Well, I did it again. This makes like the sixth time this year I got on fleaBay, saw something I liked, was okay with the price and the shipping and bought it. Then I waited. And waited. Then I think, "Where the heck is this thing coming from? Why is it taking so long?" I look at the listing - Jeruselem! hahahaha alrighty then, that explains it :-) Yup. Just recently got toys from Israel, the Czech Republic, England, the Ukraine, Argentina, Russia. Truly toy collecting has become international.
What attracted me to this toy was it was a blue Air Force helicopter - simple. It resembles the much larger Marx Huey but is a bit more of a caricature in its form - more Huey-ish than straight up Huey. The blades, which detach from the rotor hub, are kind of a funky color but when they're spinning it's quite a nice effect. The wind-up key is integral to the body and cannot be removed. One side of the key is just a tad longer so that as the plane rolls along on the ground as the longer edge of the key comes in contact with the surface it lifts the copter just ever so slightly causing it to make a 90 degree turn. In so doing the copter will continue to traverse a square pattern as it rolls around. Nice! The fuselage measures 7" (17.78cm) L x 1 3/4" (4.44cm) W. It is 3" (7.62cm) High to the top of the rotor and the rotor span is 5" (12.7cm). Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina
My mother bought me two of these in 1973 when I was 9. There was a slight difference in design in my two helicopters, being that they were both friction drive instead of clockwork.
ReplyDeleteIt does look like a Huey, but the box art is that of a Westland Scout helicopter, which is remarkably identical to the Airfix 1/72 Westland Scout model kit box art. Wow! What are the odds of that?
Wow, thanks for that Tony. Being blue and having Air Force markings (which could be generic for several countries) I automatically jumped to 'Huey' as the type of helicopter because when I bought it I thought it was coming here from Stateside. Westland Scout does appear to be a much better fit. A quick look-up reveals that the Scout was primarily used by the British Army Air Corps.
DeleteHello,
DeleteThank you for replying. I was living in a very small town in Northern Ireland when I was given these toys, I now live in Glasgow, Scotland. It's really amazing the places these little toys end up.
Thank you again and may you have a great year.
Tony
I do get awfully late with replies at times because there's so little 'me' time here at the homestead. It is interesting to see where some of the toys I've gotten over the years have come from! It makes collecting a lot of fun! Have a Happy New Year!
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