Category Archives: MG

Corgi Model Club #302 MGA Sports Car

By Maz Woolley

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

I have received my replica Corgi Toys MGA and I think that Brendan Leach has provided an entirely fair and accurate review in his recent article, which may be found here. Here I will just look at some details of it’s production and show my photographs of this model.

This model was launched in May 1957 and also appeared later in the year in the Carrimore Car Transporter Gift Set. It is said to be scaled to 1:45 and to have sold 633,000 units*** before it was withdrawn in 1965. It was also made in cream and in metallic green.


Like Brendan I think that this is an excellent replica of the original model, and I for one am quite happy to see a few of the simpler early Corgi Toys in the collection. Some have questioned the brightness of the red paint but as Corgi paint batches varied it is likely that at least some models left the factory in bright red. I look forward to the next model to be issued which is the Volkswagen Breakdown truck.


*** The Great Book of Corgi, Marcel Van Cleemput, New Cavendish Books.


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Corgi Model Club Replica #302 MGA Roadster

By Brendan Leach

Text Copyright of the Author. Photographs/Illustrations from the Maker or Wholesaler.

Editor’s Note: Brendan received his model before me and has written a detailed review. As an MGA owner he is better qualified than me to do so! The photos used in this article are from the Corgi Model Club’s publicity and when my model arrives I will take photographs and do a short review too.


Brendan writes

I received the latest instalment in the Corgi Collection series yesterday – Corgi # 302, – MGA Roadster in red.

I have a collection of about a dozen or so models of the MGA in various scales (mainly 1:43) and I also own a full size MGA from 1957. I have written about those models in MAR Online previously. – So here is a brief review of this latest addition to my collection.

The 1950s Corgi Toys were excellent toys. Robust enough for daily use, yet generally accurate to the real vehicle.

As a reproduction / copy of the original 1950s toy, (although I do not remember owning this model 60 years ago), from my memory of it and from photos of the toy this new edition is a very accurate copy of the original.

Equally important, it is a pretty good copy of the real car. Any casual observer (or child!) would instantly recognise this as a model of an MGA.

As background, the first generation of the MGA, between 1955 and 1958, was the 1500 version (denoting a 1500cc B Series engine), and this is what is modelled here. On the 1500:

  • A single (red) rear light on each side contains rear light, stop light, and flashing indicator. Later models had separate rear indicator lamps
  • Similarly on the front of the car a single clear lens on each side contained sidelight and indicator with a single bulb. Later models had a split amber / clear lens and 2 bulbs each side.

These distinguishing 1500 details are clearly modelled on this version.

The overall shape of the model is very good, though there is a small casting line on the lower trailing edge of the rear wings from the rear bumper.

The paint colour is a good copy of the Orient Red used on the 1500 cars – very bright! The interior trim, in beige, is a correct colour for a red car of that era, if a little bit too pale.

As per the original model, the panel “gaps” around the doors are represented by raised lines, though the “gaps” around the bonnet and boot are inset.

It is marginally smaller than the Corgi Classics and Vanguards models at 90mm overall length versus 93mm – though some of this is due to the fact the more modern Corgi Classics and Vanguards models have separate inserts for the front and rear bumpers rather than being ‘moulded in to the casting’.

Some details are surprisingly accurate. – Although the dashboard directly in front of the driver is obscured by the steering wheel, the central and left hand side part of the dashboard (horn button, radio speaker, radio, fuel gauge, and dual oil / water gauge) are correctly shown – a feature missed by Corgi Classics and Vanguards on previous versions (only Norev # 370022 got it right in 1:43).  

The rear number plate plinth above the bumper is moulded into the back of the car rather than standing separate about 4” outside of the rear panel. Of course the correct orientation would be very fragile for a child’s toy.

The wheels are simply flat discs, as per the original model, with no detailing, and they are probably slightly under-size.

There is no interior detail shown to the doors (which are simply door pockets and pull-wires on the real car).

