These fabulous pictures come courtesy of reader and SWORD super fan Arto. His carded American Tarheel Task Force 3 is a first for the blog! We have seen it before but only ever loose. This one is carded and sealed safely under the bubble for posterity. The two shots below the top one are detailing on the card - the model number 5917 [the same for all three Tarheel Task Forces] and the Tarheel 'T' with kids logo. Interestingly beneath the logo it says 'Tarheel Industries INC. Made in Hong Kong'. I'd always assumed that Tarheel made these toys at their plastics plant in Tarboro, North Carolina, USA and not Hong Kong. Was it common for US toys to be made in HK?
On the left is Arto's beautifully carded yellow Tarheel Task Force 3. Both toy rockets have a 'racing trim' line along the nose [missing on my own loose TF2!] and the backing cards are finished with what is probably the most appealing feature for me, a fabulously day-glo bow-wave beneath each toy, which scream the Nineteen Seventies! The different colour blends are very bright and attractive. Tarheel really were masters at using brightly coloured plastic and packaging.
As we've never seen a packaged version of the third toy in this Tarheel range, the Task Force 1, I can only assume that it's also similarly carded with an equally colourful bow wave. So to bring this bloglet to a hopeful close and remind us what it looks like here are pictures of the Tarheel Task Force 1 in both red and the rarer blue forms from reader and super collector Astronit.
Anyone got a carded one?
Wow! Good pics, Arto! Thanks for sharing these with us.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine the US office was just an 'admin' set up, like 'Giant' of New York, I think the Americans liked to think they were buying local?
ReplyDeleteRemember this was about the time of the 'Buy British' campaign, which worked so well...the Germans bought British car makers, The Americans bought British power-tool companies, the Asians bought all our toy companies and we all bought Nissan! Well, they were made in Swindon!
Joking apart, I think it all goes back to the import restrictions and protectionism of the late '60's, a fair few HK products sold in the US are sold by a 'US' company which has no other (non-HK) products on it's books?#
'Rehkm'...a re-badged product confusing future collectors!
well i did have that turquise blue one for a while, but stupidly, swapped it! doh...
ReplyDeleteWho did you swap it to Wote? Can't we go round and get it back?!"£!?
ReplyDelete