Toys didn't have to be large, expensive, tin-litho brutes for us kids to enjoy. They didn't have to be wind-up, battery operated, mechanical marvels either. Sometimes they could be as simple as small plastic airplanes like today's featured toy on Toys & Stuff. The Convair YB-60 from Plasticraft was, in a way, an unusual choice for a toy. The real airplane was designed as a jet version of the propeller driven B-36. A contender for the role as the Air Force's new bomber in the early 1950s it lost out to the B-52. Although cheaper to build and having a larger payload, it was slower and suffered from severe handling problems. The program was canceled in 1953 after only two years. So, one would have to ask, why would a toy company make an aircraft that never went further than the testing stage? My best guess is that it just looked neat!. It is a beautiful aircraft with long, slender, swept-back wings and that long pointy fuselage and the toy, though small, still does it justice. The Plasticraft version featured here measures 5 3/4" (14.6cm) L x 4 3/4" (12.1cm) wingspan. Enjoy!
