SCALE MODEL NEWS

Older readers may recall the smash-hit animated movie Yellow Submarine, released in 1968. Here’s a collectible from that hippy era, a Corgi Toys diecast model of the sub, complete with a ‘Fab Four’ crew, who travel under two folding hatches. More than four decades later, the Corgi Toys Yellow Submarine is not exactly made of unobtainium, as a steady trickle of the appealing model appears on auction sites, such as eBay. However, that hasn’t stopped prices for good examples easing gently upwards over the years, and there are several Yellow Subs currently for sale, at prices ranging from a highly affordable $30 USD to a wallet-withering buy-it-now price of $899.95 USD. At the top end, the ad claims, “Very rare original 1968 Beatles Yellow Submarine die cast corgi toy. No. 803. Small dent in top of plastic window, which is difficult to capture with the photos. But there are no holes in plastic window. As for the box, “Box discolored a bit and has tape on right side. The die cast model insi...

Spring Fair report from David Jefferis: Another trade show that’s running this week is the UK’s Spring Fair, held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham. While not quite as massive as the Nuremberg Toy Fair, Spring Fair is still a major footslogger that attracts more than 70,000 visitors. It’s a mega-roundup of 300,000 offered products, ranging from goodies like coffeemakers and cooking gadgets, to art prints and jewellery. And neatly stirred into the mix are halls dedicated to toys and games, aka collectibles, hobbies, and models. Ready-builts to the front Companies I had expected to see were there - Hornby, Maisto, Revell, among them - plus distributors like Amerang and A.B. Gee. But the real eye-opener was the quality of the ready-made collectibles on offer. Seriously, if you don’t have time, skill, or interest to build a model from scratch, then you still have the chance - and usually at highly competitive prices - to build a display collection that need be second to n...

SMN report: The Round 2 model company recently acquired all rights to the leading model kit brands AMT, MPC and Polar Lights from Tomy, the Japanese toy, merchandise and entertainment name. Buying brands Round 2 has acquired the brands from Tomy after manufacturing branded model kits under license since 2008. “We’ve had a great relationship with Tomy International for a long time and it has been a pleasure working with them as a licensee and now as a buyer,” said Thomas Lowe, President of Round 2.  Iconic brands Lowe added: “These are some of the industry’s most iconic brands and our acquisition represents a significant strategic fit with our initiatives and where we believe the industry is headed, in the near and long term.” History of kit building AMT, MPC and Polar Lights have histories that go way back. AMT (Aluminum Model Toys) was founded in 1948 as a promotional toy company. MPC (Model Products Corporation) dates from 1963, focussing on creating automotive kits. The youngste...