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| Tri-ang’s Electric series

“Do any of the Bentley models actually have a mascot?”

Regularly seen at toyfairs, the handsome MO13 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud isn’t rare, but check that all the trim is complete.

Sadly, the lovely and highly detailed MO15 Austin Taxi warps and bends until it looks like a reflection in a showground crazy mirror. It’s rare though and consequently will always sell.

The big Bentley convertible gets full justice from the Minic model, though, to be fussy, the folded hood beneath the tonneau, looks a bit feeble.

Checking the brochure is not always infallible. The picture shows a flying B, but did any production model MO14 have this emblem?

Tri-angs 1:20 scale Vanwall is hampered by those solid ‘wire’ wheels, but aside from that it’s very pleasing and you could always imagine it’s one of Stirling Moss’s winning cars.

Though distortion seems to be common with the Minic Ford Escort, its rarity makes this a minor issue, and when examples do come up for sale they can easily make £500.

Triang Minic Brochure Page 1-closeup on Rolls Royce Grille and place where mascot should be.

Tri-ang Minic brochures are a good way of dating the models. The old Merton factory, famous for everything from wooden toys to the development of the Sten gun in WWII, is listed as the address in 1959.

I think it’s fair to say that when these wonderful, large scale, plastic toys first appeared in the late 1950s, they really

knocked the competition, Victory Industries, for six – and their sheer quality makes them highly desirable amongst classic toy collectors today (just check out some of the prices now being paid!). Last month we looked at the Austin Healey ‘100’ Six; MGA; Jaguar 2.4; Ford Zephyr Saloon and Convertible; Vauxhall Victor and Sunbeam Rapier. There are still many models to cover and questions to consider though, so let’s move swiftly on…

MO12 Vanwall Racing CarIn the context of this range, the Vanwall’s like a fish out of water. But allowing for the fact that just about every contemporary toy maker produced an example, it’s hardly surprising. I’m not sure if a high survival rate indicates poor sales at the time, or whether Tri-ang just managed to make more of them, but certainly this is one of the most familiar Minic Electric models at toyfairs today. Like the sports cars, it’s hampered by clumsy representations of wire wheels and may be missing the odd duct/intake from the body. Other than that though, it’s

a pleasing likeness of the VW5Not only that, but based on the

information in the brochure, which mentions the withdrawal of Tony Vandervell from racing (announced in 1959), and assuming the model’s representing the type of car used in the highly successful seasons of 1957/58 (the ’58 cars were the 57s with some suspension/body modifications), then with the racing number 26, you could be the proud owner of a scale replica of Stirling Moss’s winning car in the Pescara GP of 1957! In a slightly quirky nod to authenticity, it’s the only model without a reverse gear.

MO13 Rolls Royce Silver CloudLike the Vanwall, this still turns up regularly and perhaps, being so expensive, it didn’t sell well at the time. However, with many separate chrome trim pieces, make sure your potential purchase is complete.

The strips at the base of the doors are particularly vulnerable. It’s frequently advertised as lacking the mascot, which will put many

buyers off, but to be honest, I’ve never seen one with a complete mascot and close scrutiny of the artist enhanced photo on the catalogue front page shows no Spirit of ecstasy. So that’s no help! Perhaps there never was a mascot fitted – but if you have an authentic and unmolested model, please send us a pic! The 1959/1960 brochure suggests the Rolls Royce was never fitted with a mascot-but perhaps you know different?

It’s a fine looking model and my only criticism is that the large tyres give a slightly ‘agricultural’ impression. I know of only two colours, black and a sort of RAF blue, but there may be others. From around 1960, the model was re-boxed in a more simple diamond patterned box (from this point on, I’ll call it the

Harlequin box) and offered with a cable remote control and separate controller/battery box.

MO14 Bentley ContinentalAnd here again I’m uncertain about the mascot. In this case, the catalogue does show a flying B mascot on the model and yet I’ve never seen one for sale with it attached. So, once more, your help in answering the following question would be much appreciated; do any of the Bentley models actually have a mascot?

