The PopCulteer
January 17, 2025

Most folks who read PopCult know that I collect action figures. Just look at yesterday’s post if you don’t believe me. I’ve been a published “expert” on action figures since 1996, when I began writing the “Facts on Figures” column for Toy Trader Magazine.

A lesser-known fact is that, after I was at Toy Trader for about a year, I also began writing the “Die Cast News” column.

I’ve always loved collecting Die Cast cars. I still have a few that I’ve had almost sixty years.

As far back as I can remember (in the days before Hot Wheels, even), the two major brands of die cast were Matchbox and Corgi (There was Tootsie Toy, too, but those were primitive and cheap). Both Corgi and Matchbox were UK-based, but they had a presence at retail in America.

Matchbox was sold everywhere, and I had a bunch of ’em, but Corgi was more of a rarity, at least in the Charleston area, and when one turned up, it was a thing of wonder.

Joining the club gets you a reproduction of the 1966 catalog

Corgi’s cars were larger. Most were 1:43 scale, as opposed to Matchbox (and Hot Wheels) which were smaller at 1:64 scale. Corgi introduced innovations such as plastic windows and opening doors, trunks and hood. Some even steered and had other working features. From their introduction in 1956, Corgi was always at the forefront of the die-cast hobby.

Recently, Corgi, now a brand owned by Hornby Ltd started a collector’s club that sold reproductions of their classic cars, and last year they offered a car that caught my attention and caused me to join.

How could you NOT join a club to get this?

Of course, that car was the one true original Batmobile, the 1966 George Barris creation.

So I joined a few months early, just to make sure I got one. Anybody who knows me know that I like to show up anywhere early, and this gave me a chance to get a feel for the club.

My original plan was to join, buy a couple of cars so I could get the Batmobile, then leave.

The Corgi Model Club USA had other plans. They hooked me. They hooked me good.

The problem is that their cars are exquistely designed little works of art. The special features from their original issue are all replicated perfectly. They come in close replicas of the original packaging, and the authenticity and dedication to their craft is mind-blowing.

When you join the club, you choose a starter car (at a discounted price with a couple of nice bonuses), and then you get one car per month for thirty bucks, plus about eight bucks postage. It’s not cheap, but given the level of artistry involved, it’s worth every penny. You can find cars that are roughly the same size at most places that sell toys for less, but compared to these Corgi reissues, those are junk.

Your PopCulteer’s modest collection…so far

The cars are offered sequentially, but you have the option to switch out your car every month and jump around on the list of models they offer. If you don’t swap out your choice the following month, you get the next one on the list from the one you switched to.

You could join for a few months and cherry-pick just the cars you want, then leave the club, or you could just skip the few that don’t appeal to you and enjoy discovering some of the cool new models you never knew existed.

I got my Batmobile a couple of months ago, and considered leaving the club, even though I am enjoying the hell out of it. Then they released their list of upcoming models for the new year…and I’m in for at least another 12 months.

Coming in 2025

The club model for March is The Yellow Submarine. Two months later they’re doing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In August, they’re doing to offer the Batboat and trailer (famously sold in the 1960s as a two-pack with the Batmobile, which rumor has it, will be a non-club offering at some point), and then in November, they’re releasing the sliver version of James Bond’s Aston Martin D.B.S.

In the months between those, I’ll likely go back and pick up some of the more interesting models that I don’t have yet.

They had me at the rhinocerous. The working steering was a bonus.

I’ve already got the Safari Volkswagon with steering wheels and a rhinocerous, and the Wall’s Ice Cream van with figures. Plus I’ve got the Gold Bond car, and the Batmobile in Glossy and Matte finish.

Some of the models I have my eye on are the Loudspeaker truck, The Land Rover Breakdown truck and the Studebaker Golden Hawk.

The price may seem a little steep, but the quality and attention to detail makes it worth every penny. These are faithful reproductions of cars that, if you sought out the vintage versions, would cost you hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars. Each car comes in reproduction packaging with a certificate of authenticity.

You can join the club HERE, for a discounted price on one of the three starter models. As a bonus you’ll get a nice tin to store your certificates of authenticity that come with each model, and they also throw in a reproduction of their 1966 catalog.

Here’s the updated sequential list of models…

And that is this week’s PopCulteer. Check back every day for fresh content and all our regular features, including our internet radio station, The AIR.