justify the higher price, but to align them with competitors like Dinky.

It is one of Mercury’s real masterpieces, produced with an incredible level of detail. The interior is moulded as a separate part, there are special wheels reproducing the GM turbine design, the there are correct replicas of the seat covers. There is gold paint applied to the front crest, the front grille is a separate insert into the body, and there is Eldorado lettering on the side of the front wings. It must be seen to be appreciated. The model reproduces the 1956 Eldorado Biarritz, the year when it was presented with its hardtop coupé sister, the Eldorado Seville. Hachette have reproduced it in red with a white and blue interior and a black hood cover, just one of many different versions Mercury produced. The red and blue box has a nice picture of a yellow car (almost gold). Indeed a must for every collector.


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Mercury La Collezione Part Five

By Fabrizio Panico

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

Here we have three more models: #10 to #12, in the Mercury partwork collection being sold in Italy by Hachette.

Hachette no. 10 is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Bern taxi, a 1:48 scale model, based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta already seen (Hachette n. 5, Mercury n. 17). This is in reality a 1956 or 1957 prototype of a model for the Swiss market, like the Fiat Nuova 1100 Bern taxi we have already seen (Hachette n. 3). The livery is red and yellow like the 1100, but it is slightly different. It is unknown how many prototypes were made, or why the model never reached production. Maybe the fact that the Giulietta was never used as a taxi in Switzerland might have played a part.


Hachette no. 11 is the Alfa Romeo 1900 Super, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury n.16) from 1955. Another simple model, just a painted shell on wheels, but very faithful to the real one. Available in many different colours, it was produced in three different “series”. Here Hachette has replicated the first one including features like the front lights made from small aluminium nails inserted into the body. It has no windows or interior, and is painted light blue. The Alfa Romeo 1900 was introduced at the 1950 Paris Motor Show, it was the first Alfa with a unitary body, the steering wheel on the left, and built on a “real” assembly line. It had a famous marketing slogan “The family car that wins races”. In 1951 the saloon was joined by a short wheelbase version. In 1954 the 1900 Super received a slightly larger engine and some small detail changes. It was produced until 1959, when it was replaced by the boxier 2000.


Hachette no. 12 is the Lancia Flavia first series, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 31) from 1961. Like the Alfa 1900, the Flavia model was produced in three different “series”. Here it is replica of the first series with windows but no interior. It is painted a deep blue (almost green) colour and has very detailed rear lights. Later the model received seats and steering wheel, but some details were simplified. A very nice decal is used on the boot reproducing the model name badge with the same style of letters as the real one, the script on the baseplate is similar. The real Lancia Flavia was, like all the previous Lancias, a very innovative model: front-wheel drive, a four cylinder boxer engine, and all round disk brakes. It was introduced at the 1960 Turin Motor Show with a rather underpowered 1,500 cc engine, and a steep price. The Flavia was soon made available with a more powerful 1,800 cc engine, rather better suited to its size and weight. In 1962 the four-door saloon was joined by a coupé version by Pininfarina (reproduced by Mercury as no. 32), a convertible by Vignale and a Sport by Zagato. A new body design was presented in 1969, then in 1971 the “Flavia” badge was discontinued. Production lasted until 1974 when it was replaced by the Beta. Like the previous Aprilia, Ardea, Aurelia, Appia and Flaminia, the Flavia was named after a Roman road, the Via Flavia, leading from Trieste to Dalmatia.


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Mercury La Collezione – Part Four

By Fabrizio Panico

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

More Mercury by Hachette Parts 7 – 9

Here we have three more models, #7 to #9, in the Mercury partwork collection being sold in Italy by Hachette.

Hachette no. 7 is the Lancia Appia 1st series, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 14) from 1955. As usual a simple model, but very faithful to the real one. The headlights are like small aluminium nails, inserted into the body, no windows or interiors are present, green livery. The real one was launched in 1953, smaller than the Aurelia
the Lancia flagship, but similar in outline. In 1956 the 2nd series was presented at the Geneva Motor Show, same front but a new rear body end with a more modern look. A coupé, by Pininfarina, and a cabriolet, by Vignale, were now available. In 1959 there was the 3rd series, with a new front, inspired by the Flaminia, the Aurelia’s successor (both were reproduced by Mercury, the 3rd series as no. 5, the Flaminia as no. 8).


Hachette no. 8 is the Mercedes W196 formula 1 carenata, a 1:43 scale model (Mercury no. 56) from 1956. Quite a heavy model, larger than the previous ones, and really faithful. It has a very nice front grille, painted in matt black with the “star” emblem. The driver’s seat is painted in blue, and the steering wheel is present. Racing numbers are added on the satin silver livery. The “carenata” was reproduced by many other brands, but Mercury was the only one to reproduce both versions, the “carenata” and the “cigar shaped” one (Mercury no. 55). Mercury also reproduced the “carenata” in 1:60 scale (Mercury no. 22).


Hachette no. 9 is the Autobianchi Bianchina, a 1:48 scale model (Mercury no. 6) from 1958. Another simple but very faithful model, very small (only 63 mm), and fitted with windows. In the beginning it was produced only in single colours, later it was presented in nice two-colours liveries (here light green and grey). All the details were carefully reproduced, down to even the smallest ones. The small box was enhanced by a colour reproduction of the car, whilst the model name “bianchina” was reproduced in the script used by the manufacturer on the car on both the box and the model baseplate.

