Ramsay’s British Diecast Catalogue
Morestone and Modern Products, Budgie Toys and Seerol
The history of these makes is a fascinating story of inter-linked companies, take-overs and bankruptcies reflecting the ups and downs of the toy trade. In the late 1940s Morris & Stone was a toy wholesaler selling the products of many small toy manufacturers including those from Modern Products who had started as die-casters. Morris and Stone decided to have its own exclusive ‘Morestone' branded lines and some were made by Modern Products, who increasingly relied on Morestone for the sole marketing and distribution of its toys. Morestone continued to use several suppliers but in 1954 set up a die-casting company jointly with Rodney Smith (one of the founders of Lesney Products).
From the mid-1950s to 1966 the Morestone and Budgie ranges contained models that came either from the in-house factory or from Modern Products. Morestone's production expanded with new ranges of models, such as the Noddy and Big-Ears vehicles in 1956 and the Esso Petrol Pump Series of miniatures, launched at Christmas of that year. In 1958, the ‘Trucks of the World International Series' was introduced, but only ran to three models.
Some of the earlier Morestone and Modern Products models were re-issued as part of the Budgie range which was introduced in 1959. Model numbers were allocated in 1960 and new additions to the range continued every year up to 1966. During 1961, Morris & Stone was taken over by S. Guiterman & Co Ltd, who changed the name of its new subsidiary to Budgie Models Ltd. Although the range included many interesting and unusual subjects, it failed to compete with Corgi, Dinky and Matchbox, and losses in Budgie Models Ltd contributed to losses in the Guiterman group. In March 1966 these companies went into voluntary liquidation.
Modern Products was badly hit by this but eventually was able to set up a new company called Budgie Models (Continuation) Ltd and purchased the Budgie trademark from the receiver. It wanted the Budgie dies as well, but these were destroyed in a fire while negotiations were in progress. The only dies to survive were those in its own factory.
Thus the main range of Budgie commercial vehicles came to an end in 1966. Modern Products continued to produce the Budgie miniatures, mainly for the USA, until 1969 when the stronger competition this time was from Mattel's Hot Wheels. Modern Products' direction for the 1970s was to produce models for H. Seener Ltd., distributors of toys and souvenirs to London's tourist shops. The old Budgie Routemaster bus was reintroduced for Seener, followed by a new FX4 Taxi and Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.
In 1983, following the death of one of the partners in Modern Products, the business was sold to a neighbouring engineering company called Starcourt Ltd (some boxes say Merracroft Ltd - an associated company of Starcourt). The new owners re-introduced several models from the original moulds, starting with the Aveling Barford Road Roller. However, a disagreement developed with Seener who withdrew the dies for the Taxi and Rolls-Royce (which he had paid for), and arranged for these to be made by Corgi together with a completely new Routemaster bus. These ‘Seerol' models appeared in 1985 and are still available. Starcourt ceased toy production in 1985.