For more information on Corgi Vanguards models, visit here
Launched in 1996, Vanguards is a series of die-cast 1:43 (and 1:64 commercial) scale model vehicles designed for the adult collector spanning over half a century of motoring in Britain. All models produced after 2007 come complete with a information card of its performance statistics and most models produced after 2008 come complete with the same, but with an added info box.
Every Vanguards model is presented in either a acrylic display case or a cardboard box (depending on the year the model was produced). This collectable series of cars represents various areas of motoring including: Police cars, standard road cars, commercial and motor sport vehicles.
VA09408 Vauxhall Astra with BSM livery
History[]
Launched in 1996, by Jack Odell and his company, Lledo, (Lledo is Odell spelled backwards) Vanguards is a series of die-cast 1:43 (and 1:64 commercial) scale model vehicles designed for the adult collector spanning half a century of motoring in Britain. Originally sometimes called the "Fifties and Sixties Classic Collection" and with the motto 'Setting the standard'. They were first produced from 1996-1999 under the ownership of Lledo, with the first model being the VA1000 Navy Blue Ford Anglia 105E. Since 2008, Vanguards have been produced under the ownership of Hornby PLC.
By 1998, Vanguard's parent company, Lledo PLC, was the largest die-cast model making company still manufacturing in Great Britain employing around 300 people, and producing over 6 million models per year.
Even though sales remained strong, Lledo could not compete with cheaper imported models produced in China, and in late 1998, Lledo' s own parent company, HCG Group collapsed; making 250 workers redundant in the process. After HCG Group's bankruptcy, Lledo continued production whilst a buyout for the company was being sought, Although, with no buyout prospects, Lledo PLC was forced to call in the receivers in November 1999. Almost immediately, rival diecast model maker Corgi International (A then subsidiary of Zindart International) started discussions with the official receiver and agreed to purchase Lledo and all its assets for £1.95 million. Just six weeks later, Lledo Collectables, as it was now called, previewed its first products at the 2000 British Toy & Hobbies Fair at the Olympia exhibition theatre in London. The last tooling designed by the original Lledo team was the VA40000 Singer Chamois Coupe, but was only brought into production once under Corgi International ownership.
In 2000, main production was moved from Enfield, UK, to China in order to maintain competitive prices (Although production did overlap for a year or two with some models being produced in the far-east as early as 1998.). And the once proud slogan "Designed and Built in England" was changed to "Precision Die-cast replica" following the moving of production. Although, design and development of models still takes place in the UK to this day. The first model to be produced in China was the VA02700 Rover 2000 P6 Saloon, and the first model to be released under Corgi's ownership was the aforementioned VA40000 Singer Chamois. This too was developed and designed by the original Lledo team, but was never released before hand due to financial trouble at Lledo prior to the acquisition by Corgi. The Chamois also being produced in China. According to a Corgi Diecast Diaries blog post from 2017, The Singer Chamois was first designed as a cost effective way to bring a new model into the range, seeing as it shared many parts, such as the chassis and lights that had already been developed with an existing Vanguards release; The VA26000 Hillman Imp
Under Corgi's new ownership, several changes were made to the Vanguards line-up. In order to increase the desirability of the range to collectors, a limited edition policy was introduced with all future tooling's being shipped with a limited edition collectors card with the exception of the first model release of a specific casting. Clear themes were also introduced, with such sections as Saloon Cars, Race and Rally, Police vehicles and Sporting Classics. Each section would have its own place in the bi-annual Vanguards catalogue, as well as different coloured boxes to distinguish between them. Following a significant investment into new tooling, overall quality and detail of the vehicles improved too, with photo-etched chrome details, jewelled headlights, functioning suspension, more detailed interiors and detailed chassis being fitted. The quality and depth of paint was improved too. The chassis of the models were metal as before but instead of being riveted were secured by 2 screws that were disguised by covers which represented the actual underside of the vehicle such as the sump or fuel tank. Other die-cast models tend to utilise plastic chassis in comparison. Windscreen wipers were now separate photo etched metal. All these improved features contributed majorly to an already much expanded and better product range and increase their value for money, bettering more or less any other models in the same price range.
