Aero Mini

[grwebster]

One of the last and, in my opinion, best die cast ranges for toy airplanes {as opposed to collectible ones by the current Corgi, Armour, et al} is the Aero Mini range. I met the founder of the firm who told me that he started the toy line because as a former Naval Aviator { flew F-4s which explains why there were some in the Aero Mini range} he couldn't find realistic, well made scale model toys for his children. On a trip to europe he found a Tekno DC-7C and thought it was the best one around, and that one sparked the concept of the Aero Mini line.
Any way I doubt there is any airplane collection today that doesn't have at least one example of an Aero Mini. The firm ceased operations in the early part of the 1970s making all of them around 40 years old.
Here is an unusual one:


They are many toys in the range as this early 1960s ad in a magazine shows, but there are many others not listed. I wonder how many chromed American Airlines 747s are out there? I have been looking for 20 years and haven't found one yet.

[grwebster]

Here are some others in the early card boxes

[Punks]

GR, as always, a most informative article. I love the Bicentennial 747. The rich colors and the unique dating of the product. I also have a mind boxed (actually a bubble card of the Air Canada 747. Finally I have a mint Zero. Still looks good after all these years.

These guys were light years ahead of their time.

Their legacy is in the wonderful models they have left for us to collect, or at lease dream about.

The Aeromini price list is a howl. Five bucks, for these gems. But it does provide an important list if what was available.

Thanks for sharing.

[richardstarr]

An absolutely beautiful collection of the AERO MINI airliners.
I especially like the LOCKHEED F104G and the DOUGLAS DC8.
I have several of the AERO MINI F104G, and one example of the DC8.

I think this was the world standard diecast F104G from 1972 until
maybe 2000 or so. I have managed to acquire several of the CORGI 72nd LOCKHEED
F104G Starfighters on EBAY.

\You certainly have a beautiful colour collection. Of course,
I do not have the BOEING USAF 707, nor the SPIRIT OF AMERICA BOEING
747. Yours are GREAT. Thanks so much for sharing these beautiful colour pictures.

I also have the issue of MINIATURE AIRCRAFT QUARTERLY which has the
AERO MINI story with ROBERT METCHECK, the founder of AERO MINI.
Regards, Richard

[fliegerii]

"G" stands for Germany. The F104G was the Luftwaffe version with reinforced structure to carry nuclear weapons.
I have a former USAF converted to LW 20+37, which is still exhibited here.

The Aero Mini is either the F104J (for Japan) or a A/B/C/D of the USAF. I can see in the brochure, that they were all sold under "J", which is probably a tribute to their manufacturing origin.

There was no "world standard" of the F-104, as nearly each country had it's own version. But in fact the reinforced structure of the German "G" was base for the Canadian CF-104 , the Japanese "J" type and the Italian "S" type.

[bstewart9]

Here are some photos of mine.

[bstewart9]

[bstewart9]

[bstewart9]

[bstewart9]