Plastic Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s

Octane, May 2008
UK magazine
Circulation: unknown

For years overshadowed by their diecast metal and pressed-tin siblings, plastic toys have a naive charm all their own and are picking up in value on the collector market. This picture-laden paperback brings out all their colorful appeal and features many obscure brands, not to mention their often eclectic subjects.

I can remember as far back as the early 1950s and playing with a bunch of plastic model cars. This new book on Plastic Toy Cars sure brought back many fond memories.  'Plastic Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s' is a collector's guide and as such is a very valuable asset to have if you are into toy cars.  I was impressed by the layout of this book. It is broken down into several of the countries that produced these cars. At the time I was playing with them I wasn't even aware that they came from foreign countries.   As an example of what this book shows, is a background on each manufacturer from each country and is beautifully illustrated with photos of the actual model toy cars. A definite plus is that the current value is listed with each photo. One drawback is that the price listing is in British Pounds Sterling. An easy conversion (in 2007/2008) is to double the price to get the value in US dollars.   I know that plastic manufacturing was in the very early stages in the 1950s but I wasn't aware how far advanced the injection molding process was back then. When one looks at some of the details on some of the cars produced back then, it is amazing. Thinking back to when I had these cars, I kind of wished I still had them as I would be a rich man today.  I would highly recommend this book for its quality (beautiful glossy paper and photographs) and for bringing back the days of when I was a little boy. As a guide it is very important especially when showing the excellent photos of the cars and the current value.

Classic & Sports Car, March 2008
UK magazine
 
The Plastic Population

There have been various guides to tin and diecast toys, but Andrew Ralston celebrates early plastic designs in this colorful 126-page Veloce paperback. Reviews in 'Plastic Toy Cars', including values, are broken down into countries. Some are so crude that the make, such as the Tudor Rose Ferrari, is hardly recognizable, which is part of the appeal.

Model Auto Review, March 2008

Review by Rod Ward
UK magazine
 
Diecast and tinplate model cars have been well-documented down the years, but plastic cars have not been as well-served until now. Plastics have been used for toy car ranges such as Norev, Ssiku, Wiking and Minialuxe, for slot cars such Minic Motorways, and for many toys in all levels of quality and accuracy from every country in the world. This is a big subject for one book, but Andrew has handled it well, giving background information on the makers. He also covers such 'mixed media' toys as Wells-Brimtoy which were part plastic, part tinplate. The plastic material ranges from acrylic to polystyrene to polythene, and all types are considered here. Not everything can be covered in one volume, but the reader will get an introduction to the products of Ingap, Gama, Beeju, JEP, Politoys, Renwal, Telsalda and many other makers. Highly recommended.