The first catalogue released under Corgi ownership contained no fewer than six new model tooling's. These included the Vauxhall Victor F Series Mk.I, Singer Chamois, Austin A60 Cambridge, Ford Zephyr 6 Mk.III, Morris 1300 Estate and Austin Allegro. Although, the first model to be fully designed and developed by Corgi was the VA04100 Ford Cortina Mk.II GT launched in Q1 2001
In the summer of 2003 a major new concept was formulated for the Vanguards range. This concept aimed to introduce much more contemporary models into the range. Before then, the Vanguards series had always been marketed for producing vehicles from the 50s, 60s and 70s. But this new update planned to bring the Vanguards range into the 21st century starting off with the introduction of the VA09100 2003 Jaguar XJR, followed by other modern designs such as the Rover 75/MG ZT, Vauxhall Astra MK.V and Range Rover L322. Another major change was to separate the models into brands, not vehicle classes as previous. These new models launched in 2004.
VA09100 Jaguar XJR with updated acrylic box for 2004
In January 2004, Corgi completely redesigned the packaging for the entire Vanguards range, doing away with the classic two-piece box design and replacing it with a more modern style of packaging, featuring a plinth and acrylic case with cardboard window tuck-end box. The reason for this change was that it was actually cheaper to produce an acrylic tuck-end box than the previous cardboard box design. 2005 saw the Vanguards range being re-branded from 'Lledo Vanguards' to 'Corgi Vanguards'.
2007 Saw the launch of the Drive Time collection. (see 'Collections' sub)
In 2008, Vanguard's parent company, Corgi Classics, was acquired by the British model railway firm Hornby Railways for £7.5 million. 2012 saw an updated style of packaging for the Vanguard models, which re-designed the packaging to incorporate a transparent plastic box and a different style cardboard sleeve making the model visible even when inside the packaging.
The Lledo name became dormant in 2011 after 29 years, with the '2011 Enfield Pageant of Motoring' being the last model to carry the Lledo name. Although, this was sold as a Days Gone Chevrolet Van (DG30) and was not a Vanguards model. Some new releases of older castings still have 'Lledo' printed on the baseplate, left over from when the marque was still in use.
In a 2012 interview, Martyn Weaver (marketing manager of Corgi at the time) revealed that the VA108 Ford Capri MK III was the best selling Vanguards model of all time.
2020 saw the return of multi-model sets, with the Ford RS Collection and Sporting Triumph Collection being the first releases. These were followed by three more sets for the 2021 release.
January 2021 saw a new style of packaging, which made the model visible from ALL sides (front, rear, left side and right side). The first models to be shipped in this updated style box were the VA10318 Ford Cortina MK3 2000 GT & VA09527 Ford Escort MK1 RS2000.
Collections[]
Throughout the years Vanguards has released a few different series within the Lledo/Corgi Vanguards range:
- Vanguards Gold - In 1998, Lledo launched the short lived 'Vanguards Gold' series, which were essentially re-branded Kyosho 'Museum Collection' models produced in China and distributed by Vanguards. The 'Gold' series featured different models and castings than the mainstream Vanguards models at the time. Vanguards Gold models were packaged in acrylic casings, with each model being produced to a limited production of 3,000 models. Just a year after, Vanguards parent company, Lledo PLC went bankrupt leaving Kyosho to find another distributor, ending the Vanguards Gold series after just 1 year. Models included in this collection were: Jaguar E-Type Coupe, Jaguar E-Type Cabriolet, Lotus Europa Special, Shelby Cobra Daytona, Shelby Cobra 427 S/C, Caterham Super Seven (Green) and Caterham Super Seven (Black).
- Hidden Treasures - In 2002, Vanguards launched a line-up of models designed to look neglected, worn and abandoned. Models included in this collection were: Ford Transit, Triumph Stag, Austin Allegro, Vauxhall Victor, Ford Granada, Reliant Regal, Morris Marina, Triumph Dolomite, Morris 1800, Rover P6 3500, Morris Minor pickup & saloon, Austin A35 Van, Sunbeam Alpine and Land Rover Series 2 pickup.
- Boy Racers - In 2003, Vanguards released the 'Boy Racers' range that were modified versions of existing models in the Vanguards range. These models sported racing stripes, flames and different coloured body panels. Models included in this collection were: Ford Transit, Hillman Imp, Ford Cortina MK1 & 2, Ford Anglia 105E, Ford Popular, Morris Minor pickup, Austin 7 Mini, Vauxhall Viva, Triumph Spitfire MK3, VW Beetle and Rover SD1.
