Vanguards Die-cast

History
Launched in 1996, by Jack Odell and his company Lledo, (Lledo is Odell spelled backwards) Vanguards is a series of die-cast 1:43 (and 1:64 commercial) scale model vehicles designed for the adult collector spanning half a century of motoring in Britain. Originally sometimes called the "Fifties and Sixties Classic Collection" and with the motto 'Setting the standard' They were first produced from 1996 to 1999 under the ownership of Lledo, with the first model being the VA1000 Navy Blue Ford Anglia. Since 2000, Vanguards have been produced under the ownership of Corgi Toys.
By 1998, Vanguard's parent company, Lledo PLC was the largest die-cast model making company still manufacturing in Great Britain employing around 300 people, and producing over 6 million models per year
Even though sales remained strong, Lledo could not compete with cheaper imported models produced in China, and in late 1998, Lledo' s own parent company, HCG Group collapsed; making 250 workers redundant in the process. After HCG Group's bankruptcy, Lledo continued production whilst a buyout for the company was being sought, Although, with no buyout prospects, Lledo PLC was forced to call in the receivers in November 1999. Almost immediately, rival diecast model maker Corgi started discussions with the official receiver and agreed to purchase Lledo and all its assets for £1.95 million. Just six weeks later, Lledo Collectables, as it was now called, previewed its first products at the 2000 British Toy & Hobbies Fair at the Olympia exhibition theatre in London. The last tooling designed by the original Lledo team was the VA38000 Vauxhall Victor F Series MK1, but was only brought into production once under Corgi Toys ownership. (Ref: Vanguards Collectors Guide 2005 pg. 4)
In 2000, main production was moved from Enfield, UK to China in order to maintain competitive prices (Although production did overlap for a year or two with some models being produced in the far-east as early as 1998.). And the once proud slogan "Designed and Built in England" was changed to "Precision Die-cast replica" following the moving of production. Although, design and development of models still took place in the UK. The first model to be produced in China was the VA02700 Rover 2000 P6 Saloon, and the first model to be released under Corgi's ownership was the VA04000 Singer Chamois. This too was developed and designed by the original Lledo team, but was never released before hand due to financial trouble at Lledo prior to the acquisition by Corgi. Both the Victor and Chamois were produced in China. According to a Corgi blog from 2017, The Singer Chamois was first designed as a cost effective way to bring a new model into the range, seeing as it shared many parts that had already been developed with an existing Vanguards release; The VA26000 Hillman Imp
Under Corgi's new ownership, several changes were made to the Vanguards line-up. In order to increase the desirability of the range to collectors, a limited edition policy was introduced with all future tooling's being shipped with a limited edition collectors card. Clear themes were also introduced, with such sections as Saloon Cars, Race and Rally, Police vehicles and Sporting Classics. Each section would have its own place in the bi-annual Vanguards catalogue, as well as different coloured boxes to distinguish between them. Following the Corgi Toys takeover, the 1:64 scale Vanguards commercial series ended production with the exception of the VA075 Morris Commercial, which was produced in various different body styles and liveries until 2005.
The first catalogue released under Corgi ownership contained no fewer than six new model tooling's. These included the Vauxhall Victor F Series Mk.I, Singer Chamois, Austin A60 Cambridge, Ford Zephyr 6 Mk.III, Morris 1300 Estate and Austin Allegro. These new models all came boxed with the aforementioned limited edition collector cards. Although, the first model to be fully designed and developed by Corgi was the VA04100 Ford Cortina Mk.II GT launched in Q1 2001
In the summer of 2003 a major new concept was formulated for the Vanguards range. This concept aimed to introduce much more contemporary models into the range. Before then, the Vanguards series had always been marketed for producing vehicles from the 50s, 60s and 70s. But this new update planned to bring the Vanguards range into the 21st century starting off with the introduction of the VA09100 2003 Jaguar XJR (Below right), followed by other modern designs such as the Rover 75, MG ZT and Range Rover. Another major change was to separate the models into brands, not vehicle classes as previous. These new models launched in 2004. (Ref: Vanguards Collectors Guide 2005 pg. 10)
In January 2004, Corgi completely redesigned the packaging for the entire Vanguards range, doing away with the classic two-piece box design and replacing it with a more modern style of packaging, featuring a plinth and acrylic case with cardboard window tuck-end box. And in 2005, the Vanguards range was re-branded from 'Lledo Vanguards' to 'Corgi Vanguards'. The Lledo name was dropped entirely in 2006 after 24 years, with the 'Philip Horn' liveried Morris Minor van being the final model to carry the Lledo name.
2007 Saw the launch of the Drive Time collection. (see 'Collections' sub)
In 2008, Vanguard's parent company, Corgi Classics was acquired by the British model railway firm Hornby Railways for £7.5 million Although the exact price varies by source. 2012 saw an updated style of packaging for the Vanguard models, which re-designed the packaging to incorporate a transparent plastic box and a different style cardboard sleeve making the model visible even when inside the packaging.
Most models come complete with a limited edition certificate, add-on wing mirrors and all models produced after 2012-date come complete with a small Top Trumps style information card of the vehicle, its history and performance statistics. In a 2012 interview, Martyn Weaver (marketing manager of Corgi at the time) revealed that the VA10800 Ford Capri MK III was the best selling Vanguards model of all time. As of 2020, There has been almost 150 different castings produced in the Vanguards range.
