Playart

Diverse marketing approaches

Playart (the name in all lower case with a larger "a" in "art" and dots in the bowls of the letters) die-cast cars were made in Hong Kong and mostly were distributed with the name Peelers, the in-house brand of toy cars for Woolworth. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sears sold blister packaged Playarts as Road Mates. McCrory stores had a line of Playart vehicles called Freewheelers. They were blister-packaged on a blue, white and yellow card. Another Playart blister package stated "Die cast metal - En metal moule", perhaps for the French market. In another twist the American distribution company for Playart was Model Power which focused on train accessories. The small sized cars were packaged under this name as Road Kings.

On another Playart series, the name was printed with each letter a separate color, on bright packages marketed as FASTWHEEL (see photo). The phrase "really fast - die cast" was also printed on these blister-paks and boxes with the checkered black and white background. Playart diecast cars were also packaged as Charmerz for New York distributor Charles Merzbach (Johnson p. 187). These were marketed as Charmerz Super Singles and packaged in a blue blister card with many different vehicles listed on the back. The Playart name, however, did not accompany all toy packaging.

Vehicle offerings seem to have been more clever than those of other Hong Kong and Chinese makers of the 1970s and 1980s. Marques such as a 1967 Eldorado, a Fiat X 1/9, a Rolls-Royce Corniche coupe, and a Lotus Elite were not necessarily unique in the diecast world, but taken as a whole the series was creative and model selections unique. One gets the feeling that the makers of Playart models were auto enthusiasts perhaps more than with other toy manufacturers. For example, the Playart Plymouth Barracuda (a former Hot Wheels casting) is realistically labeled a Barracuda Formula S on its base, showing a more refined automotive knowledge by the model creators. On the other hand, however, the 1969 Mustang Coupe only says "Mustang" on its base.

Diecast details

Playart's 1/64 scale diecast line had a complex identification system. Numbers can be found on Playart display posters, blister-paks, and, infrequently, on the vehicle base - which also carries the name of the vehicle. The existence of 48 vehicles have been confirmed from the above sources and examination of the bases of the earliest editions (see Appendix 1 below). These 48 were the original line-up.

All of these vehicles can be found with one or both types of the "hub-cap" style wheel, inside a black plastic tire. The 'hub-cap' design was later replaced with an over-sized, simpler, one-piece wheel with five silver triangular 'spokes'. A couple of other wheel styles were a thin, ridged, one-piece design with five trapezoids outlined in silver and a one-piece form with two concentric circles outlined in silver. These were designs for cars, but wheels on trucks and other vehicles were often distinct from these patterns. Most of the models in Appendix 2 are number above 7147 and can be found with the 5 spoke wheel.

Like Hot Wheels and Matchbox "Superfast", Playart cars had thin axle, fast spinning 'mag' wheels. Models released during the 1970s had metal bodies as well as metal bases which were usually painted 'chrome' with the unmistakable Playart script. Later 1970s models were released with glossy black enamel bases. Late 1970s and early 1980s releases mostly had plastic bases. Two notable rounded rivet heads affix the chassis to the body. The name of the car was present and the text said, "Made in Hong Kong".

Despite the cleverness of model selection, many if not most Playart small scale cars seem to have been based on casting seconds from toy lines elsewhere. For example, the Thunderbird, Barracuda, and AMX are very similar to earlier Mattel Hot Wheels offerings. The Porsche 910, Man from Uncle Oldsmobile, Carabo and Alfa P33 are nearly identical to Husky/Corgi Jr. dies or to larger-scale Corgi castings, as are the later Chevrolet Caprice and Opel Senator. The Jensen FF appears to be a scaled-down version of the larger Dinky model, as is the Cadillac Eldorado. Many of the Japanese vehicles appear to have once been Tomicas and some Playart models are copies of Matchboxes (specifically the bulldozer with cab, and the Estate Wagon which is similar to the Matchbox Mercury station wagon). A few others were apparently Yatmings or Zylmexes, while others were modeled on plastic kits. One of these, the Mazda Rotary Coupe was initially identified on its base as Yamada Super Discmatic Rotary Coupe - the same name as the model kit series - apparently copying the brand name from the Yamada box instead of the Mazda name. Conversely, it appears the Singapore firm Mandarin may have used some Playart dies for some of its truck models.

