Dinky toy guns and towing tractors.



The Dinky Anti aircraft gun and trailer No 162 B was first produced in  1939 and continued until number changed number to 690  post war for US export. Was this gun designed for the Dinky range had its origin with the 3 inch gun of 1914.

History:  The need for air defence resulted with the AA gun the Quick Fire (QF) 3 inch 20 CWT entered  service in 1914 by the British Ordnance and made a good reputation for itself during WW-I.   This Anti Aircraft gun  stayed in service until the 1940's. The gun was used statically and on a mobile gun platform in most cases. The British Expeditionary Force used these guns at the beginning of WW-ll in 1939  where most of these guns were captured at Dunkirk by the Germans and were renamed the 75 mm Flak Vickers.  These QF 3 inch AA guns were replaced by the 3.7 inch gun at a later stage during WW II.



Dinky 6 wheeled covered wagon No 151 B was first produced by Dinky in 1937 and those that were manufactured suffer from the dreaded metal  fatigue and often crumble away before ones eyes.  The post war production toys re numbered 620 are a lot more stabled as the quality of Zalmac had improved.

History: The design of the 6 wheeled wagon could have come from a number of manufactures although the front bonnet and cab area is so similar to the the Leyland.  Although the 6x4 didn't develop until the late 1920's and into the 1930's when improvement to road surfaces enable the heaver vehicles travelling capabilities.




History:  This Layland 3 ton gasoline combustion engine initiated by the War Office subsidised scheme of 1912 were produced by their thousands during the later part of the First World War. Other British makers also added their vehicles at the outbreak of WWI, thus improving their automated production techniques. Layland took the unique step of buying back a great many of the subversion vehicles it had made and reconditioning them in their factory for re-sale to the public after WW-l.



In 1920's Leyland increased the load capacity to Q type 4 tons and in 1925 to 7 tons which was the SQ2 semi-forward control and experimented with diesel engines . Then they developed the SWQ2 which was the 6x4 in 1927. Although I cannot say the Leyland produced the SWQ2 in the bonneted version similar to the design of the Dinky version of the same vehicle.

Dinky introduced the 5.5 inch BL gun number 692 into its catalogue in 1955 until 1974 when the Leopard tank took its place.



History: The British 5.5 inch gun came into being in 1942  after the British Ordinance Department had experimented with the 4.5 inch gun during WW-ll.  I remember seeing one of these 4.5 inch gun at Monegeetta, army testing facility in 1965, when the army was towing it behind the prototype International Tractors MK-V that were replacing the old 1942 Mack 10 ton GS vehicle. The 5.5 Inch gun was phased out in 1983 in Australia and replaced with the M198 155 mm gun.



Dinky introduced the 25 pdr howitzer gun  in 1957 number 686 and sold separately to the limber and Morris Quad. The set number 697 and was released the same year.



History: The 25 pounder Quick Fire (QF) breach loader had its inspiration for a field gun and howitzer  combination during the 1920's. Britain suffering financial constraints after WWI stalled such a proposal. The Ordnance experimented with the old surplus 18 pounder gun carriages converted to pneumatic tyres and placing the newly designed heavier guns on them resulting in the development of the Mark I. The even had some with split trails as well as the box enclosed trails familiar with the Mark II gun carriage.

The 25 pounder Mark I went into combat with the British Expeditionary Forces in France during the start of WW II only to be lost during the evacuation of Dunkirk.  The 25 pounder Mark II QF with nearly designed gun carriage was deployed with the Commonwealth Forces and made a name of one of the best field guns in WW II against Germany's Amour in 1940 during the North Africa campaign.  These guns were still in use until 1966 in the Australian Armed Forces and were replace with the M2A2 105 mm Gun/howitzer.



The Dinky 6 pounder Anti Tank Gun No 625 was introduced into the Dinky range in 1975 in a bubble pack containing plastic shells on 2 sprues.

History: Designed during the early part of WW II the QF breach loader 6 pounder gun replaced the 2 pounder Anti Tank Gun thus giving the British gun crews something to hit back at the superior German Armour. Suffering delays this gun entered service in 1941.



