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Written by Ron Polimeni
For those of you unfamiliar with the Dinky Toy brand name a bit of history may be in order. Dinky Toys were originally marketed
by Meccano Ltd and manufactured primarily in England and France from 1934 to 1979/80. Today the name is owned by
Matchbox toys, a division of Mattel Corp. The original Dinky toys were well made, all metal, accurately scaled miniature
motorvehicles. They sported rubber tires and, despite their fidelity to scale were nearly indestructible. While the Dinky Toy name
is still on the market, Dinky Toy collectors tend to concentrate on the original Meccano line as true Dinky Toys. I am not a
collector however, and this display is limited to those pieces that survived from my childhood and its value to me is strictly
sentimental.
Of the toys I had as a child I would have to rate my collection of Dinky Toys among my all time favorite toys. On this page I would
like to share some photo's of my collection taken by my youngest son Alex. Many of these toys would be worth a fair price today
were they in good to mint condition, especially if the original boxes had been preserved. When I was ten years old however, they
were simply just really neat toys and I played with them as such with no thought of future collectibility. The photo's show my
childhood toys in their present condition which is exactly as they were when last enjoyed nearly fifty years ago. It is my plan to
restore them to an approximation of their original appearance. To that end I have purchased replacement tires from Keith Harvie
who is a dealer in collectible original Dinky Toys as a well as a supplier of replacement items. primarily tires for restoration. As
can be seen in the photo's the tires on my cars have not fared well over the last 45 or so years having been stored at various
times in sweltering attics and freezing garages.
I have included a fair amount of commentary along with the photo's in hope of sharing some of the fun I had with my Dinky Toys
so many years ago. My interest in miniatures probably has its roots with the train set I found running around the Christmas tree
on my third Christmas. My father had chosen the American Flyer passenger train set with a Pennsy K-4 and New Haven coaches
over the contemporary Lionel product primarily because of American Flyers greater fidelity to scale and two rail track. Over the
next few years another set featuring a Santa Fe diesel was added along with several accessories. By that time I wanted a
permanent layout such I had seen in the model magazines that he had brought home. Finally my father had a 4x8 table
constructed and used his artistic talents to create very nice layout for us. Unfortunately he considered it akin to a painting and
once finished should simply be admired thereafter. I'd had so much fun seeing this miniature world take shape that I wanted to
continue expanding, changing and modifying our creation. At that point my father, unfortunately for both of us, lost interest. I was
left on my own. Unable at age seven to master the construction techniques required to build an operating model railroad I
bypassed the trains and proceeded to construct a village for the vehicles that had been acquired originally for the railroad.
These were my Dinky Toys which were very close to the correct scale for either American Flyer or Lionel trains. In many model
railroad photo's of the period Dinky Toys will be seen populating the streets and parking lots of the miniature villages.
From the basement where the original train layout had been, my hobby village migrated to the recently finished attic where my
father had had a round the walls table constructed for me to pursue model railroad interest alone. By then I had become
fascinated with HO scale. The table work unfortunately had been surfaced with masonite and with my limited skills and tools I was
unable to get much further than to glue down some cork roadbed before becoming frustrated. The masonite did provide a nice
surface playing with my Dinky Toys however. Eventually the original table from the basement was moved into the center of the
attic room and my village began to take shape with the Plasticville structures left over from the American Flyer layout. At school I
became friends with another boy who had an interest in trains and models. He and his father had built a small HO layout on one
side of their dining room. When I went to his house I would bring some of my HO equipment and we would run the trains on his
layout. When he came to my house we would play with the village in my attic.
Our fantasy for the village was that it was located on a series of islands. This was to explain the boundaries of the tables which
were connected by bridges. The fact that there are few examples of rectangular islands was a fact we chose simply to ignore. In
our village we were the two big business magnates owning everything but the farm which was the province of my kid sister. We
would trade the various companies, the dairy co-op, bakery, construction company etc. according to our fancy. Occasionally,
when we thought it time a hurricane would come through necessitating our rebuilding the entire town better than before.
I hope you've enjoyed visiting a part of my childhood with me. Unfortunately no photo's were ever taken on my original childhood
miniature village. As the cars are restored they will be photographed in diorama's constructed with some of the plasticville
structures that I still have to replicate scene's from the past. Please stop back from time to time to see how the project is coming
along. Should you have any comments please feel free to e-mail and thanx for visiting my childhood with me.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Dinky Toy brand name a bit of history may be in order. Dinky Toys were originally marketed
by Meccano Ltd and manufactured primarily in England and France from 1934 to 1979/80. Today the name is owned by
Matchbox toys, a division of Mattel Corp. The original Dinky toys were well made, all metal, accurately scaled miniature
motorvehicles. They sported rubber tires and, despite their fidelity to scale were nearly indestructible. While the Dinky Toy name
is still on the market, Dinky Toy collectors tend to concentrate on the original Meccano line as true Dinky Toys. I am not a
collector however, and this display is limited to those pieces that survived from my childhood and its value to me is strictly
sentimental.