Other cars and trucks

Playart offered other sizes of cars and various vehicles. A series of fire trucks in approximately HO scale was made, some of which were American LaFrance and Mack 4 to 6 inch in diecast often with ladders with as many as four segments. These ladders could extend to twice the length of the truck. Many Playart trucks including many of these fire vehicles, later ended up as selections as Model Power toy models which were often sold intended for use with train sets. On Model Power packaging, there was usually no reference to Playart.

A range of 1:43 scale cars was offered. Some of these were a bit more crude than the smaller sized cars. For example, a late 1970s Toyota Celica fastback was a bit more rough and toy-like than other Playart offerings.

Some offerings were in plastic. Cars in 1:20 scale (or about 8 inches long) were also produced. One was a Porsche 914, which, as seen above, was also appeared in the small scale. Another nice car was an almost promo-like 1:24 scale plastic 1968-1970 Rover V8 which appeared in both police and fire car versions. Body detail was slightly generalized, but the proportions were near perfect. The car was motorized with a front rotating wheeled motor and illuminated headlights. Tires were rubber. A couple of slot cars with track were also produced.

Trains and planes

Uniqueness in offerings and choice of individual vehicles was always interesting. A line of miniature tanks was produced. Playart trains were mostly HO scale. Models varied from coal-fired steam engines from the late 1800s to modern engines from the 1950s and 1960s, including electric coaches. A variety of passenger coaches from varied eras were also featured. This included replicas of the Japanese hi-speed Shinkansen. Many were copies of Lima brand trains from Italy. These trains were also sold under the brand names of Model Power and Tomy (Japan).

Playart's airplane line was the 'Fastwing' series. These were mostly diecast. There was a larger (1/148 scale) and a smaller (1/215 scale) size. Several creative models were made from different eras, like the German Bf 110 and ME 410. Apparently, replicas of the McDonnell-Douglas DC-8, Boeing 314 Clipper, Boeing 727, and Vickers VC-10 were also produced. Other World War II planes were the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, German Stuka fighter, British Spitfire, and the F4U Corsair.

Appendix 1

Vehicles with Hubcap Style Wheels:

Number 7100 Batman Batmobile; 7101 Barracuda Formula; 7102 Porsche Carrera 910; 7103 Thunderbird; 7104 Opel GT; 7105 Mangusta 5000 Ghia de Tomaso; 7106 Mako Shark; 7107 Javelin SST; 7108 Lamborghini Miura; 7109 Chevrolet Camaro SS; 7110 AMX "390"; 7111 Jensen FF; 7112 ALFA Romeo P33; 7113 Carabo Bertone (ALFA); 7114 Mercedes Benz C111; 7115 Cadillac Eldorado; 7116 Ford Mustang; 7117 Toyota 2000; 7118 Fire Chief; 7119 Uncle Car; 7120 MUSTANG GT; 7121 Chevrolet Astro 1; 7122 Toyota 2000 GT; 7123 Jaguar E-type 2+2; 7124 Volkswagen; 7125 Lamborghini Marzal; 7126 Cement Mixer; 7127 Pickup truck; 7128 Dump truck; 7129 Wrecker truck; 7130 Fire Engine; 7131 Gasoline truck; 7132 Mercury Commuter; 7133 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow; 7134 FIAT Dino; 7135 BMW 2002; 7136 Corvette Stingray; 7137 DATSUN 240 Z; 7138 VW Porsche 914; 7139 Honda N 360; 7140 Honda S 800; 7141 Corona MK II 1900 hardtop SL; 7142 Celica 1600 GT; 7143 Crown hardtop SL; 7144 Porsche Targa 911 S; 7145 Isuzu 117 Coupe; 7146 Toyota Corolla Sprinter SL; 7147 Sunny 1200 Coupe GX.

