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Corgi Rockets Mercedes 280SL; orange chrome
Topic Started: Dec 24 2013, 08:06 PM (1,293 Views)
juantoo3
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I'm going to guess there's not a lot of familiarity around here with Corgi jr and particularly Corgi Rockets.

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From what I gather, Corgi jr came about after Corgi bought up the struggling Husky, and at first they continued with Husky castings by affixing a paper label to the base with the Corgi junior name...hence paper label Corgi jrs.

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This was right about the time Hot Wheels were launched, and looking back it is easy to see how Hot Wheels took the toy world and especially the toy car world by storm.

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It wasn't long before other makers were playing catch up to Hot Wheels, or quickly closing shop.

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Something Corgi did to attempt a frontal challenge to Hot Wheels was to create a series of go-fast diecast themselves, complete with track sets.

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Unique to Corgi Rockets was a removable wheel set so the wheels could be adjusted. This required a special key that came with the car.

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Rockets cars came in chromey paints, and some 007 James Bond special race tracks. Apparently the Rockets line was close enough that Mattel got nervous, and sued.

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Mattel won in court, and Corgi juniors had to shut down the Rockets line after about two years of production.

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Consequently, the Rockets line is probably the most prized and highly sought of all Corgi juniors. Even common models tend to be very scarce, and some special set models border on rare. The Mercury Cougar with ski racks from the 007 set is especially prized and highly sought by Rockets collectors.

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In the midst of the fray, as I understand it, a variation of the Mercedes 280SL seemed to end up only in America. As most Corgi junior and Rockets collectors live in Europe where Corgis were more commonly found, that means the orange chrome 280SL is quite scarce indeed outside of America.

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And most American collectors, oblivious to Corgi jrs, haven't the slightest idea that such an ordinary car...in spite of it's broken windshield...could be worth so much to so many.



This lowly little Mercedes is the pick of the litter from my recent lot. But I must say, I am very happy with all four models, for the price I paid.


Hopefully this provides a little primer into the world of vintage diecast, and models a lot of us pass right on by.
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craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

This is a sector I don't know a whole lot about so any and all info is greatly appreciated. Thanks Wes.

PS.

Your new $10 camera is well worth the investment!
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Mikey 1/64
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Fullsize
Hey Juantoo, that's a great Merc! I didn't know about the orange version. I've only ever seen it in blue. Here's a pic of mine. Thanks for the info

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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Mike! Your blue example is prettier than mine, but this is the first blue one I've had. I do have the yellow Old MacDonald's truck, one of my personal favorite Rockets models.
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SeberHusky
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Station Wagon
Interestingly, the way the suspension is done on these, it isn't too far off from those off-brand plastic diecast cars. They may not hold up to play from a kid, but find a mint one, they will go just as far as a '68 Hot Wheels car. I can see why Mattel would have been panicked.
Edited by SeberHusky, Dec 25 2013, 06:56 PM.
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iLLest
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Station Wagon
Reminds me of one of the old cigarbox cars.
Very cool little car.
Edited by iLLest, Dec 26 2013, 12:19 AM.
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