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This model is of the Fun Ho! #17 Austin Mini in Copper. This model is most likely based on the Austin Mini 850 released between 1959 and 1967. I'm not sure if the early Minis were built in Petone, New Zealand but certainly the later Mark 2 models were.
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There are no opening parts on this model. All features are cast into the metal of the model. The model appears to be based on an Austin Mini 850 (1959 to 1967). At the front of the Fun Ho! Austin Mini there is a cast representation of the bumper, headlights, and grille, the chrome grille and bumper being part of the base casting. Both sides carry cast body lines and representations of the front doors. The rear is cast to show the rear lights, number plate, and boot lid, with the rear bumper also being part of the chrome base. There is no interior or glazing. All wheels appear to be one piece, black plastic, typical of the Fun Ho! miniatures of the time, mounted on steel domed axles. They look massively oversized, due to the scale of the model. The base plate appears to be chrome plated. It is held in place by two machined rivets, one to the each side, just below the door pillars. The base is marked "Fun Ho!, N.Z." on two lines to the centre top and "850" just below the middle centre. |
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This is likely to have been an early issue of the model, issued in 1965 prior to the cessation of plated model production. During its original lifetime (1965-72), 45,000 models were manufactured, originally in a plated finish, and later with a paint finish. This model comes complete with its original Fun Ho! Mobil Midgets packaging (printed to represent a Mobil petrol pump) as part of a promotion with the Mobil Oil Company.
The scale is unknown but thought to be around 1:87. My reasoning is that the normal length for the Austim Mini 850 was 120.2 inches (3.054 metres) and the model has a length of just under 1.5 inches (35mm) (3054/35 = 1:87.2).
Item: 4000