From the 1930s onwards, children showed a great interest in small cars in scales close to 1:43. To satisfy this demand, toy manufacturers used various materials and techniques, mainly moulded lead and aluminium, which were gradually superseded by injected zamak. However, toy catalogues include miniatures made of "decorated plastic". This manufacturing method was mainly used by the Compagnie Industrielle du Jouet (CIJ). It consists of injecting a heated paste, essentially made of kaolin, into a two-part mould, to which casein is added to make it more plastic. After drying, the toy is spray-painted and completed with metal elements. The use of this material made it possible to obtain a low cost of production. It was abandoned at the beginning of the 1950s in favour of synthetic polymers, commonly known as plastics, which enabled large-scale industrial production.
It was to distinguish them from the toys made in this way that collectors invented the name "Plaster and Flour" in the 1960s to designate their precious old miniatures. This term was chosen in reference to certain plaster figures that were very common at the time, and which had a similar appearance. As for the addition of flour, it remains hypothetical! Nevertheless, the expression persists among collectors.
NERVASPORT RECORD
CIJ owes its expertise in this field to the geographical proximity of its workshops to the Emaux de Briare mosaic factory in the Loiret region, where the descendants of the founders, members of the Bapterosses family, are among its shareholders.
From 1934 onwards, CIJ manufactured Jouets Renault. In addition to the sheet metal and wooden toys, the catalogue also includes vehicles made of this curious "plastic material" on a 1:43 scale. These are 70 hp trucks in various configurations (firemen, brewers, cattle trucks, etc.) and battle tanks; but also a splendid Nervasport of the Montlhéry records. A real promotional object for the brand, the latter is produced in large numbers and distributed by Renault dealers. It is fitted with solid lead wheels or with removable black or white rubber toric tyres. Some of them, to be more playful, are given a start number, which is a shame for a record car! In any case, the toy drives very well.
Text: Alain le Bars Photos: Bernard Brulé