I do know that, as with the Rolls Royce, it can suffer from a sagging bonnet, but in spite of this, it has a lovely look to it. The plush

interior is particularly good.Like MO13, the model started

out in a lavish, illustrated box before ending up in a Harlequin box. According to one Tri-ang advert, it was also offered with a cable remote control system.

MO?? Ford Escort The real 100E Escort was a cheaper alternative to the Prefect-based Squire estate and it outsold the Squire so strongly that it stayed in production into 1961.

This is such a rare model; I don’t even know its official place in the pecking order. I do know it was sold in an illustrated box and that all three

models I have seen for sale are mid blue. I could of course buy one that’s for sale now but, alas, I don’t have the £500 asking price. All the examples I’ve seen have succumbed to bodily distortion and shrinkage of the glazing unit. And speaking of distortion...

MO15 Austin TaxiThis is as close as you get to a commercial in the Minic Electric range. If you squint, it’s a real corker; I say squint because sadly every example I’ve seen suffers badly from distortion, particularly to the bonnet and roof. I really don’t understand why some models distort and others don’t. It’s like the plastic wants to return to a molten blob. It can’t be size, because contemporary 1:76 Minic Motorway models, such as the Routemaster, also distort.

ElectricDreams

PARTTWO

Despite now being highly collectable, surprisingly little has previously been written on the gorgeous Tri-ang Electric series models. Dominic Borrelli takes on the challenge of documenting these classic large-scale beauties, and hopes you may have more to bring to the table…

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| Tri-ang Electric series

“If you have one in your collection, please send in a picture and solve the mystery”

Triang’s Mini models are ultra scarce and hardly ever turn up for sale. If one does, Mini fans will fight tooth and claw for it!

The attention to detail is abundantly clear on the Herald’s intricate grille, lamp lenses and their chrome surrounds.

Tri-ang’s MO19 and MO20 seems to have had a life beyond the Electric range in this Penguin and later Tri-ang Wrenn keyless clockwork model,

Arguably the finest of the late issue Minic Electric models is this magnificent Triumph Herald, seen here with the later end flap Harlequin box.

A later entry in the series, MO18 Hillman Minx is a little beauty and represents one of the last incarnations of Rootes Group’s successful Audax range.

If this model was ever made, then surviving examples must be rarer than hen’s teeth. If any reader has an example, we’d love to see a photo.

The chrome really sparkles on this pretty model. Look through the rear screen and you can just see how the trim and door handles were fixed by heat sealing.

But by July 1961, production of Minic Electric models had moved to the factory in Margate, Kent, though Canterbury is listed as the official address. It’s around this time that the Harlequin box was introduced.

The underside of the Triumph is an altogether neater affair, compared to the slightly industrial look of earlier models.

The Italianate design of the Herald is faithfully reproduced in this little coupe. But as with all models in the range, check that none of the add-on trim is missing.

Perhaps it’s an error in the mould that made the plastic too thin, or maybe the plastic was the wrong temperature when it was injected into the mould.

This is all very sad because Tri-ang went to town on the Austin and adorned it with all sorts of chrome pieces, and if you can straighten out the model in your mind’s eye it’s very pleasing indeed. Despite this doom and gloom, it can still sell for around £200

As far as I can surmise, from this issue on, all models were sold in a Harlequin box.

Not every Harlequin box has a label, but when it does, the address

of Tri-ang is given as Canterbury, Kent. 1959 brochures refer to Merton, London, SW19, but the identical brochure from 1960 gives the London address before advising: “After July 1st, Minic Limited, Canterbury, Kent”. So I’m also guessing that all models from this issue date from 1960 onwards.

MO17 CaravanThe 1960 supplementary brochure coyly confesses that the caravan is based on a well known design without mentioning whose. I confess that I’ve never seen one and I wonder if the model was ever made. If you have one in your collection, please send in a picture and solve the mystery.

The illustration suggests a most attractive model and the write-up promises plenty of working features.

MO18 Hillman Minx IIIAThe write-up rather snottily announces: “Although one of the few cars which has not reverted to Italian styling, it is extremely attractive in appearance.” Italian styling a reversion?! But lovers of the Minx are well and truly in hog heaven, for Victory made a Phase VIII, a Series I convertible (Audax body) and then Tri-ang made this fab model.

