If you have children, then a model car of some sort has probably found its way into your home! Model cars are tiny cars and, technically speaking, scale models and miniature versions of an actual automobile.
Banks in the United States started this car craze in the 1940s. Banks began providing die-cast model cars as gifts to their customers for opening new accounts. As a way of encouragement, these attractive promotional cars came in various models such as Cadillacs, Buicks, Chryslers, Packards, Lincolns, as well as the more common Fords and Chevrolets. These cars carried the bank’s name, address and telephone numbers on their roofs. The cars also doubled up as convenient piggy banks with tiny slots at the bottom to stash away loose change.
A thin line distinguishes toy cars from model cars. Some toy cars can be detailed, though not always, whereas a model car represents an exact miniature version of the actual vehicle. Most vehicles like cars, bikes, buses, and trucks (although not trains) can fall into the model car category. If miniatures are found lacking in important details they would fall under the toy category.
Model cars can be found in materials like plastic, metal, wood, resin as well as die-cast models. Commonly known as scale miniatures, model cars often come as kits for car enthusiasts to reconstruct or assemble at home. This “kit” hobby can be traced back to post World War II times. The more detailed the kit, the higher the cost generally is.
In 1950, a company in Liverpool called Meccano Ltd. introduced the first die-cast metal model car under the name Meccano Dinky Toys. The name “Dinky” stuck in the minds of people though there were other similar toys on the market. These cars were made to exact scales such as 1:18, 1:24 and 1:48 among.
Companies making die-cast models have a licensed agreement with the real manufacturers to produce replicas of their models, whether they are in the concept stage, in production or discontinued. Brands in this sector include names like Maisto, Matchbox, Corgi and Yat Ming. Companies that made high-end models included Franklin Mint, Danbury Mint and Fairfield Mint.
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