Notifications
Clear all
Forum 43
6
Posts
4
Users
32
Reactions
1,902
Views
Topic starter
13/08/2021 9:28 pm
You don't see too many Volvos here on Forum 43 - there is a nice partworks out there in 1/43 but here is an oldie with a story behind it. Volvo made their first post-war smaller car, the PV444 from 1947 to 1958. It was replaced by the PV544 with a one-piece windshield. People said it was a 1940s Ford that had been in the drier too long! 😉Â
This one is marked Vilmer Made in Denmark and from the V on the radiator seems to represent the 1957 version. Wheelbase, length, and width make it 1/43 scale - nice work for Vilmer in the late 50s!
There is more to the story though. A guy from Sweden had it for sale and said it was a copy made in Sweden from the original dies. I had heard a story years ago that a Swede had done that. The baseplate/bumper piece does look like white metal. I am glad he was an honest seller, and I made him a low offer which he accepted. I had never seen a copy before, and even the original is not that common.
14/08/2021 12:35 am
Wasn't Vilmer the company that made a series of 43rd generic looking trucks that had a spare tire on the roof that controlled steering the wheels? Anyone have one?
John F. Quilter
Eugene, Oregon USA
John Kuvakas and John Kuvakas reacted
14/08/2021 11:56 am
@john-quilter Karl wrote a series of articles on Vilmer trucks for MAR, including those you describe.
Topic starter
14/08/2021 11:57 am
@john-quilter Glad you asked! 😆 Vilmer made 2 sizes of those trucks: the large ones were about 1:50 scale and the smaller ones were slightly larger than Matchbox. The large ones were 95% the same as the Tekno, which made for a good story. I have several and have been documenting them in MAR Online! https://www.maronline.org.uk/the-history-of-vilmer-toys-part-ii/
Much less is known about Vilmer than Tekno, which is why I have been researching them.
14/08/2021 2:04 pm
Hi Karl,
Nice find with the PV444 Vilmer copy. That seems very like the Buccaneer models made of Dinky Toys in Britain. I would love to have either the original or the copy.
I have a significant number of Vilmer trucks which have been played with. It is amazing how many of them have missing parts, the searchlight and ladders being the most common omissions. Grill missing is also a problem.
Topic starter
14/08/2021 2:32 pm
@david-green These Vilmer trucks shared the rear platforms, and all the attachments were not riveted on and are easily interchanged/lost over time! They were also shared with their Chevy and Big Bedford trucks.
https://www.maronline.org.uk/the-history-of-vilmer-toys-part-v-chevrolet-trucks/
https://www.maronline.org.uk/the-history-of-vilmer-toys-part-vi-big-bedfords/