Ideal Globemaster (Flying Boxcar)

Here's a toy I've had for years - hanging from the ceiling in The Cave just waiting to land LOL. There's a bunch more up there all in a holding pattern. They'll be there for a while - there ain't no airport on the train layout! LOL

Every so often I would look up at it and tell myself to photograph it one day. Well 'one day' came a couple of weeks ago when I got a bug up my backside and decided to finally get those pics I've been wanting to do all these years. But here's the scenario: the plane does a forced landing on my photography studio (hahahaha, what a laugh - two large pieces of foamcore sitting atop some bins), gets a good dusting and cleaning, and the 'big claw' (my hand) grabs all the Ideal Army toys I thought may have come with this thing. I s'pose it would have been better to research a little and see just what the heck this set all came with. The sad part? I've got a complete boxed set somewhere in The Cave - just too lazy to dig it out. Okay, well if you like vintage toy tin-litho airplanes then all is not lost with todays' post

Okay, we're back on familiar ground with this toy. As happens so often this toy was marketed as one kind of plane when actually it is another kind (in caricature) entirely. Ideal marketed this plane as a Globemaster. The real Globemaster was made by Douglas Aircraft and designated the C-124 Globemaster II and was produced from 1950-55. Ideal's version came out around 1963-64. Below is a photo of the real Globemaster. I think you'll agree the two are not at all similar.

Courtesy Wikipedia

There were two actual planes made similar in appearance to Ideal's which are more appropriate to the way the toy looks. The first is the Fairchild C-82 Packet Plane shown below. The C-82 was produced from 1945-48 and first flew with the U.S. Army Air Forces and later the U.S. Air Force.

Courtesy Wikipedia

An interesting shot of what three Packet's could carry

Courtesy Wikipedia

The C-82 is considered an early developmental stage for the more familiar C-119 Flying Boxcar which first flew in 1947 with production ending in 1955. It remained in service with active duty Air Force units until 1962.

You'll notice that neither the real C-82 or C-119 had cargo doors in the front of the aircraft. Both of them had their cargo bay doors to the rear of the aircraft. 

Courtesy Wikipedia

Courtesy Wikipedia

1964

I tend to think the toy is more akin to the C-82 Packet. Why? Well, it's marked U.S. Army and the C-82 did see it's initial service in the Army Air Forces and there is no strengthening rib on the top portion of the booms clearly evident in the C-119. But in the end analysis it's still just a toy and collector's will probably continue to refer to it as the Flying Boxcar. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina 

The toy measures 17 1/4" (40cm) L x 21 3/4" (55.24cm) wingspan x 5 3/8" (13.65cm) H (to tip of rear vertical stabilzers)

Unlike the real C-82 or C-119 the toy's bay door is at the front of the plane

The ramp simply sits inside the fuselage. There are no rails or guides other than two 'blocks' on either side of the door to keep it in place

Okay, like I said, I dragged out all my Ideal stuff and photographed the toy but here are the actual set contents:

Plane

1 Truck

1 Radar Trailer

1 Searchlight Trailer

1 Rocket Launcher Trailer w/rocket (rocket missing from my set)

1 Cannon w/6 shells (shells missing from my set)

10 Blue SP Figures (approx 35mm):

2 Seated

4 Walking/Marching

4 Standing At Attention

Often times the plane is missing many of the pieces that come with the set and have to be replaced whenever the pieces come up for sale. The ramp seems to be the one item missing the most and a replacement can get pricey. The truck and trailers are fairly easy to find but the cannon shells and rocket are a real bear to find!! The Jeep doesn't come with the set but it sure comes in handy hauling the cannon :-)