by Doug Breithaupt
 For over 30 years, Yat Ming has produced small-scale diecast
cars. Yat Ming has survived where their competitors like Playart and Zylmex
have not. Very little reference information exists on Yat Ming's toy cars.
For whatever reasons, Yat Ming has not received the attention of the many
diecast books and magazines. It is time to correct that mistake. Simply assembling a list of Yat Ming models is a major effort. The list below is not complete and yet it may prove to be the best list yet. It has been compiled from the backs of blister-packs, scant references in books, partial lists done by other collectors and the bases of the cars themselves. My collection does not have all the Yat Ming models. If you can provide a missing image or model description for this page, it would be appreciated. Please send any images or details you can and I will update this page. Part 1 of this story will review the models 1001 through 1050. In several cases, variations or models with the same number exist, such as #1003. These models are identified at the bottom of the list. Most of these models have come in a variety of colors with a variety of wheels. Some castings have received revised grills like #1012 and #1015. Many have come with both plastic and metal bases although all the bodies have been done in metal. Part 2 of this story is linked below and covers models numbered 1051 to 1100. A story on other Yat Ming number series will run next month with models. Samples of Yat Ming packaging will also be shown. The top package to the right is from the 1970's and shows that the 'Fastwheel' name was associated with Yat Ming models. Real Wheels, Speeding Wheels Road Toughs and Street Machines are some of the other brand names used to market Yat Ming diecast.  Yat Ming has often produced models for specific distributors
or retailers. The best known of these was the F.W. Woolworth Co. The Woolworths
models carried their own in-house packaging and numbers. The Maserati Bora,
#1013, is numbered as #7124 in the Woolworth's package. This can lead to
some confusion in identifying Yat Ming models by number. Where possible,
I have tried to use the Yat Ming numbers for each model.This story project has been on my list of important articles for quite some time. I hope you find the results of value. The images shown here have been reduced to allow more to fit on the page. If you wish to see the larger image you may download a copy to your computer for personal use. The future of Yat Ming seems secure at the moment. At the same time, some danger signs are present. Yat Ming has serious competition from Maisto, Motor Max and Welly. Often these other manufacturers sell their products for less than Yat Ming. Finding Yat Ming models can be difficult in the U.S. today. Longs Drugs are one of the few major chains to carry Yat Ming's 1:64 scale cars. I recently found that models from Summer/SS were being offered in Yat Ming packages. The quality of these Summer castings is quite reduced from Yat Ming's own castings. If this continues, Yat Ming will loose credibility in the diecast market. |
 1001 Lamborghini Muira |
 1002 Chevrolet Racer |
 1003 Chevrolet Astro 1 Corvette |
 1004 Lamborghini Marzal |
 1005 Adams Probe 16 |
 1006 Toyota 2000GT |
 1007 Nissan Laurel 2000SGX |
 1008 Ford Thunderbird |
 1009 Volkswagen |
 1010 Jaguar 'E' type 4.2 |
 1011 Mercedes-Benz 350SL |
 1012 450SEL Mercedes-Benz |
 1013 Maserati Bora |
 1014 Saab Sonnet |
 1015 Ford (station wagon) |
 1016 Porsche Targa |
 1017 BMW 2800 |
 1018 Opel Admiral |
 1020 Porsche 910 | |
 1022 Chevron |
 1023 Porsche 917 |
 1024 Boss Mustang |
 1025 Ferrari BB512 | |
 1026 Cadillac Seville |
 1027 Fairlady Z 300ZX |
 1028 Mustang Pace Car |
 1029 BMW 320i Turbo Rally |
 1030 Turbo Trans-Am |
 1031 Dodge Monaco Police |
 1032 Chevy Citation X11 |
 1033 Thunderbird |
 1034 Porsche 928 |
 1035 Audi Quattro Rally GR.4 |
 1036 Toyota Celica Supra |
 1037 Dodge Monaco |
 1038 '84 Chevrolet Corvette |
 1039 '57 Chevrolet Corvette |
 1040 '63 Chevrolet Corvette |
 1041 (Jaguar XJ-S) |
 1045 '78 Chevrolet Corvette | |||
1046 - unknown |
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 1003b Chevrolet Lumina |
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click here.. |
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