JUGUETES ROMÁN / ROMÁN TOYS
This nice tin motorbike was a present I received as a kid and I have kept it ever since. Just two or three years ago, my father found another one, and bought it in its original package, so I now own two of them: mine and a new (bagged) one.
If we start
from the beginning, I have to say that this Román motorbike is really a copy of
a Japanese motorbike made probably in the late 60s...
The casts are almost the same, but there are a few minor differences, that make
me think, that the motorbike is a simple copy. Note that the Japanese model has
a few more details than the Spanish model and that “made in Japan” is stated in the exhaust
pipes.
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| Original Japanese friction motorbike |
The
same motorbike had an alternate decoration as a race-motorbike. Note
that the cardboard that "closes" the bag has two sides: in one of them
is a policeman, in the other one there's a race pilot, the same
cardboard was naturally used for both models.
There seems
to be a similar motorbike in a slightly bigger scale that was sold boxed
instead of bagged. This other one seems to be more difficult to find than the
small one.
By the way,
the plastic wheels are originally black, as well as the lower part where the
friction motor is fixed, I painted it sometime during my childhood in silver.
 |
| Juguetes Román - Made in Spain |
Román is another
Spanish toymaker, one of the most important during the 70s and the early 80s,
although not as important as Payá or Rico. The company was also based in Ibi,
like the two that I just mentioned, and to my surprise, it seems to be still active
and producing/importing toys.
 |
| Their factory is located in 15, Cordoba Street, Ibi (Alicante) Pic: Google Maps. |
The only
difference is that the whole production/import of toys is being made under the
brand “colorbaby”. This second company was founded in 1985 (so at some time,
both companies co-existed), and now it's specialized in toys, both traditional
and inflatable, as well as in gift articles. Colorbaby has licenses from more
than 20 international companies, including Mattel’s Barbie and HotWheels!, Disney,
Hello Kitty! or F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid.
You can visit them in www.colorbaby.es
Among Román´s
most renowned toys, there’s a series of tin cars very similar to those made by “PayáMetal”, also with friction motors, or even cable-controlled. I own one of them
that I’d like to show some other time. For girls, Román also produced toy sewing
machines, plus many other toys, made of tin, plastic and even wood.
 |
| Logos of the company - Pic courtesy of Raimundo Payá (Juguetes Antiguos de Ibi). |
- Name: MOTO RECORD FRICCIÓN
- Year: Around 1982 (Probably sold during many years)
- Company: Román (Spain)
- Size: 6,5 cm
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