Growing up in the '50s and '60s, kids who played with Little Green Army Men just had to have a bridge to cross. Our make-believe rivers ran through bedrooms, living rooms, rec rooms, and back yards all over the country and our little troops had get those heavy tanks and personnel carriers over them somehow. Marx had a nice bridge in their American Civil War playsets that could be used for any conflict but it was a just a plain 'ol static thing and was too narrow for MPC's range of large vehicles. MPC on the other hand had an exploding bridge - ooooh! Activated by a spring loaded lever, when the lever was pushed down, it would spring back to its original position and force itself under the arch on its journey home. This caused the bridge to raise up as the lever was passing from one end to the other (in an instant of time BTW) and fly apart. It measures 9 3/8" (23.81cm) L x 5 3/4" (14.60cm) W (not including the width of the actuator sticking out) x 2 7/8" (7.30cm) H. These bridges - complete with an unbroken lever and intact spring - can be a bit difficult to find but they do come up for sale every so often. Repos are still being made of this bridge without the lever and spring. I am extremely reluctant to actually play with this as or even film it in action because the plastics tend to go brittle and the risk of breakage is far too real. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina
Marx bridge (L) & MPC bridge (R)
The lever in the "un-armed" position
The bridge is in the "un-armed" position when looking at it from this angle
The lever in the "armed" position. It stays put through via friction against the posts at either side of the bridge
The bridge is now "armed" and ready to explode.
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