MAC Forum

Collecting Toy Airplanes by Ron Smith, An identification and value guide

(Books Americana, Florence, AL, 1995)

Ron Smith had done the most exhaustive effort to date, 1995, to catalogue toy airplanes, especially tin toys.

The section on Tin Aircraft begins on page 93 and ends on page 162. Pages 93 through 97 list the planes with the prefix "T" and a number from 1 through 192 for the fixed wing aircraft. Mr Smith provided black and white photos for most items, and a color section for others, with some overlap. These photos begin on the middle of page 97 and continue through 162. There are also some helicopters in the section that follows.

Mr Smith gives characteristics for his tin airplanes, and those in the Abensur and Kullik collections, by four categories: Type, Manufacturer, Power and Wingspan. Three additional columns give prices for each item in three different conditions.

Most of the planes have full information while some others are missing information. When actual manufacturers cannot be identified, the country alone is given.

Mr Smith had to be cautious in his identification for several reasons. First, contemporary catalogues with Japanese toy airplanes have always been rare, so the actual makers and production dates remain estimates for collectors and researchers. Second, many slightly different toys with similar appearances can be found. Third, some toys have no trade marks, while others can have conflicting marks. A Pan American Stratocruiser with 14 1/2 wingspan, blue and red markings and registration N1030V can have the TN trademark on one example of the toy and the Hadson trademark on another example of the very same toy. A similar toy, made from the very same tooling, with square-tipped prop blades and dark blue Pan American markings only, has the Alps trademark.

For these reasons, Mr Smith left much information blank.

I'll fill in some of the blanks where I am able - but I shall need your help for the others! Thanks.

We begin with the items listed on page 93.

T 1 ANA TriStar Maker is Alps Shoji, span is 14." This is the larger of two, similar toys. The smaller has an 11" span. There are also DC-10s and 747s in this late-1970s series.
T 2 ANA TriStar Span remains unknown - please help!
T 3 Air France Viscount Maker is Mont Blanc, span is 18"



T 5 AA DC-7 Stratocruiser Maker is Line Mar, span is 19." Line Mar named this plane Flagship Allison . A smaller example, with 14 1/2" wingspan, is Flagship Pamela. Smith shows a color photo of the latter toy in his book, named "Pamila." Tomiyama provided the tooling, which is neither DC-7 nor Stratocruiser, but B-50 Superfortress.



T 6 AA DC-7C Maker is Yonezawa
T 7 AA-100 (Twin propeller) - The span is 9" and the maker is Daiya. There is a BOAC Comet with the same fuselage.
T 13 B-26 Bomber, Bandai - Span remains unknown but should be around 7" - please help!
T 23 Beech Bonanza, TM (Masudaya) - The span is 9". This plane was part of a playset named "Loop the Loop Power Plane" and it revolved around a pylon.
T 24 Beech Twin Engine, TM (Masudaya) - Frédéric Marchand lists the span as 39 cm (15")
T 25 Black Knight Douglas F3H Demon Maker is Yonezawa, span is 10"
T 26 Biplane Construction Frédéric Marchand includes this toy in his pre-war Avions Jouets book, though it is post-war. The span is 31 cm (12")
T 28 Blue Heaven This is a rare red and yellow pre-war Japan airplane with no maker's mark. The span is 7" and length is 8 1/2."
Feb 7, 2016-Seen online-trade mark is X and I superimposed, inside circle with smaller circle on top and smaller circle below.
T 30 Capital Viscount Maker is Line Mar, span is 14 1/2." The toy is always called a Viscount because of its markings, but it is really a Boeing Stratocruiser air frame.
T 31 Capital Viscount Maker is Line Mar, span is 11 3/4". This version is NOT a battery-operated toy but a "friction hand driven airplane with whirling propellers and landing gear." A similar toy in KLM colors is battery-operated.



T 34 Cessna N8958 Span is unknown, please help!
T 35 Cessna A-37 This camouflaged toy is the same as the silver-blue plane in my collection. It also came with wingtip tanks. Maker is Nakayama (trademark: hollow "N" inside an elongated ellipse) and span is 9 1/2". This toy also came packaged on cardboard from the Larami Corporation (US distributor).



