As a young train driver aged 6 I adored my Triang Big Big Train. It's without doubt my fave toy train of all time and possibly my only toy train as my career was very short! Alas my toy set eventually went to the big big train yard in the sky.
So, I was intrigued to see what I thought was a Big Big Train at a boot sale this summer. It was in a large photo box and branded NOVO, not a make I know or when it was released. You?
Here's some NOVO train footage on YouTube on someone's driveway which is rather neat!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=okbxoee3GjM&feature=share
There's also a few snaps online of NOVO including this boxed Jungle Set on Ebay, which is like the one I saw at a sale.
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So are NOVO and Triang Big Big Trains related readers? Did you, do you have any of these wonderful plastic toys? Pictures and videos welcomed!
They are one and the same. After Tri-ang went bankrupt in the early 70's the tools/moulds went to the USSR where they were produced by NOVO and exported back to the UK in the mid 70's.
ReplyDeleteThanks Terran. That's cleared that up. So NOVO is Soviet Russian eh. How come Triang stuff went over there?
DeleteI believe that the USSR was in need of international hard currency at the time, so purchasing bankrupt manufacturing assets was a quick and dirty way to get goods onto the international export market.
DeleteBlimey. Thanks Steve, I had no idea models and kits were in effect Soviet currency!
DeleteGreat youtube clip, Woodsy. Although unrelated, they put me in mind of the various Timpo wild west and military trains produced during the '70s. Even down to the scale.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tone, there's a few clips on You Tube as well as a film Scoop made for the blog. People have fond memories of Big Big Train and its so big its great to film I imagine. It even starred in the Secret Service on TV. I remember those western train sets, usually big plastic locos and tracks. I sometimes see modern remakes at boot sales and in discount shops [maybe even proper toy shops] and the word Prairie is often used as in Prairie Flyer or Prairie Express. There's also huge Santa Claus plastic sets around as well and I must say these big moving plastic sets do appeal to me!
DeleteYep, I appreciate the appeal of these big plastic sets as well. Although a Santa Claus version is totally new to me. What a fun piece of X-mas decor that would make, running under the Christmas tree, Woodsy.
DeleteNovo Railways are news to me. In the 1970s, when Frog in the UK folded, most of the moulds went to the USSR, and Soviet-made kits were exported back to the West under the Novo name. I recall getting a number of kits here in New Zealand. Lots of older Frog models that had not been seen in years came back on the market. Things like decals and clear parts were not of good quality, but at least the kits were available again. Some of these kits are still around, having been issued under various company names. The Soviets refused to accept any kits of ex-Axis subjects - German, Italian, or Japanese, and these moulds ended up with Revell. My guess as to the date of the Big Big trains would be late 1970s.
ReplyDeleteOriginal Triang Big Big Trains are older Paul. I had them as a kid in the Sixties and they appeared in Gerry Anderson's Secret Service TV show, in the Sixties as well. The Novos might be Seventies. I had no idea about the Soviet link and I thank you and Terranova for letting us know about it, especially the ex-Axis point. Fascinating!
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