Mighty Wings and Wild Wings Diecast Aircraft

[hovermd]

If this toy helicopter were made in Singapore it would likely be very late 70s-early 80s. The card art, on the other hand, looks to be early 70s, with that "psychedelic font." I remember that the Aurora A/FX slot cars I played with were made in Singapore in the early 70s. The "JARU" sign is a fine black outline, but nevertheless it is clearly visible when you click on the photo to magnify it.

Are there black/white "universal product code" scanner lines on the card's backside? Anything before 1977 would not have these. I have a green Mandarin B-58 with a card that reads "Happi Mates." One would think early 70s from the look of it, but it has the universal product code scanner lines, which would indicate 1977 or later.

There are no "universal product code" scanner lines on this toy. The back of the card is completely blank. Also, the "For Children Over 5 Years" statement is intersting... The "ST" (Safe Toy) designation symbol showed up after Oct 1971 - this toy does not have the "ST" graphic on it.

[hovermd]

To clarify a bit more, the packaging card for this mysterious Jaru "Wild Planes" is 6 inches tall at the apex. The Cragstan "Wild Wings" helicopter cards are at least 8 1/4 inches tall, some taller. So, the packaging size is different, too.

[MichaelB]

Maybe Ja-Ru was once an importer for Mandarin before they added their name to a house brand?
Here's the Mandarin Wild Planes card.

[hovermd]

I acquired the complete set of 4 helicopters in the Mandarin Industrial Corp. [PTE ] LTD "Wild Planes" line:

Mandarin 1

Manarin 2

Mandarin 3

[hovermd]

Here's the 4th Mandarin helicopter:

Mandarin 4

I also picked up four Mandarin jets in this series at the same time... They include a Phantom F-41C, Thunderchief F-105, Mirage 4A & MIG 21C.

I'll probably sell those since storage space is officially at a premium!

[MichaelB]

Good work! Did you notice that the Jolly Green is a single piece? ..and congratulations! - I don't have the others in that series - and here you've got them all MOC!
As a Dyna-Flite collector it was almost a revelation that there was another extensive line that was even more crudly done! However they did feature the F-105, which is very hard to find!
The Mandarin line was released under a variety of names, including Cragstan, KIDCO, Lucht Macht, Speedeeeee Planes, Superwheels, Tiny Mites, Imperial, Prop Planes of WWII and Mighty Wings. The logo can be a M in a circle or just a big M.
Nice set!
Michael

[MichaelB]

Here's most of my stash of Mandarin MOC. Subjects like the Renzan and FW-200 are rare - if ever - in any "toy" airplane line. These actual pieces are very rare on the market as well.

[MichaelB]

Here are some of the other names used by Mandarin and other suppliers using their products.

[hovermd]

I was lucky enough to finally pick up a Wild Wings "Huey Cobra:"

Wild Wings Huey Cobra

[MichaelB]

Here's one I had never seen - a Mighty Wings CH-54 Sky Crane! It's a rather large and heavy one piece casting with the obvious rotor and a detachable, plastic troop carrier, or van. There are no ID marks on the helo itself and it looks exactly like a bigger copy of the excellent Zylmex/ZEE/Dyna-Flite Ch-54.
On the "cargo carrier" is molded "Cragstan, 1970, Made in Hong Kong".
I have never seen this listed on any of the card backs or anywhere else; I'll need to check Richardsons' but the name and date are at least obvious!