There are no details on the underside of the car, beyond CORGI TOYS MADE IN CHINA and MGA.

So, as a reproduction/copy it is very good, and the model has a real charm as a period piece.

By 2024 ‘collectors model’ standards it is showing its age. But it is over 60 years old!

How could it be better? What follows are observations, and not complaints….

  • The masking of the model to achieve the silver/chrome colours on the headlights, sidelights, and bumpers is very accurate, – but the silver of the headlights should be larger, to include the 1” deep headlight rims.
  • There are a number of detailed features shown in the casting which are not highlighted in silver, – but more detailing (and a steady hand!) would be required to touch in the silver / chrome on the 2 oval engine air vents alongside the bonnet, the number plate light, the fuel filler cap, the dashboard details, the hood fixings on the rear tonneau panel and the MG Octagon (actually a raised circle on the model) on the boot lid.

In terms of inaccuracies when compared to the real car:

  • The windscreen is modelled as a clear plastic panel inserted from below during manufacture, without the frame of the real car. – It is a little too tall , and it is too “vertical” in position – it should be angled back.
  • Maybe the doors are not quite tall enough? (or is it that the sill panel beneath the door is not shown?)
  • Those hood fixings on the tonneau cover panel may be a tiny bit too near to the back of the car? – But I need to get the car and the tape measure out to be certain.
  • The casting line on the rear wings is a disappointment – but I do not doubt that’s how the original models were made.

Overall, I feel this is a worthy addition to the Corgi Collection, and it may even get some “non subscriber” sales to MG Enthusiasts looking for a nice model.


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Corgi Model Club Update #34

By Maz Woolley

Text Copyright of the Author. Photographs/Illustrations from the Maker or Wholesaler.

As regular readers and Corgi Collection subscribers will know the Corgi Model Club MGA replica was affected by the Red Sea shipping issues and it is not expected in the UK for a few days yet. To whet our appetites the Model Club has just passed me the publicity photographs taken of a pre-production sample. It is very nostalgic as even when I was shopping as a child for new Corgi Toys shops often had displays including models released some time ago so early Corgi Models were often in their displays and still available to purchase.

Corgi #302 was their third sports car following the Austin Healey and Triumph TR2. A relatively simple model it was constructed in a similar manner to Dinky sports cars with a slot in the body for a clear plastic screen to push through and a one part body and interior casting. Though simple this model was an effective model of a then popular sports car. In production from 1957 to 1965 it was available in red, cream, and metallic green and started in the original all blue Corgi box. This box was quickly replaced by the familiar blue and yellow box which the Model Club has replicated here and the replica is in red. Box and replica are shown below.

The MG grille has been nicely replicated just like the original though the paint is masked more neatly than on many originals. The headlights are also very neat and very circular whilst many originals have headlights worn partly away.

The early pattern wheel hubs have been chosen for this replica though the model gained the concave hubs later in the production run.


The dashboard has some rudimentary features moulded in and the wheel is clearly a toy item bearing no resemblance to the wheel in the original car. In fact the replica seems to have thicker spokes on the wheel perhaps for safety reasons

The raised gear lever area of the moulding has been masked very well when painting which is not always the case on original models.


All in all I think that we can expect a very nice replica when the model arrives later this month. The design cel shown below emphasises the simple steps needed to finish this casting.


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Egeskov Castle – 1958 MGA TC

By Eugen Pedersen

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

The MGA totally changed the image of MG sports cars. Gone was the vertical radiator and running boards of the TF Midget to be replaced by a low and streamlined shape of the MGA. They were produced from 1955 until 1962 when they were replaced by the MGB.

Here we have a rare twin cam which was a high performance version with high compression engine and disk brakes all round from Dunlop and Dunlop peg drive knock off steel wheels introduced on the twin cam. Only 2,000 or so of this version were made as they sold poorly being more expensive than other MGA models and having a reputation for engine problems from the highly tuned high compression unit.

