Batmobile : Corgi Boxes

The Box

1976 window style box. The backside of this box showed a photo of the actual Corgi Batmobile. By this time, Corgi apparently decided it was too expensive to include the instruction envelope, etc. So the instructions were printed on the box. It included a sprue of 12 yellow missiles.

There are 4 different versions of this box, all with some different printed words on the back top right corner. Also, last versions of this box simply had Corgi on the front in single case letters, as opposed to capital lettering on the rest. All 3 versions of this box were the first boxes " for 3 years and over" on the front. All of these definitely had Robin in, or at least were meant to. It wasn't uncommon to find that he'd fell out of the car into the box, or he'd simply been robbed out of the car, along with the missiles usually. The easiest way was to just tip the box up, and wiggle it and you'd find that Robin just falls out. Since the boxes weren't sealed it was quite an easy thing to do. This is why the Batboat came with Batman and Robin tied together with a piece of elastic, but no-one thought to do it with the car !! Because of Robins size, he was lost very easily so i guess people really didn't want to buy the car again, or at least the parents lol !!! This Robin, along with the later pink one, are the hardest and the rarest to find today.

These boxes contained the 12 spoke whizzwheels Batmobile (light blue canopy with national periodical, clear or purple canopy only with national periodical).

It seems to me though, apart from the very first box change (which was done so you could see the car instead of mr shopkeeper having to keep taking the car out of the box to show you) that all the box changes occurred when the car itself had changed in some major way, so as to get more people buying the car again. Most of the wheel changes coincide with a box change, so it wouldn't surprise me if this was the case. (unfortunately, i didn't ask about the box changes apart from the first). The car was intended as a collectors piece, not a toy, which is what the first box designers had in mind when they designed it. They changed the box to allow you to display your car in the box without gathering dust, as there was no protection with just the inner plinth display, and also it helped sell the product as you could now see it instead of asking mr shopkeeper (who was very busy) to open it.

As regards to the 76 boxes, this was the first type of box at all to have for 3 years and over on. If memory serves it occurred on all 6 types of this box, but the single case lettering of Corgi would have been the last one released of this type of box.

In fact, it only appeared on that type of box and the header card type following i think. On the last issue wide wheeled they changed it to 36 months, instead of 3 years.

The different of the words of FONT Style printed on the Box, and
sentence, and the design of Logo Mark of " Corgi " is changed at " E, F& G type ".

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 8/77, which shows the week number it was made and the last 2 numbers the year it was made.

We will show you that Original Intact Condition of the Box & Missile.
The description of gimmick action was printed on the bottom of the Box from this version.

So many option was reduced for cost down.

The different of the words of FONT Style printed on the Box, and
sentence, and the design of Logo Mark of " Corgi " is changed at " E, F & G type ".

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

Type B (21/76) ...

Type C without green word on the top...

Type C without green word on the top

One B type box which appears to have the inner card fixed to the outside box, but I have not forced it to see if it is just old and stuck. It sits at the usual height at the bottom of the window, and does not appear elevated like Reeves box. There is no messy glue visible, and the cardboard appears to be the usual grey type, not brown. It is marked 2/77 on one inside flap. It does not have the green printing in the yellow stripe on top

Type D with green word on the top...

Type E (19/78 & 28/78)

A couple of C type boxes. On the bottom of both boxes, where the instructions are shown, the only writing in the yellow picture of the batmobile states: "Made in Great Britain". One says 28/78 on an inside flap, and the other says 19/78 on its flap, so they are not from the same printing. Both are the usual grey card, and the inner stand is not fixed to the box.

Type E (32/78)