Slush Cast

Slush cast is a technique for making hollow metal items.  It uses very little metal and so the items are light and inexpensive.  Like the technique for making chocolate Easter Bunnies.

The technique has gone out of favor with die casting replacing it, like Matchbox cars.

Still, slush cast toys were very popular in the 1930's, and 1940's in the USA.

I like to buy slush cast military items that are small and repair them.

Then I strip off the old paint, prime them, and repaint them.

Fletcher Flair and Coyote 500

 Fletcher Flair 115 by Midge Toy, repainted and with new decals.

The Flair was supposed to be a fully amphibious Jeep but the Army did not buy them.

The vehicle in the back is the Matchbox Coyote 500.

The Army looked at those too, but did not buy but a few for testing.

In this scenario, the Army purchased them both.

And they served side by side all through the 1960's.

Long Tom

This Tootsie Toy cannon is probably 50 years old.

It got it off eBay, in terrible condition.  It's supposed to be a US Army Long Tom, 155mm howitzer.

The US Army used them in the Coast Artillery and the Field Artillery.

Field Artillery towed them with trucks and the Coast Artillery with Caterpillar tractors.

I stripped off the paint, repaired it and replaced the wheels.

After years of testing these guns finally entered service in 1938.

In my alternate War of the Worlds based on Orson Wells radio show, the Martians invade in October of 1938.

That makes this one of the first of these gun into service and one of the first to fire in anger.  I use the Roco versions for World War Two.

Luftwaffe 1946

 

 A Matchbox airplane.

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It reminds me of this 1946 Luftwaffe jet.

I am taking them apart and will have to strip off their paint.
 

It's a simple model and will be an easy job.

A small group of four airplanes is enough.