Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.
Reader Mick Driver has drawn our attention to more contemporary BMC 1100 models I missed in my first article on contemporary models which may be found here.
Guisval of Spain also made both a Mark 1 Morris and MG 1100. These models are said to be around 1:64 scale. Mick’s photograph of his model is shown below.
Photographs from the todocollection website on the Internet show the Morris again in more detail.
Elsewhere on the web some photographs of the MG version are also shown.
Photographs from Worthpoint website
A pair of Guisval MGs Photograph from eBay listing
Mick speculates that the Guisval is derived from the larger Teknos which were made in Morris and MG versions. This may well be the case.
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In a recent article I looked at the BMC 1100 car and models issued whilst the original car was on sale, it may be found here. This time I look at some models issued once adult classic collecting had become a widespread hobby. Again I make no claim to provide and exhaustive coverage of the subject and welcome letters from collectors drawing my attention to ones that I have missed.
BMC 1100
Altaya
Altaya part works in various European countries has featured a Morris 1100 stated as a 1967 version. This has appeared in several colours as shown below. As far as I am aware they are all Left Hand Drive versions. This is an acceptable budget model although stating that it a 1967 car implies that it might be a Mark 2 but the grille is entirely wrong for that and the rear lights look closer to the Mark 1 shape too though rather oversized.
Photograph from the MiniPassionMini website
Photograph from Worthpoint website
Photograph from RM Toys Website
Photograph from RM Toys Website
Norev
A manufacturer who produced contemporary models in 1:43 plastic as discussed in my previous article. Here we have Norev’s modern take on the MG 1100 in left hand drive form. I believe that this model is made from plastic as it is warm to the touch, the base is cold and I believe is metal. The base has the date 1997 on it whether this is a date or serial number is not clear. Carmodel of Italy suggest that this is a model of a 1965 car. It seems likely that the moulding is inherited from #90 made in the 1960s but the level of detailing is higher with window frames, door handles and rear boot handle and number plate light fitting printed silver. Quite why a GB plate is printed on the rear of a French registered car, from Calvados I believe, only Norev could explain.
The wheels are updated but the interior is a fairly crude tub with seats moulded in and no door cards. The dash is also fairly plain but the dashboard does have some moulded in instrumentation picked out in silver. The steering wheel is generic rather than an accurate replica. I have no idea if Norev also produced an updated version of #89 the Austin 1100 perhaps a reader will know.
Vitesse
Vitesse designed their moulds so that the whole front end from scuttle forwards is a separate part to the to the passenger compartment and rear of the model. Unfortunately they did not correctly model the bottom of any of the front ends so that the wing base does not match the flare of the sills. This two part construction allowed them to have multiple front ends for the many versions of the car and to use printing and separate trim parts on the rear end as appropriate to the version of the car modelled.
Inside the model the dashboard differs between the different models as well and there are quite a few detailed differences as there are on the real cars. Sadly all models have their wipers fitted and parked for LHD versions. Batches of the various versions of the 1100 have been created from time to time in the life of the company with some, like the Vanden Plas Princess not being re-made and consequently becoming scarce and expensive on the secondary market.
I do not believe that Vitesse made a Mark 1 Austin 1100, though I may be wrong – if you have one then please send me photographs. But they did make all the other brands of 1100.
Morris 1100
The most ‘basic’ version modelled by Vitesse and available in both RHD and LHD drive versions as shown in the photographs below. The dash is nicely printed to show a basic strip speedometer and the limited other fitments. Nicely moulded door cards are also detailed.
Morris 1100 with French style number plate
The UK version of the car
MG 1100
This version of this car has a nice MG grille with badge, the round indicators only used on the MG . Good wheels too, though the rear view mirror is a bit strangely shaped and the wipers parked to the wrong side. At the rear the rear light cluster has too much orange paint and there should be more red a common fault on all this series of models.
Inside the wooden dashboard and door cappings are replicated as is the dashboard with its additional instrumentation.
Riley Kestrel
This was perhaps the lowest volume selling 1100 and was one of the first versions to be withdrawn. It was introduced to replace the Morris Minor based Riley 1.5. It was fitted with a slightly hotter engine than the Wolseley but otherwise shared many features of its uprated interior. Vitesse captures the car well and in addition to two tone versions a dark red version was also made.
Again wipers and rear lights are not correct.
Vanden Plas Princess
The Vanden Plas Princess was an 1100/1300 taken from the tracks and given to BMC’s coachbuilder Vanden Plas for a luxury interior with wood and leather, lots of sound proofing and a new front end treatment to be fitted. Although Vitesse claim that this is a 1300 and fit K plates the rear end makes this a model of the Princess 1100 and it would not be accurate as a 1300.
Inside the Vitesse they have even modelled the tables which drop down from the back of the front seats with a bottle and some wine glasses on the tables. The wheels on the Princess are well replicated with the P printed on the centre of the hubs.
All in all quite acceptable as long as you disregard the 1300 description.
