There is a fairly long history of craftsmen building detailed miniature models of transport vehicles and machinery, but it wasn’t until nineteen thirty-four that die-cast model cars and lorries appeared on the market in any great numbers.
In those days replica cars and lorries weren’t looked on as collectable items in their own right - they were produced to lend extra realism to model railways.
Since the early 1920s Hornby had made ever more complex train sets. One of these sets, Meccano Set No 21, came complete with six die-cast models, consisting of a delivery van, a sports coupe, a farm tractor, a sports car, an army tank, a farm tractor and a motor truck. These were the very first Dinky models, issued under the “Meccano Modelled Miniatures” label, as Set No. 22.
These early diecast cars were pretty simplistic by modern standards, seeing as they were cast from an alloy with high lead content which did not lend itself to a high degree of detail. Also they did not try to depict real vehicles, although the sports car looked somewhat similar to the SS1, a popular make at that time and a precursor of the Jaguar.
In terms of scale, they were not very well suited to the train sets which they were intended to complement.
It soon became clear, however, that there was a healthy market for such models, and it was not long before individual die-cast replicas based on real cars and trucks were produced and sold on their own. Dinky Set 30 was based on the Rolls-Royce, Set 36A on the Armstrong Siddely, 36B a Bentley, and 36F was a Salmon sports car.
With the passage of time the quality of reproduction and detail greatly improved. The Dinky sets had die-cast alloy bodies and tin-plate radiators and rubber tyres. The later replicas also came with drivers and passengers. The Armstrong Siddely had a footman and chauffeur. Just before the Second World War some superb military models were produced, including tanks with catterpillar tracks and rotating turrets.
Few models from that period have survived in good condition, and examples in good condition are extremely collectable - pre war Dinkies can command prices up to one thousand dollars in auction.
In the nineteen fifties, new production techniques introduced a new era in the history of die cast replica cars. Lesney, famous for their splendid Coronation Coach, and Corgi, (”the ones with the windows”), came into the market to compete with Dinky.
This new generation of diecast vehicles, with finer detail, better running gear, and better color finish, leads up to the present day, where millions of finely-detailed diecast replica models are produced, at very affordable prices for the collector. For example, just take a look at these movie diecast cars. The die cast model car industry has come a long way since the nineteen thirties.
And, let’s not forget, eBay can be a great source for those hard-to-find, rare die cast models: classic diecast auctions.
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