The Army Corps of Engineers must have been the darling of the '50s because there seems to have been a lot of construction themed Army vehicles produced at the time by various manufacturers. This Bulldozer by Ideal was made from 1951-53 and normally had a 'Farmer Vic' looking driver attached. The driver is often times missing and if you've ever seen one you'd know why. Ideal would have been well advised to put a G.I. in the seat but they took their civilian tractor (which came out in bright primary colors) and simply produced it in olive drab, placed a decal on the blade proclaiming "Corps of Engineers" and called it a day.
When I bought my sample many years back there was a gentleman on eBay selling modified Army toys. He had taken junkers and re-worked them into nice useable pieces. At the time I remember how much I'd wanted to buy more of his work but just couldn't afford it. You'll notice on my sample one of the cross bars on the front grill is missing. The break has been cleaned up nicely and the treads have been painted a light gray (unlike the original which would have been all one color). The buldozer measures 6" (15.24cm) L x 3 1/2" (8.89cm) W (blade) / 2 1/2" (6.35cm) W (tractor) x 2 1/2" (6.35cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina
Very cool tractor guys!
ReplyDeleteMany Thanx! I have a couple more of these to post as well :-)
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