Solido
Encyclopedia
Die-cast toy
The term die-cast toy here refers to any toy or collectible model produced by using the die casting method. The toys are made of metal, with plastic, rubber or glass details. Wholly plastic toys are made by a similar process of injection moulding, but the two are rarely confused...
model cars and trucks based in Oulins, Anet, France, about 40 miles west of Paris. Cars are usually made of the alloy zamac in varying sizes, but mostly 1:43 scale
1:43 scale
1:43 scale is an extremely popular size of die-cast model for adult collectors in Europe, Asia and the US. There are many manufacturers in this scale producing everything from customized and accurate race cars to emergency vehicles to family sedans and SUVs, including several making the...
.
History
Solido was established in 1930 by Ferdinand de Vazeilles in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre, France. Vazeilles' first product was a metal Gergovia spark plug on wheels (Force 1993). In 1953 de Vazeilles bequeathed the lead of the company, then called Solijouets SA, to his son Jean René (Militaires Solido website). By 1960, Vazeilles' three children, Charlotte, Jean and Colette, were running it.After World War II, the company was relocated farther west to a old hydroelectric factory building Ivry-la-Bataille in Normandy (Militaires Solido website). In 1974, the company opened a new factory in Oulins, about three miles to the southeast. Later information on the Solido boxes labeled the company home as in nearby Anet, a postal designation.
At the end of the 1970s, during financial crisis, Solido entered the Jouet Francais Group which included Jouef, Delacoste & Heller. The new company was called Heller-Solido SA, and the Vazeilles family no longer had control. At the end of 1980, this company went into liquidation and was purchased by Majorette
Majorette
Majorette is a French toy manufacturer which mostly produces small die-cast cars, particularly in 1:64 scale. Traditionally, Majorette was centered in the area of Lyon.-History:...
(Militaires Solido website). The Majorette takeover brought many cost saving measures and though the Oulins factory remained in operation, some contract construction of toys at other facilities including prisons (Militaires Solido website).
First Vehicles
The first Solido lines (Major, Junior and Baby) were introduced in 1932, 1933, and 1935, respectively. The Major series was 1:35 scale and was already phased out by 1937 according to Edward Force (Force 1993). At this time several different cars were made, a few of different truck models, and also military guns and cannons. These were simpler toys, fragile and subject to metal fatigue.In 1952, a smaller rather crude 1:60 scale 'Mosquito' series was introduced featuring 12 models. The first 1:43 scale '100' series was started in 1957 and this set the stage for Solido's ascendance, though models were not numbered until 1962, according to Force (1993). The first military vehicles, for which Solido has become particularly well known, appeared in 1961.
An Industry Leader
Through the 1960s, models continually improved in detail and realism, and were often based on blueprints from actual car manufacturers. The '100' series was a combination of realistic production cars as well as competition models, mostly from European manufacturers. French Citroen, Peugeot, Renault and Matra were often the focus, but vehicles from Italy and Germany were also common. British selections were not as prevalent.Starting in 1964 Solido incorporated vintage vehicles, their L'Age d'Or (or Golden Age) line into their range, starting with the 1928 Mercedes SS. These were slightly larger and more complex than the leaders in the field at the time, the Matchbox
Matchbox
A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood designed to hold matches. It usually has a coarse striking surface on one edge for lighting the matches contained inside....
Models of Yesteryear, and better finished but not as detailed as Rio Models
RIO Models
RIO Models are intricately detailed diecast and plastic 1:43 scale models made in Cernobbio, Italy on Lake Como, by a tool and die company of the same name.-History:...
. Making vintage cars had the advantage that they never grew out of date - indeed some models introduced in the mid-'60s were still being made when Solido renumbered their ranges in 1980. As the '60s progressed the models became lighter by using plastic bases, and the range concentrated increasingly on sports and racing cars. In comparison their great rivals French Dinky stayed with their tactics of modelling mostly the sedans on the French roads at the time. The late '60s were a tough time for die-cast vehicle manufacturers in general, but Solido survived whereas French Dinky closed shop in 1971. In the mid-1970s, there were about 50 models in the standard line.
By 1970, the company was fairly diversified, making a superior line of classic cars (L'Âge d'or - about 12 models), Les Militaires (about 40 models), commercial vehicles (Toner Gam - about 15 models), and "Poids Lourds", a series of larger heavier diecast trucks (about 10 different models). Several gift sets were available. During the early 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
Solido became the benchmark of the collectible 1:43 scale diecast vehicle.
Solido's Niche
For example, Corgi and Dinky used flashy, but inauthentic "jewels" for head and tail lights while Solido distinguished itself by prudently using clear plastics for enhanced realism. If Solido had a weakness, it may have been in paint. At times colors seemed odd (like the bright green for the 1960 Thunderbird) and paint application was often thin and rather grainy. By comparison, BburagoBburago
Bburago is an Italian model car manufacturer, that was based in Burago di Molgora, Italy, which made mostly diecast cars from 1976 to 2005, and then under the May Cheong group since 2007.-Early years:...
or Eligor Models
Eligor Models
Eligor is a brand of collector's diecast model cars mostly made in 1:43 scale . The brand was originally made by Hobbycar S.A. of Lausanne, Switzerland, with most models continuously made in Izernore, France, about 30 miles west of Geneva...
had rich paint jobs with smooth and glossy finishes.