Dinky Number 617 was introduced in 1967 and came in either colour picture box or bubble pack versions containing the Volkswagen KDF and the 50 mm Pak 38 gun.



History: In early 1925 German Rheinmetall researches had begun working on an anti tank gun similar in size to the British 2 pounder.  By 1936 the Pak 35/36 was developed with pneumatic tyres and these weapons were used in combat for the first time during the Spanish Civil War.  The more powerful 50 mm Pak  38 entered combat service in 1940 although only a few were sent with the invasion of the Soviet Union they preform well against the T 34.  Another gun which followed the Pak 38 was the Pak 40 could use the same AP 40 ammunition. These guns stayed in production until the end of the war and those who operated them said they were really a good gun to handle.



Dinky 7.2 inch Howitzer Gun Number 69s production started in 1958.

History:  In 1940 British Army realised they were short on heavy mobile artillery and decided to re-bore some of the obsolete 8 inch guns to accept the nearly designed ammunition. Some of these gun carriages were unstable and steel ramps were used behind the wheels.  Six versions of the 7.2 inch howitzer until the adoption of the American MI carriage was used.



Above is a 7.2 inch howitzer being brought into action and notice on the right hand side the steel ramps for the recoil system.



The above is the 5.5 inch BL gun being towed by the Dinky Number 623 and the 7.2 inch Howitzer being towed by the Medium Field Gun Tractor Number 689.



The Dinky Battle lines American 105 mm gun number 609

I have finally worked it out I think. The above picture is of the Dinky 88 mm gun that was used not only for Anti Aircraft defence but as a attacking against opponents positions and defence weapon against tanks during the Second World War.

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I picked up another Britains Ltd 4.7 inch Naval Gun 1915 Paten, on eBay which needed some straightening up.   That means this gun would be about 90 years old or more .  Not really much in dismantling this gun as it is only held together by the axle and pivoting barrel pin used for elevation and fixing to the box trail gun platform and the one holding down the flat spring.



The axle was slightly bent which also bent part of the cross tree axle housing on both sides.  The elevating adjuster was missing and the ranging telescope and range setting scale is also missing.  Might have to make one of those one day, as I don't think I can get that particular replacement part.  Also rust accumulation on the spring that slides in between the box trail needed cleaning.



Having stripped the gun down.   I was able to find a bit of brass fitting that would be able to be used for the elevation adjustment screw or nut,  whatever.   So I drilled it out to the required size and tap threaded to the same thread on the gun elevating threaded shaft.



In the picture above at the bottom of the box trail you can see the pin holding the spring steel in place. Just grind or file which I did the clinched end and pull the pin out and from the underside take out the flat spring which is actually two placed on-top of each other and pushed into place.

Axle straightened. I then applied some gentle heart to the cross tree axle housing and straighten them up. Then re assembled the gun and is now waiting for me to make a new part for the sighting telescope and elevation scale. This is usually done with a two part mix of silicone rubber mould taken from a original part. Re clinch the ends when assembling when the gun is finished.



The other cannon in the picture could be one made from a Prince August rubber moulds.  Some of the traps of eBay when buying old looking cannons.

The Prince August cannon had to have some adjustments as the axle was made of soft lead.   That means this cannon has no tin and antimony combined with in the mix which helps harden the lead.



I drilled out the wheel hub and used a nail for the axle. I glued two peaces of wood  onto the box trail, centering them over the axle housing or where the box trail sits on the axle.  This enables the axle to be held in position.  I drilled a hole through the two bits of wood representing ammunition boxes and then was able to slid the new axle in, so as the axle doesn't drop off when someone lifts up the cannon.   I then super glued the wheels on and painted the cannon. Only one thing to do is re straighten the barrel again.



Remember if anyone decides to by a lead cannon on eBay or anywhere else make sure it is not made of pure lead and that the metal used is in-fact White Metal.

Bye.

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The Editor wrote:

Among the most exquisite minor works of art are models of soldiers, sailors and airmen, which have been made by craftsmen for monarchs, private collectors and military museums.  These models are quite distinct from the toy soldiers produced for children, for they are made with infinitely greater care for detail and often achieve a delicacy and vitality, which place them among true works of art.

