Collector’s glossary · 27 terms
Collector’s glossary
The words you’ll meet in listings, auction catalogues and collector forums, in plain English.
B
- Bubble pack (carded)
Packaging in which a toy sits in a clear moulded plastic bubble fixed to a printed card. The V&A describes its 1992 Matchbox Thunderbird 1 as being “in a bubble pack on card”. Listings use abbreviations such as MOC (mint on card) for carded toys.
C
- Catalogue number
The maker’s own reference number for a model, usually printed on the box and sometimes on the base — for example Dinky No. 101 (Thunderbird 2) or Corgi CC00804. The same number can be reused: Dinky’s No. 106 was both a Thunderbird 2 and a Mini Moke from The Prisoner, so always check the name as well.
D
- Decal
Also called a transfer: a printed design — markings, numbers, logos — on a backing that can be moved onto another surface, usually with the aid of water or heat. Model kits commonly use water-slide decals, printed on paper with a water-soluble adhesive. On vintage kits, check that the decal sheet is present and undamaged.
Source
- Design scale
Corgi’s term for models made to look right rather than to a strict ratio. It said its 2015 Thunderbirds 1 and 3 were “not engineered to a specific scale, but rather produced to a design scale”. See also Fit the box.
- Die-cast
A toy or collectible model made by die-casting — putting molten metal such as a zinc alloy into a mould to produce a particular shape. Die-cast toys are made of metal with plastic, rubber, glass or other parts.
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E
- Excellent
Vectis: “The item will have had very careful use, with only small imperfections.”
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F
- Fair
Vectis: “The item will have heavy signs of wear, showing major imperfections & may include repaints.”
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- Fit the box
Corgi’s entry in the “scale” field for its Thunderbirds models, in place of a ratio: the model is sized to fit its packaging rather than built to a stated scale, so different craft won’t necessarily be in proportion with each other. See also Design scale.
- Flash
Excess material attached to a moulded or cast part, usually caused by material leaking between the two halves of the mould. It normally has to be removed — kit builders trim and sand it away before assembly.
L
- Licence line
The small-print copyright and licensing statement on a product or its packaging. It helps date an item and confirms it was officially licensed — for example 1992 Matchbox items read “©1992 ITC Entertainment Group Ltd.”, and recent Aoshima kits say “Licensed by ITV Studios Limited”.
- Limited edition
A product made in a fixed, announced quantity — for example Big Chief’s 1:6 Scott Tracy (2,000 pieces) or Anderson Entertainment’s premium Thunderbird 2 (2,000 worldwide). Some come with a numbered certificate; check it is included when buying second-hand.
- Loose
An item that is not in its original packaging. The grading service AFA uses three categories: sealed (original, factory-sealed packaging), qualified (opened but showing no signs of use) and loose.
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M
- Mazak
The British name for the zinc alloy used for die-cast toys. The Brighton Toy and Model Index explains that the American alloy ZAMAK used 99.99% pure zinc, while the UK variation marketed as MAZAK used 99.5% pure zinc. See also Zinc pest.
- MIB, MOC, MISB, NRFB
Listing abbreviations for packaged items: MIB mint in box, MIP mint in package, MISB mint in sealed box, MOC mint on card, NRFB never removed from box. See condition and box grading.
- Mint
The top condition grade. UK toy auctioneer Vectis defines it as “the item is in perfect condition”. Sellers use the word loosely, so look at the photos.
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N
- Near Mint
One step below Mint. Vectis: “Almost perfect, any imperfections will be extremely minor.”
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- Newly tooled
Made from a brand-new mould rather than an existing one. Corgi describes its solo Thunderbird 4 and Thunderbird 5 as newly tooled; Matchbox’s 1992 range was also new tooling because the original 1960s moulds had been destroyed. See also Reissue.
O
- OO gauge
The UK’s most popular model railway standard, at 1:76.2 scale (4 mm to the foot) on 16.5 mm track.
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P
- Pod (Thunderbird 2)
The detachable container that Thunderbird 2 carries, holding rescue equipment such as Thunderbird 4. On toys the pod is often separate and easily lost — Dinky’s No. 101 had a detachable pod with an opening ramp door containing a small Thunderbird 4.
R
- Rebox
A kit sold by one company in its own box but made from another company’s moulds. AiP’s UK Thunderbirds kits, for example, were described by Fanderson as “essentially reboxes” of Aoshima kits.
- Reissue
A model re-released from an existing mould, sometimes in a new colour or packaging. Dinky reissued its No. 101 Thunderbird 2 in a darker green-blue in 1973; Corgi reissued its Thunderbird 2 and FAB 1 from earlier Corgi toolings in 2015.
- Reproduction box
A box made later to replace a lost or damaged original. Some reproduction makers mark their boxes — one embosses a letter “R” inside the glue flap — but many don’t, so imprecise cutting and folding can be the giveaway. See spotting reproductions.
S
- Scale
The ratio between a model and the real thing: at 1:72 the model is 72 times smaller. The bigger the number, the smaller the model. See scales explained.
- Sprue
Strictly, the channel through which molten material is introduced into a mould; the material in it sets and has to be removed from the finished part. Kit builders use the word for the whole frame of plastic channels that holds a kit’s parts — they cut the parts free before assembly.
- Supermarionation
The name Gerry Anderson’s AP Films gave to its electronic marionette puppetry, combined with scale-model effects, in series including Thunderbirds (filmed 1964–66).
T
- T-Bird
The common nickname for the Ford Thunderbird. Generations have their own nicknames too: Baby Bird (1955–57), Square Bird (1958–60), Bullet Bird (1961–63) and Flair Bird (from 1964).
Z
- Zinc pest
Also called zinc rot or Mazak rot: a destructive, irreversible corrosion of zinc alloys that contain lead impurities, made worse by high humidity. It mainly affects die-cast made from the 1920s to the 1950s; items made after 1960 are usually considered free of the risk. Long, thin castings that slowly curve (“banana-ing”) are a warning sign.