Back in 1965 I owned a second-hand diecast Budgie Toys Supercar for around half-an-hour or so. I'd swapped a red wooden yacht and a red plastic water pistol for it with a guy around the corner from me. However, when the base suddenly fell off, I insisted that the swap was null and void and I got my two items back. 1965 is 56 years ago, and it's taken me this long to finally acquire a replacement for the temporary toy from my childhood, as a Budgie Supercar arrived at Castel Crivens today.
I had the choice between a red base Supercar with silver upper, or a silver base one with a red upper. The first had a broken and repaired canopy, and the second was missing its tiny rear aerial. I could've replaced the canopy as I have a repro spare, but the decals were better on the second version and the canopy was in nicer condition. As I also had a 'repro' spare aerial (which I got along with the canopy when I purchased a white metal recast of the toy a few years back) so I judged it better to buy the one which only needed the aerial.
In actual fact, the aerial is slightly different from the original, but it does the job and is a lesser compromise of the model's 'integrity' so I can live with it. Another factor is that the Supercar I bought was quite a bit cheaper as, apparently, it's the more common of the two versions, the red base one been deemed rarer and therefore commanding a higher asking price. However, under the paint the metal is the same, so if I ever wanted to, I could simply strip the paint off my car and repaint it, as I also have a spare set of decals.
This model is very similar to the Cecil Coleman Supercar, though I've no idea which one came first. The Coleman one is plastic and very slightly longer, a result of the rear of the car extending further than it should (but not by much) in relation to the back of the canopy. (If you'd like to see it, click here.) I coveted the Coleman incarnation on two separate occasions as a boy, but my parents declined to buy it for me, inexpensive as it was. I purchased one a good many years ago though, and now the Budgie version has finally joined it. I feel like I'm a kid again, even if it is only a temporary sensation.
Anyway, as if you couldn't tell, that's my new acquisition at the top and bottom of the post. Now all I have to do is dig out my replica box for it (purchased years ago in anticipation of netting the toy) and it'll look great on display. If you had a Budgie (or any other make) Supercar when you were a boy, let's hear all about it. (And don't worry - I've got yet another spare, slightly different aerial should I ever decide to build and paint the white metal recast.)
6 comments:
I bought several Budgie Supercars as gifts but never for myself.
A few years ago I bought a Johnny Lightening diecast which seems to be the correct colours and close enough to 1/76 scale that it can be on my OO train layout which is set in London during the 1950's.
I've got a few of those Johnny Lightning Supercars, T47. The first ones had yellow wings and the chassis bore no name, but those small flaws were corrected when the model was reissued a while later.
The Supercar toy is one of my first toy memories but I'm not 100% who made it I just remember having it as a kid around this time.
This one's a diecast toy, McS, if that helps, and there was a similar plastic one (see link). Both of them were around the size of a Corgi or Dinky toy. There was a much bigger friction-drive toy too (which I've also got). And one I didn't have was, I think, by Plaston, and was a blue, hollow, plastic toy if I recall rightly.
Ahhh now that does ring a bell Kid, I do seem to recall it being Plastic and around the size of a Corgi/Dinky car.
In that case it'll be the Cecil Coleman one, McS, which came with five plastic figures of the Supercar crew, though not in scale to the vehicle itself. As I said, use the link in the post to revisit your childhood.
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