Japan - 'H' (Hayashi) - USAF Bus

Here we have another one of my Air Force related toys, a nice USAF medical bus from the Japanese firm Hayashi which measures 8" (20.3cm) L x 3 1/8" (7.9cm) W x 3 3/4" (9.5cm) H. The design of the bus would put its manufacture probably in the mid-1960s or thereabouts (I have no reference books which show the bus so that's just an educated guess). I've noticed that in the late '50s  to mid-'60s there seemed to be a fair amount of toy Air Force vehicles or helicopters decorated as Red Cross or first aid conveyances. It would be interesting to find out if Air Force officials worked with toy companies to promote its more humanitarian side, which by the way really does exist and is still very much a part of the Air Force way of life: flying aid and humanitarian missions to all parts of the globe for anyone in need.  In any case it is a nice addition to the tin-litho USAF fleet. Enjoy!

Although the photos don't show it, there's a hole on the driver's side seat where a tin-litho driver would have sat. The seat cushion pattern is very similar to Cragstan cars featured here on Toys & Stuff.

The Haysahi trademark, an 'H' siiting in the middle of a diamond formed by four arrows.

Toei - Japan Tin-litho U.S. Air Force Bus

Okay, I'm beginning to think we need more days in the week. There's just not enough days to cover all the different subjects I'd like to. Yeah, I know - there's a downside - the more days in the week the more days we have to work. Rats! Thursdays, while always kind of a 'grab bag' kind of day, has sort of been taken over by paper models or paper villages of one sort or another. Today we're hittin' the grab bag and we're gonna feature a nifty tin-litho bus from probably either the mid 1950s/early '60s. That's an educated guess because of the style of bus and those were really the heyday of tin-litho military toys just before things got all plasticy (is that a word?). This bus is a fairly large one which would work well along with 54mm figures of the type that came with Marx Cape Canaveral and military playsets. It's made by Toei of Japan - one of the numerous Japanese toy makers of the period - and features a friction motor. It measures 11" (27.9cm) L x 2.5" (6.4cm) W x 2.5" (6.4cm) H. The plating has largely worn off of the hubcaps and bumpers but it is still an attractive piece. Enjoy!