Dinky aircraft made outside of France and Great Britain
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:00 pmThere has been some discussion among Dinky Toys collectors for years about authorized aircraft toys made in other countries. Often sited are India and South Africa, Hong Kong, and Argentina.
INDIA
In 1968 Meccano {Dinky Toys is not a company name but a trademark that was owned for most of the time by the firm Mecanno} sold the tooling for 4 discontinued aircraft to an Indian firm, S. Kumar and Co. of Calcutta, which reissued them in India, and authorized local manufacture with the condition that the trademark Dinky Toys would not be used. This condition was not followed in all cases and usually Indian reissued aircraft were produced with a rough modifications of the under wing markings to obliterate Dinky Toys and add in some fashion the name Nicky Toys. Thin card stock, badly printed, was used for some toys that were sold in boxes, and sometimes paper/foil decals were used. {As to why they sold the tooling for these toys? It has been reported that new die casting machines were being installed in the production site and the old tooling could not be adapted for use.}
The aircraft were the Comet, Viscount, Sea Vixen, and Javelin. There different versions and variations in the paint finish and I have been told that most castings were finished in homes as piece work, not in a factory.
The aircraft shown here {except the boxed Viscount from Sy Merrall} were all found by the author in 1983 at the small national airport serving New Delhi in a newstand. They were covered in dust on a top shelf with forgotten stock. The seller didn't know they were there and had no idea what price to charge for them. Hey, It happens!
SOUTH AFRICA, Hong Kong
No aircraft toys were produced in either place.
ARGENTINA
Some copies of prewar Dinky Toys aircraft have beeen found in Argentina and appear rather well done but were not authorized. The name Dinky Toys did not appear either on the casting or on the packaging. The other toys that have been found include copies of the Hurricane, B-17, and postwar Mercury Seaplane (Below) with red plastic propellers. There is no trade name on the box or the toy.
This Mercury Seaplane cast from a prewar Mercury was obtained on ebay recently {Thanks Jose}.
INDIA
In 1968 Meccano {Dinky Toys is not a company name but a trademark that was owned for most of the time by the firm Mecanno} sold the tooling for 4 discontinued aircraft to an Indian firm, S. Kumar and Co. of Calcutta, which reissued them in India, and authorized local manufacture with the condition that the trademark Dinky Toys would not be used. This condition was not followed in all cases and usually Indian reissued aircraft were produced with a rough modifications of the under wing markings to obliterate Dinky Toys and add in some fashion the name Nicky Toys. Thin card stock, badly printed, was used for some toys that were sold in boxes, and sometimes paper/foil decals were used. {As to why they sold the tooling for these toys? It has been reported that new die casting machines were being installed in the production site and the old tooling could not be adapted for use.}
The aircraft were the Comet, Viscount, Sea Vixen, and Javelin. There different versions and variations in the paint finish and I have been told that most castings were finished in homes as piece work, not in a factory.
The aircraft shown here {except the boxed Viscount from Sy Merrall} were all found by the author in 1983 at the small national airport serving New Delhi in a newstand. They were covered in dust on a top shelf with forgotten stock. The seller didn't know they were there and had no idea what price to charge for them. Hey, It happens!
SOUTH AFRICA, Hong Kong
No aircraft toys were produced in either place.
ARGENTINA
Some copies of prewar Dinky Toys aircraft have beeen found in Argentina and appear rather well done but were not authorized. The name Dinky Toys did not appear either on the casting or on the packaging. The other toys that have been found include copies of the Hurricane, B-17, and postwar Mercury Seaplane (Below) with red plastic propellers. There is no trade name on the box or the toy.
This Mercury Seaplane cast from a prewar Mercury was obtained on ebay recently {Thanks Jose}.