Author’s Photographs above

Reproduction of an American market advert in 1958 from an eBay listing

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Egeskov Castle – 1933 MG Magna

By Eugen Pedersen

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

Here we have an MG fitted with a sporting body and stripped of lighting and other items not essential for racing. In 1933 MG were well established producers of sporting cars based in part on Morris derived components, after all MG stands for Morris Garages.

MG Magna L-type was developed from the 1931-32 Magna F-type. The engine was a 41-bhp six-cylinder 1086-cc OHC unit with twin SU carburettors. The gearbox had four forward speeds. Here it is fitted with a coach built body rather than the standard works body shown in the advert below.



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OttO Mobile July/August 2023

By Maz Woolley

Otto and GT Spirit are produced for the same French based company in China. Otto tends to specialise in out of production models and GT Spirit on the latest sports and performance cars, though there are exceptions to this. Most of Ottos products are to made to 1:18 scale, though GT Spirit produce 1:18, 1:12 and 1:18 scale models. Both firms make sealed resin products with no opening components of any kind and claim that this allows for a much higher quality finish to be achieved. Both are premium priced products when compared to Solido or Norev metal 1:18/1:12 scale models.

The models shown below are all releases announced by Otto for July/August this year. The images are publicity photographs or computer generated mock ups of pre-production models and may differ slightly from the models eventually released later this year.

The most exciting choice for UK Collectors is likely to be the first version from Otto of the MG 160ZR . This was one of the cars still in production the day that the Rover Group Longbridge factory closed and is bound to be a popular model here in the UK especially as the steering appears to be right hand drive and these early 2000s Rover Group cars have been scarcely modelled in any scale. There is a 1:43 scale white metal Kit of the ZR from K&R Replicas but this is not easy to produce to a good standard. The ZR160 was a 1.8 with nearly 160bhp and a top speed of over 130 mph. It was a heavily tweaked and tuned car based on the tamer Rover 25. I expect that a racing green version will follow in due course as that was a popular choice on the real car.


Otto Mobile


OT1003 Toyota Yaris GR Red 2021

OT1006 BMW E46 M3 Convertible Grey 2004

OT1020 BMW E61 M5 Touring Black 2004

OT1021 VW Jetta MK2 Black 1987

OT409 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IV White Rally Catalunya 1997

OT413 VW Golf VIII R Lapiz Blue

OT416 MG 160ZR Blue 2001

OT423 VW Tiguan R Blue 2021
OT430 Renault Espace 3 Green 2001

OT431 Skoda Octavia WRC White Rallye Monte Carlo 2003

OT890 Honda Civic Type R GT FK8 Spec Red 2020

OT998 Renault 4L JP4 Red 1987

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AutoCult/Avenue 43 June 2023

By Maz Woolley

AutoCult is a German firm founded in 2015. Their ‘mission’ was to create models of long forgotten cars which stand out because of their engineering, styling or just their place in history. The scope has broadened slightly to include some interesting smaller commercial vehicles too.

In their annual book AutoCult show their models and document their place in history. The models are moulded in resin in China in limited production runs and are made by traditional creation of a master rather than using CAD and automated mould creation. The range has a number of themes like ‘streamliners’, ‘delivery vehicles etc. Models are sold by dealers and museum shops.

AutoCult also wholesale two further lines Avenue 43 and Tractorism. These do not feature in the annual book but offer some interesting models, again made in resin in China in limited batches.

AutoCult

#0544 Bizzarrini AMX/3 Spyder (Italy, 1971)

This model forms part of the category ‘engineers/small series’.

AMC stood for American Motors Corporation. America’s fourth big car maker was famous in the 1970s for the Hornet and Gremlin as well as the Matador and the Ambassador. In addition they also owned Jeep which was a productive sub-division.

One design exercise it set itself was to design a bestseller sports car featuring a mid-engine concept. This was supposed to be a DeTomaso Pantera beater. The Pantera was sold by Ford Dealer networks in the US.

