FUTURE MEMORY | TOYS & MODELS

Scale model of an automobile, the Cadillac Seville   ¹ , made by Welly. This example is reference 101B  ² , included in the "Racers" series. It is made in Hong Kong, possibly in the 1990s. Metal body painted in silver featuring a glitter effect, with printed details (racing stripes) on the hood and top. Black plastic base. Glazing represented in transparent plastic. Interior details in white plastic. Plastic wheels with "chrome" details simulating the rims. With suspension. Opening doors. The nominal scale is 1:69 and the overall length is approximately 3 in. About 0.9 oz. This model represents an automobile, possibly a 1980  Cadillac Seville  Elegante sedan, equipped with the 368.4 cu in (6.0 L), 145 hp (108 kW) Cadillac L61 EFi "V8" engine..  Some time ago, when analyzing a Welly model, I mentioned that " When the starting point is a Tomica model from the seventies, there is not much that can go wrong. " But – I now add – when it does go wrong,...

Toy representing a locomotive, the Rangierlok ¹ , made by Technofix . This example comes from the "Shunting Loader" set (325). It is made in Germany (Western Germany), possibly in 1969. Metal body (pressed tinplate) lithographed in blue, with representation of various details. Metal (tinplate) base. Pressed metal wheels. Rear wheel with slightly serrated contours to increase traction. Wind-up mechanism with "clutch" ² and automatic direction change. Fleet number "V 10202". The overall length is approximately 3.2 in, or 3.6 in including the coupler. About 3 oz. This toy represents a switcher locomotive (or locotractor) in cartoon style, used on industrial branches and yards, maybe based on a 1966 LKM Babelsberg B 22 B .  Ever since I was a child, I had the privilege of playing with Märklin electric trains. I was particularly impressed by their realistic details and mechanisms, as well as by the prodigious automation provided by electromagnets (relays), p...

Scale model of an automobile, the Cadillac Seville , made by Tomica . This example is reference F45, included in the "Tomica Foreign" series. It is made in Japan, possibly in 1981. Metal body painted in silver and blue. Metal base, unpainted. Glazing represented in transparent plastic with molded details in the windshield. Interior details in red plastic. Plastic wheels with "chrome" details simulating the rims (1H). With suspension. Opening doors. License plate "3901". The nominal scale is 1:69 and the overall length is approximately 3 in. About 1.5 oz. This model represents an automobile, possibly a 1980 Cadillac Seville Elegante sedan, equipped with the 368.4 cu in (6.0 L), 145 hp (108 kW) Cadillac L61 EFi "V8" engine.  The first time I saw a Cadillac Seville from the side, I thought something had gone wrong. The elegant English concept of the " bustle back", typical of certain Daimler and Rolls-Royce cars, did not go well with the...

Toy representing an automobile, the Auto ¹ , made by Technofix . This example is presumably reference GE-313, from the "City Traffic – Drive & Park" set (313). It is made in Germany (Western Germany), possibly in 1966. Metal body (pressed tinplate) lithographed in white, with black top and representation of various details. Metal (tinplate) base. Pressed metal wheels. The left rear wheel benefits from a special construction with a hard rubber rim to increase traction. Wind-up mechanism with "clutch" ² . License plate "GE-313". The overall length is approximately 3.1 in. About 1.6 oz. This toy represents an automobile in cartoon style, possibly based on a 1965 Opel Kadett B Coupé  During the 1970s, I had some curious toys – such as a small thermoelectric power plant (Märklin) and some scenic tracks made of pressed and lithographed sheet metal (tinplate), allowing the prodigious automatic movement of road and rail vehicles (Technofix). These scenic tr...