MPC Exploding Bridge

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.

MPC Exploding Bridge

To date we've looked at several Civil War bridges; the diminutive Safari Ltd bridge, the Marx so-called Burnside Bridge, and the more historically accurate Burnside Bridge from Americana. All three of those bridges were marketed specifically as Civil War accessories. Today's bridge by Multiple Plastics Corporation however, could be found in Civil War and Army playsets of the early-to-mid 1960s. Unlike the other bridges, this one was designed to 'explode' through the use of a spring-loaded mechanism located underneath the bridge. Today, it is very difficult to locate the actual spring mechanism resulting in most vintage bridges coming on the market sans spring. The bridge itself is split down the middle with one half simply tucking into the other and, if you look at the photos carefully, has a really steep approach span!! If this were a real bridge it would be one in which you didn't walk over, you would almost have to repel over! Reproductions of the bridge can be had for as little as $3.95 retail. And, as if these four bridges weren't enough for you, a company called Formtech puts out cast foam bridges in single arch and 3-arch versions and The Hobby Bunker has a cast foam bridge closely resembling the plastic Burnside Bridge from Americana - more than enough bridges to choose from! Enjoy!

Marx (L), MPC (R)

Like It Deine Gattin Bettina :)