T 39 Comet Jet Airliner Maker is Masudaya, span is 12 1/2"



T 41 Convair 440 Tippco World Span is 15"
T 42 Clipper Float Plane (single prop) This toy looks like a lithography variant of the Yonezawa Gull in Frédéric Marchand's book Avion Jouets 1945-1970; if so, then the span is 26 cm (10")
T 43 Clipper Twin Engine Float Yonezawa, Japan, N-105. This is a rare toy. Teruhisa Kitahara's book Yesterday's Toys 2 shows the plane on display in a case with others. I found the Clipper in a 1991 Smith House Auction toy catalog. Span is 11 1/2"

Page 94

T 47 C-124 Troop Carrier Japan (Bandai) - The span is 17" and not 20" as stated.



T 48 C-130 Hercules Japan (Masudaya) - Power could be either battery or friction depending on the variant. The one in Smith's book looks battery-operated: it has a large light on the fuselage. The one below is friction. Span is 22 1/2"



T 49 C-141 Starlifter Japan (Toys Nomura). Because of the shape of the plane's engines, I agree with Smith's identification as the C-141 Starlifter, though I have seen this toy plane called a C-5A Galaxy, and it may have come in a box marked as such. Span is 14 1/2"



T 54 D-558 Golden Arrow Skyrocket This might be the toy with a span of 12" - please help!
T 55 Douglas Air Way Maker is Nikko Gangu, span is 10." I do not have this plane in my collection, but one was auctioned in December 2010.



T 60 Eastern Constellation No trade mark on this one but Yanagisawa Koji has identified the maker as Momoya (Plane News, issue #6, 1990, back cover). Span is 15." Of course it is not a true "Connie" and it lacks the streamlined fuselage. This toy was made by attaching two extra outer fins to existing "generic propeller airliner" tooling.



T 62 F3H Demon Douglas Power and span unknown-he does not provide a photo for reference!
T 63 F3H Demon McDonnell (Japan, three K trade mark, Nihon Boeki suspected) I do not agree with his identification. This is a generic fighter plane, see below. Span 6 1/4"



T 66 and T 66A F9F Grumman Cougar Brands listed as "Japan" and "Cragston" (sic.). Manufacturer's name is Sankei Okuma. These two are variants of the same pressing, span is 10"
T 67 and T 67A F9F-5 Panther The planes pictured look like two variants of the same Yonezawa pressing. However, the toy was available in two sizes, the larger having a wing span of 12" and the smaller, 8 1/2." The battery remote control feature is interesting, and was only found on the larger size plane, so that one certainly has the 12" span. What do you think? Please help!
T 71 and T 72 F-86 USAF Sabre These look like two variants of the same Aoshin brand pressing-note the pump action cannons on the body. The span is 9"



T 78 F-94C Starfire Japan (Tomiyama) - This is the smallest version. The span is 8 1/2"
T 79 F-100 Super Sabre (Yonezawa Jet Plane Base) The span is 7 1/2"
T 80 F-100 C Navy Japan (Asahitoy) The span is 8 1/2"
T 81 F-100 Super Sabre FW-771 Power is friction, span remains unknown. There is a similar Yonezawa F-100 #FW-761 that has a length of 12" and span of 9". Yanagisawa notes that FW-771 is slightly smaller than FW-761, and at least two lithography variants exist. Please help!
T 82 F-100 Super Sabre FW-100 T 82 notes Japan as the country of manufacture and leaves the power and the span blank. See also T 161. The photos show the same toy plane, except that T 161 includes a box. The power is friction and span is 7." I disagree with the manufacturer identified as TT. That would be Takutoku, while the Tomiyama "ET Co" trade mark is visible above the plane's horizontal stabilizer.
T 83 F-101 Voodoo Span is 9" but more importantly the length is 15 3/4"
T 86 F-104 Lockheed I do not know the span, please help!
T 87 F-104 Lockheed FG 959 I do not know the power nor the span. Please help!
T 88 F-104 Lockheed 3581 The span is 4 3/4" but more importantly the length is 12"
T 89 F-104 Starfighter FG-956 (Japan, Yonezawa) 1959, catalog number 9380. Length is 15 1/2", span is 7"
T 90 F-104 Lockheed FG-568 Maker is Sanei (AAA trade mark), the span is 6" and length is 9 1/2."

