User:Cstevencampbell/sandbox

Fun-Ho! Toys are a brand of diecast toy cars and trucks manufactured and distributed by Underwood Engineering Co. Ltd. of Inglewood, New Zealand. Production was started by Jack Underwood about 1935 and continued until 1982. Since this time reproductions have been made in Taranaki at the Fun Ho! Toys Museum (Fun Ho! 2015). Currently toys are cast using original molding plates and boxes.

Early years

The earliest Fun Ho! race cars made in the late 1930s were mostly generic midget, sprint, and salt flat cars of simple casting with two axles, and four rubber wheels (sometimes the rubber was white). Most of the cars had a driver that was part of the casting. Only a couple, like the Cooper and Mercedes Streamliner were replicas of real cars (Fun Ho! 2015).

Early diecast Fun Ho! cars were a Ford Model A, a 1949 Ford, a Packard Roadster, an Austin Healey 100, a Studebaker saloon, a Humber Hawk, an MG TD roadster, a Jaguar XK 120 convertible and coupe, the above mentioned Mercedes Streamliner and an interesting early 1950s 'High Boy' hot rod that looks suspiciously like the design that Auburn Rubber toys used in their inventory. A caravan house trailer was also available. A Morestone-like motorcycle with sidecar and single motorcycle with rider were also offered.

A couple of tractors were also offered and more were added into the 1950s. Again, some were generic while newer models were a Fordson, a Massey Harris, a couple of Fergusons, and a swept fender Oliver. A few farm implements, like a disc harrow, plow, and trailers were made. A number of fire engines were also offered, along with a number of trucks, buses and construction vehicles.

Most vehicles were of a small 'Matchbox' or 'Tootsietoy' size, but a few were larger 'Tonka' like dump trucks, tractors and other construction vehicles.

Typical of an early diecasting firm, also made were sundry diecast road signs, doll house furniture pieces and yard working shovels, pitchforks, rakes and other implements.

Use of Matchbox and Budgie tooling

The Fun Ho! Midget Models were introduced about 1970, by Underwood. Apparently the company sought dies from both Lesney and Budgie in England. At least 15 models were former Matchbox numbers like the 1964 Chevrolet Impala (nee 'taxi' as a Matchbox), Jaguar XKE, Ford Zephyr, Merryweather fire engine, Morris pickup truck, Scammell dump truck, and the bulldozer and excavator.

Several other trucks and buses seem to have been been formerly of Budgie tooling. Austin trucks, a tanker, the BOAC split level bus, Hillman Imp, and several articulated trucks all seem to have been imported dies from Budgie.

The tooling of a few Holden models is of uncertain origin.

Australian versions....

Marketing and packaging

The logo for the company showed Fun Ho! in a script like form within an oval that included an odd portrait of a clown-like face that looks kind of like a laughing child with a beanie cap...or...a yelling oriental martial arts specialist. The riddle is solved when looking at a company catalog (leaflet) that zooms out showing a clown complete with ruffles and a tall pointed hat and carrying a Fun Ho! sign. It was probably OK from the 1930s through the 1960s, but as an advertising gimmick, the clown probably would not work well with children today.

Some of the early cars and trucks were offered in plastic bags stapled to attached to red cardboard pegboard punched hangers marked with the Fun Ho! logo.

Midget Toy boxes were very similar to earlier British Budgie Toys with red and yellow alternate colors on sides - and also in that the Midget Toys logo was portrayed in 'portrait' style with box stood on end. The box ends were red and had a line drawing illustration of the vehicle inside with model number. Boxes said "New Zealand made" on the sides.

References

• Fun Ho! Toys. 2015. Company and museum website. [1]

Alfa Romeo Miniaturen. 2011. Forum Stichting Club Alfa Romeo Bezitters (Forum of Alfa Romeo Owners Club). Website in Dutch. [2]

• Catalogo. 2006. Progetto K Automodelli. Diecast Model Cars for Collectors. Catalog available online. [3]
• Collection Ferrari GT & F1. 2015. Webpage on Progetto K. Website in French. [4]
• Dana Johnson. 1998. Collector's Guide to Diecast Toys & Scale Models. Collector Books, a Division of Schroeder Publishing.
• Graham Ruckert Imports. 2007. Webpage dedicated to Pego Italia Group. [5]
• Klaus, Spider. No Date. Giulia & Co. Wepage of alfisti.net (The Alfa Romeo Network). Website in German. [6]
• Progetto K: Esistono cataloghi? 2012. Forum of AutoModellando.it Website in Italian. [7]
• Progetto K. No date. Transport Models. A Librapix Image Library. [8]

Category:Die-cast toys Category:1:43 scale models Category:Toy companies of Italy