Q: First of all, can you give me a brief bio and how long you've been collecting die-cast?  How extensive is your personal collection? 

A: I am a native of Baltimore, Maryland, but I now live in Ohio. I have been a die-cast collector almost from birth. :) My first three Corgi Toys came from my grandmother when I was about 6 years old, and I have been hooked ever since!  My personal collection of die-cast cars is about 3000 models now. 

Q: Tell me about your book and where it can be found. 

A: I currently have two books published:

The Unauthorized Encyclopedia of Corgi Toys (Schiffer Publishing 1997)

Corgi Juniors and Husky Models (Schiffer Publishing 2004) 

Both books cover the history of the models, promotional and special models, and have exhaustive listings in the back.  Both are available wherever Schiffer Publishing books are sold, but if you want them autographed go to the Matchbox Collector’s Community Hall website. 

Q: Can you give me a brief history of Corgi/Husky/Corgi Jr.?  What came first:  1:64, 1:36, 1:43? 

A: Corgi Toys were introduced in 1956 in approximately 1:43 scale. (The 50^th anniversary will be in 2006!) Corgi Majors Trucks came soon afterward in 1:48 scale. Husky Models, the 1:64 range, were introduced in 1964, but the name was changed to Corgi Juniors in 1970.  In the mid 1970’s both ranges crept upward in scale gradually, so that some Corgi Juniors were almost 1:56 in scale with Corgi Toys reaching 1:36. The scale of the large models was corrected back to 1:43 in the latter 1980s. Mattel owned Corgi from late 1989 through August 1995. When Corgi was sold-off, Mattel kept the Juniors castings. 

Q: What would be considered Corgi's first entertainment property?  James Bond's Aston Martin? 

A: Actually, the first would be the Volvo P-1800 for The Saint in March, 1965.  James Bond’s Aston Martin followed in October of that year in both the Corgi Toys and Husky Models lines.  However, if you include live entertainment, the first model would be the Chipperfield’s Circus Crane Truck and Animal Cage Trailer in October, 1960.

 Q: Can you touch on some of the early Corgi/Husky/Corgi Jr. entertainment properties and their variations?  Batmobile, Monkees, James Bond, etc. 

A: Everyone knows about Corgi’s famous Batmobile introduced in 1966. The first models in matte black are hard to find, and an intermediate version with red Whizzwheels is the most valuable. Sets with the Batboat and Batcopter can reach astronomical prices in both the Corgi Toys and Corgi Juniors ranges.

James Bond has had a large number of models such as the Underwater Lotus Esprit, Moon Buggy and Drax Helicopter and Space Shuttle. Once again, large sets command big prices.

Other models include the Monkeemobile, the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty, and too many Comic Book Character models to list here.

 Q: What are the significance of "Whizzwheels"? 

 A: Whizzwheels were Corgi’s answer to Mattel’s Hot Wheels. The market changed overnight then, and models without low friction wheels would not sell in the stores.

 Q: Can you discuss some obscure Corgi/Husky/Corgi Jr. entertainment properties that American collectors might not be aware of?  Specifically, U.K. licenses.

A: While the entire Corgi and Juniors lines were almost always available in the USA, Americans would not have been familiar with The Professionals or Noddy. Dan Dare was also planned into the line at one point, but never made it to production.

Q: What are some of the more highly sought-after (most valuable) entertainment pieces in 1:43 and 1:64?.  Example:  Ironside, James Bond, etc.

 A: There are so many! In the Corgi Rockets line (an offshoot of Husky and Corgi Juniors that also had track sets) there were a number of low production models for James Bond that are quite scarce.  The Ironside Van in the Juniors line can be hard to find with all of its pieces.  In the larger Corgi Toys line, a number of the models from 1969 through the mid 1970’s are quite hard to find.

Q: What are some of  your favorite entertainment pieces, for your own personal reasons? 

A: I always loved the Black Beauty for its flying Scanner Disk the popped out of the trunk and the Missile that sprang out of the grill.

Q: I recently saw some Corgi entertainment die-cast at Wal*Mart.  This came as a bit of a surprise to me, having never seen them in a chain retail store.  I've only seen them at hobby shops.  Is Corgi making an effort to get them into more retail stores?  Which vehicles can collectors expect to find in stores today?

A: Corgi recently has re-run the Monkeemobile and Black Beauty using the original dies. This past year, they also introduced an entirely new range of Batman models based on the DC Comic Books. These cover the vehicles from the stories from different decades from the 1940’s through the present.  These are very different from the 1960’s Batman models that were based on the TV show, or from the 1970’s Batman models that were based on the Hanna-Barbera Cartoons.

Q: What is the future of Corgi?  Will they ever produce entertainment-related die-cast in 1:64 scale again?  I was pretty happy when I found out they re-released Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1:64 scale.

A: Corgi USA plans to expand on their current Batman line, and expand into other areas.  Corgi UK also has an extensive line of models in the UK based on BBC properties.  My favorites among them are based on the old Doctor Who series. The UK models are not distributed in the USA, but they can be bought on-line. 

Thanks for your time Bill.  If any of you have have Corgi-related questions for Mr. Manzke, visit the Matchbox Collectors Community Hall.  Registered members can post questions in the Corgi forums.  Bill has always been great at promptly replying to the questions posted in the forums.