The French Dinky Citroen 1200kg In 1959, French Dinky released the fifth in its series of Citroën H, 1200kg vans, which advertised CIBIE, the manufacturer of automobile headlights and spotlights. The 90mm long, 1/48 scale, turquoise model cost 325 old francs, about 6/6 and retained the familiar sliding side door for floor level loading. The ribbed, yellow, wheel had smooth black tyres. Citroën H vans had one of three types of internal bodywork: the earliest had smooth ceilings throughout; the second type had a chequered goods compartment and smooth ceiling in the cab; later models were chequered throughout. Being a later model, the Citroën, CIBIE, would be most likely chequered throughout. The baseplate for all variants described the model as 25C. Frequently sold in yellow boxes with a sticker attached to denote the CIBIE variant, French Dinky used the same strategy when the model was re-numbered 561. The model was withdrawn towards the end of 1959.

The Citroën H, TUB 1200kg van became popular because it had front-wheel drive, flat floor loading, an easily repairable body and the efficient engine from the famous Traction Avant 11cv car. The vehicle first appeared in 1939, but was re-designed, using the ‘H’ chassis, during the war years. The bodywork reflected the influence of German aircraft design, notably the Junkers 52 transport plane. The van also had Oléo pneumatic suspension. The popularity of the van led to a production run of around 1 million vehicles at Citroën’s Aulney plant, before production ceased in 1981. available in cream, blue finish. French Dinky in detail...