I’ve had this Lincoln International Thunderbird 3 for donkey’s years. I picked it up at a local toy & cycle shop in the mid sixties.
I’m amazed I still have most of the pieces after all this time. The box is long gone ( the box pictured isn't mine it's just shown for reference and to stir the odd memory) and the electric motor and wiring along with the wheels would have been put to one side because as a kid I always wanted my toys to look more like their TV counterparts.
Unlike the hard plastic of the Rosenthal toys, the Lincoln used a less rigid polystyrene plastic so even though it was prone to bending the chances of bits breaking were slimmer. The toy came in the form of a snap together kit so the downside was things could come apart and become lost.
There’s no evidence left of the decals I would have applied, and at some point in it’s life I must have decided to add a bit of black paint.
What I do like about it is it’s height of 12”, a full 4” taller than the Rosenthal version. I never owned any other Lincoln Thunderbird or the Fab 1 and I’m intrigued to know how they compare size wise to the Rosenthal ones.
Anyone out there got any of these kits or any memories about them? Or even better, any photos of them would be welcome.
I've seen a Lincoln T2 and it's BIG!
ReplyDeleteSounds very intriguing, Hugh, and sort of confirms what I'm thinking.
ReplyDeleteI love to get my hands on one, but never seen one reasonably priced on fleabay. : (
Must comment on the great photography SCOOP; wonderful atmospheric backgrounds/display of these great toys.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the comment, CS - much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI must say I do like these toys - quite clever for there time - gave a child a chance to use their contruction skills and gave them an incite into simply electrical stuff.
In the post-Star Wars space toy boom, when just about every surviving mold was pressed back into service, these kits were sold in the US as generic spaceships through the now-defunct Revco chain of drug stores. I knew of Thunderbirds, though only from photos in books and magazines, so I recognized them. They were definitely the nicest of the toy/model kit hybrids of that era. I'd love to have them again, but I've never yet turned any up.
ReplyDeleteDevlin, were they the Space Warships? I've never seen them in the flash but I blogged about them a couple of years ago http://projectswordtoys.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/thundebird-2-clones-space-patrol-ray.html
ReplyDeleteJust found 2 Space Warships on Ebay! For a cool £1200 you can buy 2 of them! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THUNDERBIRDS-THUNDERBIRD-1-2-3-4-MODEL-KITS-MADE-BY-LINCOLN-/200812666837?pt=UK_Collectables_SciFi_fantasyCollectables_EH&hash=item2ec15e1fd5
ReplyDeleteThey were sold under the "Star Command" logo and trade dress, also used on a variety of cheap rack toys and an assortment of spaceship- and robot-shaped radios that can generally be found on eBay at any given time.
ReplyDeleteWould you sell your lincoln international Thunderbird 3?
ReplyDeleteThanks Jon
No, Jon.
DeleteOnly just seen your reply.
ReplyDeleteI have the box. Unfortunately when I found it at my parents it was disappointingly empty when opened.
Jon
Sorry to hear that, Jon, at least you've got an original box, though.
DeleteI had the Lincoln TB1,3and4. My TB2 was made by a different company. Can't remember which. No-one made A TB5. The nearest thing was a totally dissimilar, pre-existing Space Station toy on which they stuck a "Thunderbird 5" decal.
ReplyDeleteThere's very little play value in Thunderbird 5, it just hangs there in space, so toy makers at the time wouldn't risk too much on creating a brand new toy.
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