From the start the car was designated AMX/3. This was code for the third version of the American Motors Experimental vehicle.

The number of cars produced is not known. There was no doubt that there were three ready-to-drive cars and two vehicles in the factory, which were almost finished completely. Among experts, however, the opinion circulates that there were not five, but six AMX/3. In addition, there was probably another series of five to ten cars built later. Although there is a question mark about the exact number built experts agree that there was no AMX/3 Spyder. Yet one appeared in Brussels in 2002.

Exactly which chassis the Spyder was based on is unclear with some experts suggesting that it may be based on chassis #9. Some curious facts about this car are that it is fitted with a Chevrolet engine and not one made by AMC, and that its track and wheelbase appears to differ to the known prototypes.

Whilst the car is clearly based on the same design as the prototype sports cars it is unknown whether it was adapted form one of the original closed cars or whether it was built from scratch roughly based on the same design with modifications to create a Spyder. In any event all owe something to the styling of the 1966 Bizzarrini P 538 racing car but whether the design of that fed into the creation of the AMX/3 is unknown.


#06056 MG Mini Coupé ADO35 (Great Britain, 1960)

This is from the series: prototypes.

When the first Mini left the assembly line on August 18, 1959 few would have guessed that this was going to be one of Britain’s most popular cars.

Once the MIni’s success was established the design team at BMC looked to see how they could re-use the cars basics to create other variants. After all this is the firm that created Morris, Wolseley, Riley and MG versions all based on the Austin A60. One design exercise (ADO35) was a coupé version of the Mini created by Pininfarina with only styling changes to the basic Mini mechanical package.

As a slightly upmarket model, and to give it a sporty image, it was given MG styling to the front very close to that later used on the MG 1100.

Pininfarina created a pretty design which with hindsight may well have sold well at a premium price, the BMC board did not decide to put it into production. Like many other design exercises it remained an unfulfilled designers dream. One prototype apparently still existed in the hands of an enthusiast in 2011 who was said to be restoring it.


#11017 Chevrolet Turbo Titan III (United States, 1966)

This model is in the Trucks series.

GMC had invested a lot of design time developing gas turbine engines and showing them in show cars. In 1966 instead of a show car Chevrolet produced a truck and semitrailer and presented it with the slogan ‘Truck of the Future’. Officially, the truck was called the Turbo Titan III.

The styling of the truck was ‘futuristic’ owning much to the sci-fi illustrations in comic strips. Gone was the classic US long bonnet and high cab to be replaced by a streamline look forward control cab. The design team also added details in the cab not seen in production trucks. The design team under Bill Mitchell had only just penned the lovely Buick Riviera, one of the most restrained and elegant GM designs ever so obviously enjoyed taking another approach with this show truck.

The gas turbine produced 280hp and lots of torque which would be very useful for a commercial vehicle. The truck was speed limited to 65mph and driven by an automatic box which reduced the 35,000rpm produced by the turbine to 4,000 rpm.

Sadly the high fuel usage meant that the 15 years of investment GM had made in gas turbines was not to be used in a production road vehicle though the technology and experience found its way into industrial engines. As is so often the case of experimental vehicles the one-off truck was simply scrapped when the project came to an end.

Avenue 43

#60108 Land Rover 109 Series III (United Kingdom, 1971)

The Series III had the same body and engine options as the preceding IIa, including station wagons, as modelled here. Little changed cosmetically from the IIA to the series III though the traditional metal grille, featured on the series I, II and IIA, was replaced with a plastic one for the series-III model. Inside the simple metal dashboard of earlier models was redesigned to accept a new moulded plastic dash. The instrument cluster, which was previously centrally located, was moved to the driver’s side.

The series III is the most common version of the series vehicles with 440,000 of the type built from 1971 to 1985.

