I love these old playsets! There is a long history of aviation playsets starting back at the advent of aviation. Happily, it continues today with much more modest, but still enjoyable, sets available in some toy stores. I have several Matchbox and PlayArt sets in my collection as well as pieces from Remco and Marx.
Great fun!
Michael
I'm going to drag it over to toys for a sec here if that's cool with everybody. One of the first toys I ever had, was an airliner playset that I would have gotten around 1964-66, and my memory is that it very much resembles this toy from Remco:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No9sIvwP2us
Problem is, all sources seem to say that this toy came out in '68, and by then, I would have found this a bit "Cheesy", and I don't have any memory of the sound effects record, or headphones either.
Interestingly, only Wiki say the set came out in '65, which would put it about right for the date.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remco
I started school in September of '66, and I had this thing either right when I started, or maybe even earlier, as it's one of the earliest childhood memories I have.
Here are the three MARX "AA Astrojet Jetport" sets in order of their release, from late '50s, to early 60s:
#1
http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-MARX-1960-AA-I ... rkparmsZal go%3DLVI% 26itu%3DUCI% 26otn%3D3% 26ps%3D6
#2
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Marx-Intern ... ViewItemQQ _trksidZp3286.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI% 26itu%3DUCI% 26otn%3D3% 26ps%3D6
#3
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0314666016
Timing wise, these would be more accurate, but the playmat looks wrong, and I don't recall any figues, ground equipment, etc.
To complicate this further, I have a distinct memory of a white 707 in TWA livery like the Remco set, but I also recall jetways, like the Marx set. I know I didn't have them both, although I MIGHT be thinking of two different toys; possible, not probable, and like I said, I was starting to outgrow these kinds of things by '68, which is when I started modelling.
Building kits, I mean.
So, was there maybe an earlier issue of the Remco set, without the electronics from the '64-'66 time frame, or did I have another playset entirely???
I won't rule out that my memory isn't totally accurate, but things like toys, I recall that stuff pretty clearly.
It's possible the set could have been purchased somewhere in Scandinavia, but most likely not, because the memory is quite vivid of U.S. aircraft & liveries.
Probably going to turn into another Cessna Bird Dog debacle, LOL.
I'd sure like to hear feedabck on this, if anyone has any insight here!
Thanks in advance,
Christian