It’s as well made as the Rapier, with an excellent glazing fit and

well crafted grille. The side chrome isn’t as elaborate as that on the Rapier and therefore has a better survival rate. However, it’s a hard model to find today. Sage green and maroon are known colours, but others may be out there too.

MO19 Morris Mini-Minor/ MO20 Austin Se7en In ten years I have only seen one MO20 come up for auction and I’ve never even seen a photo of the Morris version! The Minis are exceptionally scarce and to add to the collector’s dilemma Tri-ang also offered them with remote control. However, after

the range was dropped, the model lived on as a Tri-ang Penguin and then a Wrenn Pull Back n’ Go model.Even in these later guises, it’s usually priced at around the £100 mark, so heaven knows how much a complete Minic Electric model would fetch.

MO21 Triumph HeraldIn my opinion, this is the last great model in the range. Small, compact and with near perfect proportions, the model is furnished with a detailed interior. Perhaps the bonnet does slope too much, but just look at the work that’s gone into the grille and lamps.

Unlike earlier models, the gear drive has been dropped and replaced by a rubber belt driven directly from the motor. The battery

compartment has been refined but, as usual, no cover is supplied.

As you can see from my model, the overriders are four separate pieces and do have a tendency to go missing. You may also find that the glazing unit has shrunk a little with time.

The model was also released with remote control. Both versions will be hard to find and can command up to £300 each. Known colours are red and white.

MO22 Ford AngliaAs far as I know, this is the last car introduced into the range and

there will be no prizes for working out that it’s very rare. I’ve only seen one for sale in the last ten years and that was suffering from distortion, so expect this to be the case with any model you find.

If you’re exceptionally lucky you may come across the remote control version. I’ve only seen a maroon model, but other colours may exist.

MO34 Canoe and Trailer Accessory SetDesigned to tow behind every model in the range, with the obvious exception of the Vanwall (the brochure

helpfully points out), this certainly was made. As with the cars, this has a plethora of detail, from the towing light to the cast wheels, to the spare numberplates so owners could change them according to the car used.

It’s yet another rare item of which, just one has been sold at auction in the last twelve years. The auction catalogue gave a top end estimate of £90 but it went for a whopping £150 before premiums. It’s well made and well worth hunting for.

Additional accessory setsThese sets were advertised in 1960,

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Tri-ang Electric series |

Aside from the canoe, it’s not clear if any of these charming accessory packs was ever on sale in the shops.

Made with the same precision and attention to detail, the canoe and trailer is sadly, another item that will prove very difficult to find.

Possibly the last car introduced to the range was the Ford Anglia. It seems prone to distortion and, like the Mini next to it, is incredibly rare.

Along with some of the others in the Minic Electric range, the Triumph Herald was offered with a cable remote control.

but I have no idea if they were ever made. MO30 would transform any saloon into a learner car, while MO33, complete with spot lamp, made your motor into a Monte Carlo rally contender. MO32 was advised as being only for the Jaguar 2.4 and converted it to a police car, so I only hope the buyer had a white or black Jag! The oddest or, if you will, most charming pack was MO31 Honeymoon set; designed for the Austin Healey and MGA, you got a male and female figure, luggage rack, luggage, ‘Just Married ‘ label and even an old boot!

Can you shed more light on the subject?As far as I can tell, after 1960/61 no new models were released and I’m not entirely sure when the range was dropped. But two factors may have been a major influence on a short life. Hong Kong manufacturers such as TAT,

Telsalda, O.K. and Lucky Toys quickly adapted to large scale plastic models and, though many were friction drive, all had plenty of detail and working features. Battery powered models frequently had the edge with the addition of working lights. The prices of these models were highly competitive. To add to this situation, Tri-ang was at the point of absorbing the Hornby Empire and perhaps it was felt that the company had a finger in too many pies. Well, whatever the reason, we are left with a legacy of fantastic models that can only gain in popularity and, as I said at the start, if you can assist with more information, please feel free and help us make the definitive guide to these electrifying models. MC

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