French Racing Blue… Lago Talbot – just like Aussie, Doug Whiteford used for 2 AGP wins.
A little Merit – the era of Farina, Fangio, Moss, Hawthorn & Salvadori in miniature. Or closer to home Davison, Stillwell, McKay, Walton & Whiteford…
Many an enthusiast reading can possibly relate to a misspent youth building model kits. Referring to the instructions, cutting pieces from the sprues, filing, sanding, detail painting & gluing all the pieces together to create a plastic masterpiece. Hopefully with no spares left over!
The Merit brand from North London, UK-based toymaker, J & R Randall Ltd was an early player in the model kit industry. Racing Cars weren’t their only focus, ships, planes and even a Model T Ford played a part too. But here at primotipo.com the racing cars are really the only ones that matter.
Two times BRM Type 25. The one on the left is pretty much how Merit intended, the other has had a master modelmaker, Alistair Brookman makeover
The whole series cover many of the great racing cars of the late 1940’s through to the mid 50s and although they’re not in the later highly detailed Tamiya level, they make for a well proportioned 1/24 scale rendition of the actual racing car.
Fourteen kits make up a full set – covering the best of Italy, France, Germany and the UK industry.
Alfa Romeo 158
Maserati 4CLT/48
Maserati 250F
Lancia-Ferrari D50
Mercedes Benz W196
BRM Type 25
Connaught B Type
Cooper MkIX
Vanwall
Lago Talbot
Simca Gordini
Lotus 11
Jaguar D Type
Aston Martin DB3S
The kits made their way around the globe, with the Australian distributor being the father of a well known (just retired) Melbourne motoring book dealer. Finding them now is a little harder, but not impossible. The well known internet auction site might be your best friend for a search. As with many collectors items they’re worth more boxed and unbuilt. They are also popular for slot car conversion.
I see red… the Italian Merits – #2 Alfa Romeo, #17 Lancia-Ferrari, #15 Maserati 250F & #7 Maserati 4CLT/48.
More FRB with the Simca-Gordini F2, some German supremacy with the W196 Benz that Fangio and Moss dominated long before Hamilton and Rosberg got their gigs. The other car being the Cooper MkIX, these could be fitted with all sorts of Norton, JAP, Vincent or other motorcycle engines.
The British sporties… #2 Aston Martin DB3S, #6 Chapman’s Lotus XI and a Jaguar D Type (that one only part built).
The GP cars that helped towards Britain gaining on the Italians. #8 Vanwall, #22 Connaught B Type & #4 BRM Type 25.
A bit of Vanwall history and the written instructions to assemble the Vanwall kit.
The other side… Vanwall illustrated instructions
This should be all the Merit racing car collection.
Aussie car magazine, Modern Motor depicted these Merits in a race for April Fools Day 1959. Their cartoonist/artist, Terry Trowel added the drivers.
Etcetera…
Side 1 of the Merit brochure. Note that not all the racing cars came out at once and that during 1958 the BRM, Maserati 4CLT/48 & Simca-Gordini would be added
Side 2 of the Merit brochure – note Donald Campbell’s Bluebird kit.
Bibliography…
Sept 55 (MS Archive 18/4/15) “J & L Randall Ltd have introduced a Merit Outfit plastic assembly kit which makes up into a 1912- model-T Ford two-seater complete with driver. Their address is Potters Bar, Middelsex.” p43
Modern Motor
Words and Merit Model Collection: Stephen Dalton…
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