Linemar 'Elegant Miniatures' Diecast Moon Buggy

I picked this up last year not really knowing what to expect and was a bit surprised when seeing just how small this was. I wasn't familiar with Linemar's 'Elegant Miniatures' line but after a little digging around, it appears to be their answer to Matchbox's small line of vehicles. Apparently Linemar's 'Elegant Miniature's' never really got a good foothold on the market and there doesn't appear to be many toys offered.  As you can see it was quite a small vehicle - about a third the size of Tri-ang's HO scale  vehicle shown below.  It measures: 1.625" (4.12cm) L x .75" (1.9cm) W x 1.25" (3.17cm). be Blessed and relish Life! Ed

Linemar 'Elegant Miniatures' Diecast Moon Buggy

Okay, well, this isn't actually a bunch of old photos I found on the computer and finally edited for the blog. Nope, this is a recent acquisition that intrigued me when I found it up for auction. I knew Marx or Linemar had put out these little vehicle's because I see them from time-to-time but really paid them no attention. Sooo, when this became available, I bit the bullet and picked it up and was a bit surprised at just how small it was. It's design is similar to other Marx Moon vehicles used in their playsets, but not an exact copy and is diecast metal, not plastic. The radar dish does rotate but is a bit wobbly and it measures:  1.625" (4.12cm) L x .75" (1.90cm) W x 1.25" (3.17cm) H.   I'm guessing these were made to compete with Matchbox diecast vehicles as there seems to be a fairly wide array of cars and trucks. Apparently it didn't work out because, 'Elegant Miniatures' died a quiet death in the marketplace while Matchbox continued on. Overall though I like this little gem and it can be used as a background piece in any photo shoots that I eventually cobble together. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Size-wise it seems to be larger than N-scale but smaller than HO scale.

Linemar YB-52 Stratofortress Flagship Nardina

Designed and built by Boeing as a long-range, subsonic bomber, the YB-52 prototype first flew on 12 April 1952. Going operational it was later designated the B-52 and has been in continuous active service with the USAF since 1955! That's 63 years and is expected to stay in service into the 2050s - WOW! It's not often the government gets its money's worth, and then some, for any of the weapons systems it buys but they sure got it with this one. 

B-52's are one of my favorite aircraft and we see them fly right over the house on those occasions when they come to Nellis for exercises. It always amazes me how an aircraft with 8 jet engines could be so much quieter than any of those with one or two. :-) The Linemar rendition of this classic bird is pretty faithful to the original but I can find no reference to the 'Flagship Nardina' designation and none of the photos of that era show it on the fuselage. A fancy by Linemar's designers or was 'Flagship Nardina' painted on it at one time??? As Marx pretty much kept up with current trends in the Air Force, even releasing toy planes based on real aircraft that never made it beyond the prototype stage, I can hazard a guess that this toy had to have come out hot on the heels of the real one  making it perhaps 1952-53. 13" (33.02cm) L x 14 3/4" (37.46cm) wingspan x 4 7/8" (12.38cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Courtesy Wikipedia

Courtesy Wikipedia

Courtesy Pinterest

Some shots of the YB-52 and the Marx SAC hangar on my shelf display. The Marx hangar is too tall to fit under the shelf above, and the two radar units removed - and besides, I have never seen an Air Force hangar with a control tower and radar dishes on it! Those belong elsewhere on the installation

Because the wings sit so high up on the fuselage they are assembled differently from many other tin-litho aircraft of the era