Britains (First Gear) Set No. 52007 1/32 Scale WWII German Infantry - Pt 1

The original sets of Britains Deetail German Infantry in 1/32 scale were first made in 1971 and, with two series, ended in 1989. In regards to the Britains company, I know there have been some changes over the years but quite frankly guys and gals I just don't have time to track down the info. This set was sold under the 'Britains' masthead as part of Bachmann's FIRST GEAR line and copyrighted 2014. The name is also licensed in Argentina as 'Britains DSG' (we've featured some of their Vikings here on the blog). 

This set is a mashup having two figures from the original Series 1 set and four figures from Series 2. There have been some obvious changes, like the uniform colors, but there are also a couple, more subtle changes which we'll cover. As mentioned the colors of the new offerings are darker but the plastic figure on metal base combination remains the same with the bases marked '1971' underneath. Also, the paint is glossy and sticky to the touch! Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Japan - T.N. Tin-litho Grumman F-111A

Developed in the '60's as a multi-role aircraft the F-111 was developed as a joint effort between General Dynamics and Grumman with the first test flight taking place in 1964. A pioneer of variable-sweep wings, it is this feature which is the most prominent on the real aircraft and toy as well. The F-111 entered production in 1967 and all variants ceased production in 1998.

T.N. of Japan's toy version has become a classic and much sought-after collectible. With it's variable-sweeping wings, jet engine noise, lights, and forward moving action it hits all the right buttons for a '60s era toy. I don't have any reference material which shows when these were made but I'm making an educated guess that it was made in the late '60's just as the real aircraft. Toy manufacturers were always on the heels of the aircraft manufacturers, coming out with the latest in aircraft designs almost as quickly as the real airplanes were hitting the tarmac. The toy measures 15 1/2" (39.37cm) L x 8 1/2" (21.59cm) wingspan (wings retracted) 13 1/2" (34.29cm) wingspan (wings deployed) x 4 3/4" (12.06) H. It takes two 'D' cell batteries with the On/Off switch being located underneath the fuselage. The vertical stabilzer detaches from the fuselage for easier storage in the box (also making the box required smaller), and the pitot tube at the nose of the fuselage also retracts into the nose (ALSO making for a shorter box)

It's taken me three separate tries before finally latching on to one of these that WORKS. I bought the first one knowing it didn't work but got it at a decent price. For a display model it was fine. The second worked for a little while before giving up the ghost. This one was a full-on operating toy and it's a beauty. I took a video of the main operating features but just didn't have a good enough space to place it on the floor and let it go through its paces. In any case I hope you - Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Courtesy Wikipedia