DynaFlites

[Tone]

Interesting ... another contemporary toy company called Mandarin also made the Boeing SST in yellow !

I like it, it looks cool. The Mandarin plane is larger than the Zylmex, but its wings are not adjustable.

[MichaelB]

Tony, I can't find a reference to a Mandarin 2707. I see a Concorde and the usual collection of jetliners....but no BSST.
And, if we start going into Mandarins, Cragstan, Imperial and other lines that make DynaFlites look like Western Models - perhaps we should start a new topic....


Edit: I looked it up in Richardson and found it under the "M" section - but no photo. Do you have one?
Is this the same as the Wheeler "Go Line" which is the same as the "Sky Champs" issue?

[grwebster]

One of the nicest 1930s aircraft of them all - the Fairchild F-24R.
Hard to believe this same firm built one of the ugliest, the A-10 Tunderbolt II 'Warthog'

[MichaelB]

Following on the heels of Tony's new MB Shuttle, here's a look at the 3 ZEE Shuttles.
A148 was one of the 2nd batch of releases, coming in the early '80s. There were three casts, the first being the smallest, notably with "open" cockpit windows and an hinged cargo bay.
Issue 2 was larger, with printed cockpit windows but with a closed bay. I hope this meant that ZEE was looking at more accurate models rather than "toy" features as the line matured. However, the cost savings should also be apparent. It replaced the early version in the line.
In the last photo below, the ZEE Shuttle is the one on the right. The one of the left is an ERTL Air & Space Shuttle with the engine fairings, meaning it's from their issue that included the SCA 747. Their solo issue of the Shuttle doesn't include the fairing.
I have included the Modern Toy issue just to show that it was the later, larger version. I hope to do more with the Modern Toy DF issues in the future.
The third issue wasn't as a DF, but as a "Gripper" with friction drive and etc. Larger than the other two, but no better a toy.
There is a fourth issue, if you wish, in the Super DynaFlites line, the A207A. However...that's for a another topic and time. But if you add it in here that would make a total of 4 different ZEE Shuttle molds.
The Shuttle is a staple for most "toy" airplane lines, and because the use of the logos, shape and etc are not copywrit, an easy choice.
Michael

[MichaelB]

Ha! I have already received some comments about the toy line up in that last photo. The two Shuttles are explained in my original message. The two F-16 are "new" and "old" ZEE F-16s. Note the silver canopy on the "new" one. The older one has a clear piece, and while it doesn't show here, a metal undersection, rather than plastic.
The T-37 is the regular ZEE DF issue. Hard to find, and a nice piece.
The blue B-2 at the upper left is the real oddball! It's a Tootsietoy issue from the early '90s. Most who follow this forum are familiar with the various WWII and modern jets that Tootsietoy issued at this time. Although the small planes were extremely toy-like and featured "off road" wheels, they were actually pretty nice models and all metal die cast. At one time they were carried by every drug, grocery, gift shop and toy store on the planet! Not for years and years now...
The B-2 is a smaller version of their larger B-2, which was always sold separately as a "Hard Body". The big one has about a 6" wingspan. This one is much smaller, with about a 3 inch wingspan, and unlike the large one, is wholly metal.
For whatever reason these were on the market for only a short time. Although I kept my eyes open for them, I was only able to find just a few. Since the other pieces (B-1, F16, etc) were extremely common - this scarcity was a real surprise.
We'll explore these recent Tootsietoy releases at another time, under another topic.
And to add a short note about the Shuttle...since it first flew in 1977, any cast you find of it cannot date from much before then. Ditto for the B2, which is a "must" in any toy airplane line. Just as A380 "toys" are rare, B-2 toys are common - and probably appreciated by toy makers, seeing as the toy won't need pods, fins, stabilizers and other annoying parts to mold in!
Perhaps we will look at the two ZEE issues before too much longer...
Michael

[dasimperator]

And to add a short note about the Shuttle...since it first flew in 1981, any cast you find of it cannot date from much before then.

The Enterprise test bed shuttle actually flew in 1977. Admittedlty they were 'drops' from a 747 but that gave the toy makers a good 5 years to come out with shuttle replicas. I had a Bachmann one in '79 as well as the Lintoy 747/shuttle combo. Long since gone.

[grwebster]

One of the first ones was the Dinky Toy Space Shuttle put out as Dinky Toy went into bankruptcy. It never made it into full distribution and production was stopped while it was on the lines. Some can be found in plastic bags from this, but fully packaged ones are quite hard to find today. Most people don't realize how rare it is, so prices are still affordable.



Corgi also did one at the same time tied into the 1979 James Bond Moonraker film.

[MichaelB]

Ha! Those Dinky and Corgi toys look like new, modern toys!
It's hard to realize that 1980 was 30 years ago!
It seems like only a few years ago...just the bat of an eye...
These are things from before the birth of my son!