Of the toys I had as a child I would have to rate my collection of Dinky Toys among my all time favorite toys. On this page I would
like to share some photo's of my collection taken by my youngest son Alex. Many of these toys would be worth a fair price today
were they in good to mint condition, especially if the original boxes had been preserved. When I was ten years old however, they
were simply just really neat toys and I played with them as such with no thought of future collectibility. The photo's show my
childhood toys in their present condition which is exactly as they were when last enjoyed nearly fifty years ago. It is my plan to
restore them to an approximation of their original appearance. To that end I have purchased replacement tires from Keith Harvie
who is a dealer in collectible original Dinky Toys as a well as a supplier of replacement items. primarily tires for restoration. As
can be seen in the photo's the tires on my cars have not fared well over the last 45 or so years having been stored at various
times in sweltering attics and freezing garages.
I have included a fair amount of commentary along with the photo's in hope of sharing some of the fun I had with my Dinky Toys
so many years ago. My interest in miniatures probably has its roots with the train set I found running around the Christmas tree
on my third Christmas. My father had chosen the American Flyer passenger train set with a Pennsy K-4 and New Haven coaches
over the contemporary Lionel product primarily because of American Flyers greater fidelity to scale and two rail track. Over the
next few years another set featuring a Santa Fe diesel was added along with several accessories. By that time I wanted a
permanent layout such I had seen in the model magazines that he had brought home. Finally my father had a 4x8 table
constructed and used his artistic talents to create very nice layout for us. Unfortunately he considered it akin to a painting and
once finished should simply be admired thereafter. I'd had so much fun seeing this miniature world take shape that I wanted to
continue expanding, changing and modifying our creation. At that point my father, unfortunately for both of us, lost interest. I was
left on my own. Unable at age seven to master the construction techniques required to build an operating model railroad I
bypassed the trains and proceeded to construct a village for the vehicles that had been acquired originally for the railroad.
These were my Dinky Toys which were very close to the correct scale for either American Flyer or Lionel trains. In many model
railroad photo's of the period Dinky Toys will be seen populating the streets and parking lots of the miniature villages.
From the basement where the original train layout had been, my hobby village migrated to the recently finished attic where my
father had had a round the walls table constructed for me to pursue model railroad interest alone. By then I had become
fascinated with HO scale. The table work unfortunately had been surfaced with masonite and with my limited skills and tools I was
unable to get much further than to glue down some cork roadbed before becoming frustrated. The masonite did provide a nice
surface playing with my Dinky Toys however. Eventually the original table from the basement was moved into the center of the
attic room and my village began to take shape with the Plasticville structures left over from the American Flyer layout. At school I
became friends with another boy who had an interest in trains and models. He and his father had built a small HO layout on one
side of their dining room. When I went to his house I would bring some of my HO equipment and we would run the trains on his
layout. When he came to my house we would play with the village in my attic.
Our fantasy for the village was that it was located on a series of islands. This was to explain the boundaries of the tables which
were connected by bridges. The fact that there are few examples of rectangular islands was a fact we chose simply to ignore. In
our village we were the two big business magnates owning everything but the farm which was the province of my kid sister. We
would trade the various companies, the dairy co-op, bakery, construction company etc. according to our fancy. Occasionally,
when we thought it time a hurricane would come through necessitating our rebuilding the entire town better than before.
I hope you've enjoyed visiting a part of my childhood with me. Unfortunately no photo's were ever taken on my original childhood
miniature village. As the cars are restored they will be photographed in diorama's constructed with some of the plasticville
structures that I still have to replicate scene's from the past. Please stop back from time to time to see how the project is coming
along. Should you have any comments please feel free to e-mail and thanx for visiting my childhood with me.
Motor racing was a passion of mine even then, so it is little
wonder that I used to imagine that the village held road
races through the streets much as the upstate NY village
of Watkins Glen did in the late '40's and early '50's. I
repainted my sports cars to resemble cars that saw in the
motorsports magazines. At one time the village sported an
oval track for stock car racing and the two battered
sedans at the upper left are a result of that endeavor.
In the foreground are the remains of my formula one cars.
At one time I had a Ferrari and an early front engined
Cooper but they have long since disappeared. The
Mercedes in front center is often mistaken for a sports car
but is, in fact a model of the streamlined formula one
Mercedes W-196 that was raced by the Mercedes Benz
factory in 1954.
wonder that I used to imagine that the village held road
races through the streets much as the upstate NY village
of Watkins Glen did in the late '40's and early '50's. I
repainted my sports cars to resemble cars that saw in the
motorsports magazines. At one time the village sported an
oval track for stock car racing and the two battered
sedans at the upper left are a result of that endeavor.