While some 1:43 scale diecasts like the Italian Polistil
Polistil
Polistil was a toy company headquartered in Milan, Italy, with production center in Chiari, Brescia. Polistil specialized in diecast metal and plastic vehicles of all sizes. The company also made toy and model tanks, dolls, robots and TV tie-ins...
in the late 1960s with their Politoys M-Series, used a very handsome metal "wire" wheel, Solido beat that in their 100 and GAM 2 series in the 1970s by impressively copying the wheel styles from the actual vehicles. Thus Solidos usually had a unique wheel style for every model. To keep down production costs, the competition usually used one (often simple or unattractive) style common to most vehicles in their lines. Eventually, even for Solido, this became impractical and the company stopped using unique wheel designs around 1980.
The trade-off in superior wheel detail was in not having all parts open or move, as seen with Politoys' M Series
Polistil
Polistil was a toy company headquartered in Milan, Italy, with production center in Chiari, Brescia. Polistil specialized in diecast metal and plastic vehicles of all sizes. The company also made toy and model tanks, dolls, robots and TV tie-ins...
, Mebetoys
Mebetoys
Mebetoys was an Italian toy manufacturer that produced die-cast model cars during the 1960s and 1970s. For most of that time the company was owned by Mattel.-History:...
or the German Gama Toys
Gama Toys
Gama is a German maker of toys, usually cars and trucks, dating from before World War I. The company is headquartered in Furth, Bavaria, near Nurnberg, a traditional German toymaking center.-History:...
. Solidos would have an opening engine lid or doors, but not all parts moved. By the late 1970s, Solido's GAM 2 series more commonly had no moving parts. Nevertheless, Solido detail remained impeccable and their cars remained the industry standard (for the price) through the early 1990s.
In 1984, older Solido dies were made in a slightly simpler form, at least in packaging, and sold as the Verem brand, a subsidiary started by the Veron concern of Majorette. The purpose of Verem is not entirely clear. Many Verem Models were done very tastefully, so, it appears Verem was a cheaper line using older Solido dies. Boxes from the time say that Verem was based in Rouvres, a couple of miles south of Solido shops in Oulins.
Other sizes, besides 1:43 were also introduced, such as the 1:18 scale Prestige line that was popular in the 1990s. The Mini Cooper in this larger size was made in 1:16 scale. As with most model makers, Solido also offered models in different promotional editions, like the Renault van decorated with "Vote for Coluche" markings. It was made when irreverent French comedian Michel Coluche briefly ran for president of the country, then pulled out when polls showed he actually might win.
Solido Today
Majorette influence in the 1980s, brought some simplification of models, but without harm to overall quality. In the mid-1990s, Majorette Toys purchased the Portuguese Novacars factory and formed a conglomerate called Ideal Loisirs. Solido production was halted for a time, until January 1996 when Triumph-Adler AG of Nurnberg, Germany, took over Idéal Loisirs/Majorette/Solido (Militaires Solido website). Solido miniature production was commenced again.About 2000, much production was shifted to China and dies from some other companies, like the Spanish Mira were used. Solido became part of toy producer Smoby when it bought Majorette in 2003. Smoby became part of the Simba Dickey Group which also owns German model producer Schuco
Schuco
Schuco is a German toy maker founded in 1912 by Heinrich Müller and the businessman Heinrich Schreyer in Nuremberg, since early days, Germany's toy capital. Its specialty was usually cars and trucks in both tin and diecast...
. Reportedly, Majorette was to be divorced from Smoby again in 2008 and sold to MI29, a French investment fund which owns Bigben Interactive, but the Simba-Dickie website in early 2011 still included Majorette and Solido.
Catalog Content Analysis
Though the focus has always been French vehicles, that emphasis has magnified somewhat over time. An inspection of 115 vehicles in the 1975 catalog shows 48 percent of Solido offerings to be French made vehicles (Berliet, Saviem, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, Simca, Matra, etc.) with nine countries represented. German offerings came to 26 percent. Italian - 18%, and Great Britain, New Zealand, Sweden, Spain, Russia and the United States were all represented. The U.S. had 10 percent of the models.A count of all French vehicles of the 175 portrayed on the Solido website in 2010 came to 52%. While German vehicles made up 10% fewer offerings, Japanese vehicles were 12% (no Japanese vehicles appeared in 1975), beating Italian (11%) and British (6%) offerings. American vehicles were only 2% of vehicles - mainly military vehicles of the past, which is very different from Solido of the 1980s when Cadillacs, Thunderbirds and Studebakers, among others, were offered. American, German, Italian, and British models were less prevalent after 35 years, and three fewer countries were represented.
So over the decades, offerings have become nationalistically more concentrated on French vehicles with somewhat less diversity of international offerings. Traditional Solido lines have been maintained, but the company seems to be in heavier competition, not only with Norev
Norev
Norev is a French manufacturer of diecast metal model cars. It has normally has produced modern and vintage European vehicles, especially French vehicles - though Italian, German, and American vehicles were also produced.-History:...
, but with the likes of French Eligor
Eligor Models
Eligor is a brand of collector's diecast model cars mostly made in 1:43 scale . The brand was originally made by Hobbycar S.A. of Lausanne, Switzerland, with most models continuously made in Izernore, France, about 30 miles west of Geneva...
and Portuguese Vitesse
Vitesse Models
Vitesse was started in 1982 as a Portuguese company making diecast cars mostly in 1:43 scale. It was founded in the city of Oporto and is a brand name of Cinerius, Ltd.-The Fit of Vitesse:...
in the selection, fit and finish of models.