The 2.25 litre engine had its compression raised from 7:1 to 8:1 increasing the power slightly (the high compression engine had been an optional fit on the IIa model for several years). During the series-III production run the 1,000,000th Land Rover rolled off the production line in 1976.

The Station Wagon was one of the first Land Rovers to get an all synchromesh gearbox and came in two lengths 88 inch and the longer and more useful 109 inch which is modelled here.


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Filling the MG Collection Gaps

By John F. Quilter

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

I have just finished two K & R Replicars white metal kits to add to my history of MG display shelf. The red and black one is a 1930 MG M Type and the green one is a 1938 MG PB four seater. These vintage kits are a fun build although they do take some special fettling to so trial assembly before painting and gluing is important.

Photographs from Google images will provide some views of the real cars to provide details to aid assembly. Each kit contains a sheet with hand drawn pictures of each part and a numbered list. Axles have to be cut to a proper length and sometimes the ride height has to be trial fitted to get it correct. The axle hole in the wheel may have to be aligned so the wheel fits to the axle without wobbling. Mounting holes for some parts will need to be re-drilled, sometimes slightly larger so the part being fitted can be slid in place. Keep in mind paint will fill these holes and they may need to be cleaned out again after painting.

Small parts such as side lamps and door handles can be fitted using water soluble white glue, a method recommended by Brooklin when fitting separately supplied small parts. Some parts are so tiny and when chromed are more than slippery, so great care has to be taken to avoid them jumping out of the assembly tweezers and disappearing on the work bench. I used some epoxy glue on these models, but super glue gels work as well. The epoxy seems to accommodate fitting parts where there are small gaps between parts that must be filled and it dries relatively slowly allowing for final adjustments and alignments.

Both of these kits were likely quite old and I found the rubber tires easily split when fit to the wheels but my local hardware store had a huge selection of black O rings that worked perfectly as replacements. On the M Type maybe these were even of smaller section and thus more realistic than the kit supplied ones. The M Type is an exceptionally small vehicle, and the wheels and tires look as if they were taken from a motor cycle. The number of small parts replicating details that are part of these kits is a testament to the exactness of creator of these kits. I wish I they would produce more and I could provide plenty of suggestions, but I am told the market for 1:43 scale kits of this type is quite limited these days.


Right: 1930 MG M Type PA and left: 1938 MG PB
Right: 1930 MG M Type PA and left: 1938 MG PB
Right: 1930 MG M Type PA and left: 1938 MG PB

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Corgi Model Club Corgi Toys #327 MGB GT Replica

By Maz Woolley with additional thoughts by Brendan Leach

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

The postman has called delivering the latest model in the Corgi Model Club collection. This is a replica of Corgi Toys #327 MGB GT.

This model was launched by Corgi in March 1967 and withdrawn at some point in 1969. It also appeared in Gift Set #46 the ‘All Winners‘ set. This included stick on racing numbers which explains why some unboxed original MGB GT models can be found in ‘racing trim’. This was a popular model with sales of over 550,000 in eighteen months and the unknown 1969 sales in addition. It’s relatively short run was due to the fact that the tooling was modified to produce #345 the MGC GT which went on to ‘gain’ speedwheels before it was withdrawn.


The replica includes a suitcase as included in the original toy. Here the case is in tan which was one of the two colours supplied with the model. The alternative was black. This case was previously used in other Corgi Toys. Unlike the drawing in the catalogue shown below the actual case supplied was rather larger and used all the luggage space provided. The original model only came in red with a pale blue interior and this is how it has been replicated.


Scans from 1967-68 and 1969 Corgi Catalogues

Brendan Leach – his thoughts:

My Corgi MGB GT arrived this morning. – First class! Arguably the best release to date.

As a replica of the 1960s Corgi model I am sure it is perfect. Finish is well up to the standards we have come to expect.

In terms of “What could be better ….” (if this were a new model and not a replica, of course)?