In the foreground are the remains of my formula one cars.
At one time I had a Ferrari and an early front engined
Cooper but they have long since disappeared. The
Mercedes in front center is often mistaken for a sports car
but is, in fact a model of the streamlined formula one
Mercedes W-196 that was raced by the Mercedes Benz
factory in 1954.
My little sister's farm was serviced by the equipment in this
photo. The Rover, the tractor and its accessories and the
farmers family Studebaker sedan are among the few pieces
that escaped my crude repainting efforts. The jeep is
actually a military vehicle from Dinky Toys military line and is
made to a slightly smaller scale.
photo. The Rover, the tractor and its accessories and the
farmers family Studebaker sedan are among the few pieces
that escaped my crude repainting efforts. The jeep is
actually a military vehicle from Dinky Toys military line and is
made to a slightly smaller scale.
The town naturally had to have a police department. For some reason I chose not to go with the standard "black & white" police
cruiser color scheme. The two Rover sedans were the first units commissioned. I chose them because they resembled the
Studebaker sedan. When Dinky Toys later actually produced the Studebaker I acquired three of them for the force but for some
reason never retired the two Rover's. The front bumpers of the Rover's display the remains of the paper license plates I applied to
most of my cars and on the roofs are what's left of the "gumball" lights that I attempted to model with clay. As the cars are restored the
two rovers will be returned to civilian life but the "Studes" will likely remain as police cruisers albeit with a fresh coat of paint and more
credible roof lights. I must have had a fascination with Studebakers as I have five of them altogether.
cruiser color scheme. The two Rover sedans were the first units commissioned. I chose them because they resembled the
Studebaker sedan. When Dinky Toys later actually produced the Studebaker I acquired three of them for the force but for some
reason never retired the two Rover's. The front bumpers of the Rover's display the remains of the paper license plates I applied to
most of my cars and on the roofs are what's left of the "gumball" lights that I attempted to model with clay. As the cars are restored the
two rovers will be returned to civilian life but the "Studes" will likely remain as police cruisers albeit with a fresh coat of paint and more
credible roof lights. I must have had a fascination with Studebakers as I have five of them altogether.
My village sported a rather odd mix of European and American vehicles. What I may have been thinking that resulted in some of the
outlandish paint jobs I haven't any idea. The Renault Dauphine and the yellow and white travel trailer with it's attendant Rambler
wagon also managed somehow to escape my paint brush. The other Rambler wagon was left by my childhood friend who had
painted it with Rambler touch up colors to match the Rambler wagon his parents had. The Cadillac convertible was at one time
"customized" with clay that was then painted (ugh). The Ford once had a custom paint job that actually came out quite nicely. At
some point though, I decided to do some "real" customizing and began filing off the bumperettes, door handles, etc. to make a
genuine '50's custom.
outlandish paint jobs I haven't any idea. The Renault Dauphine and the yellow and white travel trailer with it's attendant Rambler
wagon also managed somehow to escape my paint brush. The other Rambler wagon was left by my childhood friend who had
painted it with Rambler touch up colors to match the Rambler wagon his parents had. The Cadillac convertible was at one time
"customized" with clay that was then painted (ugh). The Ford once had a custom paint job that actually came out quite nicely. At
some point though, I decided to do some "real" customizing and began filing off the bumperettes, door handles, etc. to make a
genuine '50's custom.
Another view with the drug store delivery Austin in the foreground.
The Dinky Toy line of military vehicles were made to a slightly
smaller scale than the line of civilian of vehicles. I did assimilate
the staff car and six wheeled truck into my village for awhile.
The tracked vehicles will be difficult to restore because the
missing tracks were constructed of a type of chain link.
smaller scale than the line of civilian of vehicles. I did assimilate
the staff car and six wheeled truck into my village for awhile.
The tracked vehicles will be difficult to restore because the
missing tracks were constructed of a type of chain link.
The village delivery trucks. The ambulance in the foreground is
another military convert. The three trucks in the foreground
were given matching paint jobs to give a fleet look and performed
service for either a bakery or dairy operation in the village. The
two London taxi's should have had matching paint jobs but I was
apparently experimenting with colors on one of them. It would
have been nice if the London doubledecker bus had been made
in the same scale as the other vehicles.
another military convert. The three trucks in the foreground
were given matching paint jobs to give a fleet look and performed
service for either a bakery or dairy operation in the village. The
two London taxi's should have had matching paint jobs but I was
apparently experimenting with colors on one of them. It would
have been nice if the London doubledecker bus had been made
in the same scale as the other vehicles.
construction company was obviously one of my favorites. The low boy towing the bulldozer is another military vehicle
converted to civilian use.
converted to civilian use.
These were my larger trucks and service vehicles including a
fire truck that shows some signs of having been parked a little
too close to the fire.
fire truck that shows some signs of having been parked a little
too close to the fire.
