Memorial Day: Remembering Those Who Served and Marx Sikorsky CH-37 'Mojave' Helicopter (without Winch)

Today is Memorial Day, a day in which we remember all those who have fallen while serving our country. Not all who fell were active duty in uniform. Not all who fell were men. But they gave their last full measure nevertheless. God Bless!

While I've been concentrating on spacemen for many months now, a side trip was made recently into the world of fire and emergency themed toys. AND, while that was going on, behind the scenes I've slowly-but-surely have been photographing military toys. Most of them have been Marx for use in their Battleground playsets, like this Sikorsky CH-37 'Mojave' helicopter. 

The real helicopter entered service with the United States Navy and Marine Corps in 1956 to fill a requirement for a heavy lift assault helicopter. The Army also used it starting that same year under the designation H-37A (later redesignated to CH-37) Mojave and it would remain in service with the armed forces well into the 1960s. It was the largest helicopter in the western world when delivered in 1956. The helicopter utilized two Pratt and Whitney R2800 Double Wasp radial engines in the outboard pods (one of the last helicopter's to use radial engines). The retractable landing gear was also housed in those pods. The front of the fuselage sported a clamshell door which opened allowing vehicles to be driven straight into the cargo bay.

Culled from the Internet

Marx's version is a nice model of the Mojave, albeit a 'bit' of a caricature, having an overall shorter appearance to that of the original, its rear wheel is far forward of the tail boom and really large in comparison to the prototype's configuration, as well as other differences.  These helicopters showed up in iterations of Marx's Battleground playsets without a winch and in later Cape Canaveral / Cape Kennedy playsets equipped with a winch. The toy does not have retractable landing gear, nor does it have an opening clamshell door in front. Marx chose to mold these in a nice Air Force type blue, even though it never saw service with the USAF. To the best of my knowledge, Marx never made an olive drab or olive green version. Overall it measures: 8.25" (20.95cm) L x 3.5" (8.89cm) W x 2.875" (7.30cm) H with a 7.5" (19.05cm) rotor span. Be Blessed and Relish Life! Ed

Japan - Haji USAF Gyrodyne XRON-1 Rotorcycle

This odd looking aircraft was built by the Gyrodyne Corporation of America under contract by the Navy with the intention of being deployed on destroyers. They were meant to carry one small torpedo or be used as unmanned drones. Utilizing coaxial rotors and an open framework it first flew in 1955. It was also being developed for the Marines who eventually decided it was too heavy and too difficult to fly and canceled the project. The Navy on the other hand liked its small size and load carrying capacity and continued development. The Navy went on to designate it as the QH-50 but changes mandated by the service essentially killed the program and by 1961 all testing had stopped.

Courtesy Wikipedia

In typical toy company fashion, the Haji Gyrodyne sports incorrect markings. Gyrodyne's were never flown by the Air Force, but for whatever reason they chose to have this thing piloted by a U.S. Air Force pilot vs. a Navy pilot. The toy is decent enough representation of the real thing that a helicopter enthusiast would recognize its lineage having the contra-rotating props, rotorless tail, and open framework of the original XRON-1. Unfortunately my example's pilot is missing his right arm on which the control stick was attached.  The two propellers do turn in opposite directions but my sample seems to work better when the friction motor is being pushed backwards! From tip of rotor to the the tail it measures 9 1/4" (23.49cm) L. The 'fuselage' is 5 1/2" (13.97cm) L x 2 1/8" (5.39cm) W and the overall height is 7" (17.78cm). Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Posed here on my new shelf display with other Air Force toys - might as well stick with the Air Force theme the toy company chose