Tin Toy Plane Production List Project

[alas]

I think now I have checked gr showed a n 160 rico, though not as mint as the one I found on ebay.es.
And today is rico-day: how about this jet fighter on ebay.it?

[grwebster]

Great information Tone, many thanks for creating it and sharing it.

[hovermd]

UNMARKED TOYS - 1950s-80s

Fighters, Jet:

Helicopters:

Light Aircraft:

The small boxy, square green Army helicopter was released by the Japanese manufacturers ND & Ichimura. Some are marked and some aren't. Other lithos included Police, Fire Dept, Emergency etc.

The small rounded green Army helicopter was released by a number of Japanese companies like ND, Ichimura, SH (Horikowa) and K Toys. Again, some were marked and some weren't. There are lots of different lithos out there inlcuding Police, Emergency and even some airlines.

The small silver Rescue toy was released by T.T. (Takatoku) and came in other lithos like Police and Army. There are also some airline versions out there...

All the small toy helicopters above came loose, in bags with headers, in bulk quantities contained in larger distributor boxes and as a toy as part of a blister card sets. Lots of different packaging!

Finally, the medium-sized blue and yellow Navy helicopter was made in Japan by an unknown manufacturer and distributed by Cragstan. It came in its own box and had other lithos including Army Ordnance and Service. The toy is shown in a 1967 New York Merchandise Company catalog, so we know it's at least that old...

[Tone]

Dear Mark,
Thanks for your research and history lesson !

The small boxy, square green Army helicopter was released by the Japanese manufacturers ND & Ichimura. Some are marked and some aren't. Other lithos included Police, Fire Dept, Emergency etc.

The small rounded green Army helicopter was released by a number of Japanese companies like ND, Ichimura, SH (Horikawa) and K Toys. Again, some were marked and some weren't. There are lots of different lithos out there inlcuding Police, Emergency and even some airlines.

The small silver Rescue toy was released by T.T. (Takatoku) and came in other lithos like Police and Army. There are also some airline versions out there...

All the small toy helicopters above came loose, in bags with headers, in bulk quantities contained in larger distributor boxes and as a toy as part of a blister card sets. Lots of different packaging!

Finally, the medium-sized blue and yellow Navy helicopter was made in Japan by an unknown manufacturer and distributed by Cragstan. It came in its own box and had other lithos including Army Ordnance and Service. The toy is shown in a 1967 New York Merchandise Company catalog, so we know it's at least that old...

[ingroby]

Great work Tone and thanks from Rome Italy.

I found this tin plane in the basement, one of my toy 50 years ago (How old are you?)
I did not find it in your list.







The box is spoiled, but I know there is a Cragstan toy N. 71517.


If needed I can send more photos via email.
I hope I was helpful to you and friends of this forum.


Greetings from Roberto

[Tone]

Roberto,

Oh good ! Somebody who lives in Rome has posted here!

Your plane looks like it might be a variant of the Yonezawa brand Cessna. "Cragstan" sold toys in the US but I didn't know it sold them in Europe as well.

In 1977, on my first trip to Europe (I was 12 years old, to answer your question) we were leaving for the airport. My mother had had some time to shop earlier when my aunt and I visited the Forum and other sites. Since it was Sunday morning, the toy shop was now closed, but in the window I saw something I have never forgotten. It was a tin plate, battery-operated Alitalia DC-9 jet with a raised forward fuselage like that of a 747.

Have you ever seen anything like this?

Sincerely,
Tony

(I have since found a photo of said Alitalia DC-9 747. It is not a tin toy at all, but entirely plastic. The brand name is Ellegi.)

[AntonioMartin]

I had a couple of these, particularly the Jimmy Toys Pan Am 747 and a Japanese maker's Pan Am 747.

Did Delta Airlines ever have a tin plane of made?? It seems, to me, that my favorite airline of all time is rather picky with what they want to advertise with, as I have never seen them on Skybusters, on inflattable planes or on tin toys.......

[Tone]

There's one that I know of - T.N Toys Nomura Hong Kong Delta Air Lines 747. It must've been made in the mid-to-late 1970s because earlier toys were made in Japan and Delta stopped operating 747s in 1977. I posted a photo under the heading "Nikko Gangu and Nomura Airliners, Jet."

