Materials
Makers
Types
Other Vehicles
AD
X
Vintage Maisto Model Cars
We are a part of eBay Affiliate Network, and if you make a purchase through the links on our site we earn affiliate commission.
Founded in Hong Kong in 1967 as MC Toys, the model-car manufacturer we know today as Maisto began as an imitator of Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and Corgi model cars, sprinkling in some original diecast designs of its own. Initially, MC Toys found...
Founded in Hong Kong in 1967 as MC Toys, the model-car manufacturer we know today as Maisto began as an imitator of Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and Corgi model cars, sprinkling in some original diecast designs of its own. Initially, MC Toys found success selling its cars into European markets such as Germany, which prompted the company's designers to create a 1:64 scale version of the Trabant, a popular German brand at that time. During the 1970s, MC Toys also manufactured diecast cars for a number of European toy companies.
MC Toys did not enter the lucrative U.S. market until the mid-1980s, when a distributor named Intex Recreation sold diecast cars manufactured in Macao by MC Toys as Dynawheels and Color Splash, a name that reflected the bright colors used by MC Toys on many of its cars made during this period. The bright colors of these toys undoubtedly caught the eyes of many a child, while the cost made them easy purchases for parents who might have balked at Matchbox's higher prices.
By the end of the 1980s, Maisto was one of the brands used by MC Toys, as in Maisto Motor Works and Maisto Turbo Treads; it also made 1:64 scale model cars for Tonka. By 1990, MC Toys had expanded its product line beyond Matchbox-sized 1:64 scale model cars to include 1:24 and even larger 1:18 scale diecast vehicles. The latter were all sold under the name Maisto, and by 1992, when the distribution deal with Intex Recreation came to an end, all MC Toys sold in the U.S. were branded as Maisto and given new series names such as Fresh Metal and Custom Shop. The cars sold in such series-branded packaging were often exclusive to retailers like Target and Toys R Us.
More important to collectors of vintage model cars than the changes to the company's branding and distribution was the improvement to the quality of these toys, which has made Maisto cars from the late 1980s and beyond perhaps more collectible than those from its first two decades. Particularly sought are cars in the AllStarz and Pro Rodz lines. In recent decades, Maisto has acquired licenses from Marvel to produce Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Avengers cars, as well as G.I. Joe vehicles and Tonka pickup trucks in Classic or Extreme flavors, construction vehicles, and fire trucks. In addition to Tough Gears and Speed Wheels, lines to look for include Kid Connection, particularly the Fantasy Collection.
Continue readingFounded in Hong Kong in 1967 as MC Toys, the model-car manufacturer we know today as Maisto began as an imitator of Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and Corgi model cars, sprinkling in some original diecast designs of its own. Initially, MC Toys found success selling its cars into European markets such as Germany, which prompted the company's designers to create a 1:64 scale version of the Trabant, a popular German brand at that time. During the 1970s, MC Toys also manufactured diecast cars for a number of European toy companies.
MC Toys did not enter the lucrative U.S. market until the mid-1980s, when a distributor named Intex Recreation sold diecast cars manufactured in Macao by MC Toys as Dynawheels and Color Splash, a name that reflected the bright colors used by MC Toys on many of its cars made during this period. The bright colors of these toys undoubtedly caught the eyes of many a child, while the cost made them easy purchases for parents who might have balked at Matchbox's higher prices.
By the end of the 1980s, Maisto was one of the brands used by MC Toys, as in Maisto Motor Works and Maisto Turbo Treads; it also made 1:64 scale model cars for Tonka. By 1990, MC Toys had expanded its product line beyond Matchbox-sized 1:64 scale model cars to include 1:24 and even larger 1:18 scale diecast vehicles. The latter were all sold under the name Maisto, and by 1992, when the distribution deal with Intex Recreation came to an end, all MC Toys sold in the U.S. were branded as Maisto and given new series names such as Fresh Metal and Custom Shop. The cars sold in such series-branded packaging were often exclusive to retailers like Target and Toys R Us.
More important to collectors of vintage model cars than the changes to the company's branding and distribution was the improvement to the quality of these toys, which has made Maisto cars from the late 1980s and beyond perhaps more collectible than those from its first two decades. Particularly sought are cars in the...
Founded in Hong Kong in 1967 as MC Toys, the model-car manufacturer we know today as Maisto began as an imitator of Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and Corgi model cars, sprinkling in some original diecast designs of its own. Initially, MC Toys found success selling its cars into European markets such as Germany, which prompted the company's designers to create a 1:64 scale version of the Trabant, a popular German brand at that time. During the 1970s, MC Toys also manufactured diecast cars for a number of European toy companies.
MC Toys did not enter the lucrative U.S. market until the mid-1980s, when a distributor named Intex Recreation sold diecast cars manufactured in Macao by MC Toys as Dynawheels and Color Splash, a name that reflected the bright colors used by MC Toys on many of its cars made during this period. The bright colors of these toys undoubtedly caught the eyes of many a child, while the cost made them easy purchases for parents who might have balked at Matchbox's higher prices.
By the end of the 1980s, Maisto was one of the brands used by MC Toys, as in Maisto Motor Works and Maisto Turbo Treads; it also made 1:64 scale model cars for Tonka. By 1990, MC Toys had expanded its product line beyond Matchbox-sized 1:64 scale model cars to include 1:24 and even larger 1:18 scale diecast vehicles. The latter were all sold under the name Maisto, and by 1992, when the distribution deal with Intex Recreation came to an end, all MC Toys sold in the U.S. were branded as Maisto and given new series names such as Fresh Metal and Custom Shop. The cars sold in such series-branded packaging were often exclusive to retailers like Target and Toys R Us.
More important to collectors of vintage model cars than the changes to the company's branding and distribution was the improvement to the quality of these toys, which has made Maisto cars from the late 1980s and beyond perhaps more collectible than those from its first two decades. Particularly sought are cars in the AllStarz and Pro Rodz lines. In recent decades, Maisto has acquired licenses from Marvel to produce Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Avengers cars, as well as G.I. Joe vehicles and Tonka pickup trucks in Classic or Extreme flavors, construction vehicles, and fire trucks. In addition to Tough Gears and Speed Wheels, lines to look for include Kid Connection, particularly the Fantasy Collection.
Continue readingMost Watched
ADX
ADX
AD
X