  1. There is no attempt at an MG badge on the front grille (which Oxford managed in 1:76 on the Maestro!)
  2. Pale Blue / Off White interior is not very realistic. (But that’s replicating the original model.)
  3. Fuel filler cap not picked out in silver.

All of which are truly tiny issues, and we must not judge a replica toy by the standards of today’s models.

As a replica of a 60-year old toy, which was originally sold at pocket-money prices, truly excellent. I am delighted with it.


I agree with Brendan that this is an excellent replica of the original Corgi Toy reflecting the strong and weak points of the original as a replica should. Luckily the strong points were to the fore on the original toy.

I have looked at it in detail and again I can find little to distinguish it from the original other than the clearness of modern glazing plastics, the lustre on the paint which is again different from the older paints used on the original, and the shiny modern spun over fastenings of the body to the chassis. In all other respects it seems as the original. Yes the fit of the front and rear doors could be better, and the front seat backs flap around, but examination of models on the Internet shows that the door gaps are totally accurate to the original and I can remember the seats acting that way on the model my brother had as a child.

Corgi Toys #327 Photographs



Editors Note: We have been told that the Corgi Model Club has received some unpleasant criticism about the level of accuracy of their models. An example is criticism of the flying B mascot on the replica of Corgi Toys #224 Bentley Continental which is a faithful re-creation of the mascot on the original Corgi Toy. Unfair comments include statements saying that from the mascot included the Bentley is obviously a Rolls-Royce and that the tooling is ‘cheap and tacky’ because the mascot is crudely modelled. his criticism is grossly unfair as the series promised to provide replicas of the original Corgi products which were toys, not detailed scale models. It simply shows ignorance and a lack of politeness on the part of the critics – the Continental had a flying B mascot and the typical round shouldered radiator grille of a Bentley as modelled by Corgi. The Flying B mascot modelled by Corgi was kept quite simple as these were toys being sold to small children and safety, as well as production methods of the time, dictated that the mascot should be overscale and sturdy.

People who expect absolutely accurate models should look elsewhere and focus on buying modern products like those made by Spark and others, and dare I say it familiarise themselves with images of the real cars and models before they buy anything? I, for one, hope that the Corgi Model Club simply ignores such criticism and continues to produce faithful replicas of the original toys. I understand that with such criticism it must be tempting at times to correct original faults or add detail where it didn’t exist but they would then not be accurate replicas of the original Corgi Toys.


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Corgi Model Club Update 23

By Maz Woolley

The next Corgi Model Club replica to be issued is one that many collectors will have been looking forward to. It is a replica of Corgi Toys #327 MGB GT produced between 1967 and 1969. Reproduced in red, which the original appeared in, it is accompanied by a period replica box, It has reproductions of the original wire wheels, jewelled headlights and the folding front seats to give passenger access to the rear. The suitcase supplied with the original model is often missing from original models even when they are in mint condition but the Model Club have included it in tan, one of the two original colours supplied.

The MGB GT was a consistent seller for BMC and then British Leyland. It’s only real rival was the Triumph GT6 . It was reasonably sporting with the BMC B Series engine of 1,800 cc shared with the Austin 1800 but like the MGB roadster it was fitted with twin carburettors and tuned to produce more power. A top speed of just over 100 mph was possible and 0-60 acceleration of 12.2 seconds was quite quick at that time.

This is one of the Corgi Toys from the peak of their engineering achievements with an opening rear hatch door as well as opening side doors. The casting went on to be modified to allow the MGC GT to be produced which was the same basic car fitted with the Austin 3 Litre engine unit as used in the Austin Healey. This was faster than the MGB GT but the extra weight of the much heavier engine over the front wheels and made it rather a handful to drive, and it was dearer too, so it never sold in large numbers although it too was modelled by Corgi.


Pre-production Photos


Design Cel


The cel shown above shows the nice tampo print of the MGB badging to the rear as well as the details of the tan suitcase. All in all it looks like it is going to be an accurate replica of the original toy and I look forward to holding one when they are shipped.


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