Odgi Toys of Yesterday

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Odgi's Toys of Yesterday Series are hand-cast metal models designed to compliment Dinky Toys of the 1930s through 1950s in 1:45 Scale in Chiswick Village, London.

Some models are intended to fill the gaps in the Dinky range which were not issued. Some other models are the talented maker’s ideas on what could have been offered. Most new cars which were sold in the immediate post-war period, were more or less the same as their pre-war ancestors. This was because most companies had neither the time nor the money to introduce new car ranges straight away. And this was good news for Dinky as they could then re-issue many of their pre-war models. However some were pre-war prototypes that had been planned by Meccano (Dinky’s Parent Company) but they were never introduced, and these were selected for post-war production. There were many other pre and post war drawings for models of buses, trucks and automobiles that were never produced by Meccano.

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Odgi's Toys of Yesterday Series are hand-cast metal models designed to compliment Dinky Toys of the 1930s through 1950s in 1:45 Scale in Chiswick Village, London.

Some models are intended to fill the gaps in the Dinky range which were not issued. Some other models are the talented maker’s ideas on what could have been offered. Most new cars which were sold in the immediate post-war period, were more or less the same as their pre-war ancestors. This was because most companies had neither the time nor the money to introduce new car ranges straight away. And this was good news for Dinky as they could then re-issue many of their pre-war models. However some were pre-war prototypes that had been planned by Meccano (Dinky’s Parent Company) but they were never introduced, and these were selected for post-war production. There were many other pre and post war drawings for models of buses, trucks and automobiles that were never produced by Meccano.

In 1980, John Hodges decided to experiment in the competitive toy market by attempting to fill the gap left by Meccano. Originally John Hodges started this as a hobby focusing on civilian vehicles. But, the results were so 4. astonishing and initial demands were so high that he decided to start his own home-based production. The name "Odgi" came from Hodges' nickname, pronounced "Aw Gee." John carefully made the drawings using photographs of real vehicles as well as using his extensive experience from when he worked in a toy factory for Lines Brothers - the well-known maker of Tri-ang Toys. Once the prototype was mastered, he would send it to a tooling firm that produced the number of models John wanted.

For the emerging Toys of Yesterday series, he chose a particular car “The Triumph Dolomite” model as his first try. It is said that he forgot to register his patent, and that the design was reproduced by a well-known toy company. Without any legal resource, he was forced to sell the master item. He then re-mastered the Dolomite, now with the knowledge of how to protect the design. The end result was so striking that demand for the model, especially from Dinky collectors was so high it had to be re-issued many times. Other models quickly followed such as the Jowett Bradford Van, the Jaguar XK150 and Ford Consul MKII Saloon in 1985. After a 5 year hiatus, Odgi came back into production with the 1953 Daimler Conquest Sports Car. 

Sadly, he decided to stop his models a few years ago, as it was a lot of work for a single maker like him. (Jose Heraud, 2023)

See also: "Odgi Toys of Yesterday", Jose Heraud, Model Collector, Jan 2003, pp47-49.

Subject ID: 3027

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Subject ID: 3027