Playart

Lore & Background

Playart die-cast cars were mostly distributed under the name Peelers, the in-house brand for Woolworth. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sears sold them as Road Mates, McCrory stores as Freewheelers, and the American distributor Model Power packaged them as Road Kings. Another series was marketed as FASTWHEEL with each letter a separate color on a checkered black-and-white background. New York distributor Charles Merzbach sold them as Charmerz Super Singles. The Playart name did not accompany all packaging.

The 1:64 scale line had a complex identification system with numbers found on display posters, blister-paks, and occasionally on the vehicle base. Forty-eight vehicles have been confirmed as the original line-up. Early models had metal bodies and metal bases painted 'chrome' with the Playart script; later 1970s models had glossy black enamel bases, and late 1970s/early 1980s releases mostly had plastic bases. Wheel styles evolved from a 'hub-cap' design inside black plastic tires to an oversized five-spoke wheel, with other variations including a thin ridged design and one with concentric circles.

Playart also produced HO scale trains, including copies of Lima brand trains from Italy, sold under Model Power and Tomy. The airplane line was called 'Fastwing', in two sizes (1:148 and 1:215), featuring models such as the Bf 110, ME 410, DC-8, Boeing 314 Clipper, and P-38 Lightning. A line of miniature tanks was also produced.

Reader's Guide

Playart occupies a distinctive place in die-cast collecting due to its unusual marketing approach and model selection. While many Hong Kong and Chinese makers of the 1970s and 1980s produced generic or copycat vehicles, Playart chose marques such as a 1967 Eldorado, Fiat X1/9, Rolls-Royce Corniche coupe, and Lotus Elite, showing a more refined automotive knowledge. The Plymouth Barracuda was realistically labeled 'Barracuda Formula S' on its base, though the 1969 Mustang Coupe only said 'Mustang'. The company's use of multiple brand names—Peelers, Road Mates, Freewheelers, Road Kings, FASTWHEEL, Charmerz—reflects a diverse distribution strategy across different retailers and markets. Many Playart castings were influenced by other brands: the Thunderbird, Barracuda, and AMX resemble early Hot Wheels; the Porsche 910 and Carabo are similar to Husky/Corgi Jr. dies; and the Jensen FF looks like a scaled-down Dinky model. The Singapore firm Mandarin may have used some Playart dies for truck models. Playart's later fire trucks and other vehicles were sold as Model Power toys for train sets, usually without reference to Playart.

Did You Know?

• The name 'Playart' appeared in all lower case with a larger 'a' in 'art' and dots in the bowls of the letters.
• A Playart Mazda Rotary Coupe was initially identified on its base as 'Yamada Super Discmatic Rotary Coupe', copying the brand name from a model kit box.
• Playart trains included replicas of the Japanese hi-speed Shinkansen and were also sold under the brand names Model Power and Tomy.