The real Bianchina was the result of a joint agreement amongst Fiat, Bianchi and Pirelli: It was a success, and the car was followed by a cabriolet and estate “Panoramica” versions (the Panoramica was reproduced by Mercury as no. 11).


Hachette Mercury Volkswagen Reproduction – a comparison

By Robin Godwin

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

I have just received the reproduction Mercury Volkswagen Beetle in Swiss Post (PTT) livery from an Italian dealer. The package includes model, box and a pamphlet (in Italian only) specific to the model, which retails in Italy for 14.99 Euros.

The Volkswagen is number 6 in a series of reproductions of early Mercury vehicles from the 50s, generally done to a scale of 1:48. [Editor – more about this range of reproductions may be found in articles written by Fabrizio Panico elsewhere on this website]. The Beetle itself was initially issued in 1955 (the PTT version came along in 1956), hence the casting is pretty much the same level of fidelity as contemporary Dinky Toys and the recent reproductions of that range. Interestingly, the Dinky reproductions were cast by Norev, and marketed by DeAgostini or Editions Atlas, with the Dinky trademark owned by Mattel. The included pamphlet indicates that Mercury is a registered trademark used under license, but doesn’t indicate who owns it, and nowhere does it say who casts it. The pamphlet also identifies Marco Batazzi as the reference for the historical background. Marco is an acknowledged Volkswagen expert/author, and has also written an excellent book on Volkswagen toys, which compliments both the Houchangnia and Schroeder VW Beetle books. The great Italian collector/author Paolo Rampini is credited with some of the photos of original Swiss PTT models. So it is clear that there has been some real collector input into this effort.

In this article, I’ll provide a photo comparison of an original Mercury Volkswagen, a Scottoy reproduction in white metal, and this Hachette model. Jonathan Scott did a series of reproductions of early Mercurys around the turn of the millennium. These were covered in print versions of MAR at the time. The Scottoy shown here was purchased in 2002. The original Mercury was purchased 30 years ago at a French toy show (and wasn’t inexpensive then).

Left, Hachette; centre, original Mercury; right, Scottoy, which came with windows and an interior. You can just discern that the windscreen opening is larger on the Hachette

Easy to see that the Hachette (left) is from a new master/mould in the engine vents, license plate fairing and the plate mounting itself. Close inspection of the Scottoy (right)strongly suggests that an original Mercury (centre)was the master for the white metal version

It’s impossible to mistake either reproduction for an original

Original box in the middle features stronger colours and a smaller font size for the “15”

Hachette box on bottom features cleaner printing and more of a maroon band than red

Hachette box, left, has the maroon/red band running continuously around one whole edge of the box. The original is offset. The original also has a hole in the middle of one side to view the colour of the enclosed model without having to remove it – missing on the repro box. There are no markings on the repro to indicate it is a Hachette reproduction, so future buyers of mint/boxed original Mercurys should be aware of the box differences. At least the Atlas/DeAgostini Dinky boxes have lots of additional legal information on one side of the box, which is a dead giveaway that they are a repro. I believe the PTT version was sold in the standard box, but the Mercury book by Bocco, Clemente, Coen, Perego and Pontoni illustrates a PTT version sitting atop an early #15 non-illustrated manilla toned box, featuring blue descriptive printing.

The pamphlet cover is a reproduction of the 1950 Mercury catalogue cover. Beautiful evocative artwork, but it predates the models that are being reproduced by Hachette

A trio of fairly recent PTT VolkswagensHachette, left, Editions Atlas Dinky Toy, middle, and a proper 1:43 Minialuxe, right. The original Mercury came with three different PTT logos with the differences conveniently illustrated by these three models. Original Mercury logo was a decal, but the Hachette is tampo. Yellow/black colour separation is better on the Hachette than the original (based on photos in the pamphlet and other sources).

All-in-all, it’s a good reproduction and well worth the 15 Euros.


Mercury – la collezione Part Two

By Fabrizio Panico

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

Here a few pictures of the second and third model to be released in the Mercury partwork being sold in Italy by Hachette.

 Fiat 600 Multipla

The second part is again issued on a large card to attract the attention of the customer to the series and the model being sold at a discounted price. This card is huge and must cause news stands and shops in Italy a lot of issues finding space to display them. The model looks tiny in its cover mount.

On the rear of the card we again get a display showing us what is to come and a taster for the third model which will be at the standard price for the collection.

The red and black Fiat 600 model shown below is the replica from Hachette sitting on the replica box..

The green and grey model shown in comparison below is an original Mercury model from my collection.

There are no big differences between the two though the baseplate is engraved upside down on the new replica as shown below (NB the cars are positioned on the wrong boxes with the new Mercury on the right on the old Mercury box, and vice versa.) .

The Hachette box is also slightly altered from the original as it lacks the hole that Mercury had punched in to allow buyers to see the colour of the model inside. Even the weight is similar with the Hachette being a few grams lighter.

Fiat 1100 Taxi

Here the third model from the Hachette partwork. The Fiat nuova 1100 taxi in the livery of Berne (Berna in Italian) in Switzerland.

Hachette has chosen to model a very rare Mercury as they were only sold in Berne and consequently are very sought after by collectors. Unfortunately I do not have one to compare it with so I have shown it below with the standard 1100 that it is based on.

Again the Hachette box lacks the ‘spyhole’ which shows the colour of the model.