Code 3 Collectibles was an American company based in
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles
Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.
Geography
Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of C ...
that created customized
scale model
A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototype ...
vehicles. The company was founded by Arnie Rubin,
[ who had previously established Funrise Toy Corporation, owner of ]Tonka
Tonka is an American producer of toy trucks. The company is known for making steel toy models of construction type trucks and machinery. Maisto International, which makes diecast vehicles, acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of ...
among other brands.
Code 3 was mostly known for its high quality scale model
A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototype ...
emergency (such as ambulance
An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport.
Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...
s or police car
A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols an ...
s) and fire trucks
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to ...
,[Code 3 Collectible Diecast Production History]
on Hobby Talk.com although the range of products marketed by the company include scale model
A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototype ...
trucks
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
, and cars
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
. The company was also licensee to produce ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' spaceship models.
On April 25, 2007, Matrix Holdings Ltd. entered into a multimillion-dollar agreement with Code 3 Collectibles to purchase the company.Matrix Holdings Ltd. - Transactions, Mergers & Acquisitions
''BusinessWeek.com''. 25 April 2007 On August 19, 2011, Code 3 Collectibles announced that it was stopping all production.
/Ref> The last model released to date is a Seagrave Marauder Aerialscope lettered for FDNY Truck 46.
Concept
The models created by Code 3 Collectibles, were stock models which had been customized or converted from their original state. A few examples of Code 3 Collectibles models plain white car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
s or vans which have been painted or have had decal
A decal (, , ) or transfer is a plastic, cloth, paper, or ceramic substrate that has printed on it a pattern or image that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water.
The word is short for '' decalco ...
s added with the livery of a police force such as stripes, force badge/crest, force code etc. Extras such as lightbar
Emergency vehicle lighting, also known as simply emergency lighting or emergency lights, is a type of vehicle lighting used to visually announce a vehicle's presence to other road users. A sub-type of emergency vehicle equipment, emergency veh ...
s and possibly tools have been added as well. Another example would be a plain truck which has been decaled/painted to have the livery parts of a company. Sometimes creating new parts, removing parts, or adding extra parts are done as well to add to the realism of the model.
Types of Vehicles
Code 3 Collectibles produced:
* Fire & Rescue
** Fire Equipment
*** Engines
*** Ladders
*** Tankers
*** Fireboats
*** Firehouses
*** Diamond Plate Series (specialty series)
** Ambulances and Rescue
*** Ambulances
*** Rescue Vehicles
*** Command Vehicles
*** Helicopters
** Special Products
*** Special Releases
*** Diamond Plate Series
*** Holiday Releases
*** Multi-Sets
*** Gear
*** Displays
References
External links
Official website
(archived)
Gallery of Last models by Code 3
Code 3 Fire trucks
{{scale model brands
Model manufacturers of the United States
Companies based in California