Collections
Throughout the years Vanguards has released a few different series within the Lledo/Corgi Vanguards range:
Vanguards Gold - In 1998, Lledo launched the short lived 'Vanguards Gold' series, which were essentially re-branded Kyosho 'Museum Collection' models produced in China and distributed by Vanguards. The 'Gold' series featured different models and castings than the mainstream Vanguards models at the time. Vanguards Gold models were packaged in acrylic casings, with each model being produced to a limited production of 3,000 models. Just a year after, Vanguards parent company, Lledo PLC went bankrupt leaving Kyosho to find another distributor. Models included in this collection were: Jaguar E-Type Coupe, Jaguar E-Type Cabriolet, Lotus Europa Special, Shelby Cobra Daytona, Shelby Cobra 427 S/C, Caterham Super Seven (Green) and Caterham Super Seven (Black).(Ref: Vanguards Collectors Guide 2005 pg. 64)
Hidden Treasures - In 2002, Vanguards launched a line-up of models designed to look neglected, worn and abandoned. Models included in this collection were: Ford Transit, Triumph Stag, Austin Allegro, Vauxhall Victor, Ford Granada, Reliant Regal, Morris Marina, Triumph Dolomite, Morris 1800, Rover P6, Morris Minor pickup & saloon, Austin A35 Van, Sunbeam Alpine and Land Rover Series 2 pickup.
Boy Racers - In 2003, Vanguards released the 'Boy Racers' range that were modified versions of existing models in the Vanguards range. These models sported racing stripes, flames and different coloured body panels. Models included in this collection were: Ford Transit, Hillman Imp, Ford Cortina MK1 & 2, Ford Anglia 105E, Ford Popular, Morris Minor pickup, Ford Escort XR3i, Austin 7 Mini, Vauxhall Viva, Triumph Spitfire MK3, VW Beetle and Rover SD1.
Drive Time - In 2007 Corgi Vanguards launched the Drive Time range and club which had several different categories for the models: Modern Motors, which included more contemporary designs such as the MG ZT and Ford Sierra Sapphire; Motorsport, which focused on track and rally models; Emergency Motors, which modelled numerous police vehicles and Road Traders which modelled commercial vehicles. Numerous limited production chrome models were also given the Drive Time name and were exclusive to the club members to purchase.
In 2007, A Drive Time branded Austin A40 van was distributed to club members as part of their membership.
Vanguards has also produced numerous vehicle diorama sets, containing painted resin cast backdrops and one - two models depending on the set. Some sets included figurines.
Model Cataloguing System
Each Vanguards model type is issued with its own reference number. These can be broken down into three distinct parts. The first consists of two 'alpha characters'. For example, 'DG' for the Lledo Days Gone series models, 'VA' for Vanguards models and 'SL' for Lledo Special License models. This makes it clear what model range the reference number is referring to. These are then followed by a numeric of up to three digits. In the Vanguards range, these refer to the model type, i.e. VA005 refers to the Triumph Herald and VA034 refers to the Ford Capri 109E. A further two digits refer to the specific colour/livery of that particular casting, for instance; VA09800 refers to the Vauxhall Cavalier MK.II painted in Polar White, whereas VA09801 refers to the Vauxhall Cavalier MK.II in Champagne Platinum.
Changes to numbering
Until January 2001 Vanguards models were allocated two digit model type codes followed by three digit colour/livery. Computing restrictions meant that the Lledo numbering range could not expand into six digits. This meant that Vanguard model type numbers could not surpass VA99000, which would restrict the growth of the range. To get around this, a decision was taken to change the change the model type digits to 3 and reduce the colour/livery digits to two. This means that models produced before 2001 will have a slightly different reference number. (Ref: Vanguards Collectors Guide 2005 pg.5)
For example:
1996-2000 issues Ford Anglia 105E had the reference number starting with VA100. 2001-onwards issues Ford Anglia 105E have the reference number starting with VA001
Vanguards Gold numbering
Vanguards Gold models had the reference number beginning with VG, rather than the mainstream Vanguards models which started with VA. Kyosho, the manufacturer of Vanguards Gold models suffixed the their reference numbers with a single letter at the end which denoted the colour of the model. R stood for red; G for green; B for blue; S for silver and K for black (Ref: Vanguards Collectors Guide 2005 pg. 64)
For example:
1999 issued Lotus Europa had the reference number VG3073K. Note: the numbers for Vanguards Gold did not follow the usual model numbering system
Lineup
Throughout the years Vanguards has modelled mostly British car brands, but in recent years has started to introduce other foreign marques as well. Vanguards has made cars from over 30 marques listed below in alphabetical order:
Audi, Austin, Bedford, Bentley, BMW, Caterham, Commer, Daimler, Ford, Hillman, Jaguar, Karrier, Land Rover, Leyland, Lotus, Mini, MG, Morris, Mini, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Reliant, Rover, Saab, Shelby, Singer, Subaru, Talbot, Triumph, Vauxhall, Volkswagen and Wolseley.

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