Bell XV-3 & DOAK VX-4

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Here are a few more of my VTOL favorites:

Bell XV-3 by LINEMAR (a Louis Marx Toy Company import subsidiary) Japan. I'm familiar with 2 friction versions and 2 remote control battery-operated versions. Here are a couple photos:

LINEMAR friction XV-3

LINEMAR remote control battery-operated XV-3

DOAK-16 VTOL Airplane by Alps of Japan. How cool is this toy!?

Alps DOAK-16 (XV-4)

Alps Doak-16 VTOL Army Airplane 1965 in Avions Jouets R.B. 8.jpg (20.59 KiB) Viewed 10975 times

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Ron Smith has a black & white photo of another aircraft with two ducted fans in his book. It is not the same as the Doak 16 but it has the same basic layout. It is more streamlined-looking. Unfortunately he does not give many details, either.

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Awesome tip! I don't think I ever noticed that airplane in Ron Smith's book. Now I've got ANOTHER "holy grail" to watch for!!

Here's the photo from Ron Smith's book:

Photo from Ron Smith's Book

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Ron Smith has a black & white photo of another aircraft with two ducted fans in his book. It is not the same as the Doak 16 but it has the same basic layout. It is more streamlined-looking. Unfortunately he does not give many details, either.

As luck would have it, I was able to acquire the very toy featured in Ron Smith's book. It's always great to pick up a "holy grail!"

Check it out:

unknown VTOL aircraft (1)

unknown VTOL aircraft (2)

It was owned by famous toy collector Yoku Tanaka.

It's the only example I've personally seen. I would love to hear if anyone has seen it elsewhere...

The toy was made in Japan by N.S - I've yet to find what company is represented by this makers mark.

The toy is 10 inches long including the rubber tip on the nosecone. It's 2.5 inches tall with a 9.5 inch wingspan.

The friction motor makes both Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) propellers spin. Unlike the Doak VX-4 toy, the engine nacelles are fixed and do not rotate.

The big question: can anyone draw a parallel between this toy and an aircraft that was actually designed and flown?

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Thanks for posting those photos. You are lucky indeed to have been able to acquire this one. After having seen the photo of the Doak in Marchand's 2004 book I just assumed this toy was a fantasy toy based upon the Doak. The fuselage looks like that from an early jet fighter. The toy looks as though it is in excellent condition.

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The closest thing I've founds so far is the EWR VJ 101:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EWR_VJ_101

The condition is a solid C8.

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I remember that Yoku Tanaka is the collector that sent a group of toys to display in New York City in 2009:

http://www.studiointernational.com/inde ... ul-passion

One fairly unusual item was a large Boeing Stratocruiser that hung from the ceiling and "flew" in circles aided by a large, powered propeller on the rear fuselage.

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I remember that Yoku Tanaka is the collector that sent a group of toys to display in New York City in 2009:

http://www.studiointernational.com/inde ... ul-passion

One fairly unusual item was a large Boeing Stratocruiser that hung from the ceiling and "flew" in circles aided by a large, powered propeller on the rear fuselage.

That Boeing Statocruiser was recently featured, mint in the original box, on recent episode of Antiques Roadshow.

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Here's how the Alps Doak-16 was originally sold... it came with a terrific stand for displaying the toy. The stand is helpful since the toy is tail-heavy and won't remain level on the rear tires and front landing gear unless batteries are installed.

Alps Doak-16 with stand

I've also discovered that the toy was released in two different boxes. I'm not certain if the second box version came with a stand, or not.