(I have since seen a photo of another: the DAIYA Douglas DC-8 usually seen in prototype colors, modified with "Delta Air Lines" titles.)

For die casts you might've also seen the Sky Wings brand Delta 727-200, and the Road Champs Delta DC-8 and DC-9 (both made from Lintoy molds). In plastic, Bachmann Mini-Planes had the Delta DC-9. I wish it were the "Sideways widget" version Delta Prince but it is not.

[Tone]

Here is a link to a web site with some great trademarks for Japanese tin toys, including some I had never seen before. On the other hand, I did not notice the famous "ET Co" for Tomiyama listed, but the site is a blog, which the owner updates.

Among other things, he states that the "SSS" with three mountain peaks (Small Grumman F-11F Tiger) belongs to the firm Sanesu, and confirms that "K" in a diamond is indeed Ohta (as I suspected) and that "S2" in a diamond is Saito.

NB: He also has a blog for Airfix kits.

http://tinplatetoys.blogspot.com/

[Tone]

Argentina
Argentina’s toy industry supplied children at home and in neighboring countries. In the 1930s the Matarazzo firm produced sophisticated, colorful tin toys, including airplanes. By the 60s and 70s, the toy planes were less original and similar to toys made in Japan, Hong Kong and, especially, Germany. Gorgo, Saxo and Vispa are the names of some makers, though many others are marked just “Ind Argentina.”

Airliner, Jet:

Douglas DC-8, 4 metal jet pods, Pan American “Jet Clipper America,” same tooling as toy planes from Japan with “H” inside a six-pointed star symbol, see.
SE-210 Caravelle “Batplane,” 9 1/2” WS, friction, Tipp Co tooling, black body, orange-yellow bat wings on wings and tail surfaces, Batman face on upper fuselage.
-Blue bat wings
-Green bat wings

Brazil

Toy companies other than Rei produced tin airplanes marked “Industria Brasileira.”

Colombia

Airliner, Jet:

Boeing 727, friction, 15" L, 17" L, nose wheel, grey plastic, orange tin upper fuselage, orange/grey plastic tail surfaces, two red plastic jet engines on rear fuselage, white Avianca titles on fuselage and "AV" on tail fin.

China, Republic of (Taiwan)

Set of small friction toy aircraft no manufacturer marks, plastic with tinplate inlays, several feature unusual pink color, probably late 1980s:
Boeing 747, approx. 3” WS, yellow plastic, white/red tinplate inlay upper fuselage, red/yellow/blue tinplate inlay on wings, Northwest Orient.
Dove Cessna, approx. 3” WS, 2-bladed prop, high wing, green or pink plastic, yellow/blue/red tin inlay.
F-16 Fighting Falcon, 3" WS, pink plastic body, "Marines F-16 Hornet" titles (F-18 is the Hornet, not F-16).
-Multicolor inlay with yellow/green.
-White/blue upper tin inlay.
F-18 Hornet, approx. 3” WS, blue plastic, yellow/blue tin inlay with red/white details, US Air Force.
Super sonic transport, approx. 3” WS, green plastic, white tin upper fuselage inlay, red/yellow/blue wing inlay, “SST 500.”

France

Light Aircraft:

Straight-wing Airplane, friction, 7” WS, 2-bladed pale green plastic propeller, raised cockpit above wings with lithographed pilots, silver, cream/red forward fuselage,”C.P.30” “F-BIJZ” on wings in red.
Swept-wing Airplane, 3-bladed red plastic propeller, dark blue overall, red arrowheads on wings, red lightning stripe on fuselage, red leading edges.

Germany
Most products originating in the "traditional homeland of great toys" bear distinctive trademarks.

Light Aircraft:

High-wing Biplane #105 (Dornier?), "Western Germany," 3-bladed plastic prop, in red or white.

Greece
Ananias Ananiades and Lyra are the names of two locally well-known Greek mechanical toy airplane manufacturers. There is also a platform featuring a single-engine fighter plane circling a lithographed Shell oil refinery in Frédéric Marchand's book Avions Jouets, Tome II 1945-1970.

