Warbird Information Exchange

Hi all,
About a decade or so ago I once had a "toy" FW190 that was about double the size of a shoe box. It was not a paintable model...it was just a very detailed plastic toy. I can't remember the name of the company that makes them...I was going to see if they were still around. Nonetheless, anyone have any suggestions on a good toy model for young kids (my son is 4 but LOVES WW2 aircraft after watching MIDWAY). He is looking for perhaps a Wildcat or Dauntless. Thank you for any leads!

Probably was one of the 1:18 scale models from 21st Century Toys / Ultimate Soldier. Some of those were actually pretty good prices at Walmart back in the day.

Nowadays some of them go for crazy prices on eBay...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... 0&_sacat=0

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... Complete=1

Sometimes deals can still be had, but not if you're in a hurry!

Try the old Hubley metal models...

They made a real nice P-38, P-40 and a Navy dive bomber/attack plane with folding wings...sort of a SDB/SB2C/Martin Mauler/AD looking thing which seems to be the most common...I think it was made until fairly recently. IIRC, it has retracting gear.

They also did a nice Piper Cub in Army paint (L-18 or 21, it's not an L-4 because it has a full cowling). These seem to be rarer than the fighters and the dive bomber.

Older (rarer?) models include a generic late '30s fighter along the lines of a Brewster Buffalo or Seversky as well as a smaller navy plane with folding wings.

Also available is a tandem rotor helicopter patterned after the Piasecki HUP/H-25, one of which I had as a kid.

They were made for decades and are readily available online at all price points. I bet you could find a dive bomber at any "antique" shop that carries old toys. In other words, take your time and find a nice one.

Here's what they look like.
https://www.ebay.com/b/Hubley-Diecast-M ... bn_2527257

If you buy one with bad paint, you can always refinish it in something more correct.

JohnB wrote:Navy dive bomber/attack plane with folding wings...sort of a SDB/SB2C/Martin Mauler/AD looking thing which seems to be the most common...I think it was made until fairly recently. IIRC, it has retracting gear.
https://www.ebay.com/b/Hubley-Diecast-M ... bn_2527257

I had one of those folding wing aircraft as a kid - actually basically a P-47 "navalized."