My post about S.L Toys got me thinking yesterday. Did they knock-off the Tarheel trio of Task Force Toys rather than the Century 21 series?
I wonder if the white S.L Task Force 3 is in fact the white Tarheel Task Force 3? How could we prove it?
One step would be to see which makers' marks and model numbers there are on white Task Force 3's.
So, if you have a loose or carded [ or boxed! ] WHITE Task Force 3, like the one pictured, would you kindly let me know, via the comments, any maker's mark or model number it has and whether you understand it to be a Tarheel toy or otherwise? Thanks.
Hi Paul - Just got mine out to check - it's exactally like the one in the photo - there's nothing at all on the bottom apart from "Made in Hong Kong" - no maker's mark or number. I seem to remember that when I bought it from new in the late 1960's (possibly from the Woolworths store in Neath, South Wales) it came carded in a blister pack but sadly the card is long gone and I can't remember any details from it. I also have the Greenish yellow (or yellowish green !) Task Force 2 - I can check that but I think it will yield the same non-result. Hope that helps a bit. Best wishes - John Swan
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot John. That helps me a lot. I am fascinated that you got a carded Task Force here in the UK. I can only assume its the Tarheel bubble card. Until now I had thought they were only available in the US and Canada. Cheers, Woodsy
ReplyDeleteHi Paul, Glad that helps - I checked out the Green/yellow Task Force 2 and like I thought - just "made in Hong Kong" and nothing else. Strangly when I checked my red C21 S.W.O.R.D. Task Forces to compare, 1 and 3 had just "made in Hong Kong" and nothing else but my Task Force 2 has nothing - not even "made in Hong Kong" ! Also, I checked your earlier post showing the carded Green/yellow Task Force 2 and I can say with 90% certainty that's how mine (and the white TF3) came when bought from new - definitly in the UK and probably a chain store - 70% certain a "Woolworths" probably in Neath, South Wales. Regarding imports I can say with 100% certainty that in the above mentioned Woolworths, at around the same time, I picked up a paperback of Marvel "Fantastic Four" reprints which was the U.S. Lancer books edition printed with the U.S. price and a U.K. price sticker, so Woolworths were definitly receiving some stock from their American parent company. In fact this was around the time they opened their first UK "Woolco" superstores (I remember going to the one outside Bournemoth just after it opened - bigger than anything I'd ever seen ouside of London Depeartment stores) which were advertised as American style shopping comes to the UK.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps. Best wishes - John Swan