Bandai - Japan - F-104 Starfighter

Today we have a neat little tin-litho F-104 Starfighter jet. It's made in Japan by a company who's logo is 'B' and unless there is evidence to the contrary I'm going to ascribe it to Bandai. Bandai was founded in 1950 and survives today as Japan's largest toymaker. The F-104 served in the Air Force from 1958 to 1969 making it the right timeframe for Bandai to have made it. Now, toymaker's back then probably would have made Starfighter's when they were fairly new in the Air Force inventory and were fresh in the minds of kids because as newer gee whiz airplanes came out, kids attention would have wandered to whatever the latest and greatest airplane was. That being said I'm gonna make an educated guess that this toy was probably made around the '61-'63 time frame. It measures 6 1/2" (16.5cm) L x 4 1/4" (10.8cm) wingspan. This toy probably had a rubber tip on the nose which is missing but it does have the obligatory friction motor with sparkling device. Enjoy!

Japan Tin-litho USAF Jet FT-82

Today on Toys & Stuff we bring yet another nifty jet from The Age of Tin. However, this one is a mystery. There are no markings to indicate the manufacturer, not even the obligatory "Made in Japan". I can assume it's Japanese of course, but that wouldn't be a certainty. It has the friction drive with sparkling mechanism common to Japanese tin-litho jets but lacks the two piece fuselage/wing assembly construction and is instead a one piece construct. The rubber nose tip appears to have been longer. It's not unusual for these to have been made fairly long and then breaking with play. If anyone knows who made this please let me know! It's kind of a medium sized jet measuring 8 5/8" (21.9cm) L x 7 3/4" (19.7cm) wingspan. Enjoy!

Japan - Tin Litho USAF F-104 Starfighter

The F-104 Starfighter, one of the Century Series of fighters, was designed by Lockheed as a single seat interceptor which saw service in the U.S. Air Force from 1958-69 and then with Air National Guard units until 1975. It saw many variants and was operated by at least fifteen countries worldwide.

The Starfighter is one of my personal favorites in as much as it looks like a rocket with wings! It's sleek and just looks fast standing still! Our featured toy today on Toys and Stuff is Japanese however the maker's mark was deliberately obliterated at the factory. By adjusting the contrast of the photo where the mark appears it's possible to make out some wording that appears to be 'Brand Toys' or something similar. If you can tell what it actually says please let me know. The removable wings reveal the sparkler mechanism and our example still has a flint in it although it doesn't really spark when rolled forward. Unlike many airplanes in which the cockpit is part of the fuselage stamping this jet has a separate clear plastic canopy and only the pilot's head is actually a part of the fuselage stamping. It's a nifty toy from the Age of Tin - Enjoy!