AGD Passenger Cars and Buses, Part I

By Alexey Dyakov and Fedor Eliseev

AGD was founded in 1989 as a low volume, white metal model producer by enthusiastic collectors in Kaliningrad, Russia.

Background on Soviet Model Cars

In the 1970s and 80s, not many car models were produced in the Soviet Union, and the sales and distribution of the models were insufficient. In most cities, car models rarely appeared in souvenir or toy stores, and it was a real treat for a small number of local collectors to find them. The situation was different in large cities as Moscow, Leningrad, and Kyiv. People there often had the opportunity to buy Soviet-made car models, so there were many collectors of models. Corgi Toys were sometimes sold in Moscow, so many collectors from all over the country traveled to the capital and tried to purchase new models for their collections.

A somewhat peculiar situation with models developed in Soviet port cities, including Kaliningrad. Soviet models were extremely rare there, but models from foreign manufacturers such as Matchbox, Norev, Tomica were for sale in the foreign exchange store for sailors.

But Soviet collectors also wanted to have models of Soviet cars, so many of them tried to modify the standard models from Saratov and Kazan and create the versions of cars that they wanted. There was no Internet at that time, so information on the real cars was lacking. Some articles were published in the magazines Modeler-constructor and Technique of Youth, and some information could be found in city libraries.

The Beginning of AGD

The first models by the future owners of AGD were created from a variety of materials: paper, wood, plastic, and metal. However, in 1988, a Kaliningrad collector came across a source of low-melting “white metal”, and he decided to try to cast model bodies from it. In his youth, he had cast lead soldiers, so he was familiar with such technology. Thus, the AGD brand of 1:43 white metal models appeared, which, in fact, is the initials of this collector.

Almost all AGD models have these 3 letters as well as the year of creation of the model on the inside of the roof or of the hood of the model, although it is not easy to see anything through the windows and front wheel niches. On some models at first, instead of 3 letters AGD, there were 2 Latin letters AD.

A couple of years later, several more collector friends joined the company, and then together they began to produce a fairly large range of models of those cars that no one else in the country was making at that time.

The Models

The first models, introduced in 1989, were two versions of vans based on the Soviet post-war Moskvich 400, wood-sided (woody) and all-metal. Then the Moskvich 400 range was expanded to include a sedan, a convertible and several prototypes. (Click on each photo to enlarge.)

In fact, the real Moskvich 400 was a copy of the German pre-war Opel Kadett K38. After World War II, the Soviet Union received technology and equipment for reparations and began mass production of Opels in Moscow at the end of 1946. According to another version of the story, the Opel plant was completely destroyed, and engineers had to redo most of the technical equipment. In 1954, a small upgrade was carried out, and the car received the 401 nomenclature. In any case, the Moskvich 400 has become a very important part of automobile history. It was the cheapest car in the post-war Soviet Union, and many people who managed to buy it were really happy. By 1956, about 216,000 cars had been built.

The first AGD models used a variety of standard production parts. For example, the tires, wheels, interior and base plates came from Saratov. But later, the Kaliningrad craftsmen began to produce all these details themselves. Later models became more complex and detailed than the first ones.

The Moskvich 400 model range is the most numerous in the AGD list. By the mid-2000s, when their production stopped, the workshop produced much more than 50 different models in various variations.

The next model range from Kaliningrad was the pre-war ZIS-101 limousine and its upgraded version 101A. All these models were manufactured as standard limousines, as well as ambulances, fire chief cars and convertibles 102 and 102A. The AGD craftsmen were very attentive and tried to simulate all the technical features of real cars. For example, the convertible versions had a different body design. The rear doors on the convertible open like the front ones, but in the limousine version they open in opposite direction (suicide doors in the back). Thus, the door handles are positioned differently. Many other artisanal manufacturers would forget that fact, thinking that the only difference between a limousine and a convertible is the absence of a roof.

The real ZIS-101 car was introduced in 1936. It was an attempt to create a car for the Soviet government, which had previously had to import Packard, Buick and Lincoln cars because the Russian automotive industry in the first half of the 1930s was unable to provide them with luxury cars. That’s why ZiS decided to create such a car, and turned to the design and construction of Buick.

They ordered a Budd Company body from Philadelphia, USA. When ZiS started producing the new model, problems began. The Soviet plant was not ready to produce cars of such a complex design and could not provide the needed quality. That’s why members of the government continued to use American cars. The ZIS-101 was then used as an auxiliary vehicle in government garages, as ambulances and taxis, and by some ambassadors abroad.

In 1940, the ZiS plant introduced an upgraded 101A model with a more powerful engine and a new front end design. Convertible versions, 102 and 102A, were built in only a few copies. Production of the ZiS-101A ceased in July 1941 after the German invasion. 8,752 vehicles of both the 101 and 101A were built.

The next model range at AGD was various versions of the GAZ M1, including prototypes. AGD did not produce the basic sedan model because other craftsmen had already made it, so they produced 3 types of convertibles, 4 versions of a pickup truck, prototypes of the GAZ-21 with 3 axles, and the experimental GAZ-VM half-track. The GAZ- 61- 415 seen below is a prototype 4×4 pickup from 1940.

The real M1 GAZ was introduced in 1936. Undoubtedly, the Ford Model B inspired Soviet designers to create the M1. In fact, GAZ was created by Ford Motor Company to produce the Ford Model A and AA. In 1935 the Soviet Union reneged on the agreement with the Americans and decided to create a new generation of cars using its own experience. But they found out about the Ford Model B and took it as a basis. GAZ produced not only mass-produced versions of its products, but their designers also created experimental versions of convertibles using various designs, including four-wheel drive, as well as a special army truck and prototypes for the future. It is these type vehicles that are more interesting for AGD, unlike basic sedans.

The AGD story will continue next week in Part II.