Lady Penelope’s FAB 1 by Dinky Toys

In the years immediately before and after World War Two, Dinky Toys dominated the British toy market, but the launch of Corgi Toys in 1956 put Dinky firmly on the back foot.

While Dinky was still able to sell its toys as quickly as it could make them, Corgi started to introduce more and more innovative designs. The competition hotted up when Corgi moved into TV and film-related merchandise, achieving spectacular sales with its James Bond Aston Martin (1965), Batmobile (1966) and

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. car (1967). Next on Corgi’s drawing board was Lady Penelope’s FAB 1 Rolls-Royce from Gerry Anderson’s popular puppet series Thunderbirds.

But the rival Meccano firm, maker of Dinky, pulled off a surprise move. It was also planning to model FAB 1 and it was Dinky, not Corgi, that secured the licensing rights. The new model was described with great enthusiasm in Meccano Magazine as ‘the most amazing toy ever to have appeared in the Dinky range or, for that matter, in any comparable range’ – an obvious dig at the competition down in Swansea.

FAB 1’s Rolls-Royce radiator hinged forwards to reveal a spring-loaded, rubber-tipped rocket that shot out when the car was pushed down at the front. Similarly, pressing the back of the car released a bank of four plastic harpoons. Beneath the clear sliding roof canopy were figures of Lady Penelope and her imperturbable chauffeur, Parker.

The first issue was packaged in a now-sought-after picture box containing a plinth on which the car could be displayed; later ones came in a bubble-pack, which tends to crack and discolour with the passage of time. The paint finish was, naturally, pink, but there is a rare variation in a deeper fluorescent shade, which has been known to sell for up to £700.