It seems that Atlas Edition has started to produce copies of British Dinky Toys now. I recently received these two. The Opel is a bit more turquoise-blue than the original. I haven't got the beige Volvo so I can't say if that's the correct colour. Otherwise quite accurate.

I think that UK Dinkys could be fine candidates for Atlas reissues, as long as they choose wisely. With the french ones, most models cost a fortune unless wrecked almost beyond repair - one has to be either a skilled restorer or a millionaire to build a collection of french Dinky in "displayable condition" (or buy restored items, but these also tend to be expensive). With UK Dinky, on the other hand, it's a little different. Many of these can still be found in decent condition at relatively affordable prices, granted, they're never what you could call 'cheap', but with a little effort and determination, they can be found and bought, one by one.

Not all of them, though... some are as htf and expensive as the french ones. In other words: they're more or less out of reach for the ordinary Joes. These would be excellent candidates for Atlas-reissues.

The two cars shown here are very good examples. The #177 Opel Kapitän is listed at Toymart.com as having a mib value of €89, but the (few) sellers on eBay certainly don't agree... a decent copy will set you back €100 while a nmib costs between €117 and €160 - that's double the stated value!!!

The £184 Volvo is listed at a mib-value of €111. There are currently no boxed copies for sale on eBay, none to be found in 'completed listings' either! Only two copies of this car is for sale at all on eBay: one in decent condition and good price, but for UK-bidders only, the other a total wreck for the rest of the world - it's quite funny that the wreck has more bids than the good one and looks to sell for a higher price, only goes to show: if you have a scarce item ALLOW INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS or you'll lose a lot of bids (and money)! Sorry for the last ot rant!

I have the Atlas copy of the Citreon DS19.  It is very well made, and probably a little too well finished.  When these first came out the eBay prices were very high, but soon reduced to a reasonable amount, I think I paid about £10 for mine. I imagine the same will happen with these.
Both of these models look very authentic, but I do prefer the Volvo.
 
 
 

now the atlas dinky's are starting to look very appealing, did not like the first issues, but these two look very nice.

So far as English Dinky made in China we have the Opel Kapitan ref. 177.



The VW 1200 saloon ref. 181



Coming soon is the TR2 ref 105





How did you get the Volvo ? It is not supposed to be issued yet.



The VW Karmann has been issued this week with a Made in France base plate ref. 24 M, It could very well be issued with an English base plate ref. 187 although it woud be the wrong casting but who will care ?



Be careful as some models are delivered like this.



or like this.



but as Atlas is very generous and concious of the poor quality of their goods, they send you this as a replacement for the defective model.

And there are many more examples.

You have been warned, do not complain.

That is funny and they expect to sell these toys for $25.00 and up from what I have seen. WoW.

To be honest, I find it atrocious! Atlas is a 'discount' brand, many of their models look great, but qc is certainly not up to par and it's not unusual to find lights not properly attached, excess paint spray where it shouldn't be and severe cases of 'grating' on plastic parts, but hey: the models are cheap and often unavailble from elsewhere, so I've bought quite a few (Ford Fiesta, Morris 1100 etc.)

Now they own the rights to release old Dinkys, so they do just that. Quality control (obviously, from the photos posted above) is still horrible, but they know that old Dinky models are very sought after and there's a huge demand - so they turn the price screw, not just once, but all the way to the top. They know they can do as they please, because people want these models badly, and you either buy or you don't - no other options. Quite honestly, this is very, very poor vfm!

These old Dinkys, let's be honest here, are quite simple - often a one-part body with little or no chrome or plastic lights, mirrors, bumpers etc. - not even sure if they have suspension and/or interior. Very simple models, they just happen to hold a high sentimental value for collectors. Top this with the lousy qc and... a huge price tag! Just because you can!

I know it's all about supply and demand, but it's not very tasteful. That said, I know I could easily fall for it myself and go out and buy a few of them because, like I said, there's no other option: either you pay the asking price, or you won't have that model in your collection.

