MPC Mobile Missile Vehicle - Red SP

Here's the last of the three color variations I have of this unique looking tracked vehicle from MPC. This vehicle was used as a chassis for other MPC accessories as we'll see in upcoming posts BUT FIRST I'm gonna take a short break from MPC stuff to do a Train Time post after which I'll start in with the other variants. Until then - Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

MPC Mobile Missile Vehicle - Dark Green SP

Here's the second of three of these Mobile Missile Vehicles that I have, this one in a dark green. I was looking at this thing the other day and thinking that, if this were an actual vehicle, that platform on the rear most likely would have retracted underneath the chassis and those two awkward looking triangular-like legs would no doubt be hydraulically activated outriggers because driving around with that thing deployed would have been a real challenge. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

MPC Mobile Missile Vehicle - Olive Green SP

MPC's Mobile Missile Vehicle is a standout from other military toys of the era as a result of its chunky, squared-off look. It resembles nothing else on the scene at the time and one would wonder why MPC chose this design but after a couple of threads in the facebook hobby groups there may have been a real life inspiration for this. The first was the Antarctic Snow Cruiser built by the Armor Institute of Technology for use in the Antarctic, only one was built from 1937-39. It was a failure from the outset and basically had one short mission before being abandoned in the Arctic.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

The second was the LeTourneau Snow Train or Overland Train, essentially a semi-truck on steroids! Developed in the 1950s this design was more successful than the Snow Cruiser. Successful enough that the Army ordered a unit for testing and designated it as "Logistics Cargo Carrier" or LCC-1. Operating in a test environment from 1956-62, the tests were so successful that the Army ordered an updated version designated the TC-497 Overland Train Mk II. Construction lasted most of 1961 and it was handed over to the Army in 1962. The total train with all the trailers stretched over 570 feet! The train performed well enough but advancements in helicopter technology and design prompted the Army to cancel the program. Thanx to Mike Creek  over at the 'Bunker Talk' blog (see link on right panel) for putting me on to this!

Courtesy: Wikipedia

Soooo, if you were a toy designer in the early 1960s trying to design cool looking gear for your company's little green Army men, there's a good chance you would have known about one or both of these designs. I realize that the MPC toy is not a straight-up copy of either of these but I can't help but wonder if they were partially an inspiration for the toys. The vehicle measures 10 1/4" (26.03cm) L x 3 3/4" (9.52cm) W x 3 5/8" (9.20cm) H Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

MPC Mobile Missile Vehicle

Here's an interesting toy to come out of the Cold War - MPC's Mobile Missile Vehicle.  Before coming across its proper nomenclature in one of the instruction sheets I have (see below) I was calling this thing all kinds of names. For those of you already familiar with MPC toys you're probably thinking this looks incomplete. Yes, for now it does, but as we progress in the posts you'll see it all decked out for battle, but for the next few days we'll feature just this chassis. Right now I have three different colored vehicles but there's no doubt MPC had a color or two more in their line-up. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

MPC Orbital Missile and Gantry Tower - Yellow-Red Gantry

Here we have another color variation of the Orbital Missile and Gantry Tower. I took 'series' photos of three of my towers and called it a day. Next, I'll post a couple of pics of the different color combinations I have in my collection. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

The tower to the left has a Marx missile. This is how I bought the thing a couple of years ago and the missile looks nice but the one on the right is the correct MPC version (and, if that's all you have to play with then by all means use it!). Like other toys in the series, the missiles came in a variety of colors.

 Here we see an intact spring. 

Both the MPC and Marx missiles break down into stages. The pieces are a tight fit so won't fly apart mid-flight but with the MPC missiles you can swap out stages to mix and match  colors to your liking. The Marx missiles were basically only blue and white as shown.