A little about diecast insustry and manufacturers: (Part 2)
Although this practice has been used by Meccano (Dinky Diecast Model Car Toys) as far as 1934, during the 1960s various companies began to use collectible diecast vehicles as promotional items for advertising. The idea that children can play a large part in a family's decision as to what products to buy came into wide circulation. In addition, by the 1980s it was apparent that many diecast model cars were being purchased by adults as collectibles, not as toys for children. Companies such as McDonald's, Sears Roebuck, Kodak, and Texaco commissioned toymakers to produce promotional die-cast car models featuring their names and logos, or licensed their use. One early example was an American Airlines London bus model car produced by Matchbox Diecast Models, an idea some other airlines quickly copied.
Beginning in the mid '70s trucks and other commercial vehicles took a lion's share of the diecast model cars market. Matchbox Diecast Models started the trend when they re-launched their collectible Models of Yesteryear range. They made a score of different versions of their Y-12 Ford Model T van diecast model car, along with other trucks in colorful liveries such as Coca-Cola, Colman's Mustard, and Cerebos Salt. They also made promotional versions for Smith's Crisps (potato chips) and Harrods department store. Some diecast models were made exclusively for certain markets and immediately became quite expensive elsewhere: Arnott's Biscuits (Australia) and Sunlight Seife (soap, Germany) are examples.
Corgi Diecast Model Cars copied this idea when they expanded the Corgi Classics line in the mid-'80s, producing more than 50 versions of a 1920s era Thornycroft van. Some diecast cars collectors disparaged this development as "collecting paint," as the castings were identical; only the decorations were different. Other diecast model cars collectors created what they called the "10-Foot Rule" when the collecting of minor variations of the same diecast vehicle got out of hand. The idea was that, if you couldn't differentiate between two versions of a die-cast model from 10 feet away, it wasn't worthwhile to collect both of them.
Despite their popularity, many diecast model cars manufacturers went belly-up in the 1980s. Meccano Diecast Car Models (Dinky), Matchbox Collectible Die-cast Cars, and Corgi Diecast Car Models all went bankrupt within a three-year span, which essentially reflected the economic climate in the UK at that time. It had become virtually impossible to manufacture in England and compete on the world market. Mattel Diecast Model Cars had also long since shifted most of their production from the USA to the far east. Matchbox was purchased by a Hong Kong conglomerate named Universal Holdings, which moved production from England to Macau. Later (1997), Mattel Diecast Cars manufacturer bought Matchbox, essentially making Hot Wheels diecast model cars and the Matchbox 1-75 line sister diecast brands. The two collectible die-cast model car brands continue to sell under their own separate names.
Meanwhile, Corgi Diecast Model Cars had been acquired by Mattel, which moved the office from Swansea, Wales to Leicester, England, and moved manufacturing to China. A new company called Oxford Diecast Car Models acquired the former Corgi factory in Swansea and commenced manufacture for themselves and Corgi. Matchbox also bought the Dinky Toys name, long after the Liverpool factory was closed. Diecast model cars manufacturing resumed in China. In a series of subsequent shifts, a group of Corgi Diecast Model Cars executives bought back the Corgi Classics line from Mattel, and portions of the Matchbox line were sold to an Australian company named Tyco (no relation to the Tyco line of HO scale trains, originally made by Mantua Metalworking in New Jersey, USA).