Just a lot of lovin', Tone...what fine items! Love that EAL Constellation and C-130...beautiful pieces and they are just so toy like they rawk!
Michael

Thank you, Michael. Please note that the C-130 has piston engines with cowlings and also that its span is more proportionate to its body than those of the plastic C-130s we have posted.

I had noticed the C-130 engines and thought they were just terrifically inspired! Love to find "errors" like that - it shows enthusiasm!. The Japanese aren't keen on making mistakes - but that doesn't stop them from finishing a project!

I was reviewing my toy plane history today !

Here are the entries for page 95.

T 91 Ford Tri Motor (TN Japan, span 15") The example Smith has photographed lacks two wing engines - they slide on and off their hard points, making the toy a mono-motor.



T 92 Flying Tiger DC-7 (Louis Marx Co, span 20") I disagree with Smith's identification. The toy plane is clearly the Canadair Forty-Four that Flying Tigers, Slick and Seaboard World operated in the mid-60s, and the toy even has the "44" logo on the tail fin. Furthermore, no cargo DC-7 in the US was fitted with a swing tail to the best of my knowledge, though DC-6s were converted to have this feature. Belgium's SABENA operated them.
T 96 French Monoplane Because of the letters "ML" lithographed on the tail, this looks like a Jouets Magnin Lyon (JML) brand toy. Frédéric Marchand does not show this plane in either edition of Avions Jouets. Span remains unknown. Please help!
T 97 GA-MTY This is one of the British Mettoy planes. Power is wind-up and it could have been made in the 40s. Span is 16 3/4".
T 100 Hokoku This prewar, single-prop plane is one of several with Japanese words written in the Latin alphabet on the wings; another is the "Tsubame" that Marchand shows in his first Avions Jouets book. The span remains unknown. Please help!
T 102 Hurricane A-25 (Japan, Usagiya) One of the few Usagiya brand toy planes, the 1960s A-25 Hurricane biplane recalls "old timer" toys made in the 20s and 30s. The high-wing monoplane variant is named the Tiger and it has a colorful tiger's face lithographed on the wing. Span is 7 1/2"



T 104 Heinz Burger Blaster Promotional toy. This item is not a tin plate toy. It is made of plastic. I can remember the television advertisment with the boy piloting the ketchup bottle spacecraft, blasting the hamburgers with the sauce. 1986.
T 105 Japan Air Lines 747 Span is 27"
T 106 Japan Air Lines 727 Believe it or not, I have a large Japan Air Lines DC-8 that uses similar tooling, especially for the wings, which span 24"
T 107 Japan Air Lines DC-7 (Yonezawa) Power is friction, span is 12"


DC-7Cs with 12" wing span, Clipper Fortuna and City of San Francisco, Yonezawa, 1960 catalog

T 108 Japan Air Lines DC-7 (Asahitoy) Power is friction, span is 19 1/4"
T 109 Japan Air Lines DC-7 (Bandai) Power is friction, span is 17"
T 110 Japan Air Lines Concorde (Alps Shoji) Length is 20 1/2" also made in Hong Kong with "HC" trade mark
T 114 SPAD-Eddie Rickenbacker (Line Mar) The wing span is 7 1/2" and not 14" as stated.
T 117 KLM DC-6 (Line Mar) Span is 16 1/2"
T 118 KLM Lockheed Constellation (Arnold) Span is 19 1/2"