- Drive Time - In 2007 Corgi Vanguards launched the Drive Time range and club which had several different categories for the models: Modern Motors, which included more contemporary designs such as the MG ZT and L322 Range Rover; Motorsport, which focused on track and rally models; Emergency Motors, which modelled numerous police vehicles and Road Traders which modelled commercial vehicles. The Drive Time name was originally intended to partially replace the Vanguards name, with only pre-1970s models being given the Vanguards branding on the box. This proved unpopular with collectors and as a result, the Drive Time name was phased out in 2008, being replaced with the redesigned two-piece cardboard box design. Numerous limited production chrome models were also given the Drive Time name and were exclusive to the club members to purchase. In 2007, A Drive Time branded Austin A40 van was distributed to club members as part of their membership.
VA05808 Morris Minor 1000 60th Anniversary in 'Highway Yellow'
- 60th Anniversary Collection - In 2016 to mark the 60th anniversary of Corgi Toys (1956-2016), 4 Vanguards models were released to the public with an RRP of £16.99 each. These models were packaged in a distinctive yellow and blue two-piece box, with a commemorative Corgi pin badge included. Production was limited to 5000 units of each. Despite this, these models proved to be fairly unpopular, possibly due to their high production numbers or ageing castings. As a result, some of the models can still be purchased new on the Corgi website as of writing (February 2021); 5 years after their initial release. Models included in this collection were: Austin Mini, Morris Minor, Rover P6 3500 and Ford Escort MK1.
Vanguards also produced numerous vehicle diorama sets called 'Snapshots in time', These contained painted cold cast resin backdrops with one or two models depending on the set. Some sets included metal figurines. The last Vanguards diorama was produced in 2004.
Model Cataloguing System[]
Each Vanguards model type is issued with its own reference number. These can be broken down into three distinct parts. The first consists of two 'alpha characters'. For example, 'DG' for the Lledo Days Gone series models, 'VA' for Vanguards models and 'SL' for Lledo Special License models. This makes it clear what model range the reference number is referring to. These are then followed by a numeric of up to three digits. In the Vanguards range, these refer to the model type, i.e. VA005 refers to the Triumph Herald and VA034 refers to the Ford Capri 109E. A further two digits refer to the specific colour/livery of that particular casting, for instance; VA09800 refers to the Vauxhall Cavalier MK.II painted in Polar White, whereas VA09801 refers to the Vauxhall Cavalier MK.II in Champagne Platinum and VA09802 refers to the Vauxhall Cavalier MK.II in Nordic Blue.
Changes to numbering[]
Until January 2001, Vanguards models were allocated two digit model type codes followed by three digit colour/livery. Computing restrictions meant that the Lledo numbering range could not expand into six digits. This meant that Vanguard model type numbers could not surpass VA99000, which would restrict the growth of the range. To get around this, a decision was taken to change the change the model type digits to 3 and reduce the colour/livery digits to two. This means that models produced before 2001 will have a slightly different reference number.
For example:
1996-2001 issued Ford Anglia 105E had their reference number starting with VA010
2001-onwards issued Ford Anglia 105E have their reference number starting with VA001
Vanguards Gold numbering[]
Vanguards Gold models had the reference number beginning with VG, rather than the mainstream Vanguards models which started with VA. Kyosho, the manufacturer of Vanguards Gold models suffixed the their reference numbers with a single letter at the end which denoted the colour of the model. R stood for red; G for green; B for blue; S for silver and K for black
For example:
1999 issued Lotus Europa had the reference number VG3073K. Note: the numbers for Vanguards Gold did not follow the usual model numbering system.
Line up[]
Throughout the years Vanguards has modelled mostly British car brands, but in recent years has started to introduce other foreign marques aswell. Vanguards has made cars from over 30 marques listed below in alphabetical order:
'Audi, Austin, Bedford, Bentley, BMW, Caterham, Chrysler, Commer, Daimler, Ford, Hillman, Jaguar, Karrier, Land Rover, Leyland, Lotus, Mercedes, MG, Morris, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Reliant, Rover, Saab, Shelby, Singer, Subaru, Sunbeam, Talbot, Triumph, Vauxhall, Volkswagen and Wolseley.'
VA10208 Leyland Princess 2200HL, Sandglow
A full list of models can be found here