Wolseley 1100
The Wolseley 1100 was not as sporty as the Riley or MG versions of the car but was fitted out with a nice interior based on that of the MG 1100 and with leather and wood to cosset its owner. It also had that lovely little light up Wolseley badge in the centre of its grille. It was introduced to replace the Morris Minor based Wolseley 1500 . Less than 18,000 of the Mark 1 Wolseley 1100 were made.
The rear end had a slightly different treatment to the other 1100s with two vertical number plate light housings, one either side of the rear number plate. These have been captured by Vitesse though they could be fitted straighter!
BMC 1300
A quick word about the 1300 which was produced as an option using a larger A Series engine from 1967 onwards. Although there were no contemporary models of this that I can identify there have been models of this, or said to be of this, since.
Corgi
Corgi modelled the Austin Estate which appeared in BBC’s Fawlty Towers TV show which featured John Cleese as the manic Hotel Proprietor and in a couple of shows his car appeared, most memorably in Gourmet Night when it broke down and he gave it a good trashing.
Image from Planet Diecast posting
Photograph from Amazon listing
This model has 1300 printed on its rear door but looks to me like an 1100 which program descriptions suggest it is. Looking carefully at a film clip from the show the rear door of the real car has neither Austin or 1300 badges on it. So as a replica of the car from the film it seems to me incorrect and more likely that the original car was a very late 1100 registered in 1967.
Photograph from an Amazon listing
The same casting was also used in the Vanguards range to produce a 1965 plated Austin, again claimed to be a 1300 on the box when 1300 engines were not fitted until 1967, and then only in MGs and other upmarket versions of the car initially. It is noteworthy that the rear door does not carry 1300 printed on it, unlike the Fawlty car.
In any event Corgi offer something a little different with the estate car version.
Crossway Models
Some later Mark models here. These are 1:43 scale white metal models The MG is a 1300 version and the Police Panda Car is an Austin 1100 with the correct single bar in the front grille. There may have been other versions of these models made but I have been unable to find a complete listing of Crossway products.
The casting seems to catch the shape well but the separately fitted grille seems a little thick and deep to me.
The MG 1300 Mark 2 is an interesting addition to any collection as it is not only a later car but it is also a two door version when others focus on the four door version.
Photograph from Internet
Photograph from Internet
Photograph from Internet
The Crossway range also included a Mark 3 Austin 1100 in Panda Car form. Again a two door version which can be seen in photographs of the era.
Photograph from an Internet listing
Photograph from an Internet listing
Photograph from an Internet listing
Matrix
Matrix have previously offered 1:18 scale BMC 1100 models in their Cult range. These were four door late model Austin 1100 saloons in various colours. Matrix has now announced that 1:43 scale resin models of the Austin 1300 Mark III to be shipped in June. These will certainly offer collectors accurate scale models of the later 1300, though the prototypes are currently showing a single thick horizontal bar on the grille that needs to be altered to be three thin lines for the 1300 version before the models are released.
The photographs shown below are all Matrix publicity photographs drawn to the attention of MAR Online by Frank Jones of British Heritage Models.
Oxford Diecast
Oxford Diecast has produced a 1:76 casting of the Austin 1300 GT with the correct grille and badging and made it in many colours. Sadly they never made a 1:43 scale version of this model. Their Metropolitan Police car also has the GT badging which would have been very unusual for a Panda car. Though having modelled the GT grille changing the model to a basic 1100 or 1300 would have involved grille modifications which were clearly not designed into the mould.
All the photographs shown below are taken from the Oxford Diecast Website.
Vitesse
Vitesse described some of their models as 1300s. In the case of the Vanden Plas Princess this can just be ignored as the car is a good representation of the Princess 1100, in others they created a car that never existed. By mating the rear of its original Mark 11100 with a later front end as shown in the photographs of their 1:43Austin 1300 Police Car below they created a ‘mis-hit’. They presumably thought no-one would notice! Sadly I did so no more Vitesse 1300s are likely to join my collection.
In addition to the Police car this version of the model appears to have been made as a passenger saloon in white too.
Not too bad looked at from the front with the later front end and grille as well as the repeat indicator printed on the wing.
From side it is not too bad but lights are too upright.
From the rear the lights and wing are obviously those of the original Mark 1 casting which Vitesse has not been bothered to update – shame.
WMT
There are white metal models branded WMT of the Vanden Plas Princess 1300 Mark III listed on eBay. I am not familiar with WMT models and they seem not to have a presence on the Internet, other than on eBay, so I know little about who makes them. These models seem quite expensive as the overall finishing leaves a little to be desired with door handles glued on at strange angles and etched window frames that do not appear to lie flat against the casting leaving gaps round them. However if you want a later Mark of Vanden Plas Princess these are the only models of this car that I know of.
So quite a variety of models of the 1100 and 1300 from a wide variety of makers. I am surprised that neither Oxford Diecast or Corgi have made a range of 1100/1300s as they would undoubtedly be popular as budget models since many collectors cannot pay the premium prices for resin models nice though they are.
