1973 Corgi Juniors Wigwam Camper Van

The Corgi Juniors Wigwam Camper Van is a fantasy vehicle – no doubt inspired by the impact that Mattel Hot Wheels had on diecast toys – with large windows, a huge skylight and a detailed interior. First released in 1973, the Wigwam was produced in four color variations (metallic magenta, dark blue, medium blue and purple) up to 1975. This blue model is another of my finds, this one from the Paramount East Antique Mall, from my holiday break antique store tour of the city.

The Corgi Juniors Wigwam Camper Van has an unusual cockpit and front door configuration.

It also features a tow hook, but I’m not sure which of the Corgi Juniors models it might have towed.

The large skylight allows for a nice view of the interior details.

Corgi Juniors | 1973-1975 | 18-C | Wigwam Camper Van | 77mm, medium blue, yellow detailed interior, amber windows, black plastic base | Great Britain | chrome 5-doublespoke Whizzwheels

1970 Corgi Juniors Austin Healey LeMans Sprite

The Austin-Healey Sprite is a small 2-seat, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive roadster that was produced in England from 1958 to 1971. The LeMans Sprite was a performance version developed in the 1960s and entered into competition at Sebring and the 24 Hours of LeMans. The LeMans Sprite had a wind-tunnel tested aluminum body with a sharp nose and a cropped tail. The 1293cc BMC engine with a single Weber carburetor produced about 110 base horsepower and managed a 12^th-place finish in the 1965 24 Hours of LeMans.

The Corgi Juniors Austin Healey LeMans Sprite was produced from 1970 to 1974 in only three different variations. All have red paint, with differences in interior and base color. The model had 50 labels pre-applied to the door, with a sheet of additional racing stickers included. This red model with yellow interior and charcoal gray metal base is another of my Wichita eBay scores.

Corgi Juniors | 1970-1974 | 11-B | Austin Healey LeMans Sprite | 68mm, red with 50 and racing labels, yellow interior, amber tinted windows and headlights, charcoal gray metal base | Great Britain | black Whizzwheels

1971 Corgi Juniors Morgan Plus 8

The Corgi Juniors Morgan Plus 8 was first released in 1970 in the short-lived Corgi Rockets line, where it was issued in 3 different variations. In 1971 it was given the Corgi Juniors base and four more variations were produced up to 1973. This red model, another of my Wichita eBay scores, is in good condition but is missing a 20 label from the door.

Click here to compare to the Tomica Morgan Plus 8 and to learn more about the real life Morgan Motor Company.

Corgi Juniors | 1971-1973 | 64-A | Morgan Plus 8 | 73mm, red with missing 20 label on door, clear windshield, black interior, unpainted metal base and grille | Great Britain | 5-doublespoke Whizzwheels

1970 Corgi Juniors Rice Beaufort Horse Trailer

The Rice Beaufort Horse Trailer was first released as a Husky model in 1968, made the transition to Corgi Juniors, and was produced in about 9 different variations through 1971. About 5 more variations were included in Twin Packs – paired with a Land Rover Pickup in the late 1970s and with a Matra Rancho in 1983, and with either the Land Rover or Matra Rancho in 1984.

This red example with black plastic wheels and chrome plastic hubs is an early Corgi Juniors model that was produced from 1970 to 1971. I picked this up from my Wichita eBay source.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to track down a replacement for the missing tailgate, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for a Land Rover Pickup or Matra Rancho to use as a tow vehicle. And I’ll need to find a plastic horse that is the right scale.

My Horse Trailer has a transitional base that is missing the Corgi Juniors label.

Corgi Juniors | 1970-71 | 38-A | Rice Beaufort Horse Trailer | 69mm, red body, missing diecast opening tailgate and horse, missing Corgi Juniors label from base | Great Britain | black plastic wheels with chrome inserts

1979 Corgi Juniors Shazam Thunderbolt

The Corgi Juniors Shazam Thunderbolt, produced from 1979 to 1980, uses the same diecast body as the Hot Rodder, which was made from 1973 to 1976. Where the Hot Rodder has exhaust stacks, Thunderbolt has a pair of chromed lightning bolts (both are broken off on this example) protruding from the body. And the Thunderbolt has a rather oversized Shazam figure molded into the center of what was a two-person cockpit on the Hot Rodder. This example of the Shazam Thunderbolt came out of a bucket full of cars that my brother, Myron, picked up for me at a garage sale.

Click here to see my nice example of the Corgi Juniors Hot Rodder. And click here to see my cleaner example of the Shazam Thunderbolt which has 5-double-spoke wheels rather than the 5-spoke wheels you see here.

Corgi Juniors | 1979-80 | 24-C Shazam Thunderbolt | 77mm, yellow with Shazam stickers, chrome engine, white base | Great Britain | chrome foiled 5-spoke Whizzwheels

Other examples in my collection of DC-themed Corgi Juniors include the Supermobile, the Batmobile, the Jokermobile and the Penguinmobile.

1970 Corgi Juniors Raygo Rascal 600 Road Roller

The Raygo Corporation was founded in Minnesota in 1964 by Ray Roettger and Gordon Garis. Introduced in 1965, their first product, the Raygo Rascal Road Roller, was a huge success. The company went on to produce a variety of different compaction machinery products, capturing a large marketshare in the U.S. In the late 1980s, Raygo was purchased by Caterpillar and the products that were retained were absorbed into the Cat brand.

