Hi Woodsy,
I have just discovered what may well be the most beautiful tinplate toy ever made – the Wells-Brimtoy Robin Paint and Poster Truck. Needless to say, I discovered this while looking for something else entirely, and just had to dive straight down yet another rabbit hole.
Not only was this a wind-up clock-work toy truck, the back contained a slide-out tray of water-colour paints (which are nearly always missing from surviving examples). Hooks on the sides of the truck (usually broken off) held a toy ladder on one side, and a paint brush on the other (also usually missing).
Wells was founded in 1919, and Brimtoy in 1923, the two firms merging in 1932. Wells-Brimtoy Distributors Limited was formed in 1949, but a variety of names appear on the toys.
The always useful Brighton Toy Museum site has a page of Wells-Brimtoy advertising (dated 1956), which shows the truck. It has the paint tray extended, and supported by a fold-down leg at the rear.
No.708 Robin Paint and Poster Truck. Clockwork Truck complete with 12 paints in movable palette, paint brush and painter's ladder. Boxed singly in novel coloured carton of which two sides are in black and white outline for child to paint. Size 7 1/4 in. x 3 1/4 in. x 4 in.
Presumably that is the box size ? As usual with post-war Wells-Brimtoy models, the construction is a mix of tinplate and plastic.
Most of the truck is tinplate, including the cab interior, with a coloured plastic cab top in light blue. It is based on the Bedford S-Type truck.
A friction motor is fitted beneath the vehicle, with a wind-up key on the left side. The colour scheme is mainly red and blue.
It has Made in Gt. Britain on the right side of the cab, with more details on the fold-down tail-gate. Here the name of the maker is given as Welsotoys.
The sides of the truck are colourfully marked, with the name of the toy, and a Robin holding a yellow leaf in his beak. I thought that Robin looked familiar – was it anything to do with the Robin comic ?
Robin was a weekly comic published from 1953 to 1969, initially by Hulton Press, whose other titles included Eagle, Girl, and Swift. It was aimed at very young children.
A Robin was the logo of the comic, and the price was printed on the leaf that the little bird is holding. The Boys Adventure Comics blog has a wonderful article, with numerous excellent photos, showing the truck.
What a wonderful toy!
Do you agree?
Eight photographs from Worthpoint
Paul Adams from New Zealand
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