Great minds think alike!

Immediate post-war years there doesn't seem to be a lot going on in the world of small cars. As you mentioned, Barclay and Tootsie. Dinky was also around, though most from all of these are a bit larger scale than 1/64. There are others, I think Structo was already making pressed steel, and Doepke wasn't far behind - possibly as late as 1950 but I think a bit earlier. Midgetoy came along about that time as well, early 1950s I believe. Some other names from the very late 1940s and early 1950s would be Goodee, Its a Beaut, MetalMasters, Lincoln White Metal Works (may have been pre-war), and Wyandotte. The only two companies I've found so far with 1940s era cars and trucks made during that time were made as accessories for model railroads - Authenticast originally made identification models for the military during the war and shifted to train accessories after, and Dyna-Mo made very similar model railroad accessories. These were too fragile to be considered toys. These are names focused on America, apart from Dinky and later Corgi (mid-late 1950s), the only other names that come to mind are Micro of Denmark, and Britains and John Hill Company (JoHillCo) of England. There may be more, but these are names that have crossed my path on a number of occasions. There are more I'm sure not coming to mind...

I would add that few of these made 3 inch models, other than the usual suspects only Midgetoy and Goodee come to mind, and they are both typical slush type models from that era. MetalMasters and I think Its a Beaut are a good bit larger. Now I recall Renwal, which made a very limited range of 3 inch slush models, mostly they are known for similar plastic models.

a very interesting post.hopefully more information will be added.

Thank you very much for your answer, jt3!

Beside Dyna-Mo and Lincoln White metal works I hve never heard of any of the other mentioned brands. A lot work to do.

What about he plastic models? I saw a 3 inch 1949 Ford 4dr sedan from Marx at ebay. Made Marx more 3 inch models? Somewhere at the net I read that the production of metal toy cars was stopped in the US in 1951 because the metal was needed for the Korean War and the the rise of plastic toy cars begun. Is this right? The availability of ressources was limited after WWII too so there should be a lot of plastic model cars from the late 40's, shouldn't it? Or was the toy industry collapsed after WWII so they couldn't produce (small scale) toy cars befor the early 50's. Or was the 3inch scale not popular at that time? More and more questions......What can our older members say?

Good questions. It was all before my time so I can't answer as if I know. I understand during WWII supplies of certain resources were restricted and / or rationed. For example, a lot of automobiles were converted into pickup trucks during that period not so much because folks wanted or needed trucks, but because the ration of gasoline available to trucks was more than for cars. Pennies were made of steel for a couple of years, and nickels (5 cent pieces) were made with a relatively high percentage of silver...because the copper from pennies and the nickel was needed for the war effort. Scrap drives were held to collect metal, rubber and other materials to contribute to the war effort.

But the Korean "Police Action" was a bit different. That isn't to say metals weren't scarce or higher priced commodities because it is likely a big part or even most was being diverted to war materiel. But I don't believe it was quite like during WWII. I don't recall hearing of any rationing from that period. We're talking the first half of the 1950s, something like 1951-53, right around the time Matchbox took off.

Marx was an oversight on my part, they were in business at least as early as the mid 1930s, but I think most of the vehicle toys they made in the late 40s and early 50s were pressed steel and tin, and usually larger scale. There is a line called Collectoy (and every time I look they are in high demand - why I don't have one yet) that was around 3 inch scale, but primarily mid-late 1950s cars, where you asked here for 1940s and early 50s. Renwal was big into plastic vehicles, but again I think they were primarily early 1950s on, not sure when they stopped, but I have found a very short run of cast metal at about 3 inch by them, from the mid 1950s. At a bit larger scale was Auburn rubber, I think they may have started just before the war - not sure on that - but they were still around in the early 1960s. I still recall playing with an Auburn Police motorcycle when I was a wee tyke, but that was closer to 6 inches for a motorcycle, not sure the scale but it has to be pushing 1/12 at that size for a bike.

I've discussed a number of times how few 1940s era automobiles are represented in 1/64 (3 inch). Probably half of those are "customized," some to the point they are effectively unrecognizable from stock, and most of those are fairly recent, since around 1995. Not that toy vehicles were not available in the 1940s, but typically they were larger scale, some were even ride on size for a toddler - and typically made of pressed steel. Or they were wind up tin model toys from Occupied Germany or Occupied Japan - which makes those collectible to another genre of collectors besides us. Schuco for example, had key wind toys in the late 40s at least - possibly before, but they were typically larger than 3 inches. A lot of the Japanese friction motor offerings were rather cartoonish and probably get glossed over by toy car collectors for that reason.



This red example came in a lot and was identified by the seller as Penny, but I've not been able to confirm that. "Penny" to me is Penny Polistil out of Italy, beginning in the mid 1960s. This model was made in Japan, and is pressed tin - and it is around the 3 inch range, but vague enough that I couldn't pin an automaker or model to this, although it seems to me to vaguely have the General Motors fastback styling of the late 1940s.

I do have a late 40s Cadillac made in the mid 50s by Mercury of Italy, but it is a good bit smaller than 3 inches - possibly around HO scale.

A lot of guys turn their noses up at the older models because they aren't "accurate," but they forget these were playthings, for the most part, unless they were decorations for train sets. The technology for making high detail in miniature is fairly recent, maybe the last 25 years or so, from the mid 1990s. Prior to that small scale made trade offs, this is true even of 1/87 and 1/43. In my opinion 1/87 led the way, high detail is better found at that scale than in 1/64 as a rule, but prior to the mid 90s there were some truly dreadful models sold to decorate train sets (Eko comes to mind). 1/43 usually had a bit of toyish charm, just enough to take the edge off the realism. I confess to not being as familiar with 1/43 (I'm counting Corgi 1/36 here too) as I am with 1/64, but that's what I grew up with, so most of what I've learned at the larger scales is from guys immersed in those toys.

I find it fun and interesting to look for this forgotten era of toy cars, as much just to see what is out there, but at 3 inches the range is very limited.

P.S. - the red pickup behind the Japanese fastback is made by Marx, but dates from the second half of the 1960s, and is in the 3 inch range.

Oh, and please don't take this as be all and end all - I'm still researching and learning too.
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After a bit of looking around, not much in the 3 inch range but a few names to add to your search(es):

Tin Litho
Argo
Nomura
Lumar

I'm not much help at all here, but my great uncle gave me this one that I kept all these years, and really don't know why. There is no writing on it or any markings. All I remember is he told me this is what he played with when he was my age. I was about 5 at that time. He was born in 1919 so I always figured this thing was from about 1925 or so...

That looks like pressed tin, and the body style is a LOT later than the 1920s. More like 1940s, so that fits right in here! Models from the 1920s look more like this:



Cast lead vs pressed tin. They stopped using lead right before the war and switched to Zamac / Mazak (zinc alloy). The larger pressed metal models came along about that time as well. The smaller pressed metal and tin litho came along after the war, right around 1950 or a bit before.

Fantastic piece of history. How long is this model? Is it a 3inch model?

I have to say thank you very much to jt3 for the very helpful informations!!!!!