The Corgi Juniors Raygo Rascal 600 Road Roller was produced from 1970 to 1978 in only two variations. Both look just like this example – with a blue body; orange metal housing and base; gray plastic roller, seat and engine; and large treaded black plastic wheels – but one has a Corgi Juniors label on the base, while the other has the brand cast into the base. My version, with Corgi Juniors cast into the base, is another of my finds from the Grandparent’s Estate Sale.

The Corgi Juniors Raygo Rascal 600 Road Roller features a roller that pivots on the body so you can smooth out the blacktop on those tight curves.

Corgi Juniors | 1970-1978 | 44-A | Raygo Rascal 600 Road Roller | 74mm, blue body, orange metal housing and base, gray plastic roller, seat and engine, pivoting roller, Corgi Juniors cast in base | Great Britain | large treaded black plastic wheels

1985 Corgi Juniors Renault 5 Turbo

The Renault 5 Turbo is a 3-door sport hatchback that was made by the French automaker from 1980 to 1986. Though the design started with a standard Renault 5 body and chassis, the 5 Turbo was mechanically a very different vehicle. It was a rear-mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive car created mainly for rally racing, though a street model was also produced. It featured rear bodywork styled by Bertone and was powered by a turbocharged Cleon-Fonte inline 4-cylinder paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. On its first outing in the World Rally Championship in 1981, the 5 Turbo won the Monte Carlo Rally.

The Corgi Juniors Renault 5 Turbo was first released in 1981 and was produced in about 14 different variations. It was packaged individually and also appeared in a Little/Large gift set – paired with the larger scale Corgi Renault 5 Turbo – in 1982 and 1983. This dark blue and white version with elf 18 racing livery from 1985 is another of my Wichita eBay scores.

The Corgi Juniors Renault 5 Turbo features a tow hook and chrome plastic side-view mirrors.

Corgi Juniors | 1985 | J23 | Renault 5 Turbo | 70mm, dark blue with white roof, “elf 18” on sides with “elf” forward, 6 label, clear windows, white interior and bumpers, chrome plastic rear view mirrors, black diecast base with Keyhole Slot | Great Britain | chrome foiled 8-division wheels

1977 Corgi Juniors Leyland Terrier Coca Cola Delivery Van

The Corgi Juniors Leyland Terrier Box Truck was first released in 1975 and was based on the 1970s British Leyland G-series truck. The Corgi Juniors version was produced into the early 1980s – generally with black plastic bases, no interior, and Whizzwheels – in dozens of different variations promoting everything from soft drinks to Marvel Comics to the Royal Mail. The Leyland Terrier cab was also used a few times on a tanker truck. This fairly worn Coca Cola Delivery Van with a red roof (earlier examples had a white roof) was produced from 1977 to 1982 and is the only Corgi Juniors model of the many cars I acquired in Lamont’s Childhood Collection.

Corgi Juniors | 1977-1982 | 95-A | Leyland Terrier Coca Cola Delivery Van | 73mm, red body and roof, red and white Coca-Cola labels, opaque black windows, no interior, black plastic base | Great Britain | Whizzwheels

1973 Corgi Juniors Ford GT 70

The Ford GT 70 is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car that was produced by Ford UK in 1970. It was intended to compete against the likes of the Porsche 911 and Renault Alpine in the World Rally Championship. The GT 70 had a sleek, lightweight fiberglas body and custom designed four spoke wheels. However, there were suspension and braking issues, and the original 2.6L V6 engine proved to have too high a center of gravity and had to be swapped out with a 1.6L I4. Ultimately, only 6 GT 70s were built and none of them had much racing success.

The Corgi Juniors Ford GT 70 was first released in 1973. It used the standard base up to 1975, then was produced with the Growlers base from 1975 to 1976. In the 1980s, the dies were transferred to Brazil, where the GT 70 was produced under the Kiko brand. This early orange model with the Corgi Juniors base is another of my Wichita eBay scores.

The Corgi Juniors Ford GT 70 features a metal engine hatch that opens to reveal details of the blue tint and chrome plastic engine.

Corgi Juniors | 1973-75 | 10-B | Ford GT 70 | 73mm, orange with blue tinted windows, chrome interior, unpainted metal opening rear hatch, unpainted metal base | Great Britain | chrome foiled 5-double spoke Whizzwheels

1983 Corgi Juniors Supermobile Variation

The Corgi Juniors Supermobile was first released in 1979 and was produced in about 5 different variations. It was packaged individually and was also included in a Twin Pack along with the Super Van. I’ve had a well-worn example of the Corgi Juniors Supermobile since I scored one in a lot of super hero cars on eBay several years ago. This nice example with a complete canopy and mostly intact Superman labels is another of my Wichita eBay finds.

This variation of the Corgi Juniors Supermobile has silver painted striker housings and a painted Superman head, as you can see in the photo below.

A fun feature of the Corgi Juniors Supermobile are the spring-loaded fists, which are activated using the red button at the back of the vehicle. The photo below shows the fists fully extended from the striker housings.

Corgi Juniors | 1983 | 11-C Supermobile | 76mm, medium blue body, silver striker housings, chrome plated striker fists, red interior, clear plastic canopy, painted Superman head, S labels | Great Britain | three rounded bulges in base replace black plastic wheels