Sablon diecast

Sablon was a Belgian company near Brussels that made diecast zamac toy cars in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Models were mostly in 1:43 scale and were similar in concept to Dinky Toys or Solido.

Sablon also negotiated a promotion with Jaques Super Chocolat, a Belgian confectioner, supplying cars with chocolate purchases. These cars had a different labeling on the base which simply said "Jaques" and usually featured round white stickers on the doors of the cars with the logo of Jacques - a rearing knight on a horse (Beck, No date; mDiecast 2012).

The main issue with Sablon toys was that a softener used in the rubber in the tires caused a chemical reaction with the plastic of the wheels causing a severe melting of the wheels (Beck, No date; Bickford 2009). This was an issue also seen in some other European models like AutoPilen whose tires would interact with the plastic base of the container. Sablon models came from the factory with this inherent defect, thus a Sablon surviving with perfect wheels and tires is a rare, if not impossible, find.

The line of Sablon Mercedes trucks apparently did not suffer from the wheel problem. Though they had the same wheel design, they wheels were unpainted (white, yellow, brown, etc.) and not chrome - or made of a distinct type of plastic.

Often, collectors seeking the keen detail of Sablon miniatures will replace the tires and wheels with different ones for a better appearance. Usually, the rubber would not be damaged and the melted wheels can be peeled away, revealing perfect tires. Perhaps if a collector wants an original Sablon as it was designed and produced in the factory - one may want at least one exhibiting the interesting defect.

Early Sablon Jacques models came in cardboard boxes that were red on the sides with the Chocolate company logo, with opposing sides featuring an actual photograph of the real car. Some of the Chocolat Jacques cars appeared in orange and yellow boxes labeled "Ecurie Renstal Jacques" or, Jacques Racing Team (mDiecast 2012).

Cars supplied to Yonezawa appeared in a blue box with a photo of the model (NSU Club 2010). Normal Sablon Cars also appeared in a rather strange clear plastic carriage with open sides and the model being supported within the clear plastic on a piece of cardboard. This whole assembly was put into an unmarked cardboard box. Others were in a clear flexible plastic container.

Boxes for the Mercedes trucks were orange with windows and featured thin blue and black stripes. They were marked "Production Sablon".

After 1972, the tooling for several of these cars moved to Spain and were produced by Nacoral Intercars in Iberia (Bickford 2009). Nacoral, of Zaragoza, apparently got a license from Sablon, while simply copying the designs of other diecast makers in Europe. The BMW 1600, Mercedes Benz, and others can also be found with the Nacoral name on the base (Bickford 2009).

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