Yonezawa (Japan) Tin-Litho C-124 Globemaster

Some months back i was able to score this beautiful Hunk O' Tin, the C-124 Globemaster from Yonezawa out of Japan. At 18 1/2" (46.99cm) L x 20 1/2" (52.07cm) wingspan x 6 3/4" (17.14cm) H, it's one of the biggest planes currently in my collection. When powered up the propellers spin and the front loading hatch opens, and the loading ramp deploys. The toy follows the standard practice of having detachable wings. The loading ramp is populated by a small tank and jeep. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Japan - Yonezawa Douglas C-124 Globemaster II

Douglas' C-124 Globemaster II was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft  developed from their earlier work on the C-74 Globemaster. Nicknamed 'Old Shaky", it served with the Air Force's Military Transport Service (Mats) from 1950 until MATS was re-designated as the Military Airlift Command (MAC) in 1966, and on until 1970 when the last Globemaster's were transferred to he Air National Guard. Globemaster II's initially were assigned to the Strategic Air Command hauling nukes until becoming the prime mover for MATS.

Here's a terrific little tin-litho aircraft from Yonezawa. This one is lettered USAF Military Air Transport Service (MATS) "Continental Division", Tail No. D117. It measures 9"L (22.86cm) x 10 1/4" (26.03cm) wingspan x 3 1/2" (8.89cm) H. The prototype aircraft was equipped with tricycle landing gear with the fuselage mounted gear forward of the wings not behind the wings as on the toy. As is common with toy planes of this era, the wings separate from the fuselage for packaging in a smaller box. It is equipped with a friction motor, that when the plane is pushed forward, causes the propellers to spin. My sample is a tad worse for wear but displays well enough as you can see in the photos.  Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Photo Courtesy Wikipedia

Getting some mileage from that new runway shelf display

I now have several modular hangar backgrounds to use for photography / display

Japan - Yonezawa Lockheed F-94C Starfire

Well, I managed to carve out some time today to take pics. For the first time in probably a year, I was able to set up my gear outside and take shots of some large toys in the collection. Up 'til now I've been using the Amazon.com MyStudio set-up in The Cave, which is great but isn't made for large items.

First up is this cool tin-litho Lockheed F-94C Starfire from Yonezawa of Japan. A first generation jet fighter, the F-94 Starfire was an offshoot of the T-33 Shooting Star trainer and became operational in 1950. The first Air Force jet to carry an afterburner it was also the USAF's first all-weather jet fighter. After seeing service in the Korean War it was eventually replaced by the F-86 Sabre and F-89 Scorpion. Yonezawa's version is a nicely done, though stylized version of the real plane. The biggest differences are the engine viewing panels in the fuselage and the addition of a rear wheel making sure this toy won't be dragging it's butt on any toy runway! I like that it even has the "FA-" designation on the nose of the plane same as on the real planes. The friction motor has a sparkling mechanism, but the little nub that rubs up against the flint wheel is worn down. The friction motor works fine. To me it appears as if the paint is slightly faded on my sample as the color of toys from this era would normally be more vibrant. However, I may be wrong. The plane measures 12 1/2" (31.75cm) L x 12 3/4" (32.38cm) wingspan x 4 3/4" (12.06cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Courtesy of Wikipedia