Appendix 2

Vehicles with the Five Spoke or other Style Wheels:

7148 Mazda Discmatic Rotary Coupe, 7149 Toyota Corolla 1400 SR, 7150 Ford Capri 1600 GT, 7151 Rover 2000 TC, 7152 Honda Z GS, 7153 Fiat 850 Sport Coupe, 7154 Mercedes Benz 350 SL Coupe, 7155 Ford Cortina GXL, 7156 Hip Up Coupe Galant GTO MR, 7157 Austin Mini Cooper S MK II, 7158 Fiat 124 Sport 1600, 7159 DAF, 7160 Freight Truck, 7161 Bulldozer, 7162 Double Decker Bus, 7163 Garbage Truck, 7164 Skip Truck, 7165 Diesel Roller, 7166 Combine Harvester, 7167 Ambulance, 7168 Fire Tender, 7169 Tractor with Angle Dozer, 7170 Zetor Tractor, 7171 Tractor with Shovel Dozer, 7172 Estate Wagon, 7173 Police Van, 7174 BMW Spicup, 7175 Volvo 164 E, 7176 Tractor, 7177 Fork Lift, 7178 Dodge Challenger, 7179 VW Station Wagon, 7180 Beach Buggy, 7181 Skip Dumper, 7182 Range Rover, 7183 Fire Engine with Ladder, 7184 Fire Engine with Snorkel, 7185 Tipper Truck (Scania), 7186 Dump Truck (Scania), 7187 Freight Truck (Scania), 7188 Open Platform Freight Truck with Pipes (Scania), 7189 Open Platform Freight Truck with Girders (Scania), 7190 Racer (Brabham), 7191 Racer (Shadow), 7192 Racer (Lola), 7193 Racer (Mclaren), 7194 Racer (Lotus), 7195 Racer (BRM), 7196 Fiat X 1/9, 7197 Citroen CX 2200, 7198 Alfetta GT, 7199 Lotus Elite, 7200 Lamborghini Silhouette, 7201 Porsche 928, 7202 Dodge Omni, 7203 Matra Simca Bagheera, 7205 Mazda RX-7, 7207 Camaro Z-28, 7209 Paramedic Van, 7211 Renault A 110, 7213 Police Van, 7214 Chevrolet Caprice, 7217 Chevrolet Caprice (Taxi), 7218 Chevrolet Caprice (Fire Dept.), 7219 Ferrari BB 512, 7220 Pontiac Firebird, 7222 Jeep, 7226 Ford Cement Mixer, 7228 Ford Dump Truck, 7229 Mazda Pick-Up (Wrecker), 7231 Ford Tanker Truck, 7232 Chevrolet Police Car, 7234 Greyhound Bus, 7235 Rover 3500, 7236 Corvette Street Machine, 7239 Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF, 7241 Audi Quattro, 7242 Chevy Blazer, 7243 Lotus Esprit, 7244 Jeep (CJ), 7246 Lamborghini Countach LP 500 S, 7247 Custom Van, 7248 De Tomaso Pantera, 7249 Mazda Cosmo, 7251 Datsun Pick-Up, 7253 Ford Cab with Sleeping Cabin, 7255 Volvo 343, 7256 Honda Accord, 7258 Volvo 244 DL, 7259 Lancia Stratos, 7260 Ford Freight Truck, 7265 Alpine Renault A 310 V6, 7271 Turbo Mustang, 7701 Beach Buggy & Boat, 7704 Mercury & Camper, 7850 Kubelwagen, 7851 Schwimmwagen, 7852 US Army Jeep, 7853 Scout Car, 7854 Saladin MK II, 7855 M8 Armoured Car, 7856 Amphibian Jeep, 7857 Personnel Kraftwagen, 7858 Personnel Carrier 7859 Army Freight Truck, 7860 Army Staff Car.