(written from a Production point of view)
Dinky Toys began in 1934 as a line of "Modelled Miniatures" and were originally produced by the British company Meccano Ltd under the Meccano Dinky Toys Ltd. brand.
Long preceding similar lines from Corgi, Matchbox and Hot Wheels, later products were marketed as Dinky Die Cast Toys and primarily consisted of small-scaled automobile and truck miniatures.
The runaway success of Mattel's Hot Wheels line in the late 1960s precipitated the company's eventual demise as Dinky continued to lose market share. Over a long decline, its parent company was owned by a succession of other companies but finally succumbed to bankruptcy and was folded in 1979. Somewhat ironically, Dinky's assets are presently owned by Mattel.
Star Trek releases[]
Unreleased USS Enterprise refit (top) from 1980 catalogue
During the 1967-1979 period, Dinky released twenty-four licensed die-cast vehicle castings from television series including The New Avengers, Space: 1999, Thunderbirds, The Prisoner, and Star Trek.
In 1976, Dinky first manufactured the USS Enterprise and the Klingon D7 class battle cruiser and slated them for release during the following year. With many "play features" found on toys, they were, nonetheless, the first Star Trek model releases that were manufactured from die-cast metal.
Eleven centimeter-long die-cast versions of both starships were released in 1979 but saw limited distribution outside of the US, due to the closure of the company.
A USS Enterprise refit model, a modification of the 234 mm-long USS Enterprise model (No. 358), was scheduled for a 1980 release but did not reach production.
| Item | Item No. | Notes | Box art |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 releases | |||
| Klingon Battle Cruiser | 357 | Boxed and windowboxed versions; fires plastic discs; 228 mm |  
|
| USS Enterprise | 358 | Boxed and windowboxed versions; fires plastic discs; plastic shuttlecraft included; 234 mm; see above for unreleased refit version |  
|
| Space Gift Set | 306 | Unreleased triple-pack with USS Enterprise, Klingon Battle Cruiser and "Galactic War Chariot" (unrelated casting) in windowbox | 
|
| USS Enterprise and Klingon Battle Cruiser | 309 | Double-pack in windowbox | 
|
| 1980 releases | |||
| USS Enterprise (refit) | 801 | Fires projectiles; not formally released due to bankruptcy - rare item; 11 cm | 
|
| 803 | Non-firing version with rectangular blister | 
| |
| 803 | US non-firing version | 
| |
| Klingon Cruiser | 802 | Fires projectiles; not formally released due to bankruptcy - rare item; 11 cm | 
|
| 804 | Non-firing version with rectangular blister | 
| |
| 804 | US non-firing version | 
| |
See also[]
External links[]
- Dinky Toys at Wikipedia
- DinkyTVSpace.com - Comprehensive articles about Dinky Toys' Star Trek releases