Bergman brand P-38

[Tone]

Here is a nice Bergman brand (Made in US) large scale P-38 Lightning that I have had since the 1990s. It also came in dark blue. Note the nicely molded details and also the brightly-colored props. It's about the size of the familiar Hubley die cast P-38. Does anybody know more about this company?

[grwebster]

never seen that one before. Nice, any date of manufacture ideas?

[Tone]

The very brightly-colored props look like late 60s or early 70s.

[grwebster]

Late 60s- early 70s?
No kid at that time would be interested in a P-38, no? As I recall there were not very many flying at airshows - Lefty's is the one one I know about.
Today there are more.

[Tone]

Historic shows were on the TV back then, as well as old movies. Hubley was making metal toy models of WWII planes at that time. I had them, first planes mom ever gave me as a gift in 1966. They were the red/silver P-40 together with the folding-wing that is posted in another forum recently. The P-38 was also still inproduction. I have a green/yellow camouflage example from about that time.

[MichaelB]

There were quite a number of WWII themed TV shows at the time, and if one got old another would come along. 12 o'clock High, Combat...remember this was only 20 years or so after the end of the war. Also, the rise of the war in Vietnam spurred an interest in all things war like, including toy airplane production. This is the time of the spawning of things like DynaFlites!

[grwebster]

All valid comments but still... I really would like to know when the first of that series was issued if someone finds the date.
I can understand why they were still being sold well into the 70s as the molds were useable for a long time. I do recall buying the Flying Circus set, and the large folding wing fighter at a retail store in 1974.
Michael, I am not surprised that you figured out a way to insert something about those rare Dynaflites into the discussion.

[slufstuff]

Nice pictures! I owned one of these as a kid in the 1960's. I do not have an exact date, but I remember my grandfather buying one for me at a dimestore in Kingstree, SC, probably about 1967 or 1968. It did not survive, sad to say. Too many dogfights and crash landings.