Greetings Moonbasers!
This Lockheed JetStar from Hitachi is based on the real-life C-140 built by Lockheed. In 1957 the JetStar was the first aircraft to be designed from the start as a dedicated business jet but sixteen were ultimately produced for Air Force use starting in 1962 and remained in service with the Air Force until the 1990s.
The Hitachi version follows the standard two-piece design of tin-litho aircraft by having a fuselage and removable wing section containing the friction motor. It measures 7" (17.8cm) L x 7 1/8" (18.1cm) WS x 2 3/4" (7cm) H. Oddly, my toy came with the box top, but no box bottom.
From Vegas Air Field
Ed
This is a beautiful aircraft, one I’ve never heard of. The toy is fantastic, and the box illustration is a real “grabber.” Considering the date this bird was released, I wonder if it has any influence in the design of the Jet VTOL, the rocket-plane used in the 1966 Tokusatsu program from Japan, Ultraman? Sure looks like there are parallels to me. Anyways, thanks for sharing all of these amazing tin birds, it’s a trip back in time to a much cooler world! SFZ
ReplyDeleteAnother great tinplate toy. The Jetstar appears in the James Bond movie Goldfinger (1964).
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