SUN STAR 1/18 FIAT 124 ABARTH RALLY

The Fiat 124 Abarth comes in the version which the second won the Rally Monte Carlo in 1975, as driven by Mikkola and Todt. The decoration has been extremely well applied. Shop here

MATCHBOX KING-SIZE K-1 O&K HYDRAULIC EXCAVATOR

This model is Matchbox King-Size K-1 O&K Hydraulic Excavator. It had a red body with a silver grey Jib, red plastic hubs with black plastic tyres and the cab had amber tinted windows. The jib had no less than three hydrosleeves keeping the jib in position and the Jib had red and white 'MH6' labels while the sides of the cab had a red and white label with 'O&K' inside a diamond shape. The model was converted to superfast wheels in 1971. It kept it's red & silver grey from the regular wheeled model but the superfast issue can be found with red and white or yellow and black 'O&K' labels and amber or clear windows. The earliest design for the O&K Excavator had only two hydrosleeves as the two upper parts of the jib were cast as one piece. It is not known weather any of these one piece jibs actually got into circulation.

1904 MERRYWEATHER FIRE ENGINE

The Merryweather name is one of the most venerable in fire fighting history. With roots that trace to Adam Nuttall’s fire-engine works around 1750, the firm was taken over in 1836 by Moses Merryweather who had worked as a mechanic for the company. In the second half of the nineteenth century, along with companies such as Shad Mason and Baddley and Roberts of London, Merryweather still sold many manual pumps to hospitals, factories and country estates. However, the company began achieving important breakthroughs in the realm of steam. In 1900, Merryweather introduced “Fire King,” its first self-propelled steamer and, within another three years, the company would introduced a vehicle that would change fire fighting forever. It was the first gasoline-powered motor driven appliance ever to be used by a public fire brigade. The following year, in 1904, the Fitchley Fire Brigade received from Merryweather the first gasoline-powered engine with a Hatfield 500 gpm pump driven directly by a shaft from a road engine, an innovation that had enormous impact on fire engine manufacturing. (This chassis, engine and pump are housed in the Science Museum in South Kensington, London.) Soon, many fire brigades wanted gas-powered engines for their companies and, for many years, Merryweather was a leader in providing and developing such vehicles. Now, the 1904 Merryweather Fire Engine has been re-created in precise and authentic detail for The International Fire Engine Collection: The Turn-of-the-Century Edition.

DINKY 1/43 DY-9 - 1949 LAND ROVER

The Dinky Collection is a 1949 Land Rover. At first glance this is a nice model, but closer inspection reveals two main criticism: the real vehicle would never have had a chromed front bumper, as the model does, and the chassis is far too low-giving it almost no ground clearance at all. Viewed from the side, this ruins the appearance of the model. Shop here

VANGUARDS 1/43 AUSTIN 1300 ESTATE ELPASSO BEIGE

Produced from 1962-74, it was available in 2 and 4 door saloon's or a 3 door estate version. Front wheel drive was via a four speed gearbox which was powered by either the 1098cc or 1275 A Series engine. Shop here

CORGI 1/50 SCAMMELL SCARAB 'ROYAL MAIL'

This is the Royal Mail series include the Scammell Scrab. In the distinctive red, the model includes side advertisement boards for that added touch of authenticity. Shop here

AUTO ART 1/18 LOTUS ELAN S/E S3 DIECAST MODEL

Lotus launched a legend in 1962, the Lotus Elan. Following on from the previous Elite model the new Elan offered improved handling, performance and had a less fragile feel to its overall design. Below the Elan bonnet sat a twin-cam four cylinder engine which would become a legend in its own right, powering other classic Lotus models including the Cortina sports-saloons.Initially the Elan came as an open two seater, from 1964 a fixed head coupe was also available, both bodies being constructed from GRP and mounted on a separate chassismore. The model has finished in yellow with black interior and hood, very nice detailed dash board, doors and boot open the bonnet also opens to reveal the engine.Moveable wheels with knock ons.