Lledo
Lledo started in 1982, when Lesney Products (Matchbox Toys Ltd.) went bankrupt. They were bought by Universal Toys, 'Lesney Products' was removed from all molds, and Jack Odell (ex-president of Matchbox) created a new die-cast model company which they named 'Lledo' (Odell backwards). They bought up much of the Lesney tooling and machinery from Matchbox factory in Enfield and they began the 'Days Gone' series.
In 1987 they launched a Limited Edition 3-piece themed set, commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Flying Corps, representing early airfield support vehicles which proved popular and set a new trend in Days Gone collecting. It was followed, in 1989 (the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain), with two commemorative sets (a limited edition and an unlimited set) containing different models representing airfield support vehicles from of the Battle of Britain.
In 1998 Lledo was the largest die-cast model making company still manufacturing in the UK and in 1999, Corgi purchased certain assets from Lledo, including the right to the brand name of Lledo and certain tooling.
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