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Tampo printing
A method of printing the finer detail on a model, using a system of pads which transfer the inked design onto the sides of the model.

Taxis
The taxi, or taxicab from the French taximeter cabriolet, is a familiar sight throughout the world. Perhaps two are particularly familiar: the black cab of London and the Yellow Cab of New York.

London first saw taxis around 1620: horse-drawn, they took their name, again from the French, hacquenee. Particularly well-known are the two-wheeled horse-drawn cabs of the 1830s, the Hansom cab.

In 1897 came electric powered taxis, then in 1904 the first combustion engine taxis, built in France by Prunel.

Between the wars London saw various makes of taxi: from Citroën, Humber, Renault, Unic and Vauxhall. After the Second World War the scene was dominated by the Austin FX3 (although there was also the Beardmore MkVII and Wolseley Oxford).

The FX3 gave way to the FX4, then the Metrocab, and now the TX1.

With the exception of the Metrocab, the principal taxis associated with London have all been produced in model form. The latest TX1 is already available in such scales as 1/18th, 1/36th and 1/64th.

Similarly taxis form part of the ranges of toy manufacturers around the world, so it is possible to build a large collection, including not only Yellow Cabs, but also the Mercedes taxis extensively used on the Continent in more recent years. Taxis from around the world now feature in many ranges, such as Vitesse and Lledo Vanguards.

Taylor and Barrett
Producers of a number of toys, usually made of lead by the hollow casting process. The company was established by two brothers-in-law, Fred Taylor and A. R. Barrett.

Their products include petrol pumps, road signs and street lamps, plus a rather attractive-looking trolleybus, fire engines and related emergency vehicles, an ice cream salesman on a tricycle, plus a number of cars and small commercials dating from the 1930s.

After the Second World War the two partners went their separate ways, forming F. G. Taylor & Sons, and Barrett & Sons, London.
The London trolleybus was produced in two sizes: after the war it continued in production from Barrett & Sons.

Tekno
The name of Tekno came into being in 1935, albeit its founder, A. Siegumfeldt, had been producing toys since 1928. The business was based in Copenhagen, Denmark. His first toy were tin plate, including a series of fire engines. The tin plate items ceased to be produced from about 1955.

When he turned to die-cast, the first toys were of aircraft, a fine looking Ford V8 truck, a strange streamlined articulated truck, plus emergency vehicles and Dodge trucks. Following an agreement in 1949 with the toy company of H. Lange, many model cars were produced. The agreement continued until 1969, albeit Lange was acquired by the Kirk group in 1960. From 1970 the cars were produced under the Kirk name.

In 1970 the Tekno business was acquired by Algrema, which the following year bought the Lange toy business from Kirk.

Soon after, in 1972, Algrema went bankrupt: the name of Tekno and the dies for its commercial vehicles were acquired by Vanmin BV, a company which had been importing the Tekno product into Holland: Tekno-Holland was born. There remained a stock of castings which were not part of the take-over. These stayed in Denmark, and have been privately assembled, but they cannot be regarded as true Tekno products.

The list of cars produced is very extensive, comparing well in quality and variety with the Corgi and Dinky Toys of the day. The scale generally used was also 1/43rd, although some were produced to 1/50th scale.

Between 1950 and 1965 the company produced a model of a Vespa scooter, and a motorcycle bearing Harley-Davidson or Indian transfers.

From the early days of Tekno-Holland the company has been specialising in 1/50th scale models of modern trucks. These are produced to be extremely accurate and with a high level of detail. The first release from Tekno-Holland was a Mercedes 0302 bus, in 1975.

Many of the heavy commercial vehicles produced by Tekno today are produced in British liveries for specific sale within the United Kingdom.

Television related
The popularity of certain television series led the main toys manufacturers (notably Corgi and Dinky) to produce related toys. These, such as those from Dinky linked with 'Thunderbirds' or Corgi for 'The Magic Roundabout', have proved particularly collectable.

In many respects Corgi was the leader in this field, and there were many series for which appropriate toys were produced. Many of these have been re-created in recent times by Corgi Classics.

Clearly mention must be made of one of the most successful of Corgi Toys, that of the James Bond Aston Martin: which while more film related, is nevertheless collected under this general theme. The success led to further Bond toys at the time, and indeed many are still produced by Corgi Classics.

