page_title: Dinky Toys
section_title: The legacy of vehicles
hierarchical_section_title: Dinky Toys / Pre-war history / The legacy of vehicles
caption_attribution_description: English: Dinky Toys 151a medium tank.
context_page_description: Dinky Toys was the brand name for a range of die-cast zamac zinc alloy miniature vehicles produced by Meccano Ltd. They were made in England from 1934 to 1979, at a factory in Binns Road in Liverpool. Dinky Toys were among the most popular diecast vehicles ever made – pre-dating other popular diecast marques, including Corgi, Matchbox and Mattel's Hot Wheels.
context_section_description: In the mid-1930s, six vehicles were released (designated 22a through f), including a sports car, a sports coupe, a truck, a delivery van, a farm tractor, and a tank, all cast in lead. Soon after, the first Dinky model car, a sports car based on the MG Magic Midget, was made available individually, numbered 23. At that time, a series 24 (a-h) was introduced, which included a generic ambulance (made until the late 1940s), a grand sport open four-seater, a grand sport two-seater, a coupe and a limousine (Gardner and O'Neill 1996, pp. 46–47). The 24 series was also made in France.
  Some smaller vehicles were produced alongside model track workers, passengers, station staff and other O scale trackside accessories (Meccano Dinky 1934 p. 332). All of the early cars were inaccurate representations and had die-cast metal bodies and chassis, and wheels with rubber tyres. By August 1935, there were around 200 different products in the Dinky Toys range which included die-cast ships, aeroplanes and small trains. Dinky Toys model cars were available individually in trade packs of six cars per pack. Most models were not made available in individual boxes until 1952.
  The number of commercial vehicles expanded with the addition of Series 28, which included many delivery vans. In 1935, a new series 30 was introduced which, for the first time, featured accurate likenesses of specific vehicles. They included a generic ambulance, a Daimler saloon, a Vauxhall saloon, a Chrysler Airflow saloon, and a Rolls-Royce saloon (Gardiner and O'Neill 1996, pp. 46–47). Smaller Matchbox-sized Austin 7 saloons and tourers were also made. At about the same time, several models were also made and marketed in France. Liveries of well-known companies began to decorate the commercial vehicles.
  Series 30 included:
  30a Chrysler Airflow Saloon (originally no. 32)
  30b Rolls-Royce
  30c Daimler
  30d Vauxhall
  30e Breakdown car
  30f Ambulance
  In 1938, a new Series 36 was introduced. Most of those models were also made after World War II, up to 1948. Production was halted during the war so that the Binns Road factory in Liverpool could produce many items for the war effort. Models in series 36, meanwhile, included a Rover Saloon, a Bentley 2 seat sports coupe, an Armstrong-Siddeley limousine, a British Salmson 4 seater convertible, a British Salmson 2 seat convertible, and a Humber Vogue coupe (Gardiner and O'Neill 1996, pp. 48–49). Chassis were cast with open holes, saving expense and metal. Provision was made on some models for attachment of metal drivers, but not many appeared before the war, making them more valuable (Gardiner and O'Neill 1996, p. 48).
  Dinky had acute problems on early models with zinc pest, also known wrongly as metal fatigue, caused by impure alloys which caused corrosion between molecules, resulting in cracking of the metal (Harvey 1974, p. 1997), which would crumble prematurely. That was much more common in the years 1938–1941, and is the main reason why it is rare to find surviving toys in good condition from that period (Ramsay 1993, p. 88). Some early castings have survived in numbers, while others are rare without some form of damage – such as the 28/2 Series vans. Another theory is that the metal was corrupted by contamination with lead from Hornby train and Dinky Toys production, or lead ties from sacks and foil from cigarette wrappers.
caption: Dinky 151a Medium Tank. This model was made 1937 to 1941 and was reissued from 1947 till 1952, when consumer industry commenced again.
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