Airliner, Jet:

Delta-Wing Jetliner #95, 6" L, wings rounded in front and square in back with inserted blue/red/yellow pinwheels, yellow plastic tail fin, red/silver with blue stripe on body, blue cheat line, “Europe Air” titles, “GP 07,” same as S2 toy.

Hong Kong
In the 1960s, Britain’s Crown Colony of Hong Kong became a manufacturing powerhouse. The colony exported toys worldwide. Compared to their Japanese counterparts, Hong Kong toy airplanes generally contained more plastic. The parts that remained tin, usually the upper fuselages only, seemed less bright: the colors printed on them were muted.

Airliners, Jet:

Boeing 707, 13” WS, battery, wings also used for 727, transparent red/white plastic jet pods, plastic with tin upper fuselage only, dark blue cheat line, United style red and blue broken diagonal stripe on tail fin, “Boeing 707” titles.
Boeing 727, 13" WS, battery, wings also used for 707, lighted jet engines, wing tip lights, realistic model, plastic wings and tail, tinplate upper body, same tooling as Bandai, silver/white in the following color schemes:
Red/blue United style markings with Boeing 727 titles.
Medium and dark blue cheat lines, “727 Boeing Eastern” titles, blue stylized falcon in circle on tail fin.
Blue and yellow Lufthansa markings.
Boeing 747, 16” L, battery, grey plastic wings and lower fuselage, four white/red lighted jet pods, “747 Boeing” printed in black on wings.
-American Airlines, blue,white/red cheat lines, "Boeing 747" labels on wings.
-BOAC, dark blue markings with gold speedbird symbol on tail fin.
-Canadian Pacific, orange/red, black CP Air “Empress of Asia” titles.
-TWA, red cheat line with golden globes.
Douglas DC-10, about 13” WS, battery, molded plastic with tin upper fuselage only, in the following airline colors:
American Airlines, silver/white with blue/white/red markings, “scissors” eagle on tail fin, 1970s.

India
Metal fabrication has been an Indian tradition for millennia. Indian toys were intended for domestic consumption, not export. With their simple shapes and bright colors, the small toy airplanes resemble Japanese toys from the early post-World War Two period.

Airliners:

Douglas DC-4, about 13” L, 15" WS, plastic cowlings and 4-bladed props, silver overall:
-Blue cheat line only, yellow upper center fuselage stripe, "Boeing VT-707 " fuselage titles, "BOEING VT-707" on wings in red/yellow, India flag on tail fin.
-Red and blue cheat lines, red upper center fuselage stripe, “Air India Boeing” in red on fuselage, “BOEING VT 707” on wings in blue, Sagittarius logo in circle on tail fin.
Small airplane, unpowered, straight wings with four motors, no tail fin, red/yellow/blue, “Gulshan’s” on fuselage, also revolves around spindle.
Small airplane, unpowered, straight wings with four motors, no tail fin, red/yellow/green, “Air India” on fuselage, also revolves around spindle.

Airliners, Jet:

Lockheed JetStar, 12” WS, friction with sparks, rectangular plastic spark window on upper rear fuselage, two blue tin jet pods, red upper and off-white lower fuselage, red/off-white/blue wings, “Indian Air Force” on nose, “Jet Star” on tail fin.

Fighter:

Raja Fighter, 2-bladed metal prop, rounded wingtips and tail surfaces, silver, blue stenciled flaps, windows, markings on wings “RT1632 P.d.9526.”

Helicopter:

Bell 47, wind up, orange plastic ring-shaped rotor, tin pilot under clear plastic canopy, open frame rear fuselage, red/yellow/blue, Indian flag, "President HT.61 Patrol"

Japan
In addition to the products from Japanese brands described previously are many toys with no trademarks. Sometimes, not even their packaging will be marked. I welcome additional information!