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Nacoral was one of a number of toy makers in Spain in the 1960s to 1970s. Helped by the import controls over foreign toys exercised by the Franco regime several firms flourished until Spain became a democratic state and joined the EU. Nacoral were based Zaragoza and made models moulded in plastic and in diecast metal. Their moulds were often derived from models made by companies such as Sablon (Belgium), Dinky, Matchbox, Solido and Tekno.
Their Chiqui cars series was produced from the late 1960s through to the early 1970s and so models are relatively uncommon particularly outside Spain. Initially many Chiqui models were made in plastic but #2003 clearly changed from being produced in plastic to to being diecast at some point in its production. Production quality was generally poorer than the ranges the models were derived from. The Morris 1100 is definitely a Mark 1 as modelled by the makers discussed in my previous article which may be found here. It has opening doors which do not feature on Tekno, Norev, Spot On, or Dinky models. Which would make it likely to be a copy of the Politoys though the front lights have been modified.
The interest in producing an 1100 may have been partly derived from the joint venture company set-up in Spain with BMC as partners. This was known as the Authi but the cars seem to have been sold under their BMC names. Both Morris 1100 and MG 1100 cars were sold in this way.
Photograph of brochure cover from Worthpoint web site.
Two versions of the Nacoral model were made. The basic model Chiqui Toys #2003 Morris 1100 shown in green below, and below that #2003M the Morris 1100 Rally version.
The photograph above is from a posting on Planet Diecast and shows models #2003 and #2003M
The photograph above is from ClasF.es website and shows the rally model in red. The sticker on the door reads Morris Cooper.
The photograph above from Gamas43.com website shows #2003 with the first style of packaging – a box with a circle cut out to show the colour of the model within and very 1960s graphics.
I wonder if readers have come across any other BMC 1100 models made when the real car was on the roads in great numbers, other than those covered in my two articles?
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British Motor Corporation (BMC) is famed for the production of the Mini and many other cars they made have been rather overshadowed by it. The 1100 range was produced in large numbers and was suited to family motoring. Though only a little larger than a Mini it packed in a bigger boot, a roomier interior whilst sharing its excellent handling.
Launched in 1962, it was Britain’s best-selling car from 1963 to 1966 and from 1968 to 1971. Developed under the Austin Design Office (ADO) code ADO16 . It was made in many versions but the Austin 1100 and Morris 1100 were produced in the greatest numbers. Over two million units were made between 1962 and 1974,
It was produced as an Austin 1100, a Morris 1100, MG 1100, Wolseley 1100, Riley Kestrel 1100, and as a Princess 1100. It was made as a two and four door saloon and as estate car, though the estate car was only sold as an Austin or Morris here in the UK. Why so many variants? Basically because the dealership chains serviced by BMC were still split between Austin/Wolseley/Princess dealerships and Morris/MG/Riley ones. That meant producing two models at each price point to compete with each other!
Brochure pictures from the Internet
Innocenti produced their own versions under Licence in Italy of the 1100 for the Italian and continental markets. These were quite stylish cars and sold quite well as a premium product.
There were three generations of this model range with the Mark 1 running from 1962 to 1967, the Mark 2 running from 1967 to 1971, and the Mark 3 running from 1971 to 1974 after which the car was replaced by the Marina and Allegro. The main differences between the Mark 1 and 2 was the restyled grille and tail light cluster and the availability of the 1300cc engine across the range. The Mark 3 had some minor styling changes but remained the same mechanically, though the MG was dropped in 1971 and the Wolseley in 1973.
All in all the 1100 is a car people growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, as I did, will remember well. They were there in numbers in the teachers car park at School, parked in your street, on front drives, and in town centre car parks. You saw plenty of them and even if no-one in your family owned one you would probably be given a lift in one at some point by a friend’s parents.
This first article looks at some of the BMC 1100 based toys available to youngsters in the 1960s and 1970s. It does not claim to be exhaustive and the Author would welcome any information about other models of the time. A second article will look at 1100 models made by the Portugese Vitesse brand, and some other more modern collectors models from other brands.
Airfix
Airfix made an MG 1100 to 1:32 scale. These were kits and consequently those that survive have either been made up by skilled modellers and displayed carefully, or are still in their packaging. The UK packaging was in headed cards with a great picture of the car at the top and the contents clearly visible in a transparent bag. Shop displays made sure that the card headers with their attractive picture were well to the fore.
Image from Kingkit.com
In the US the models were often sold boxed as most US plastic car kits were. Again with a great painting as cover art.
Photograph from Worthpoint.com
Dinky Toys #140 – Morris 1100
Dinky were quick to produce this model as #140 in their range. This model was made in England (Liverpool) from 1963-68 by Meccano Ltd. Generally seen in sky blue, even South African Dinky used that colour, it has been suggested that some might also have been produced in cream though I can’t see any examples on the Internet. The UK issue came with a red interior and white steering wheel and an opening bonnet.
