It hinged downwards and could be loaded with a plastic missile, which was fired by pushing down on the front axle. The front grille was plastic with a separate chrome Rolls-Royce mascot. The action features were simply copied from the old Dinky FAB-1. The styling strips along the sides were finished in silver, and the triple headlights had clear lenses. The wheel hubs were in chrome plastic but were of an inaccurate five-slot design. Both figures were extremely well painted. Penelope was now wearing an orange dress and coat, while Parker was wearing a two-tone grey livery instead of the correct maroon. The interior was in a more suitable shade of dark grey, and the figures of Lady Penelope and Parker were almost identical to the old Dinky ones. The finish was generally good, as the car was finished in the correct shade of powder-pink and had a black metal base. It had a diecast body and base, but the front and rear bumpers were in chromed plastic. They even had the same working features.įAB-1 Corgi’s version of FAB-1 was around the same size as the Dinky version, but was slightly longer and noticeably taller. Corgi’s Thunderbirds models appeared to be reproductions of the Dinky Toys, rather than new interpretations. These had proved popular with collectors who wanted to get their hands on rare models like James Bond’s Aston Martin or the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty without paying for high-priced originals. During the 1990s, Corgi had re-released a number of its older character toy castings in new packaging. While the Corgi models were well-made, there was a certain lack of original thinking and they really just aped the older Dinky Toys. In a real case of ‘better late than never’, Corgi finally acquired the rights to Thunderbirds in 2003, which was 37 years after it had originally lost out to Dinky! However, Corgi did not really go to town with the franchise initially only two models were produced, and these were pretty much the same ones as Dinky had made back in the ‘60s. Also included in the range was a small FAB-1 that about the same size as a Matchbox Superfast miniature, and small models of Thunderbirds 1 and 3. These included a large Thunderbird 2 model, that was largely similar to the earlier Dinky Toy, although in bright green and containing a metal Thunderbird 4. When Thunderbirds was re-run on British television in 1991, Matchbox obtained the franchise for the series, and produced a wider range of models. Both versions included a plastic Thunderbird 4 in the removable cargo pod. Actually, there were three Dinky models, as a second version of Thunderbird 2 was released in the 1970s this was slightly larger, with a plastic base and sturdier legs, but was painted metallic blue for some reason. It wasn’t until 2003 when Corgi finally acquired the Thunderbirds license, with two models produced that year and a further two after quite a long gap, in 2016.ĭinky produced two models based on the show Lady Penelope’s futuristic, six-wheeled Rolls-Royce FAB-1, and the big green transporter Thunderbird 2. In a surprise move, the Thunderbirds franchise was awarded to rival Dinky Toys of Liverpool, a company that had no history of licensed products. In 1965 Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds was the top-rating children’s TV show, and Corgi was so confident of obtaining the franchise that a working prototype of FAB-1 was developed even before a contract was signed. During the 1960s, Corgi Toys was the leader in TV-related diecast vehicles. Mike Pigott looks at Corgi’s models from 20 that were based on Gerry Anderson’s classic Thunderbirds series.
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