1977 Tomica Morgan Plus 8

The Morgan Motor Company was founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan, a former railwayman. Morgan’s early cars were three-wheelers (two wheels in front, one in the back) which featured wooden frames and independent front suspension. The first 4-wheeled Morgan, the 4/4 (four wheels, 4 cylinders) was introduced in 1936. The Morgan Plus 8, a two-door roadster powered by the 3.5L Rover V8, made its debut in 1968 and was in production until 2004. Still under the stewardship of the Morgan family – now the fourth generation – the company still hand-crafts its vehicles using ash, aluminum and leather. Current models include the Super 3 (a three-wheeler), the Plus Four (powered by a 2L BMW turbocharged I4) and the Plus Six (powered by a 3L BMW turbocharged I6).

The Tomica Morgan Plus 8 was first released in 1977. I picked up this nice example on eBay.

Tomica | 1977 | F26 | Morgan Plus 8 | red with black interior, unpainted metal base | 1/57 | Japan | 5-spoke wheels

Click here to see the Morgan Plus 8 on the 1977 page of the online Tomica History Museum.

1976 Tomica Sunny 1200 Coupe Racing and Other Garage Sale Junk

The following cars (and one non-car) are the last of the items from the $3 bucket of junk that I rescued from a garage sale last summer.

The Tomica Sunny 1200 Coupe Racing, based on a second-generation (1970-1973) Nissan Sunny, was first released in 1976. It was packaged individually and also has been included in several different playsets. This would be a nice find if it weren’t in such horrible shape.

The Tomica Sunny 1200 Coupe features opening doors.

Tomica | 1976 | #15 | Sunny 1200 Coupe Racing | custom paint over yellow with racing graphics, melted windows, red interior, red metal base | 1/56 | Japan | 5-spoke wheels

My garage sale $3 bucket of junk cars also included a few Playart models. Back in the 1980s, my dad had a Chevrolet Astro minivan. I was a little surprised to learn that the first Chevrolet Astro was a super-cool concept car created back in 1967 and that Playart made a model of it. Unfortunately, the lack of paint sheen and extremely bent axles on this example take away somewhat from the sleekness of the design.

Playart | 7121 | Chevrolet Astro 1 | red | HK | black plastic wheels with chrome hubs

The Playart Jaguar E Type 2+2 is actually a pretty nice model. Click here to see one in better shape.

Playart | 7123 | Jaguar E Type 2+2 | dark red | HK | flower wheels

I don’t really know what to say about this Playart Ford Capri 1600GT. I should probably keep it handy to discourage me the next time I think about rescuing some junky cars from a garage sale. For a much better-looking model, click her to see my nice, clean Matchbox Ford Capri.

Playart | 7150 | Ford Capri 1600GT | orange | HK | flower wheels

I have some diecast vehicles from a series of M*A*S*H playsets that I’ve had since I was a kid. They were produced around 1979 with vehicles made by Zylmex (a.k.a. Zee Toys). This Zylmax T439 Ambulance Van could well be from one of those M*A*S*H playsets, but it’s difficult to tell for sure, given most of the original paint and decoration is missing. Click here to see my M*A*S*H Ambulance and other items from those playsets.

Zylmex | T439 | (M*A*S*H?) Ambulance | custom paint over olive drab, missing labels and opening rear door | Hong Kong

And finally, the only thing in the $3 bucket that was not a car.

1986 Majorette Caravane

When I landed the silver 1995 Majorette Volkswagen Golf (Mk III) on eBay awhile back, I noticed that it had been released both individually as #264, and also in the 300 series in a couple of different combos. So, I got back on eBay and started looking for a mate. I didn’t have any luck locating the #338 Sailboat, but I did score this really clean #325 Caravane camping trailer. The Majorette Caravane was first released in 1983 and was produced in at least 13 different variations – paired with everything from a Mercedes-Benz 450 SE to a Ford Mustang Convertible – up to 2001. This red and white model with orange windows and red tampo was cast in France and was issued in 1986 and 1987.

Other camping trailers in my collection include the 1965 Matchbox Trailer Caravan, the 1977 Matchbox Caravan Travel Trailer, and a 1973 Tomica Camping Car.

The Majorette Caravane features a side door that opens and closes with the aid of a thumb-gear and the trailer’s interior includes some really nice details.

Majorette | 1986-1987 | #325 | Caravane | red metal base, white plastic top with red tampo, orange windows, yellow interior, ivory opening door | 1:70 | France | nuclear 2 wheels

So, here’s my Caravane paired with the Volkswagen Golf (Mk III). This is not actually the correct paring: my Thailand-cast Golf from 1995 would have been mated to the red, Thailand-cast Caravane with black tampo and clear windows; while this French-cast Caravane would have been towed by a yellow, French-cast 1986 Ford Sierra. But, I’m happy with how they look together.