The scan from a contemporary Dinky Catalogue above shows the Morris 1100 alongside two other popular new models. The opening bonnet is illustrated in a line drawing and the working steering is illustrated though the wheel positions do not reflect the positions resulting from the rather crude ‘Prestomatic‘ system.
Photograph of model from the West Midlands Collection
Surprisingly Dinky made little other use of this casting, perhaps content with the sales it made and withdrew it in 1968 after the Mark 2 1100 with its modified styling appeared in 1967.
Frog
Frog are perhaps best remembered as makers of plastic aircraft kits in competition with Airfix. But, they also made a series of 1:20 scale car model kits of the 1100 from 1964 on. These came as multipart kits initially with friction motors and then later battery powered. To widen the market they were made in simplified ‘quick-fit’ form with much fewer parts to assemble and with battery powered electric motors. Extracts from period Frog Catalogues are shown below. It shows that they sold models of both Austin and Morris 1100 as well as the up-market Princess.
Photograph from Andrew Clark Models – Frog Austin Princess in much simplified quick build form
The photograph below shows the much more complicated content of the earlier Frog kit ready to be built. NB the multipart body shell allowing a two tone finish to be applied. There is even a tube of Airfix polystyrene cement on display!
Photograph from Worthpoint.com
Fun Ho!
Fun Ho! toys were made in New Zealand surviving due to tariffs on imported toys from Matchbox and others. They were in the style of models made by Lesney and Morestone in the UK and often featured UK made vehicles as so many of the vehicles on New Zealand‘s roads were built from knocked down kits shipped from the UK to be assembled in New Zealand.
Fun Ho! #32 Austin 1100 can be found in a number of colours as an unglazed toy with no opening features. This is too a slightly smaller scale than an equivalent Matchbox toy would have been. It is also rather cruder in shape and detailing, though still clearly an 1100.
Photograph from ToysNZ website
Photograph from ToysNZ website
Photograph from ToysNZ website
Matchbox #
Matchbox were in no hurry to introduce a BMC 1100 into their range. Indeed they left it until 1966. So they introduced #64 MG 1100 based upon the Mark 1 just as it was about to be replaced by the Mark 2 . It was modelled to 1:57 scale and was initially made with regular wheels in green and then with speedwheels in blue. It had a white interior, driver figure and a moulded in dog.
Scanned extract from 1966 Catalogue showing the new #64 MG 1100.
Photograph from eBay seller Kesal 5492
Photograph Vectis Auctions
Minix #RC2
Minix models were produced in plastic by Triang to a constant scale of 1:76. They were intended to go with railway models and were sold in substantial numbers. The Morris 1100 was #RC2 in the range so was there from the ranges launch. It was made in a wide range of colours, many never offered by BMC and only the Morris was made.
Like all Minix models it is an excellent shape and with an interior, upgraded wheels and printed detail some would be better than some current Oxford Diecasts.
Photograph from Weebly.com showing the wide range of colours for the Minix Morris 1100
Photograph of the rear of a Minix box showing #RC2 Morris 1100 – from eBay
Photograph of #RC2 in its original box – eBay seller
Norev
Norev produced a range of popular cars in plastic to 1:43 scale in the 1960’s. Whilst most of the models they made were of popular French makes like Citroen, Peugeot, Renault or Simca, they also made models of some popular imports.
Like Tekno they made two types of BMC 1100 only in this case it was an Austin (#89) that sat alongside its MG (#90).
Photographs of the Norev Austin 1100 above from Worthpoint.com
Photographs of the Norev MG 1100 above from Quality Diecast Toys
Politoys
The Innocenti IM3 was called that as it was the third vehicle produced in cooperation with BMC. It was made in Italy from 1963 and carried the Innocenti Morris name and used the MG version of the 1100 engine. In 1964 a more basic version was introduced using the basic engine and less uprated front end. This was badged as an Innocenti Austin. The Morris version stayed in production till 1970 and the Austin was finally withdrawn in 1974.
Politoys offered the Morris in 1:43 scale with opening doors, as well as opening bonnet and boot. This model was part of the tooling sold to the Soviet Union and re-appeared marked made in the USSR. The Soviet made models were produced to a lower standard, like Indian made Dinky Toys, and showed signs of worn moulds.
Photograph from Carmodels.com
Photograph from Catawiki
Photograph I-Modelcars.com Made in USSR based on Politoys moulds.
Spot On #262 and #267
Spot On models were made to a constant 1:42 scale so their 1100s were rather larger than the Dinky version. Spot On made both a Morris #262 and an MG version #267 of the 1100. Like the Dinky they had an opening bonnet. The cars also came in sets with roof racks.
Shown below are scanned pages from Spot On Catalogues showing the Morris and MG toys which had an opening bonnet like Dinky’s offering, though they did not have any steering action.
The Morris 1100 was introduced first and the MG 1100 followed in a nice two tone paint finish.