Corgi Classics has provided models linked with The Beatles (including re-creating the earlier Yellow Submarine toy), and of many other vehicles linked with popular and 'cult' television programmes and films, such as Batman.

Themes
Rather than collecting by manufacturer, many collectors now base their collections on specific themes. The possibilities are endless, but particularly popular are the emergency services, the motoring organisations and Royal Mail.

Themes can also extend to particular makes of cars or commercial vehicles.

Thornycroft
J. E. Thornycroft Ltd came into being around 1905, although the company had been producing lorries from around 1898. The company was acquired by AEC in 1961, and the name disappeared in 1970 when AEC and Leyland merged.

Of the various Thornycroft vehicles perhaps the most famous are the 'J' type produced from 1913 to 1927, and the Mighty Antar.

There are not many Thornycroft vehicles modelled, although most collectors will be aware of the Mighty Antar from Dinky Toys, while the 'J' type really started the new wave of Corgi Classics and from 1985 this was to appear in a multitude of liveries as a van, truck and bus.

Timpo Toys
Produced by a company called Toy Importers Ltd, which in its early years imported toys from Holland and made model figures. The company was formed in 1938 by Mr Sally Gawrylowicz. The Second World War made importing more difficult, so the company moved into toy production from 1940 to 1951.

Many of the early toys were wooden, particularly necessary due to wartime restrictions. Nevertheless the company did produce four vehicles during the war. One was of an MG Record Car and was hollow cast. The other three were die-cast.

Post-war various saloon and racing cars were featured in the range, plus a number of commercial vehicles, although many of these do tend to look rather crude.

Included among the commercials were a Utility van (Tyresoles Services or His Master's Voice), an articulated box van (Pickfords, Wall's Ice Cream, Lyons Tea and Bishop's Move), a Luton van (Smith's Crisps or Golden Shred) and a box van (Ever Ready).

In the mid-1940s the company produced a series of wartime aircraft.

There is a possibility that there was a connection with Goody Toys, which produced a range of just three toy cars. In addition, certain of the Timpo Toys moulds were sold to Benbros and Betal.

Tin plate
Sheets of tin, cut out and bent into shape to form the toy or model. Frequently tin plate toys comprise several parts, fitted together by a tab and slit method.

The tin plate was usually printed by lithography before shaping. Often aspects such as windows were printed, even with impressions of drivers and passengers.

Otherwise the tin plate might simply be painted before shaping, with features such as windows cut out. Details, such as number plates, might be added after assembly.

Tipp and Co
Founded in 1912 in Nuremberg, the company was named after one of its founding directors, a Miss Tipp. It was noted for its tin plate toys. Its founder was Philip Ullmann, who, in 1933, emigrated to England where he founded Mettoy, later to become producers of the famous Corgi Toys.

Tomica
A range of die-cast toys launched in 1970 by Eijira Tomiyama, already established as a toy maker in Toyko. The company name he chose was Tomy Kogyo Inc, usually referred to as Tomy.

The first products were model cars very similar in size and concept to the Matchbox Series.
Later larger size (and scale) toys were introduced, similar to many brands already in existence around the world: these were marketed as Tomy Dandy. This range is noted for the inclusion of a 1/43rd scale London Transport RT bus, released in 1979 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of London Transport, and, at the time, the only reasonable model of an RT in mass production.

Tootsietoys
Founded by the Dowst brothers, this American company was involved in die-casting from 1910. The name of Tootsietoys, introduced in the early 1920s, came from one of its most successful products, a doll called Tootsie.

The company enjoyed its biggest success with a model of the Model T Ford which it produced in 1906. It also produced a wide range of toys, including cars, buses, trucks and aircraft.

Mention should perhaps be made of the Tootsietoy model of the 1922 Fageol Safety Coach. Versions were also made in America by Arcade, Hubley and Dent, but more importantly a copy was also made by the British toy producer Johillco.

Some of the best products from the company date from the 1930s, although they were always regarded as being toys. Indeed, from the 1940s accuracy was rather forsaken.

Nevertheless, in the 1950s a 'Classic Series' of cars was produced, in 1/50th scale. There were ten cars: six were made by Tootsietoys, being of older American cars, while the remaining four were made by Lone Star and were of cars of 1960's vintage.

