Researching toy planes to see if they match up with real life planes is fun, and I've been able to identify a lot of toys, but every now and then toy companies just do their own thing and throw me for a loop. This was one of those times. At first I was thinking this plane could be a Seversky P-35. Marx had done a stamped metal version of the plane which I posted here on Toys and Stuff back in 2016 but it didn't quite fit the bill. After some time scouring the Internet, the only plane that came close was the TBM-3W Avenger which first appeared in 1946. The give-away was that gawky, awkward canopy but there appeared to be a couple of versions of the plane, neither of which was an exact match to the toy version. One of the real version's had mini-vertical stabilizers at the end of each rear horizontal stabilizer while the other had a normal horizontal stabilizer. Both versions have that bulbous radar housing under the fuselage not seen on the toy. The TBM-3W was nicknamed the "Guppy" and is also referred to as "The Ugly Avenger" but it was America's first foray into the airborne early warning system of which planes like the AWACS are descendants of.
Marx's version omits the large radar housing under the fuselage but is otherwise an okay rendition. I 'get' that Marx couldn't do the radar bump because nearly all of Marx's small airplanes were molded with a hollow fuselage's. Adding that bump in a way that allowed the plane to look prototypical would have been more work than was profitable. The toy measures 4.75" (12,06cm) L x 5.75" (14, 60cm) wingspan x 1.5" (3,81cm) H.
Ed
Seversky P-35
Stamped Metal P-35
TBM-3W Avenger "Guppy" (The "Ugly" Avenger)
Marx's Fantasy TBM-3W
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