Photograph – JK Diecast Models – Spot OnMorris 1100
Photograph – JK Diecast Models – Spot On MG 1100
Tekno
Tekno of Denmark issued #831 – a Morris Marina . A badging that appears to have been used in Denmark for the 1100 if not the UK. Like Spot On they also made an MG 1100. In both cases the bonnet opened to show an engine.
The catalogue extracts shown below show the offerings from Tekno nicely in the style of the period..
Tekno Catalogue images above provided by Karl Schnelle
The photographs below show the Tekno 1100 models off nicely. The casting is a good shape and they are lifted by having ‘diamond’ headlights. The shots of the rear show the Marina badging on the Morris.
Photographs above provided by Karl Schnelle
Hong Kong Plastic Models
There were a variety of Hong Kong made plastic toys sold here in the UK in the 1960s. They were available from Woolworths, some Department stores and from toy shops. There were a variety of makers and they were boxed for several importers whose brands were marked on the boxes. So the same model might appear under several brands. A single maker may also make models to different scales as the photograph of the Telsalda Princess1100 next to a Telsalda Austin 1100 shows.
Most of these models were derived from UK made diecasts but they were usually scaled up in size to add perceived value. Sadly most of these toys were damaged and disposed quite quickly as they were made from fragile types of plastic. They are rare today in complete condition. The models shown are just a few of the toys available to the 1960s child.
Photographs above from andy66 on Planet Diecast website – OK Toys 1:20 Scale 1100sbattery powered
Photograph from Cromwell Models – OK MG 1100 friction model
Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.
I have always wanted a Morris Oxford MO in true 1:43 scale although I had long had the long running Dinky Toy version which is a tad smaller since childhood. There is a long since out of production white metal one that is pretty rare and pretty dear these days, even if located.
Editor’s Note: Crossway models here in the UK were offering a white metal 1:43 scale Oxford MO, with either the early or late grille. However their website shows this as no longer available. This is of course expensive in comparison to standard diecasts.
It dawned on me that the Oxford of this era was related to the Morris Six which in turn was related to the fancier Wolseley 6-80. The Tintin series sold by Atlas has a Morris Six in their series. These are not expensive on eBay so I added two more to my collection and had a go at converting them into Morris Oxfords. This entailed cutting off the nose and substantially reshaping it as well as shortening the wheelbase with a cut just behind the front wheel wells.
New grills had to be made from scratch and I chose the later grill for the saloon and the early finer mesh grill for the Traveller. Of course, the traveller body aft of the B post had to be all new. This was formed out of sheet aluminium, windows cut in and grafted onto a cut down saloon body. Woodwork was strips of bass wood and balsa wood with the over wheel arch part from some wood veneer. Rear bumpers were a piece of flatted electrical solder which was then bare metal foiled (BMF) with the newer super chrome foil which is really shiny. The two grills were on a platform of sheet aluminium with various gauges of silver wire or solder for the various bars. New front of bonnet badges at the base of a chrome strip were fitted.
Front bumpers which were painted on the Tintin model, were upgraded to BMF as well. Hubcaps also done with this material. One thing I was not expecting is that the front door of the Morris Six is slightly different than the Oxford, in that the shape of the fender extension is rounder on the Oxford so that had to be modified a bit.
The styling of these Oxfords, and the concurrent but much longer lasting Minor, was exceptionally similar but the Oxford was an overall larger car as can be seen in the comparison photos with a Vanguards Minor Traveller and a Spot on Minor saloon.
The Tintin donor car from Atlas at the rear with the initial removal of the front end shown in front of it.
Another view of the donor model with another with the front end removed and an aluminium plate inserted.
The donor car broken down ready for the Traveller rear body, made of bent aluminium, to be fitted as well as a modified front end.
The completed set. MO Saloon to the left and Traveller to the right flanking the original Tintin Morris Six model.
Another view of thecompleted set.
Two photographs of the MO Traveller alongside a Corgi Minor Traveller showing how much larger than the Minor the Oxford was.
Here the newly created Oxford MO Saloon is compared to the 1:42 scale Spot On Morris Minorwhich again highlights how much bigger the Oxford was than the Minor.
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First up, a confession. The Dinky van in the photos isn’t an original Capstan Cigarettes version but, from the moment I first became aware of the existence of this gloriously offbeat toy, I had to have one. However, the model having been produced for no more than a couple of years in the late 1950s, originals are hard to come by so a very playworn Royal Mail version, found on eBay, paid a visit to the paint shop and, provided that visitors to my man cave don’t turn it upside down to inspect the base plate, I have an item which makes an acceptable substitute for the real thing and which attracts the attention even of those with little or no interest in old diecast models.