Just as Dinky Toys had reflected the history of aviation in the United Kingdom, so Tootsietoys produced a number of aircraft which provide a record of the pioneering years of American aviation. These were made both pre- and post-war.

It is believed that Tootsietoys were the inspiration for Frank Hornby and his Dinky Toys.

Toys
Many of the items that are collected started life as toys. Their appeal might well be attributed to nostalgia: a yearning for a toy once owned and long since discarded, or indeed a toy which was coveted and never owned at the time. As new generations start collecting, so there is a shift in the toys of their childhood.

Trams
Models of British trams of past years have been fairly limited, with the best known being the Models of Yesteryear version of a London Transport tram, and later a Preston type. A London tram was also offered, produced in the Far East, as an 'on-pack' offer through Typhoo-Tea.

Exclusive First Editions have offered the Leeds Horsefield Tram (which, as the name implies, only operated in Leeds), while Corgi Classics have offered a Dick Kerr tram (in various versions) and examples of the Blackpool Balloon trams.

Transfers
A way of applying the decoration to a model by having the printed decoration applied to a film, which is then applied to the side of the model.

Tri-ang
The Lines family had been involved with the toy industry since 1870 under the control of G. and J. Lines. However, it was the three Lines brothers, William, Walter and Arthur, who were to establish Lines Bros as a company in 1919, adopting what was to become a familiar triangular logo.

Their factory was based in Merton, near Wimbledon in south London, known as the Triangois Works. Later they were to register the Tri-ang name.

The company became famous for a wide range of toys, including cycles, dolls prams, pedal cars, dolls houses, tin plate clockwork toys and model boats and aircraft. Brand names used included Pedigree and Frog.

In 1935 Tri-ang launched what was probably its most successful range: Minic. These were cars and vans, not intended to be based on actual vehicles, but their popularity was doubtless enhanced by their being of 1/43rd scale, compatible with O gauge model railways.

Made of tin plate, their construction was such that many of the components were interchangeable, so that different toys could be created.

Although launched pre-war, production continued post-war. There are several ways to distinguish pre- from post-war. The majority of pre-war toys had a Shell petrol can on the nearside running board: this was omitted post-war.

The front wings are round pre-war, flared post-war. A luggage rack was fitted to the rear of many of the toys pre-war; post-war this was replaced by a number plate.

Among the cars were a Rolls Royce, Bentley and Daimler: pre-war these had working headlights, but not post-war.

A caravan was produced, with wooden interior fittings. This has an internal light pre-war, but again not post-war.

The commercial vehicles were divided into fixed and articulated vehicles. Pre-war these had a long bonnet, replaced post-war by a forward control cab for the fixed body vehicles, and a more streamlined look for the articulated vehicles.

Various types of vehicle were produced, carrying a range of advertising.

The range also included an ambulance, taxi, and a bus, available as both a double decker (London Transport) or single deck (Greenline). Later the double deck bus was to have a new radiator, giving it the resemblance of a Routemaster.

Agricultural vehicles and army models were added, including an impressive Barage Balloon. A number of garages/service stations and a fire station were also available.

Sometimes unusual colour combinations of Minics can be found. They often originate from New Zealand. After the war it was not possible to export assembled toys to New Zealand: the components were shipped out for painting and assembly there.

In 1947 Tri-ang moved towards using plastic, with the result that more authentic vehicles could be portrayed. An unusual item from this time is a Macleans Toothpaste van, shaped like a tube of toothpaste and based on an actual vehicle.

An idea from Tri-ang was the Minic Motorways system, based on the principle used for slot cars. The scale was suitable for OO gauge, and many interesting vehicles were produced, including a Routemaster, various cars, a fire engine and even a steam lorry. Roadways systems were supplied, which at first were grey, but after two years black was used.

Doubtless it was thought that the system would prove popular, since it coincided with the development of the motorway system in the United Kingdom. However, it did not really find favour, and was only produced from 1962 to 1970. The vehicles were made of plastic, albeit quite well detailed, but have tended to warp over the years.

