No. 63b Mercury Seaplane - Dinky seaplane-Argentina copy

[Tomtom]

Here is an ebay item of a boxed Seaplane. Don't recall seeing this-seller says it is a 1950's knockoff, ebay # 260702288163.
Anyone know more?
Tom

[Aeronaut]

There is a series of Argentine made Dinky knock offs from the 50s. It is not clear to me that this one is one of them. I have a few in my collection (I have promised GR that I would send him some pictures but I cannot find the little buggers...) and from what I remember they are much better made than this thing on ebay. The paint job looks highly suspicious. Too pristine to be original. The box is legit.

The ones that I have that I remember are a DH Flamingo, a Blenheim and a Fairey Battle.

[Tomtom]

Thanks for the info. The model does like crude,even for a copy,and the price is high.
Still an unusual model issue.

[Tone]

DH Flamingo is an interesting choice, I remember in the early Plane News edition that this was never issued as a Dinky Toy, but it was made in the late 1980s as a new model. It was the subject of a mystery novel - one of the "Peter Marklin" mysteries, I think the book was even named "Die Cast."

Bob Frassinetti, who is evidently the curator and historian at a South American toy museum, has once shown photos of Dyna-Flites made in Argentina. They were a MiG-21 and a Hawker Hunter.

[grwebster]

I have heard about Argentinian 'Dinky Toys', but have never seen one.
That Argentina seaplane, though, looks to be rough copy/recasting of the pre War Mercury with some minor changes and non-Dinky propellers.

The Dinky Toy Mercury was part of the pre War Mayo Composite set, and also sold separately. After the War in 1946 it was reissued and produced until the 1950s as Seaplane. It holds the record for being in production the longest of all Dinky airplanes.

On the left the post war Seaplane. In the middle is the wooden prototype Director's Model. On the right is the pre War Mercury.


The pre War Mercury had a clip in the center of the fuselage cavity to attach it to the Maia, the post War Seaplanes did not.

Tone is right about the Dinky DH Flamingo. It was proposed pre War but not produced in England by Dinky Toy. {....and Tone was right about the book, too. It was a good mystery story.}

There was a 1980s white metal model of the Flamingo made by David Austin of the Aerodrome. It was done in the style of a Dinky Toy. 4 versions- here below is the camouflaged one. There was a Kings Aeroplane, Silver civilian registry and a silver RAF variation.

[aliflore]

My models:





With the Mayo Composite:

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