Never bettered
Stephen Paul Hardy gets nostalgic for a bit of diecast crafting.
Irecently noticed something in a photograph of a play-worn diecast model ‘Oval’ Beetle, posted on the Volkswagen Model Club Facebook Group discussion thread, which set a serious train of thought in process. It wasn’t the model itself that caught my eye, but a little aftermarket sticker on it that I instantly recognised as one of the utter captivations of my Corgi Toys infused childhood.
Always a lover of small details and accessories that appropriately enhance a model in keeping with a manufacturer's style, there is something from the 1960s that, as far as I am concerned, has never been matched or bettered. I am talking about the series of five small packets of ‘Corgi Toys Self Adhesive Accessories’, the contents of which were veritable treasure. Working first from memory, then supported by research, as far as I can see the fuller range was:
A No 1460 Number plates, Road fund licences,‘GB’ plates,‘Running In’ labels (approx 66 items)
B No 1461 ‘Styla’ Sports discs, tyre trims and number plates (approx 36 items)
C No 1462 Commercial vehicle markings (Class licences, speed restriction plates, hazard triangle reflectors) and number plates (approx 69 items)
D No 1463 Number plates,‘CD plates’,‘Learner’ Plates and touring pennants (approx 100 items)
E No 1464 AA & RAC Badges,‘Press’ labels,‘Ontow’ labels, Garage trade plates, taxi licence plates (approx 86 items)
I remember having at least one of each packet and patiently adding finishing touches (in some cases rather liberally, with as many of the stickers as could reasonably be added!) to several of my Corgi Toys vehicles with them. My particular favourite packs were A, D and E.The wheel trims from pack B, although looking rather smart, never seemed to stay in place satisfactorily, and pack C was rather lightly used, because I was more into the cars than the commercials. My absolute favourites were the beautifully detailed AA and RAC badges.
Setting nostalgia aside, what an amazing record these are of daily life in the 1960s - far more so possibly than the Corgi vehicles themselves. Just looking down the list there are things there that have long since dropped out of our lives - like ‘Running In’ labels and now even road fund licences! DC