Airliners:

Douglas DC-1, 5" WS, unpowered, 3-bladed metal props, painted solid color (red, blue, green, yellow), natural metal below, free-wheeling plated wheels, punched cabin windows.
Douglas DC-1-shaped plane, 5 ½” WS, friction, folding wings, 3-bladed metal props, metal gun on nose, red/orange/yellow/green camouflage finish.
Douglas DC-1, 6 1/2" WS. wind-up, metal 3-bladed props, silver or gold plane similar to Douglas Baby with "RONJIN NO.2255" on wings, may have "FOREIGN" lithographed in small letters near rear starboard stabilizer.
Douglas DC-7, 21" WS, battery remote control, 4-bladed metal props, rectangular green and red wing lights, nose and tail wheels, thick wings, metal strip joins left and right fuselage halves, silvery-blue with red and dark blue American Airlines markings.
Folding-Wing Airplane, 4 7/8" WS, wind-up, blunt nose, raised flight deck, cream/red with blue markings, lightning bolts, also made by INGAP, with prop, and in Germany.
Twin-engine Airliner, small, friction, metal 3-bladed props; pale green body has bright yellow nose, dark blue cheat line, red upper fuselage, “Over Seas Air Line” titles; pale green and red wings have orange-yellow engine nacelles, US flag and N-105; red tail fin with US flag.
Twin-engine Airliner, 4 1/2" WS, friction, ridge atop fuselage, white, dark blue cheat line, royal blue/red wings, red tail (either solid or with two white horizontal stripes), chromed nacelles with fixed two-blade props, World Air Lines N-0732.
Vickers Viscount 630, small (about 5 1/2" WS), friction, 3-bladed metal props, thin wheels, red/yellow/blue, “UN A-38”on wings, early 1950s model, similar to King B-36.

Airliners, Jet:

Boeing 707/C-135, about 12" WS, tin jet pods, pale blue-green with red fuselage bands and bright yellow wing bands, USAF, early model.
Boeing 707, 16” WS, battery with red jet pods, retractable nose wheel, turntable underneath wings, plastic lower parts and stabilizers, red TWA markings with two yellow globes, N5402, same body as four-prop airliner.
"Boeing 720" (?), 6" WS, friction:
-DC-8, white with bright blue and red markings, "Douglas DC-8" titles.
-TWA, silver/white, twin red cheat lines, “Trans World Airlines” titles, TWA BO720.
-United, silver/white, dark blue United colors with red markings, "BO720."
Boeing 747, friction, realistically modelled, transparent red jet pods, silver/white, pale blue wings marked "Pan Am" "N747PA," medium blue cheat line and Pan American globe logo on tail, full Pan American titles in black on fuselage, "Boeing N747 PA."
Boeing 747, 7 ½” WS, 7 ¾” L, friction, blue plastic with tin upper fuselage and wing inlays, nose wheel, red/white/blue 1970s-80s American Airlines livery.
Boeing 747, 8" WS, friction, yellow plastic with tin upper fuselage and wing inlays, nose wheel, orange/red/blue 1970s-80s United Air Lines livery, N1806U, could be Jimmy Toys, Kashiwai or S2 Toy.
Boeing 747, 9" L, friction, grey plastic with large nose wheels, white tin upper fuselage with black "JUMBO JET BOEING 747" markings on rear fuselage.
-TWA, Trans World, twin globe label on grey plastic tail fin.
-United Air Lines
Boeing 747, friction, nose wheel, all tin wings, tin fuselage with plastic underparts and horizontal stabilizers, large transparent red plastic jet pods, BOAC, red speedbird on dark blue tail fin.
Boeing 747, looped metal wire attached under forward fuselage and plastic two-blade prop at rear, scale model, grey plastic with tin upper body, transparent red plastic engine nacelles:
-American Airlines, blue+white+red cheat lines and red + blue "AA" on tail fin and right wing, AAL on left wing, N7471.
-Japan Air Lines, white, red and blue markings, JA8101.
DeHavilland Comet, 5 1/4" WS, friction, pale blue overall, lithography copied from Tomiyama-Yonezawa toys, blue cheat line, red "Comet Jetliner" "DH-106" titles, US and UK flags.
DeHavilland Comet, 6” WS, friction, thin wheels, early 1950s toy, dull gold tone, red cheat line and tail fin band, green curved markings on wings, red “BOAS” titles on fuselage and G-ALYT on wing, same tooling as King B-36 and similar to UN A-38 Viscount.
Douglas DC-8, 7 ½” WS, friction, red metal jet pods, silver/white, medium blue-green cheat line and tail fin, elongated white “S” on tail fin, SABENA Belgian World Airlines, red/gold/black Belgian flag on upper fuselage, “OO SAB” on wings in black.
Douglas DC-8, 12" WS, friction, supercritical wing, metal strip joins fuselage halves, small stabilizers:
-Pan American, silver tin jet pods, off white/silver, medium blue cheat line and globe logo on tail.
-Pan American, red plastic jet pods, off white/silver, medium blue cheat line and globe logo on tail.
-United, red tin jet pods, off white/silver, 1950s dark blue and red markings, N80001.
Douglas DC-8, 18" WS, friction, silver overall, two friction engines beneath wings and dual tail wheel, indented cabin windows, dark blue 1950s Pan American livery, red titles, lighter blue globe on tail, PAA N80800 on wings in red.
Douglas DC-10, about 7” L, friction, engines lithographed on wings:
-Alitalia, silver/white with bright green and red markings, capitalized titles, stylized “A” on tail fin.
-KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, silver/white with light blue and red markings, blue crown logos.
Lockheed JetStar, about 12” WS, friction, red.
SE-210 Caravelle, 13 1/2" WS, friction, silver/white with dark red and blue Scandinavian Airlines System 1960s markings.
Sparking SST, 6 1/2" L, friction, blue plastic with tin upper inlay, red/white/blue, pale yellow-green transparent tail fin, possibly Kashiwai based on appearance.

