Corgi International
Collectibles | |
Founded | 1978[1] |
---|---|
Defunct | 2008[2] |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Michael Cookson[3] Darren Epstein[4] |
Products |
|
Brands | |
Number of employees | 159[6] |
Subsidiaries | Corgi Classics Ltd. (1999–2008)[5] |
Corgi International Limited (formerly known as Zindart International Limited) was a manufacturing company established in 1978 which in 1999 became owner of the Corgi brand after acquiring the independent company Corgi Classics Ltd..[5]
Corgi International consisted of three distinct brands (Master Replicas, PopCo and H2go) that manufactured movie
The Company held varying licenses for entertainment franchises including
History
In July 1978, "Zindart International Limited" was incorporated in
In July 1999, the company acquired
After renaming the company to "Corgi International Limited", in December 2006 the company sold their Zindart Manufacturing division. Corgi also operated a book and paper division, Hua Yang, which Corgi acquired in February 1998 and had sold in May 2004. In December 2006, Corgi acquired Cards Inc. and merged with Master Replicas.[8] After these acquisitions, Corgi began the process of reclassifying product categories and channels of distribution to be more closely aligned with the strategic direction and organization structure of the company.[clarification needed]
In April 2008, Corgi International sold the Corgi Toys brand, tooling and intellectual property rights to Hornby Hobbies Ltd.[9][5] This sale did not include licensed properties such as James Bond and Star Trek.
Master Replicas
The "Master Replicas" brand (also known as MR) produces
Master Replicas holds varying licenses for entertainment franchises including
Master Replicas has also been commissioned to make items for corporations to resell on their own. For example, MR made a 1/6 scale
Force FX
Master Replicas is known for their Force FX product line which recreated various lightsabers used in the Star Wars movies. They were in production from 2002 to 2007.[14]
Master Replicas no longer produces this product line but has adapted the technology to replicas of other items including the
Closing
Master Replicas closed upon Corgi International expiry. The Master Replicas brand is now owned by business development Darren Epstein who bought it from the administrators.[4]
Relaunch
On December 29, 2022, Darren Epstein announced via Linkedin that he was relaunching the Master Replicas brand, had acquired licenses belonging to Eaglemoss, and will be "starting to put some ranges up for sale".
Legal proceedings were issued against former employees trying to pass off use of the brand in 2019, and that ceased as they had no rights for the brand, domain or usage.
In Jan 2023 it was announced that Master Replicas was to return. The announcement and email stated that Master Replicas has purchased Eaglemoss and its stock and will be marketing this product and new product ranges in due course. It was confirmed that Darren Epstein still owns the brand and was involved in the relaunch.[15]
Master Replicas relaunched in March 2023 with its sister company Heathside Trading[15] owned by Robert Myers and John Nelson. Heathside is a UK owned entity with over 40 staff based in Preston and London, England. It holds many licenses for many different Pop Culture ranges.
Each week Master Replicas has been releasing product that was purchased on the Eaglemoss liquidation. There were three parts of the liquidation, UK, EU and USA. It seems Heathside Trading purchased each company liquidation under the bankruptcy and has been working with Master Replicas in sale of this inventory.
Master Replicas has announced new licensing agreements with CBS, Expanse, Stargate amongst other for the continued launch of the company.
Cards Inc.
Cards Inc., based in
The Cards Inc brand name and its trading card game, sticker, and collectible trading card-based business was sold[16] in April 2008 the remainder of the Cards Inc business continued its distribution of pop culture collectibles under the name of "PopCo Distribution".
Cards Inc held the record for the fastest selling TSV on QVC of 12,000 units in 11 minutes on a
On October 31, 2008, PopCo Distribution was placed into administration, which is the rough equivalent to Chapter 11 reorganization in the United States.[2]
References
- ^ a b Zindart Ltd. on Encyclopedia.com
- ^ a b "Corgi International Limited Announces That Two of Its Wholly Owned United Kingdom Subsidiaries Have Been Placed into Administration". 31 October 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ Master Replicas. Corgi International. Archived from the originalon 2007-12-25. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
- ^ a b Master Replicas Interview: Darren Epstein on Stargate & Dune Ships by Tyler Treese on Comingsoon.net, 7 Oct 2023
- ^ a b c d e The history of Corgi on Hornyhobbies.com
- ^ "Company Profile for Corgi International Ltd (CRGI)". Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ^ Corgi International Limited announces a license agreement with Nintendo of America on Actionfigureinsider.com, June 19, 2007
- ^ CORGI INTERNATIONAL LIMITED – Hong Kong S.A.R., China. November 17, 2006 on Sec.gov
- ^ "Hornby to buy Corgi in £7.5m deal". BBC News. 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
- Master Replicas. Corgi International. Archived from the originalon 2007-12-25. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
- ^ Master Replicas brings back legendary Doctor Who statue line, launching today BY JOHN FREEMAN on Downthetubes.com – DECEMBER 8, 2023
- ^ "Introducing the eFX to Star Wars". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. 2008-01-10. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ The Legend of Zelda: anuncian el lanzamiento de una réplica real de la Master Sword by Dan Villalobos on Yahoo!, 16 Nov 2023
- ^ FX-LIGHTSABERS on Saberproject.com
- ^ a b A word with… Darren Epstein of Heathside Trading by Tessa Clayton on Licensingsource.net – November 21, 2023
- ^ "Corgi sells Cards Inc unit". Pigtail Pals. April 11, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2020.