Introduced into the Dinky range in 1957, #465 Morris Commercial Van “Capstan” as Dinky styled it, was a simple re-colour of the #260 Royal Mail Van which had been available since 1953 and was, presumably, intended to extract some final sales from a casting which was reaching the end of its useful life. And, apart from changing the baseplate to read ‘Morris 10CWT Van’ instead of the original ‘Royal Mail Van,’ Dinky didn’t go to a lot of trouble about its new model with the heavy-duty Royal Mail lock and window grilles on the rear doors carrying over to the cigarette delivery van. It is a remarkably pretty little thing, though, in its two-tone blue livery and with that striking advertising transfer of a lit Capstan on the side and, if I had to select one model to illustrate the difference between life now and life as I recall it in the late 1950s, Dinky’s Capstan van would have a strong claim, and not just because of the cigarette connection. It really is the simplest of diecast vehicles comprising a one-piece casting, of Dinky’s usual high standard, and a tinplate base. Modern youngsters would, I suspect, be less than thrilled by such a simple toy.
You have to wonder what exactly Dinky were thinking, though. Even by the standards of 1957, a toy van advising youngsters to ‘Have A Capstan’ was an unusual concept, to put it mildly. Smoking was, of course, much more socially acceptable in those days but I can’t help wondering how many parents would have looked at the little van in a toyshop and gone on to purchase another model for junior instead. There must have been at least a few. And Capstan itself was an unusual choice among cigarette brands of the time. A product of W.D. & H.O. Wills, Capstan were noted for their high nicotine and tar levels. The brand is now owned by Imperial Tobacco but Capstan cigarettes are no longer widely sold. For whatever reason, the Capstan Morris survived in the Dinky range for only two years. I have been unable to obtain sales figures but, given the short production run and their relative values today, I think it is safe to assume that it would have sold in much smaller numbers than its Royal Mail sibling.
The Morris van was ageing too by 1957 although one survived as the Fire Engine, complete with pumping trailer, in our small town well into the 1960s. Introduced in 1949 as a Morris Commercial, the van, re-named Morris J-type from 1952 on, was a simple light van suited to a variety of applications and was popular with small business owners as well as with the Royal Mail, its sliding cab doors making it particularly suited to urban delivery work. Originally powered by a version of the 1476cc engine from the Morris Oxford saloon car, the little Morris was an unpretentious workhorse whose ubiquity in its day (over 48,000 were sold in the twelve years of production) coupled with its cheerful, almost toytown appearance has earned it iconic status in the decades since production ceased in 1961.
In fact, so iconic has the little Morris become that it has joined the select roster of classic vehicles (VW Beetle, Fiat 500 and, of course the legendary Mini) which have been ‘re-imagined’ for our own century in the form of the Morris Commercial JE-Van due to be launched shortly. This remarkably pretty little van won’t be as cheap as its 1950s ancestor but carbon fibre and state-of-the-art electronics don’t come cheap. I’m sure some manufacturer will produce a diecast version of the 21st Century Morris van in due course. I don’t expect to see cigarette advertising on it, though.
Before I leave the topic of Morris’ much loved ‘big’ little van, I have to mention one detail of the full-size vehicle which has thrown up a rather intriguing ‘error’ in Dinky’s Capstan model. As mentioned, the Morris J-type was very popular with the Royal Mail and vans produced for Post Office use differed from standard production models in having their front wings made from rubber instead of steel to render the vans less susceptible to damage from bumps and scratches in tight situations. This arrangement necessitated securing the headlamp units to the cab sides instead of the tops of the wings as on standard vans. This detail is correctly modelled on Dinky’s Royal Mail van but, as the same casting was used for the Capstan version, the position of the headlamps on the latter model is incorrect. Isn’t diecast collecting fun?
Following the merger of Morris and Austin, in 1952, to form BMC, badge-engineering of the new company’s vehicles became common practice and an Austin version of the J-type (called Austin 101) appeared in 1957 which differed from the Morris only in badging and radiator grille styling. The only diecast model of this much rarer version of which I am aware is a Home Dairies van issued by Pocketbond Classix in 1:76 scale some years ago.
And finally, the ethical position of my ersatz Dinky ‘Capstan’ Van just in case anyone is wondering. I prefer to restore old models to as close to original specification as I can manage but my conscience is untroubled by this rare deviation from standard practice as I have no intention of selling it and, even if I had, the ‘Royal Mail’ baseplate would be a dead giveaway. In any case, as an obvious repaint, its value is minimal. But, as it happens, today’s post brought a playworn and overpainted original Capstan version purchased from an Irish online dealer (final photo) so perhaps I may get around to making an honest van of mine one of these days?
Photos and further information on the 21st Century iteration of the J-type are available on the website of Morris Commercial: https://morris-commercial.com/
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Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.
Readers may be aware that I was born, and grew up in, Coventry during the period when it was often called ‘Motown UK’. For many youngsters living there in the 1950s and 1960s, a paper round was a good money earner to pay for your comics, Matchbox toys and items that your parents were not keen to fund like Cigarettes.