Bombers:

Convair B-36 King Bomber, 6 1/2" WS, friction, three linked metal props on each wing trailing edge, red/yellow body, blue/yellow/red wing, "UNITED STATES AIR FORCE" on starboard fuselage side, "KING B-36" on port fuselage side. N.B.: although a toymaker called Aichi used the “King” trademark, the name probably just signified the real plane’s large size.
Four-Engine Airplane/B-29 Caricature, 4 3/8” WS, unpowered, 3 small tin wheels, four metal engines with fixed 2-bladed props.
-Red, blue-green fuselage, olive tail fin, "BOWING" misspelled on wing
-Red/yellow/blue with globes and stars
Four-Engine Airplane, 4 1/2" WS, unpowered, 3 small tin wheels, chrome body, red rudder and cockpit, dark blue/orange striped wings with British Union or French tricolor flags, red engines with fixed 2-bladed props, possibly Occupied Japan.
Four-Engine Airplane, 4 1/2" WS, friction, thin tin wheels, fixed 2-bladed props, painted:
-Medium blue, chrome/red US insignia on wings, turret with 2 guns on forward fuselage.
-Red, black canopy and engines.
Four-Engine High-Wing Plane, 5 1/4" WS, wind-up, silver overall, large key attached to body, four 2-bladed unpowered props, red tin wheels, large fairing above wings with machine gun, might be pre-WWII.
Three-Engine Airplane, 4 3/4" WS, friction, fixed propellers, red fuselage with yellow canopy and futuristic ray gun, red/white striped wings with USAF insignia, red/white striped tail with three white stars inside blue triangle on fin.
Twin-Engine Airplane, 4 1/8" WS, friction, painted red fuselage with machine gun on nose, red/white striped wings with star-inside-blue-circle insignia, chrome motors with fixed 2-bladed props.
-Royal blue painted fuselage.
Twin-Engine Airplane, 5" WS, friction, 3-bladed metal props:
“Made in Occupied Japan” engraved under wing, red overall, bare metal cutout US insignia attached to wings.
-Bright blue body, silver cockpit, lithographed red/white striped wings, yellow engines, blue lower wings, chromed cowlings.
-As above, fuchsia (or magenta or heliotrope) body.
-As above, red body.

Bombers, Jet:

Boeing B-52, 18" WS, friction, wings hinged at midpoint:
Red with silver flight deck section and metal engine pods, '25734' on tail fin.
Silver with red metal engine pods, '25734' on tail fin.
(N.B.: Same wings used on a 707 – TWA, Line Mar Toys)

Fighters:

"0 Fighter Kamikaze," 11" WS, friction, grey plastic 3-bladed prop, silvery-blue, black cowling, intricately-lithographed cockpit canopy, red Japanese sun markings, red "0" with arrow on tail fin.
“E-1” Fighter, 7 1/8” WS, friction, transparent bright green body and cowling, 4-bladed plastic prop, pink plastic tail fin, multi-colored (silver/dark brown/red/green) camouflage inlaid tin upper body and wings with Japanese insignia and E-1 on fuselage.

