Joe’s Car 102 Dinky Meccano Toys Vintage in Original Rare Bubble Pack Display MIB Complete 1971

Joe’s Car © A.T.V. (OVERSEAS) 1971

Licensed By Century 21 Merchandising Ltd, London, England

Joe's Car is #102 in the Dinky catalogue, and measures approx 5 1/2" (139mm) in length. A button on the left side of the car make the wings spring open to their flying position, and a slider on the bottom of the car closed them again. Both mechanisms still work very well. This Joe’s Car is in extremely excellent above average condition. We dare say this toy may have never been played with and may have been stored inside its original display base all these years. The turquoise metal enamel paint is clear, shines with minor scuffing and surface scratching. No chipping is apparent either and the white painted parts have some minor rubs, which may be a manufacturing mistake. The tires look new and do not look to have been rolled much with the rubber clean and not cracked. No rust can be found and the original chrome still shines new. The front windshield is clear and unbroken and not scratched however 2 small marks appear on the front bottom and we cannot determine if this was a factory error or after production. The exhaust flashes by way of a small bulb powered by a 1.5V battery underneath the car. During our light test we noticed the bulb takes a minute to “warm” up and and then begins to flash. The light does work but a fair amount of wiggling or moving of the bulb is needed which is common for toys of this age. We have taken a “dark” shot to show the glow of the bulb.

The original Joe’s Cars were merchandised inside a cardboard box but then later they changed this to a "bubble pack", which gave the potential buyer visibility of the toy without having to open the box. Today the bubble packs are more rare than the boxed version, as the plastic cover tends to turn yellowish and crack if it's been left in the light or heat. Our bubble on this Joe’s Car is still clear with only one major crack on the bottom corner. There is some bubble damage on the same side as the corner damage but does not seem to have affected the integrity of the bubble. There are what appear to be staple holes on the top of the bubble from one staple. The bubble is marked #102 to match the base. The base measures approx 7” x 7” x 4” tall (with bubble), with clean clear and bright graphics still visible. No litho tears or damage are visible but does display some creasing from the years of storage and age wear. Please e-mail any questions and we’ll be happy to respond within 24 hours.
Please note: We are selling this toy as a collectible piece – display only and not an actual working toy to be taken out and played with.  Feb. 25, 2014