T 119 Lockheed Sirius Lindbergh The power is wind-up, span is 14." P. 136 of Gardiner's and Morris' Illustrated Encyclopedia of Metal Toys (1984) shows an example of this early Tomiyama toy plane in the London Toy and Model Museum collection. "J-BAMC" and "NR-95" are lithographed on the wings in place of the very appropriate "Lindbergh." There is also a high-wing monoplane with "J-BAMC" "NR-88" lithographed on the wing. I found out that "J-BAMC" was a registration of a real Lockheed Altair in 1930s Japan.
T 121 Lockheed Construction Smith names the manufacturer as ENG, assuming it is an English Meccano toy from a constructor kit. Since 1995, when Smith's book was published, Marchand has published a second Avions Jouets showing a boxed example, so its maker can be better identified. The manufacturer is Mécavion of France. Box art promotes the 1946 movie Test Pilot starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, and the box's artwork features the portraits of these classic actors. Span is 22". Marchand identifies the plane as a B-24 Liberator rather than a Lockheed. To me, the toy simply looks like a generic plane with four props and two tails, much like those Marx Aeroplanes of the late 1930s.
T 123 Marine (F-106?) I agree, this toy model is an F-106. The examples in my collection are 7 1/4" long, but the toys also came in a larger size. The smaller size toys came packaged in header bags marked with the "Lucky Toy" brand name. I cannot determine the size of the toy from just looking at the photo. Please help!
T 124 MATS USAF Transport (Japan, Momoya) Power is friction, span is 15". This toy is the same pressing as T 143, Pan American DC-6, and it is also similar to T 60, Eastern Constellation. Differences are that the MATS Transport and DC-6 have a single friction motor while the Eastern Constellation has two; also, the Connie has the additional outer tail fins added. It came in other lithographed colors (see below), and it can be found with the Line Mar Toys trade mark.



T 125 Marx Military Aeroplane Span is listed as 14," but is incorrect. Span is 18"
T 131 Northwest DC-4 (Japan, Asahitoy) Span is 19". This toy is very similar to T 108, Japan Air Lines DC-7, except T 108 has a swept tail fin. T 131 has a realistically-shaped tail fin for a DC-4. T 131 is an exceptional toy model. Incidentally, it can be found as a Canadian Pacific Airlines DC-4M "Canadair Four" - an even better piece, because when one views the toy closely, its engine nacelles are just perfect for that plane.
T 133 NP-001 Jet Fighter This toy looks like a Panther. I do not know the span. Please help!
T 134 N-156 F Northrop This toy "Freedom Fighter" came in white or silver. It's the prototype for the F-5 (Thanks Cristián) and it first flew in 1959. Length is 7 3/4"



T 135 Northrop Gamma (Pure Oil) Metalcraft The Gamma is not strictly a tin toy; it is pressed steel, but I won't complain. It is really beautiful as well as valuable. From the Rich Savage collection.
T 136 Navy Prop This small toy has a plastic canopy for the pilot figures. Span remains unknown. Please help!
T 137 Navy Jet (YF, which could stand for "Yachio," Japan, identified as the Vought F-8 Crusader) The toy came in two sizes. Smith shows the larger size, which has an 8" span. The smaller size, which I have, has a 6 1/2" span. How does one tell them apart from a photograph? The larger plane has 448 on the tail while the smaller plane has 517 on the tail. In this case, "Y" is not Yonezawa - the logo on the Crusader is different.
T 138 and T-139 Prewar Hi Wing 138 and 139 look like lithography variants of the same pressing. This toy is not the same as the High-wing Lockheed "J-BAMC" "NR-88." The cowling is smaller, and the cockpit is different. It could be a Consolidated Fleetster 20. Span remains unknown. Please help!

many thanks for all the work that you did on that- Tone.

Tone wrote:I was brushing up on my toy plane history today before I have to go back to work!

Here we go with the entries on page 95.

T 134 N-156 F Northrop This toy came in white or silver. It's the prototype for the T-38. Length is 7 3/4"

Being a single seater it would be an F-5 . Great work Tone!!!

Thank you everybody for your input. ! ! !

I'm looking forward to your continued support - some time, I will try to work on a production list that I made, from my observations and notes from flea markets and toy shows in the 1990s.