Bburago

Martoys, never had the chance to develop a firm image for itself. When the name was changed in 1976, none of the graphics or signage was kept and everything was replaced with the new Bburago design. Bburago's trek, even under an onslaught of larger-scale toys and collectibles has lasted since its inception, though it was finally acquired by the May Cheong Group in 2006 after facing bankruptcy, a fate similar to competitor Polistil. A perusal of the company history and vision on the official Bburago website under the new owners says nothing about Martoys, though one could say that Martoys was in many ways the first mover in the large scale diecast model manufacturing that was to become more common in the 1980s and 1990s

According to the report on the previous owner's whereabouts on the Gran Toros website, Martino Besana had died around 1993. As of 2008, Mario was suffering from cancer, but Ugo was in good health. Ugo (then in his 80s) with his wife had founded the Vivien Company making toy irons and ironing boards - products similar to those made in the early days of Mebetoys.

Models

According to the 1975 catalog, there were only nine basic models in the Martoys line-up, though most of these were offered in at least a couple of versions. These models were: Renault Alpine (and Alpine rally), Porsche 911 (S, Carrera RS, and "Polizei"), Fiat 127 (plain, "vigili urbani", and rally), Lancia Stratos (Marlboro or Alitalia), Range Rover (plain and airport fire), Renault 5, BMW 3.0 CS, Lancia Beta, and Audi 80GT. While Mebetoys produced models in 1:43 scale, Martoys however, focused on larger toys in 1:24 and 1:18 scales.

In that catalog, the Audi, BMW, Lancia Beta, Renault 5 and Range Rover were portrayed with photographs of real vehicles, not the models, so there is some doubt about whether all of the proposed line was produced under the Martoys brand, or if some were as yet under development - to be later introduced after the name change to Bburago. A Fiat 131 (plain and Carabinieri) was also apparently produced, but it was not shown in the 1975 catalog. A newsletter/flyer from David Sinclair, perhaps the earliest importer of Martoys to the United States, reported all of the above were available except the Lancia Beta (listed as available later) and the Fiat 131 (not listed at all). The 131 appears to have been the last model to reach production under the Martoys label.

Early models

One of the earliest Bburago lines was a series of 1:43 scale Fiat trucks, but these seem to have disappeared by about 1980, according to. Continuing the Martoys lineup, however, most models were produced initially in 1/24 scale and mostly represented contemporary European sports and saloon cars. Most were well detailed for the price and included many opening features.

Later, a range of 1:18 scale vehicles was produced which was to become the "bread and butter" of Bburago offerings. In the mid-1980s, a new 1/43 scale line was introduced. As they were held together by screws, models in 1/24 and 1/18 were also commonly sold in kit form (later, 1/43 kits appeared as well).