The period when I grew up in was probably the time when local newspapers were sold in the greatest numbers, and had the widest influence over their readership. Most urban areas of a reasonable size had a daily paper from Monday to Saturday and some had lunch editions and even a special Saturday edition to cover local sport. In Coventry the Coventry Evening Telegraph was our main local newspaper with multiple daily editions and the ‘Pink’ on Saturday. This was a sports newspaper printed on pink paper, and it was particularly popular during the football season as its front page was inevitable part of the coverage of that Saturday’s Coventry City match. It also covered the other professional clubs in the area like Nuneaton Borough and Bedworth United, as well as all the local leagues as well. The newspapers area of distribution reached beyond Coventry to cover much of Warwickshire as well. Sadly its buildings on Corporation Street are no longer a Newspaper office but have been converted into a boutique Hotel.
Nowadays such local newspapers have shrunk in circulation. Many have disappeared altogether, others are now only printed weekly with a website to give running coverage of stories and newly breaking items. These are all put together by centralised teams of journalists who do not live in the local area. Small wonder that they have lost the major role they had in setting local opinion on local topics.
I remember grabbing bales of newspapers swung out of the back of the van by the van driver and taking them into the shop ready to be bundled up ready for delivery. I seem to remember that the van drivers were always in a rush as they had a lot of stops on each round to get through in the shortest time possible. Some certainly liked racing stops and starts.
The Coventry Evening Telegraph vans had a particularly attractive livery as they were painted gloss black and the lettering was in the Gothic style that was used for the papers masthead. They were always immaculately maintained and were a good advert for the paper. Several promotional models were produced by Lledo in this livery, in particular a Morris Z van and and a Morris LD van. Although I bought them they were of limited appeal since I never saw either van in use delivering Evening Telegraphs. Sadly, despite multiple trawls of the Internet I cannot find any record of the vans used in the fleet, so I may be wrong and the Z and LD might have been used, but I personally think that they were used by Lledo as they were available in their range rather than as a result of any detailed research.
An Austin A40 in this livery has been preserved as part of the collection of the Coventry Transport Museum.
Photograph by Robert Knightconverted to black and white
Reader Manuel Goikoetxea has recreated this in a nice re-paint of a Dinky Toys Austin A40 as shown below. It would have made a rather nice contemporary toy.
Photograph and Model – Manuel Goikoetxea
During my attempts to find information about genuine Coventry Evening Telegraph vans I came across one photograph showing a group of vans awaiting loading in the yard. This showed a cross section of vehicles on the road at one point of time. This photograph is sadly a commercially restricted image from Getty Images and although I can’t show it here click on the word Google in green and this will show it to you via Google .
The types of van shown in the picture were the:
Austin A60 10 CWT van
Morris Minor van
Bedford CA Series 2 LWB van
Some type of forward control van based on Commer Superpoise
Commer/Karrier Forward Control van
Morris Oxford Series III van
Austin A40 10CWT van
On reflection I realised that UK Artisan 1:76 scale producers could provide kits of all these vehicles, except the strange Superpoise? based van. Mainstream manufacturers offered the Morris Minor van and little else. An example of what a wealth of our vehicle history is covered by small scale white metal and resin kit makers.
Another UK small scale operation, Black Square Decals, could make me the Coventry Evening Telegraph lettering in gold, which was not possible on my ink jet printer, so a ‘lockdown project’ was on.
The kits/made models used were as follows:
Austin A60 10 CWT – John Day Vehicle Scenics White Metal Kit
Morris Minor van – I could have used an old Mopok Dinky Dublo copy but decided a more accurate model was to be made by re-spraying a Pocketbond Classix Morris Minor van
Bedford CA Series 2 LWB van – This is a Rod Parker white metal kit kit now available from Daryle Toney of John Day Models. This was chosen because it more accurate than the commercially available Bedford vans
Commer/Karrier Forward Control van – Road Transport Images (RTI) resin kit
Morris Oxford Series III van – This is a Rod Parker white metal kit kit now available from Daryle Toney of John Day Models.
Austin A40 10CWT van – Road Transport Images (RTI) resin kit
I decided to make up a couple of the more common types of van in the photograph and prepared all the kits, sprayed with primer and then finished the models in gloss black. The Classix model was just de-constructed and any polish removed before it was over sprayed black. Finally the models were detailed and allowed to dry before the decals were applied.
To provide a backdrop I created a couple of A4 wide buildings loosely based on the photograph of the vans in the yard. To do this I used Model Builder a US software package aimed at the railway modeller.
So what did it end up looking like? The photographs are shown below.
‘Blast from the past’ is the feeling I get when looking at this display. Something a little different that kept me occupied whilst ‘locked down’ here in the UK.
The vans shown were selected to match the ones in the Getty Images photograph, linked to earlier, as closely as I could. But that photograph was clearly taken in the very early 1960s and as time wore on other vehicles were used such as the Marina van already featured in MAR Onlinehere. Another van I remember in the Coventry Evening Telegraph livery was the Triumph Herald Courier as one lived in the same street I did at the time for a short while. It was the only Courier I remember seeing so I suspect it was ‘on trial’ rather than in service. Its performance might have appealed to the Drivers, but its small payload of 5CWT would not have pleased distribution managers. Another Pocketbond Classix has been over painted in gloss black and will be finished in this livery and will appear here at a later date.
