I've probably said this before but back in the day when I was selling model cars, it was legal to sell "models" with cigarette advertising on; "toys" were perhaps a different matter. There was a case I recall of a model shop in Oxford having a prosecution brought against them but it was proved they had done nothing wrong. Difficult to define where a toy became a model. It was the cigarette manufacturers which usually objected to their advertising appearing on models rather than the law. As I recall Silk Cut was particularly difficult.
Spark Models would often appear with a little pack of decals taped under the box. Diverting slightly this took on a whole new meaning when they produced the Mercedes Le Mans "Flying Machines". They were never acknowledged as Mercs just had all the decals taped underneath. Provence Moulage and Starter would include a little sheaf of plastic envelopes containing the non-PC decals with every delivery.
Best summed up by a little incident in the shop c. 1996. Small boy, maybe 4 or 5 and his father were looking at a display of Onyx F1 models. Small boy to Father "but Dad this Williams should have Rothmans on the side". Lack of cigarette decals had drawn his attention, hardly the desired result.
