Die Cast Truck History

The History of Die-Cast TrucksHotwheels. Both Matchbox and Hotwheels vehicles
Die-cast truck models have existed nearly as long aswere designed on a 1:64 scale.
the trucks they were modeled after. ImprovementsMarketing and Die-Cast Trucks
in industrial die-casting and metallurgy have benefitedIn the 1960s, marketers began to develop branded
the die-cast toy vehicle industry since its beginnings invehicles as advertising. These vehicles would bear a
the early 20th century. The purpose and marketingcompany name or logo, and the goal was to influence
of the toys themselves has changed as well.the buying power of the parents. In the 1980s, large
However, the collection of these die-cast vehiclenumbers of adults had begun collecting die-cast
replicas remains a widespread hobby with evertrucks as a hobby, and the manufacturers responded
growing appeal.by generating more precise replica models of many
Early Die-Cast Trucksvehicles, since the adult hobbyist was willing to pay
The earliest die-cast toys were marketed in the earlymore money than the parent of a child. Larger scale
20th century. The first model designs were simplesizes, such as 1:18 or 1:12 were introduced as
and crude, consisting of metal car or truck bodiescollectables and marketed towards adults.
with no interior structures or windshields. VehicleWhile trucks had always been a part of the die-cast
models were cast from a zinc-aluminum alloy calledvehicle market, they gained a large foothold in the
Zamak. The Zamak alloy often contained impurities,1970s. Manufacturers such as Matchbox and Corgi
and was prone to cracking or degradation over timereleased multiple versions of the same vehicles,
and with handling. Because of this fact, it is difficult tobranded in many different ways. Trucks were
find die-cast trucks or other vehicle types from thisperfect items for customization, and many bore the
era in good condition. The first manufacturers ofbranding of large companies.
die-cast vehicles included Meccano's Dinky Toys line inThe economic downturn of the 1980s saw the
England and Dowst Brothers' Tootsie Toys line in thedisappearance of many of the popular die-cast truck
United States.brands. Some of the brand names were reborn within
The production of die-cast toys all but ceased duringnew companies. For example, when Lensey went
World War II as raw materials were being divertedbankrupt, the Matchbox name changed hands a few
towards the war effort. However the innovations intimes, and is now owned by Mattel, who markets
metallurgy and production tooling developed duringMatchbox vehicles in parallel with its Hotwheels line.
the war provided practical benefits to the toyToday, die-cast vehicles fall primarily into two
industry in the post-war era. In 1947, Lensey beganmarkets: toys geared towards children and precise
manufacturing the Matchbox series of vehicles, whichmodels geared towards adults. Both markets continue
would become the most widely recognized die castto be strong and new versions of both toys and
vehicle brand in the world. Mattel's Hotwheels brandmodels continue to be released regularly.
arrived in 1968 and challenged the dominance of