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Only a quick note. I’ve just read your article on the John Day Marina Van model where you mention Rod Ward’s Bijou Marina van transkits. As you will see from the photographs there was also a Bijou transkit to make a Marina Pickup.
I bought these from Rod when they came out in 2007 and built them in 2008. I bought two more for ‘a rainy day’ in 2010.
Stuart Brotchie By Email
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Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.
John Day Vehicle Scenics continue to be produced by a ‘one-man band’ British Artisan model maker, Daryle Toney. These are 1:76 scale white metal kits covering vehicles from the 1920s to the 1970s.
It has been quite a time since a new vehicle has been added to the range, but here is the latest SRV115 Marina Van which will be available from the end of this month (July 2021). The website is http://www.johndaymodels.co.uk/
In real life this van replaced the very dated Austin 6/8 cwt van, which had soldiered on missing out any Farina restyling along the way, and equally ‘long in the tooth’ Morris Minor van. Either Austin or Morris badges were fitted to the early Marinas.
Operators were given a choice of 7 cwt and 10 cwt versions. The former featuring the 1,098cc A-Series engine, and the latter boasting 1,275cc. The cost of the new light commercials ranged from £665 to £775, and buyers were presented with a choice of ‘Standard‘ with minimal creature comforts or the ‘De Luxe‘ with a pretty mean entry level car specification. As for the options, these ranged from servo-assisted brakes, and an interior rear-view mirror, to an enamel paint finish.
Commercial Motor road tested the Marina van in 1972 and they said: ‘Both models produced nippy acceleration, good road going performance over the mixed roads encountered and cruised comfortably at a motorway 70 mph with throttle travel to spare’.
So, to the model. Some readers may be saying to themselves ‘I’ve seen that before’. Well yes, this model is derived from the original Fleetmaster model which was acquired and uprated by Adrian Swain and sold as an ABS model for a short time. The brass master for that has now found its way to Daryle Toney for him to tweak and make as a John Day model. The model is not a perfect replica but it is of a vehicle that was owned by all the UK utility companies, British Rail, The Post Office, Post Office Telephones, Gas/Electricity/Water companies and delivery services of all kinds, as well as shops and small businesses. They even ended up battered and run by young people with little disposable income when businesses sold them off. Incredibly the only model of a Marina Van that I know of to date apart from this model is the long obsolete and extremely rare 1:43 scale Bijou transkit made in very small numbers for Rod Ward’s Model Auto shop. This was designed to fit onto the Vanguards Marina car’s base and ‘running gear’.
The front windscreen should be more upright and the rear end is too shallow. The inset area above the side windows and just under the roofline is only hinted at but the model is definitely identifiable as the early version of the Marina van.
The kit is made of few parts. The base has seats and wheels cast into it and there is a metal part to glue on behind the driver’s seats to form a bulkhead. There is also a vacform for glazing and the single piece body shell.
I have chosen to make mine up as a Coventry Evening Telegraph delivery van using custom made decals from Black Square Decals one of the many UK small firms offering bespoke high quality decals who can print in gold on clear carrier film something even photo quality Inkjet printers like mine simply can’t achieve. This is part of a project to make up several of this Newspaper’s vehicles which were a familiar sight when I was growing up in Coventry and delivering papers!
I am sure that railway modellers will seize the chance to buy these kits as British Rail ran a large number as did so many other companies whose liveries would liven up any layout.
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Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.
Once upon a time!
The 1934 Morris 10/4 was my parents first family car, and although I have collected models of their other cars this was still a gap in my collection as to my knowledge no-one had ever produced a model of one. To fill the gap I found a 1:43 scale Motor Kits Wolseley Wasp, a car which was based on the Morris, on eBay. Found by chance on eBay it was a real mess of a build but that did not matter as I planned a complete strip and conversion.
To re-create my parents first family car I only had two black and white photographs to go by, as well as many stories from my parents. Luckily Dad had a friend with a good camera who took two super shots of the car. My parents acquired the Morris at some point around late 1940’s or very early 1950’s.
And so the transformation began. Cutting up a white metal casting was new to me, but it soon became a familiar process. The changes made to the Wolseley castings included the following:
The bonnet has been shortened to lose the Wolseley‘s slant and allow the Radiator to sit upright in Morris style.
The door shut lines have been remade.
The boot has been removed to give the flatter Morris rear panel.
A curve has been added to the bottom of rear window by gentle application of pliers!
Bigger wheels and tyres are sourced from K&R.
Raiding the parts bin I found some big headlamps, some chrome handles & some hub caps from an Austin Allegro.
Bumpers were fabricated from tie wraps for plastic bags, the kind stiffened by wire in the middle – perfic!
Bonnet louvres are two different Eduardo aircraft photoetch components as these are sided. This was a not inexpensive purchase!
The painting is not perfect, but as Dad said he used to polish it with an oily rag that is perhaps not an issue!
Photographs of the finished product are shown below:
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