Corgi Batmobile web site

Corgi Boxes

1976 "Gift Set 40"

1976 saw the introduction of a Batcopter and the second version Batboat,

The Gift Set 40 included all three vehicles.

1976 Gift Set 40

The Car, Boat and Trailer and Batcopter

The car, boat and boat trailer were the same as in the 1976 GS 3. The Batcopter was a Corgi Batcopter #925. The Corgi Batcopter 925 was based on the Corgi Police Helicopter 921 which was based on the real-life Hughes 500 turbine-powered helicopter (military designation OH-6). The Corgi Batcopter was painted glossy black and featured red-orange scalloped rotors (resembling bat wings) and an operating winch. Inside the Corgi Batcopter was a little Batman but no Robin. There were actually two versions of the Corgi Batcopter. At first glance, they appear identical but there is a subtle difference visible in the body molding at the top of the windscreen. The first version Batcopter shows an elevated ridge in the body molding near the top of the screen that is not present in the later Batcopters. There is a more obvious difference between the two version in the construction of the winch but it is only visible if you disassemble the Batcopter. Based on the random sampling of Batcopters, the first version Batcopter is much more common. In the 1966 Batman movie, the Batcopter was really a Bell 47 piston-powered helicopter. Since the Corgi Batcopter didn't at all resemble the "real" Batcopter and since I think the scalloped rotors are hokey, I am not a fan of the Corgi Batcopter and do not consider it to be a "must have" item for the Batman enthusiast.

The Box

The 1976 style GS 40 box was an elongated version of the GS 3 box. It was primarily dark blue and yellow and featured a graphic of the Batmobile, Batboat and Batcopter on the top of the box. This graphic extended above the top of the box, similar to the fold-down flap on the 1967 box, but the graphic did not fold down. The rear of the box showed a photograph of the Corgi Batmobile, Batboat, and Batcopter. The box had a white insert made of styrofoam with a piece of white cardboard that helped to hold the Batcopter in position.

1976-79 GS40 box type 1 - 12 spoke whizzwheels Batmobile, orange fin Batboat (with no Batman and Robin) and for the first time the Batcopter was included. This was a long box with header card showing a pic of all the vehicles on the back. Only rockets were included.

First box : 1976 - 1978 - With logo "CORGI"
Last box : 1979 - With logo "corgi" in single case letters, as opposed to capital lettering

Some of these were actually dated, on the inside of the flap. It will have 2 different sets of numbers, for example 14/76, which shows the week number it was made and the last 2 numbers the year it was made.