An ambitious launch came in 1959, of Minic Ships. These included liners and other vessels, and included accessories such as ports and harbours, so that authentic scenes could be created. However, the range was only to last for six years, although later was to be reinstated, but made in Hong Kong: these Far East productions lacked the charm of the previous UK releases.

For most collectors the name of Tri-ang will always be synonymous with Spot-On. Introduced in 1959 this was a range of die-cast models produced to a uniform scale, 1/42nd. The models were to include many features, not least were the detailed underside, authentic colours, suspension, steering and working headlights.

Sadly the series did not last long, just over six years. While the scale does not seem much different from the more usual 1/43rd, the models did not look comfortable alongside their Dinky and Corgi competitors. Equally, the price of a Spot-On was much higher.

Nevertheless, the range of vehicles modelled was certainly different, and included bubble cars, as well as the more familiar Ford Zodiac and Morris Minor. There was the unusual with a Batmobile and Magicar (this was in plastic), plus classic cars such as the MG PB MIdget of 1935.

There were several commercial vehicles, including an ERF 68 G, AEC Mammoth Major 8, Ford Thames Trader and Bedford 10 ton, while the smaller commercials included a Land Rover, a Minivan and a milk float.

Many highly rate the Wadham ambulance, the FX4 taxi, and particularly the London Transport Routemaster, for years the best model rendition of this bus.

Perhaps the 'star' is the Rolls Royce Phantom V as the Royal car, complete with figures to represent The Queen and Prince Philip.

Production of the Spot-On range was mainly in Belfast, with some in New Zealand. Following a fire at the Belfast plant, production moved entirely to New Zealand. Ironically, various 'spare parts' were unearthed from the former Belfast site in 1990.

The Spot-On range not only involved vehicles but also included roadway sections, road signs, garages, and even a Cotswold village.

There was no set pattern for colours applied to cars, so many variations can be found.

Mention should also be made of the range, primarily of 1/76th scale cars, produced in plastic from 1965 onwards, known as Minix Cars. Production is in fact credited to Rovex Limited (also a member of the Lines Bros group of companies) and these toys were intended to accompany Tri-ang Railways.

The end of Tri-ang came in 1971 when the company went into liquidation.

Triumph
Triumph was founded in 1887 by Siegfried Bettman, initially exporting bicycles, and then, in 1902, producing their own motorcycle.

Car production started in 1923. However, come the 1930s car production was falling, and the company's finances were suffering. The motorcycle division was sold. Despite launching the Dolomite range, finances failed to improve, and in 1939 the company went into receivership. Eventually the company was acquired by The Standard Motor Co Ltd. The result was the appearance of the Vanguard and Mayflower, until the launch in 1959 of the Triumph Herald (followed by the coupé and Vitesse variations).

In the 1950s the company developed its sports car range with the well known TR series. In the 1960s were to appear the Spitfire, GT6 and Stag. Many manufacturers have produced models of these cars, both white metal and die-cast.

Leyland took over Triumph in 1961, and subsequently Rover, which merged with Leyland-Triumph in 1967, and used the Triumph name for its Honda-based saloons.

For models of Triumph cars one needs to look at some of the older white metal ranges. However, the Triumph Herald was to make an early appearance in model form thanks to Dinky Toys, and later modelled by Lledo Vanguards.

A Dinky Toys Dolomite Roadster was planned but never appeared at the time: it was later produced as part of 'The Dinky Collection' from Matchbox. Other Triumph cars (1800, Herald coupé and Vitesse) also exist from either Corgi or Dinky Toys.

Trojan
For many the name of Trojan was linked with Brooke Bond Tea, and its 'little red van'. Perhaps it was not surprising that Brooke Bond should use the Trojan 15, as at the time both companies were based in Croydon.

Trojan had started life in Kingston in Surrey, and was acquired by Leyland in 1922. It moved to Croydon in 1928.

The company had been associated with cars and light commercials. Its 15cwt van was introduced in 1947 and continued until 1959. Although a new Trojan was launched in 1958, it was not successful, and the company came to an end in the early 1960s.

The only models are of the 15, from Matchbox '1 - 75' Series and Dinky Toys: both re-created the familiar Brooke Bond Tea red, although Dinky also offered a few other liveries.

Tyco
A large American toy company which for a while owned Matchbox until it was itself acquired by Mattel.