De Agostini Dinky Toys

Yesterday, on an other forum there was an announcement that De Agostini the mother company of Atlas will launch a new collection of eighty Dinky Toys in U.K. and Italy.This will be available by subscription, each model been sent with a 'magazine'. By paying an additional 75 p. per model, a service station ref. 785. All the models use existing dies but the base plates are stamped with De Agostini instead of Atlas.[img]/images/sites/default/files/u184/111-TR2-DeAgostini.jpg[/imThe first models will be : 24 CP Citron DS19, Fiat 600, Triumph TR2, Bedford CA van Kodak, T Bird, Jaguar XK 120.

The proliferation of these new models at least illustrates that there is a demand out there. I wonder what the age demographics are for buyers of Atlas and these other models, and will any of them 'graduate' to collecting real Dinky's? Best regards, Terry

I suspect that everyone who buys these already collects Dinky and/or other diecast. Many of the Atlas/Dan/etc models are French Dinky copies and the fact is that the originals are virtually unavailable in the UK since Meccano's marketing operation was so poor that a reciprocal supply of English/French toys in those countries was never established. The only practical way to collect French Dinky is via online sources with all the uncertainty that entails plus the added premium of fancifully high postage.

Additional info re: deDagostini Dinky. A partwork subscription is available by picking up the first magazine issue at newsagents. Naturally, none of our local newsagents have any copies. Scalpers on ebay have gathered multiple copies are reselling them between 200%-400% markup on the cover price. However there is also a website classicdinkytoyscollection.com where subscriptions can be made.

Regarding the DeAgostini issues, does this mean that the Atlas series is now finished, or does this one run alongside it, duplicating many models but with others in different colours, for instance the 'Kodak' Bedford van and the Mini Traveller now in ivory as per the original first-issue Dinky? I would be interested to see what price the profiteers put on the Service Station kit when it appears! Kevin.

The UK Atlas series had a list of 30 models in the offer and they are just about at the end of that. Now Atlas are moving on to Supertoys and large model copies, following what they did in France. Starts with the esso octopus for 3. Atlas Editions are a subsidiary company of the DeAgostini Group. DeAgostini proposes 80 models in their DeAgostini branded series. 80! Their price point is somewhat lower than Atlas at 12 a model. (edit to add that the atlas subscription is 15 per, plus 3 postage - and seem to be set at that point going forward with the large model series) The optional service station adds 70p per issue. Whether that kit gets shipped one piece at a time or all complete is not clear - but there are not eighty parts to the service station. www.deagostini.com/uk/collections/dinky-toys/

The cost of the service station is : 75 x 80 = 600 p. a lot of money for a copy which may be of the same poor quality as the models. It will be sent as the last model in six and a half year. How many collectors will still collect these models in October 2022 and will have forgotten to claim the money already paid for their service station ? Will De Agostini be still in business when they should send that toy ? There are signs that Atlas will have gone a long time before. This plan seems to be an easy and unfair way to make money on collectors. So as always, BUYERS BEWARE.

DeAgostini is a century old corporation still claiming upward trends in growth. A partwork of 80 issues seems fairly typical of their method - they publish those kinds of magazines to build a wooden ship one piece at a time. I've seen them offer model partworks for aircraft, cars, bikes and tanks in recent years. Setting aside whether 60 is a reasonable price for the service station copy, it could at least be said that an original would cost substantially so much more that you would not dare to even play with it.I would predict they use modern ABS rather than the primitive celulose plastics of the 60s. I don't see in the text of their offer where it says that the station will be shipped as a complete item in six and a half years' time. Can you link me or direct me to where you saw that statement?

Go tohttps://www.deagostini.com/uk/collections/dinky-toys/info.html and clic on the questions to get the answer. You get this : 877 483

Ah, thanks Jacques, yes that's useful information to know. The deAgostini comments say the partwork is going to be a bimonthly publication, so the series is projected to conclude sometime around the end of 2019.In that case they have given themselves a little more than three years to produce and deliver the service station! 16 16 I would predict that the series is going to cycle through all the same castings that were used in the Atlas partwork. There are no models mentioned in the deAgostini offer that have not been previously marketed under Atlas Editions. For sure they are probably intending to go with different liveries and paintjobs to create some variety - a blue TR2, red thunderbird, sage jaguar, ivory mini traveller, kodak van.But it remains to be seen if they tool up for any new basic castings.

Thanks to all for answering my question. Having just returned from today's Doncaster Toyfair complete with a very nice 785 Filling Station ( just missing one of its doors) for a very fair price, I'll not be needing to wait years for an inferior copy! P.S. if anyone has a spare door, I'd be pleased to relieve them of it for a reasonable price! Kevin.

The mighty huge self proclaimed expert who is the Chinese stuff manager has written : 'pour la suite je n'ai fait inscrire que des modles qui ne doubleront pas.' Which translates into : (although the verb 'doubloner' does not exist) For the next models, I have selected only models which have not been issued already. This means models already issued but in a different finish. No new castings. All the dies have been paid off with the French collections.