I adored my Corgi Lincoln Continental die-cast as a kid in the 60's.
Everything about it was just the best. The atom symbol on the rear window frames were just fantastic.
The bestest of all though was the TV screen at the back! Yes!
Mine was the clown picture - at least that's the one I remember [I must have had them all though!].
You could illuminate the lenticular picture and I would have loved to have sat in the back and watched it as a little Woodsy!
I liked my own 'clown' TV screen so much that I melded it into a radio story about ten years ago called Sarge, which was brilliantly produced and aired by Bill Everett and Dave Carrington over at Celtica Radio [were you a listener?]
Looking further into that TV screen I thought I'd change channels and see what the six pictures were in the Corgi Continental.
Despite reading they were everywhere on the net, I found finding pictures of the whole lenticular strip of six not easy to find.
Here's what I did find, courtesy of Ebay, Worthpointt, various auctions and Planet Diecast.
Here you can see the uncut strip of five mini TV screens resting on the front blister plinth, with one already in the rear of the car; the boxers.
All six were: clown, racing car, Mexican [or is it a US General?], rocket, galleon and boxers.
Here's a similar strip placed in the screen aperture [Image: Planet Diecast]. Again, the boxer is in the hole.
Here are three of the screens cut from the strip; boxers, rocket and Mexican/ US General.
That is a great article. Alas, not a model I had as a boy. It certainly is something special.
ReplyDeleteYes, a real treasure Paul. It holds a very special place in my memories. Only the Cadillac Eldorado purple version in the plastic box can come close, the one I always wanted and never had.
DeleteI completely missed out on this legendary Corgi Toy, although I had many. Too cool for shoes, that! SFZ
ReplyDeleteha ha, too cool for shoes! I always loved the word Continental, which of course travelling the US is just that, continental. Presidential or Ambassador could have been other names for it I guess but Continental is better.
DeleteNever having seen this toy "in the flesh" I didn't know those slides were just printed paper! It makes sense, as they were not only cheap to produce but provided their own diffuser for the light bulb!
ReplyDeleteOf course! They're not lenticular at all! I've misremembered that, I thought they flickered like the UNCLE Waverley ring but they were illuminated as they were. In my memory they flickered! ha ha. Good one Looey and I held one in the flesh my whole childhood! Doh!
DeleteI remember seeing this in the corgi catalogs at the time. Never had one but it was in the display case in Mikes toy store near where I lived.
ReplyDeleteFab! Where was Mike's Store?
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