Ideal No. I-788 Pick-up Truck with Mother-in-Law Seat

Here's a variation of a truck we've featured before here on Toys and Stuff, the Ideal I-788 Pick-up Truck. This one appears to have a mother-in-law seat with a cover in the back! Mother-in-law seats, also called rumble seats, were seen more on the backs of coupes or roadsters and were kind of built in to the trunk. To this day it's not unusual to see pick-up trucks with jerry-rigged seats in the back deck like that shown on today's toy. My sample has a hole in the deck cover but is otherwise in decent shape. Buying toys with small defects is a often times a way to save a few bucks on a purchase because so many people insist on pristine examples. Not me. If I can use it on the train layout a few bumps and bruises is fine with me. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

****UPDATE****

Apparently these Ideal pick-up trucks were a modification made by the Deluxe Game Company for one of their playsets. The 'cover' behind the rumble seat is meant to be a 'gas' tank the kids could fill with water. Now it looks as though I'll have to find one of those games the truck is referenced in

Ertl 1/43 Scale Diecast 1930 Chevy Anheuser-Busch Delivery Truck

Just a quick post to highlight this nifty delivery truck from Ertl. This is one of many loose vehicles (no box) I have out in The Cave. Unfortunately years ago I had a fit of stupidity and tossed much of the original packaging for modern era die cast cars and trucks. Yeah, I know, I broke one of the big rules of collecting - keep the packaging. Oh well, what's done is done. The truck itself is intersting in that it represents a 1930 vinatge truck. 1930. That's during Prohibition which lasted from 1920 - 1933 so this little fella here wouldn't have been delivering beer? Okay, unless of course it was still in use after the repeal of the National prihibition Act :-) Anheuser-Busch was one of the few breweries to survive that tumultous period by selling such things as brewer's yeast, malt extract, ice cream, and Bevo (a nonalcoholic malt beverage), so perhaps it's hauling one of those! Anywho, it's a terrific looking vehicle, but sadly mine has a split right front tire. I have several diecast vehicles out there with this problem and one day I may actually get around to fixing them - or not - just too many other things to occupy my mind and time.  4 5/8" (11.74cm) L x 2 1/4" (5.71cm) H x 1 3/4" (4.44cm) W   Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Long Arch #LD-81037 King DRACO

Here's the third of four whimsical dragons I bought many years ago at a dollar store nearby, King Draco from Long Arch. I haven't found any more dragons from this series and Internet searches come up bupkis for them, but maybe some day I'll latch on to more, they're certainly a fun tongue-in-cheek look at the world of dragons. The King  measures 5 1/4" H (13.33cm). Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina