Desert Island Diecasts
Imagine you’re stranded on a remote island and had only taken a handful of your collection favourites on that fateful trip, which five would you want it to be? Will Roe packs his bags.
It's a bit drastic when you need to be stranded on a desert island to be safe from the dreaded virus, but it seems here I am far from the madding crowd! Just like everyone who has been castaway in this series, deciding on the diecast models to have along with me has been no mean feat, and with a choice of only five, almost impossible after collecting for around 50 years! However, I've reached my verdict, as they say, more by a process of nostalgia and practicality than by price or quality.
LADA NIVA 4X4 AND ‘SKIFF’ CAMPING TRAILER
I'll need an all terrain vehicle and some accommodation and this fits the bill nicely. Nostalgia takes me back to the ‘80s, swapping Brit models for Soviet Russian items with a Czech pal. With opening doors, bonnet and tailgate, steerable front wheels plus coil spring suspension this fits the quality niche nicely. Made then by Tantal Production, Saratov, USSR.
1955 BMW ISETTA 250CC
Way back in the ‘60s, I swapped riding Vespa scooters for something ‘under cover' that I could drive on my motor bike licence, and this was the result. The 1/18 scale Revell model, as you can see, covers the lot - opening door with swing out steering wheel, removable engine cover and lots of detail. One for Memory Lane and unique motoring.
ATLAS DINKY SUPERTOYS GUY VAN
This reminds me of my long and happy days as a member of Coventry Diecast Model Club (CDMC), and brings a smile to my face as I remember this starting off as a Facebook April Fools gag by CDMC President Paul Kennelly, and transformed into a ‘one-off ' reality, complete with customised box thanks to the skills of CDMC
Chairman Mick ‘Mixxy' Russell. These two wonderful guys turned a joke into a real life item and delivered it to me to enjoy from then on. You can't buy either this model or friends, and I'll count my blessings as I sit under a palm tree.
CORGI MAJOR HOLMES WRECKER
Surely the Corgi Holmes wrecker must be among the items with most play value - with its moveable jib arms, twin working pulleys, tilt cab, side ladder and mirrors, and much more. I've had this one for ages and, as you can see, I still haven't got around to restoring it to its full glory, even though I have the replacement parts from Steve Flowers' wonderful spares service. Now that I'm marooned on this island there will be no excuse, now, did I manage to bring the super glue with me?
CORGI DE HAVILLAND DH.86 TIGER MOTH RAF TRAINER R4922
Looking forward to the day of my rescue, I can think of nothing better to do the job than the Tiger Moth. Still flying today since its introduction in 1932, this lightweight 2-seater would easily be able to land and take off on one of the hard sandy beaches on the island. This Corgi item has captured the plane perfectly, and reminds me of my RAF days when two of these were housed in the Station Flight hangar at RAF North Weald, Essex.
Number 7 is a busy one. In the 1969 Lesney Matchbox range was kept as a Regular Wheels Ford Refuse Truck, but come the 1970 catalogue, this had been updated to the Superfast version. From 1973, this was replaced by the fantasy prototype racer, Hairy Hustler. This would then become one of the Streakers sub-range in 1976, subsequently being replaced by the VW Golf in 1977 that would see out the Lesney era.
FORD REFUSE TRUCK
Catalogue: 1970-72
Box Styles: G
Included as a Superfast for the first time in the 1970 catalogue, the Ford Refuse Truck, with its massive play value in the form of its lifting back section, was a huge favourite before it got its new wheels anyway.
The mechanism that was incorporated into the rear was very clever indeed - as the rear loading shroud was lifted, the main body section countertitle in juxtaposition. Imagine the impression it made on this author at just six years of age!
Throughout its life as a Superfast version, the truck retained its regular wheels colour scheme of orange cab and silver/grey rear section, although the shade of the cab did vary a little over time.
HAIRY HUSTLER
Catalogue: 1973-75
Box Styles: I
An interesting concept was unveiled in the 1973
catalogue that had clearly been influenced by the Le Mans-style sports racing endurance prototypes of the previous couple of years, but with a more angular shape.
With a single-seat interior and suitably shouty stickers leaving you in no doubt that this is a racer, Hairy Hustler had a metallic reddy/bronze finish and both that interior and the rear air scoop were chromed. The one-piece windscreen surround can either be tinted purple or amber. The stickers would change colours later on in its run.
HAIRY HUSTLER (STREAKERS) Catalogue: 1976
Box Styles: J
For the Streakers range, No 7 Hairy Hustler was