Category:Dinky Army Vehicles

1935: Hornby Modelled Miniatures 22f Tank [image info]

1939: Mobile Anti-Aircraft Unit, Dinky Toys 161 [image info]

November 1939: full-page advert from Meccano Magazine showing tanks on British streets [image info]

1939: page from the Hamleys catalogue [image info]

July 1940: full-page advert from Meccano Magazine with combat imagery [image info]

Dinky Toys produced three main ranges of green diecast military toy vehicles and accessories, the pre-war Mechanised Army range that was completed in 1939, a post-war range from 1953-~1970, and a further range during the 1970s with black plastic wheels.

1937-1939: Dinky Mechanised Army

The first proper Dinky army range started appearing in around 1937, with a further range of additional pieces arriving in 1939 during the run-up to World War Two (1939-45). This gave a range of models that were also available grouped into four sets, with one larger master-set, the Dinky Toys Mechanised Army set 156, containing the complete range. Heavy promotion started seriously in November 1939 with the actual outbreak of war, with full-page adverts appearing in Meccano Magazine.

Mechanised Army Set, showing the full range of Dinky army vehicles available in 1939, Dinky Toys 156, Meccano Magazine November 1939

November 1939 also seemed to mark the appearance and similarly heavy promotion of the new green Meccano Mechanised Army Outfit, for making models of military vehicles. Previously, the company had not obviously been particularly geared up to produce military toys, and had seemed to leave most of this sort of business to Britains Ltd. (in the UK) and Märklin (in Germany), both of whom had extensive military product ranges including field guns, and of course, in the case of Britains, toy soldiers. However, for a company trying to produce toy vehicles for its Dinky range that were new and current and relevant, ignoring the war would probably not have been an option, given that these vehicles were now increasingly visible on Britains's streets.

Military design and technology

Quite aside from the obvious "weaponised" units such as tanks, many of the associated military support vehicles were quite fascinating from an engineering perspective, clearly designed to carry out highly specialised tasks (such as towing vehicles across rough country) that were distinctly different to their civilian counterparts. These vehicles' solutions to specific engineering problems were often more obvious than in their civilian counterparts, as military specifications didn't require that a vehicle's design decisions be hidden behind polite consumer styling - the "look" of a military vehicle was more likely to be a raw reflection of exactly what role it was supposed to carry out, resulting in a small range of unusual and highly distinctive-looking standardised vehicles that were ideal subjects for modelling.

1939 advertising text:

Nowadays everybody is interested in the Mechanised Units of the British Army, and among the most popular Dinky Toys models are the two Royal Tank Corps Sets, which have been great favourites since their introduction into the Dinky Toys range in 1937. They have recently been followed by an accurately modelled Mobile Anti-Aircraft Unit, an 18-pounder Quick-Firing Field Gun Unit and Royal Artillery Personnel.

1950s-1960s post-war

Production of new members of the military vehicles range didn't restart until 1953, with the appearance of the 153a Jeep, which was followed by a surge of new vehicles numbered in the "600"'s. These were modelled to 1:60 scale, and were scaled pretty consistently, as some of these vehicles would be placed in groups in close proximity, where any scale mismatches would be obvious. Some of the "600s" range were consequently pretty large, and emphatically in the "Dinky Supertoys" class. However, the company's decisions to class certain pieces as "standard" Dinkies and others as "Supertoys" seem to have been somewhat fluid, with some models produced and promoted as "Dinky Toys" and as "Dinky Supertoys" at different times, with different box artwork and different lettering moulded into the cast metal bases.

1963 Army Dinky Toys range

Meccano Ltd's new determination to number Dinky Toys more logically, with similar items grouped together, meant that there were "reserved" numbers within the "600 Military" block, and having a higher number didn't necessarily indicate that a model was later. Some items were produced purely for foreign markets, and there were also some French Dinky military vehicles produced by Meccano France that were numbered into the 800 range.

1970s-

The third wave of Dinky military vehicles appeared in the 1970s, after Lines Brothers/Triang (who had bought Meccano Ltd) declared insolvency in ~1971 and their various manufacturing businesses were reorganised ... however, these 1970s pieces are stylistically different and lie outside the museum's target date-range.

In the museum

The museum displays cover the first two of the three waves of Dinky military vehicles, 1937-199, and 1953-~1970. A 2017 acquisition of military Dinkies in "mint and boxed" condition means that we now have almost the complete set of pieces for these two ranges, with the exception of those produced for the US market. These additional pieces are expected to go onto display during Summer 2017, and we'll probably now be looking out to fill the last remaining "holes".

Listing by number, pre-1970s

22f – Tank (Hornby Modelled Miniatures]])

150 – Royal Tank Corps Personnel
- 150a – Officer
- 150b – Private, sitting, ×2
- 150c – Private, standing, ×2
- 150d – Driver
- 150e – N.C.O.

151 – Royal Tank Corps Medium Tank Set
- 151a – Medium Tank (12 Ton)
- 151b – Transport Wagon
- 151c – Cooker Trailer, with Jack Stand
- 151d – Water Tank Trailer

152 – Royal Tank Corps Light Tank Set
- 152a – Light Tank
- 152b – Reconnaissance Car
- 152c – Austin Seven Car

153a – Jeep

156 – Mechanised Army – combines the four sets 151, 152, 161, and 162

160 – Royal Artillery Personnel
- 160a – N.C.O.
- 160b – Gunner, sitting, ×2
- 160c – Gunlayer
- 160d – Gunner, standing, ×2

161 – Mobile Anti-Aircraft Unit
- 161a – Searchlight on Lorry
- 161b – A.A Gun on Trailer

162 – 18-Pounder Quick-Firing Field Gun Unit
- 162a – Light Dragon Motor Tractor
- 162b – Trailer
- 162c – 18 Pounder Gun

603 – Army Private, seated

621 – 3-Ton Army Wagon
622 – 10-Ton Foden Truck
623 – Army Covered Wagon
624 – Daimler Military Ambulance – (US-issue, but we have the cream-coloured non-military version)
626 – Military Ambulance
641 – Army 1-Ton Cargo Truck
642 – Pressure Refueller
643 – Army Water Tanker
651 – Centurion Tank (Dinky Supertoys 651)
660 – Tank Transporter
661 – Recovery Tractor
665 – Honest John Missile Launcher
666 – Corporal Missile Launch Platform
669 – US Army Jeep – (US issue)
670 – Armoured Car
673 – Scout Car
674 – Austin Champ
675 – US Army Staff Car – (US issue)
676 – Armoured Personnel Carrier
677 – Armoured Command Vehicle
686 – 25-Pounder Field Gun
687 – Trailer for 25-Pounder Field Gun
688 – Field Artillery Tractor
689 – Medium Artillery Tractor
692 – 5-5 Medium Gun
693 – 7-2 Howitzer
695 – Howitzer and Tractor (Tractor 689 and Howitzer 693)
697 – 25-Pounder Field Gun Set
698 – Tank Transporter with Tank
699 – Military Vehicles Gift Set, consisting of vehicles Champ 674, Truck 641, Personnel Carrier 676 and Army Wagon 621. Previously numbered "1".