This is the battery operated toy of the Bristol 188 sold by
the Louis Marx company of New York, USA during the early sixties.
It was made in Japan and is powered by two D size batteries.
It has a curious stop and go motion, with flashing lights set in the engine
intakes.
Flick the switch on top of the starboard wing and the toy
comes alive. There’s the sound of the
engines firing up as the intakes on either side flash intermittently.
The toy moves forward, stops and moves forward again.
It has a plastic base and a chrome tin plate top. It carries
the number XF 926.
The real Bristol 188 was a British supersonic research
aircraft built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in the 1950’s, during a time
when Britain was at the cutting edge of supersonic research and development.
Its sleek shape led it to be known as ‘The Flaming Pencil’.
Three prototypes were built, although only two flew. These
aircraft were given the serial numbers XF 923 & XF 926. During tests XF 926
achieved speeds of up to Mach 1.88 (1440 mph) at 36,000 ft.
The 188 project which had been fraught with problems due to
its cutting edge and ultimately undeveloped technology was eventually cancelled
in 1964. The only Aircraft to survive is the XF 926, which now resides in the
Test Flight hanger at RAF Cosford.
Great aircraft and equally exciting toy.
ReplyDeleteI have one. What's it worth?
DeleteWonderful photo against the sun!
ReplyDeleteH
Great article Scoop! I see these crop up on the Bay occasionally. Marx always liked to offer toys of actual planes that were at the forefront of technology, many of which never made it past the prototype stage. Hope to see more Cosford pics.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments fellas, always appreciated. It is a super toy. I have to thank Bill who spotted it on fleabay and thought it would go well with my Marx TSR 2 toy.
ReplyDeleteI wish id had a pop myself now!
ReplyDeleteI have one. What's it worth?
DeleteSorry, we don't do valuations. Check on Ebay's sold listings.
Delete