Fighters, Jet:

Chance Vought F7U Cutlass, 4" WS, friction, silver with red markings, "Navy" in yellow and US insignia.
Douglas Sky Ray #VX-45, 4 ½” L, unpowered, “delta” wings but rounded tips, metal wheels (Possibly Saito S2 Toy but unmarked).
-Medium blue/red
-Yellow/red
F-60 caricature, red/yellow/bright blue-green, yellow wingtip tanks, metal machine guns on wings, star in circle insignia with red and white bars, USAF F 60.
F-90 caricature, 5 3/4" WS, friction, red/blue wings with yellow control surfaces, metal machine guns, red/blue/orange body, four lithographed pilots.
F-105, resembles F-86D or Fiat G91, friction, bright green, yellow and red markings, "Jet Fighter 105" on fuselage, USAF on wing in white.
Grumman Panther, 9" WS, friction, short thick tail fin is part of fuselage, red tin wing tip tanks, lithographed pilot with mask and helmet, pale blue, red markings, 2 diagonal red fuselage bands, USAF on body in white and on wing in red, "54" on stabilizers, "V" on tail fin.
North American F-86 Sabre, friction, conspicuous ridge joins fuselage halves, blue, red wing and tail tips and anti-glare panel, yellow nose cone and “102” in yellow on forward fuselage, “JET FIGHTER” on body in black, “F-107” on tail fin.
Northrop N-156, 7 3/4" L, friction
-Off-white, red upper fuselage, "USAF" markings in blue, "N-156F" on engine, "5656" on tail.
-Silver, red upper fuselage, "USAF" markings in blue, "N-156F" on engine, "5656" on tail.
-Blue/white/red, USAF "XB-5905 Speed Jet."
Supersonic jet or rocket, 6" long, friction, small canard (bow elevators)
-Army, dark green with bright yellow stripe, red details
-Navy, dark blue with pale blue stripe, yellow details
Swept-wing fighter, small, wind-up, red/orange/yellow/green camouflage finish, black machine gun on forward fuselage, early postwar toy.
"X-5" Jet Plane, 7" WS, friction with motor at lower rear fuselage, conical red rubber nose, red plastic cutaway on fuselage, lithographed spoked hub caps like those of B-58, in the following color schemes:
-Dark green, red upper body, white trim, green stabilizers, blue canopy, "USAF" in yellow, “X-5” on forward fuselage.
-Silver-blue, red and dark blue markings, “FT-82” in yellow on forward fuselage.
Vought F-8 Crusader (?) no country of origin identified, 9" L, friction, pale grey, plastic canopy, blue Navy markings, CD 147 in red on tail fin.

Helicopters:

Airport Helicopter, friction, metal 3-blade main rotor, white with blue and red markings, lithographed pilot at controls, “AIRPORT” in black on tail boom.
Helicopter, friction, metal 3-bladed main rotor, bright green with yellow fuselage band, “Polizia Stradale” titles in white (highway patrol).

(Mfr might be Jimmy Toys, Kashiwai, or ND) Helicopter, 1980s, 6” L, wind-up, yellow plastic 2-bladed rotor with counterweights, blue plastic body, lithographed tin upper body in the following colors:
Fire Dept, red with white door and yellow fuselage band.
Police, black/white, yellow fuselage band.
Rescue, white/red, red cross and yellow fuselage band.

Light Aircraft:

Beechcraft King Air, 14" WS, battery, plastic, 3-bladed white plastic props, red wings, royal blue lower fuselage and stabilizers, tin upper fuselage and tail fin, white with red cheat line and yellow and blue markings, "Beechcraft N805K."
Cessna 180, 12” WS, friction, 2-bladed white plastic prop, lithographed pilot and passengers, silvery-blue with red and navy blue markings, N7570A.