Posted 12 years ago
t54
(6 items)
This beautiful toy is also a bit sinister, wearing the dreaded Swastika of the German Luftwaffe. It was issued in 1937 by Tippco and was apparently patterned after a Heinkel HE51 that would have been short of its lower wing. It is made of pressed sheet-steel, tin coated then lithographed in very realistic markings. It has a 14" wingspan. It's D-OLAF markings have created its nickname with collectors, the "Olaf plane".
Tippco also produced a biplane version as well as civilian liveries in the colors of the Lufthansa.
The fuselage is attached to the wing by a rotating clip. The windup spring motor is actuated from the top of the wing, and the motor drives the prop, the wheels and a rack and pinion system that drops four bombs made of die-cast Zamak and fitted with an explosive cap, two at a time in a very realistic manner. The pilot is a paper-mache hand painted little guy.
Regardless of the military implications and the sensibilities of some about those terrible years, it is a gorgeous toy of incredibly beautiful construction, like many of the toys produced by Tipp & Co (Tippco) of Nurnberg, Germany.
This example was found in Switzerland in pristine, unplayed with condition in its original box.
I really like this and surprised that there aren't any other comments on it. Surely this is exceptionally rare. I'll offer my usual hector of land, 6 goats & 3 copper bracelets for it. Pre-war toys with the swastika must be far & few between.
This is amazing...