YF Toy Comet

[Tone]

Here is a funny-looking Comet by Japan's YF Toys. I do not know what these letters stand for and the symbol does not appear on my example; however, I have seen others like it with the YF trade mark. I have also seen it as a Pan American DC-8. This demonstrates how YF and other companies were more concerned with interchangeable parts than with selling accurate toys. Note the fuel tanks on the wing leading edges, interesting details on such a small and inexpensive toy plane.

[MichaelB]

Distinctive enough to be only a Comet IV C....
Love the toy aspect of these things...wish there they were still out there on the shelves...time passed.
Thanks for posting! - as always - from your fine collection!
Michael

[grwebster]

In my early days a salesman in the midwest, in the 1970s I traveled a lot by car to visit clients. My dream was to find a small old 5&10 cent type store full of old toys. So each time I finished a sales call, I would stop at places on the way back and check them out.
It happened a few times:
One time it wasn't airplanes but an entire store carton of old Hot Wheels cars- I bought them all to give to my brother who had a collection.
Another time time in Italy, Milan, in the late 1980s I found the last of a store's stock of the Dinky "Big Planes'', 4 or 5 of them including the hard to find P-47.
I also found some boats from time to time too, but never that set of pre war Tootsietoy planes..... of store boxes of pre war Dinkies.......
Nice dream, though.

[BoeingDriver]

Reminds me of the time I spent a day in Venice back in '87 or so. At a small, hole in the wall souvenir shop I spotted a Dinky Beech Bonanza MIB! It was cheap and I bought it. Had a glass of wine next door to celebrate my find. Went to the next souvenir shop and asked for airplanes. Netted a P-47 and Stuka MIB. Had another glass of wine to celebrate. Well this went on and one until the shops closed and I had 10 MIB Dinky aircraft--Baron, Bonanza, Stuka, 737, Harrier, Tornado, two versions of Sea Stallion, Dominie, and two more Bonanzas in the yellow box! I had to catch the train back to Aviano that night and left for the States next morning. Always dreamed of going back to pan for more gold. Happens once in a lifetime I suppose.

Ladd

[MichaelB]

While I travelled over the years I also stopped at avaialble toy stores, grocery stores, hobby shops, museums and drug stores....whatever was nearby to wherever I was. In the mid '80s there was a geographical diversity and things were interesting. Even Dallas would have had different things from what Houston had!
By the late '90s all that was gone...everyone had the same generic imports from the far east....including DynaFlites which became generic at about that time.
Happily we still have In Air and Hot Wings, but they are not in the local grocery and are expensive for what they are...only remnants of a past industry.
Happily places like WalMart and Target feel they need some toy airplanes on the shelf...and they both carry the same Matchbox pieces.
I'm sure there are still some back water places (probably in Alabama or Mississippi!) where there will be stuff to be found, but it's a stretcher. Most likey in the next decade we'll see the first wave of die offs among the initial collectors leaving their booty on the market.
Michael

[fliegerii]

Reminds me of the time I spent a day in Venice back in '87 or so. At a small, hole in the wall souvenir shop I spotted a Dinky Beech Bonanza MIB! It was cheap and I bought it. Had a glass of wine next door to celebrate my find. Went to the next souvenir shop and asked for airplanes. Netted a P-47 and Stuka MIB. Had another glass of wine to celebrate. Well this went on and one until the shops closed and I had 10 MIB Dinky aircraft--Baron, Bonanza, Stuka, 737, Harrier, Tornado, two versions of Sea Stallion, Dominie, and two more Bonanzas in the yellow box! I had to catch the train back to Aviano that night and left for the States next morning. Always dreamed of going back to pan for more gold. Happens once in a lifetime I suppose.

Ladd

Considering the prices for wine in Venice, I doubt at least, that there was a financial profit with your finds....

However, yes. I also made those trips and can confirm, that by beginning of the 90's the stores were emptied and China invasion has begun. My best find was in 1988, when I picked up a Bburago Renault Alpin A-110 at a small toy store 50 meter far from my student flat. I did not collect car models, but I knew about them. Price was 7,95 Deutsche Mark and sold it for 200,- next day.