Lledo model cars: Are They Worth It? | A Glimpse of Lledo’s History

Lledo is a brand you’ll usually hear when buying diecast toys in the 80s and 90s. They’ve made a series of models which you may have lying around your place. But are these models worth it? Are these worth collecting? If yes, which among these are worth collecting? Plus, how much would these models cost?

Lledo cars, especially the Lledo Chevrolet Panel Van, are worth collecting. Currently, there are only 4 of these models left and have a book value of $450.00. However, because of their strategy to make many variations on just a few basic models, their models became unpopular with collectors. Thus, the majority of their models are not worth collecting.

In this blog post, we are going to talk about Lledo’s history. We will start with their first appearance, successful model series, and success in finding a market gap. However, you will also see that their strategy, which led to a lot of variations, made collecting their models unpopular to collectors.

Are Lledo model cars worth anything?

Lledo first appeared in 1982.  The year marked the end of an era for Lesney Products (Matchbox Toys Ltd.), which went bankrupt on June 11, 1982.

Jack Odell (the former president of Matchbox) and Bert Russel founded a new diecast model company called “Lledo” ( Odell spelled backward).

On September 24, 1982, Universal Toys, owned by David Yeh, came up as the buyer and relocated the factory to Hong Kong, but most of the machinery went to Lledo.

After a few years, Lledo removed the name “Lesney Products” from all of the molds.

Odell believed that producing British models for British collectors could still be profitable in England.

In the summer of 1982, Odell and Bert purchased a large portion of the Lesney tooling and machinery from the Matchbox factory in Enfield, Essex.

They began an eight-month tooling-up program for six models that became known as the ‘Days Gone series.

Days Gone

Early in 1983, the first Lledo models entered the market.

A horse-drawn tram, a horse-drawn milk float, a horse-drawn delivery van, a stagecoach-style omnibus, and a horse-drawn fire engine were among them. 

The Ford Model T Van, which was introduced later in the year, was one of the more popular models.

Because these were primarily commercial vans, Lledo’s initial business model maximized flexibility and return on investment by producing only a few basic designs.

After that, they expanded their series into a massive range by using different liveries and logos.

Promotional Market

The goal of Lledo’s promotional market was to provide variations to be offered for different businesses.

Lledo became an expert in producing limited-run promotional diecast vehicles.

Suppose a company wanted a batch of toy vehicles produced in their company’s colors with their logo. Lledo began serving that market.

In that case, Lledo could offer various basic vehicle types and then finish them to the customer’s specifications.

The hundreds of Lledo variations that appeared during the first six years of production were based on only thirty basic castings.

The Model T, in particular, became the inspiration for a series of limited-edition models used as gifts and promotions.

Lledo may have appeared to be a niche “promotional” diecast toy company at this point.

Still, they kept spreading the range year after year until it contained 75 models, similar to Odell’s previous “Matchbox 1-75” range.

Unlike the original Matchbox Models of the Yesteryear line, only a few basic castings were available, typically produced in limited edition promotion runs of 500 or 1000 models.

The basic Model T delivery van, for example, was available in over 170 different liveries.

Meanwhile, horse-drawn vehicles became increasingly rare, with the last one appearing in 1984.

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The London Double Decker bus was a popular promotional vehicle– it took many forms, including “Vimto-Keeps you Fit,” “Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum,” and the “Boys Brigade” model.

This series aimed to raise funds to provide safe drinking water to third-world countries.

Another promotional example was the VW Transporter van, which appeared in liveries for Pepsi, 7 Up, and Bosch spark plugs.

Lledo differentiated model base plates to distinguish promos from traditional “Days Gone” series models.

Depending on the context, either “Days Gone” or “Lledo Promotional Model” appeared on the chassis on Lledo models.

Lledo manufactured most of the models, but several ‘Code Two’ models were manufactured and sold to third parties for label and logo application, as previously agreed by Lledo.

Vanguards

Lledo debuted the Vanguards line in 1996, specializing in replica classic British cars and, later, other European vehicles.

The first model was the fourth generation of the Ford Anglia (1959–1968).

Many traditional British marques were represented, including Hillmans, Jowett’s, Wolseleys, Rovers, Triumphs, Vauxhalls, Austins, Morrises, Jaguars, and the range grew to include more than 40 vehicles.

The Vanguards line, also known as the “Fifties and Sixties Classic Collection,” was known for its meticulous attention to detail.

The handsome Sunbeam Alpine Mark II, for example, had accurate decals for logos and scripts on the body of the car, as well as a chrome petrol cap, door handles, and trunk hinges.

Body-colored rims with whitewall tires added to the finished model’s sophistication.

A rearview mirror and precise windshield wipers were also available on the models.

Like many Lledo models, the Alpine came with separate rearview mirrors that could be attached to the car.

Ford Transit vans and Ford Thames Trader trucks, Commer dropside, Morris commercial van, Dennis F8 fire engine, Bedford S Type trucks, Land Rover LWB and Defender, and Karrier box back were among the British trucks series.

Later, the Volkswagen Transporter van was available in various liveries, including bright yellow with the Bosch Auto Electrical logo.

Vanguards differed from previous Lledos in that they were produced on a consistent 1:43 scale.

Ultimate Fate

Despite shipping large volumes of products, the company could not compete with low-cost producers from Hong Kong and China.

They also entered the special promotions market with high-quality products.

However, they ultimately can’t compete with companies that can offer the same quality for a lower price due to lower labor costs in China.

As a result, Lledo declared bankruptcy in 1999.

Corgi purchased the naming rights and model range, which continued to manufacture Lledo models in China until 2005 when the remaining models were known as the Corgi Classics range.

Collectibility

Where most other classic diecast toys aimed at children became highly collectible, the Days Gone line, aimed at adult collectors, couldn’t enjoy the fame.

With children’s toys, most examples produced were played with, lost, damaged, or poorly stored, and their boxes were discarded almost immediately, resulting in rare instances in pristine condition with new-looking boxes commanding exorbitant prices on occasion.

Almost none of the LLedo “Days Gone” range was played roughly, and nearly all of them were usually collected by collectors in their original boxes.

Because there are so many variations on just a few basic models, attempting to compile a complete collection is both pointless and repetitive.

That’s why you can find these toys for a few pounds almost anywhere old toys are sold, new and boxed.

What’s next? If you want to find out more information about Lledo cars, please check my other blog post. In that post, I explained Lledo’s history to Corgi to what Corgi is today. You can find it here: Are Lledo Cars still made?

Source

Wikipedia | Lledo