There is no need to pay the full price of around £ 25 from Atlas. All these models are sold on eBay by speculators who have ordered them and can not sell them at half the price they paid for them. On eBay or at swap meets you can get them for £ 10 or even less but you may not been able to sell them for that price in a few years.

The value of a Dinky is not in the word Dinky but in the manufacturer's name Meccano. The manufacturer's name Norev, CIJ or Atlas has no value. Diecast manufacturing is not a business anymore, it is turning to the racket.



Look at this counterfeit Dinky Toys Isobloc bus ref 29e made in China by Norev, it is sold as a CIJ model. You can bet that in a couple of years of the Atlas will have finished with their mail order collections in France, Belgium, U.K. and Germany all the Chinese Atlas Dinky will be sold at a quarter of the present price under the CIJ trade mark which is now owned by Norev.



There is already an other one and several more models are planed. This is the French Dinky ref. 893 minus the glazed windows and on which the trailer posts are much too high.

So now we get into what the restorer is looking for, a good reliable, inexpensive source for a diecast body. He/they can make their own base a number of different ways, with and with out suspension. I am just wondering how good the casting is and how many so called restores are using them as restored originals rather than what they are. If at all.

Any Thoughts??? It is possible if not plausible!

That may not be feasible with some of the castings, like the pipe? truck Dinkycollect just posted but the cheaper larger production models, like most of the cars and small vans, would be easy to obtain in quantity for cheap.

Hmmm, good question. But isn't it more or less so, that once you restore, the model loses it description as 'original' and is now sold on totally different merits like the quality of the restoration, the likeness to the original and so on...

What I'm saying is that there's not that much of a difference between buying a restored vintage or a restored repro. Of course it's not 'playing fair' to label a repro as vintage, but if the age isn't the selling point anyway, then...

Yes, I understand what you are saying. I guess it is up to the buyer as to what he is looking for. I have customers who would rather have restored original Dinky or Corgi toys as they can not afford Mint  original models. That is what I do, restore to as close as possible to the original with some changes so as not to confuse with an original. I don't want to duplicate as they can be sold as original. I can if I want, I just choose not to. My store logo is a good example as it is a restoration, not an original.

Of course if you know the model you will notice the bumper is shorter than it should be and is not silver. Otherwise.....

I am not sure, but I think a nicely restored Dinky would always bring more than one these Atlas models re-done....especially if it was a less common one. But Jim I think you have an interesting point....for those of you who want to restore models and have them look nice, an inexpensive Atlas may work just fine, as long as it not being a real Dinky is not important. For me, I love the older Dinky castings, they have a certain charm that would be hard to replace.

One thing a reissue will not have, is a long history, like the original. Another thing I find fascinating about original restores is how they've come back from the brink. If you look at a lovingly restored vintage it's hard to believe it was once a piece of junk, written off, discarded, spent.

Of course the new and the old one may look very similar on the shelf or in the cabinet, but the knowledge of their 'heritage' makes them very different indeed... at least in my humble opinion.

I guess it also depends on WHY one wants a particular model - is it for visual reasons, because it fits with other parts of the collection, maybe fills a gap - or is it for sentimental, nostalgic, historic reasons?

I must confess that I subscribe to the Atlas Dinkys in Sweden. So far I have received twelve models (see picture with my original Dinkys in the back row plus the Healey in the middle). I pay 198 Swedish Crowns (approx. 22 Euro) each month and I think it is worth every öre (penny). I have asked for a list but of course there isn’t any. I was told that I can expect around 30 models in total.

I do this for several reasons. I receive a mint-in-box Dinky (OK, it’s a copy) and somehow I recognize the feeling I had as a little boy when I opened a Dinky box on Christmas Eve or on a birthday. I also fill colour variation gaps in my collection (even if I can’t be sure it’s the correct colour).

So far the models have been nicely produced. The Mercedes 300 SE box was damaged on arrival but I received a complete new set free of charge and I could keep the first one.

Now I can also fill my car transporter with brand new cars. I bought the other two Citroëns on the Swedish E-Bay site Tradera.com for 8 (!) and 12 Euro incl. p&p while other Atlas models can vary in price relatively much.