Polistil (first called Politoys) 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. After a 33 year span, and a collaboration with Tonka, Polistil went out of business in 1993.
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The origins of Politoys as a company are somewhat of a mystery. The company began as Politoys APS in 1960, and started production of plastic cars in 1:41 scale. As the '60s progressed some models were produced in fiberglass - tougher than the plastic and less prone to warping. Following trends set by Mercury on the same Italian soil, and Corgi Toys, Dinky Toys, Norev, and Solido, a change was made to diecast metal vehicles in 1965 (Rixon 2005, p. 36). About 1970, the company name was changed to Polistil, supposedly because of the similarity with the name of the British Palitoy (Force 1992, 208-209).
The company's main research and design center was in Milan. Larger toys for children were produced here, including large trucks and dolls. Most vehicles were made at the Chiari, Brescia manufacturing center which focused on the production of diecast vehicles (Polistil 1975).
As seen below, Polistil kept track of its vehicle lines using sets of capital letters followed by numbers, and not the use of series of numbers only.
Most, but not all, of Polistil's lines were prefaced with letters: CE, RJ, S, MS, etc., but the company did not start with the beginning of the alphabet. With Politoys’ diecast 1:43 scale M-Series starting 1965, the company arguably became one of the most respected names of the decade in accurately diecast vehicles along with French Solido, fellow Italian Mebetoys and German Schuco (Rixon 2005, p. 80). Dinky and Corgi were also strong competitors and Politoys never matched their success in the United States nor did they produce as wide a range of models as those two leaders in the field.
During the 1960s, each diecast model company had a unique approach and a unique market. Politoys’ M-Series at first offered 16 vehicles, with numbers starting at 500, and grew as the decade progressed. Unique models produced that were not found elsewhere were the Iso Rivolta seen above, a Chevrolet Corvette Pininfarina Rondine Coupe, and the first Lamborghini - bugeye - 350 GT (Rixon 2005, p. 37). While competitor Solido’s niche in the diecast market was offering unique wheel styles for each model, Politoys countered by having most parts move on most models; hoods, doors, and trunks opened – and most vehicles had tilting seats (Politoys 1968; Rixon 2005, p. 79). The M-Series’ generic wire wheels were not authentic to real vehicles, but were quite attractive and classy looking. Similar to Corgi, Dinky, and Mebetoys, however, Politoys M used jewels for headlights, while Solido chose more realistic clear plastic lenses.
In 1968, the 500-series started included models labeled as "Export." These were slightly cruder than the M-series, with fewer opening features. By 1970, Politoys has "used up" the numbers from 500-599, including some metal versions of models previously produced in plastic. By this time they also had experimented with plastic wheels on low-friction axles - similar changes were being made by Dinky, Corgi, Lonestar and others in reaction to the success of Hot Wheels models. These added to the play value but detracted from the realism.
Later 1:43 scale series were the E, EL and HE. Body details were often very good with clever features, such as the Alfa Romeo Alfasud with complete ski equipment on the roof. Generic chrome plastic wheel designs, however, were pretty ugly in the late 1970s. The EL-Series was much better than the E in this regard. David Sinclair, an Erie, Pennsylvania, importer who was responsible for starting much of the diecast car collecting hobby in the states noted that one interesting model in the EL line was an AMC Gremlin (Sinclair's 1977; Levine 2009). It was unique enough to see any American cars in European diecast, much less an AMC model!
Starting in 1967, Politoys also offered its 1:66 scale Penny series to compete with smaller Matchbox and Majorette, but the new series never gained their popularity so most were sold within Italy. Mint boxed examples are thus difficult to find (Rixon 2005, 54).
In the late 1970s a variety of previous Polistil castings were shipped to Mexico and sold as the McGregor brand (Force 1992, 208). McGregor sold both plastic and diecast versions of Polistil toys.
By the early 1970s, Polistil diversified somewhat, offering slot cars and larger scales in metal. In 1973, the 1:24 scale S series (1:22 scale was used as well) competed directly with the new Martoys (later to become Bburago) (Rixon 2005, p. 14). Politoys was one of the first companies to move into this larger and more lucrative size, thus was a trend setter for larger diecasts that is still popular today. Though proportions on the larger scale Polistil vehicles was sometimes slightly off (so were some of the Martoys, and both Bburago and Maisto later did better), creative presentation made up for it. For example, rally vehicles such as the Lancia Fulvia polar expedition were stunning. This car featured white and brown paint speckled across the entire car - simulating snow and dirt.
The T series of even larger 1:16 scale cars such as the BMW 328 roadster and the Morgan Plus 8 were introduced about 1980. Some of these models, however, did not have the details of competitors Bburago or Maisto. The Morgan, for example is beautiful with opening doors, but the tires are hard plastic, not rubber; the steering wheel and front wheels are fixed; and the hood does not open, saving the cost of additional parts. By the late 1980s, though, the larger models were the backbone of Polistil sales - the 1:43 size was now being left to the higher end collector brands like Eligor, Vitesse, and venerable Solido.
The MS series of 1:15 scale Motorcycles also appeared about 1980. Racing series (see next heading) of all scales became a forte. A variety of trucks and tanks (the 'CA' series) and other military vehicles were offered. One very nice military offering was an Afrika Corps BMW motorcycle with sidecar in desert beige. TV and movie figures and vehicles also appeared but were not as popular as those offered by Corgi Toys or Dinky Toys, and are somewhat more rare today. Batman, Superman, and Disney vehicles were examples. In addition, Mego and Lion Rock military action figures were marketed under the Polistil name.
One area where Polistil probably did better than any of the competition was in racing vehicles of various scales, mainly covering Formula 1, and at reasonable retail prices. The F and FK series were in 1:32 scale and first introduced in 1970 and ran until about 1980, changing wheel designs as the years passed. The 1:41 scale CE series appeared in 1978 and featured Renault, Ligier, Lotus, Brabham, Alfa Romeo and Williams, among others. Oddly, a few tractors also appeared in the CE series (Force 1992, 81-88).
The RJ series (Penny Series) carried at least 45 Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars, while the T and L series were 1:16 scale. Like many other teams, the fascinating Tyrrell 6-wheel F1 car appeared in two different scales.
By the late 1980s, Polistil had released over 500 different vehicles of all sizes (Force 1992, 62-89). In the late 1980s, the larger scales were marketed in the U.S. in a new relationship with Tonka. Apparently, Tonka had purchased Polistil. Boxes of diecast vehicles were still red and labeled Polistil/Tonka. This included larger 1:14 scale cars. Unfortunately, competition with newer and upcoming Bburago and Maisto contributed to Polistil's demise. By 1993, Tonka had dropped the name and venerable Polistil was gone.
Edward Force. 1992. Classic Miniature Vehicles Made in Italy. Schiffer Publications.
R. F. Levine. 2009. David Sinclair in the Driver's Seat. Lake Erie LifeStyle, web published December 1. [1]
Polistil. 1975. Hardbound Polistil catalog. [2]
Politoys M. 1968. Single sheet brochure produced by Politoys APS.
Rixon, Peter. 2005. Miller's Collecting Diecast Vehicles. London: Miller's, A Division of Mitchell Beazley.
Sinclair's Auto Miniatures. 1977. Typewritten sales flyer.