Major Harris is one of the leading experts on the subject and many of the 138 illustrations are taken from his own collection.  These include not only single figures but several panoramic displays of whole armies, depicting scenes of warfare and ceremonial.  In addition there are models of artillery weapons and other forms of transport and armaments, drawn from the armies of many nations and several centuries and reproduced in accurate detail from the originals.

Having read this book some  years ago, I have decided to revisit the written information contained within the sturdy covers of Model Soldiers and share some of the contents with you in  a short essay on the subject of model soldiers.

The contents contained in the Chapters, reveals model soldiers have been around well before BC and early AD and Major Harries discusses these in detail combining commentary by J J Garratt master modeller and historian depicting some of his artwork as well.   Although these residual models from the past,  may have been meant as religious icons, tomb furniture of a votive nature or play things for children, past and presentwith the introduction of plastics.  What we do know, is they have become collectible and they show creative techniques skills from lost civilisations and societies, for us to see and feel as they would have once did if one is ever allowed in the many museum.

Like the doll is for girls, the soldiers were for boys to play with and the word Toy derives from the meaning within the Crafted Guilds from the past as being any small art models.   

Below is a Roman soldier flat moulded in lead using a two part slate or single mould from the 3rd century AD which was often used in those days for casting small objects.



Those past model soldiers contained many  compositions and material used to make these soldiery images  including rich metals like gold and silver,  jade and green jasper, Ivory and bone,  bronze rounds and lead flats, pure tin and pewter mix, wooden and plaster representations. Baked clay from antiquity and renaissance ceramics,  gum bragacanth edible figures  (sugar, flour mix hardened in the mould and later painted)  paper-mache' are just some of the materials used.

These hand made figures came to life long before Christ and marched on into the 1900's until demand increased for revolutionary thinking in mass production.  Industrialisation  improved the quality and quantity of production of model soldiers around the world.  From the lead flats made in Germany to Britains revolutionary hollow round casts model soldiers are as popular now as they were then.

Below an equestrian warrior model from Greece BC made in bronze  42 cm (14 inch) high hollow casted.  Does this mean that in the Bronze Age Alchemy knew something well before William Britain jnr.



Other information about cardboard flats came into being by the mechanisation of the printing press.  Seyfried from Strasbourg started issuing card sheets of soldiers celebrating the visit of Louis XV in 1744. The book "Toy Soldiers has some of these card sheets depicted if the reader wants to know more about them.



When looking at the artistic side the model soldier in minute form there, are some beautiful works of art created.  For each modellers representation to detail can only be expressed in the above picture of a wounded Prussian Hussar falling to his death as the horse rears up in fright from the battle storm. Made by Norman Newton Ltd 1914.



Above is a diorama from Waterloo depicting the Royal Artillery coming into action with their nine pounder smooth bore gun and limber. The figures are made of kaolin and lead having separate head, arms and equipment and I presume they are made by Russel Gammage in 1981. 



Spiking the guns diorama at the French Fort of Santo Domingo 11 May 1800. The American Marines and models are made of bees wax, wood and metal compositions. This is on display in America somewhere.



Models made by Heyde of Dresdon Germany, these soldiers and equipment depicting  American War of Independence production circular of about 1870 that was available in box sets.







Some of these vehicles look familiar while some are conversions or Code 3 types from model kits.



More modern times the above picture models are made from wood and painted, thus enhancing period dioramas.



Above is the Viceroy of India, Vicereine complete with servants 1908 circular made by Major Harris converted from Britains figures and horses.



Battle scene and at first glance it could be any of the millions of black and white photographs taken during wartime. This diorama based on Red Beach Tarawa Atoll 13th November 1943, depicting the landing of the US Second Marine Division. Models are made of duron with some wood scenery.



The above diorama housed at the Imperial War Museum London showing the inspection by King George V and the Prince of Wales far left of a twelve inch howitzer on rail mountings in operation mode by the gun crew during the first world war in France.

HG Wells was also a collector of soldiers and wrote many subjects on the subject.  Floor Games for soldiers and was written in 1911.



And the Drummer played on into the night by the firelight. The above picture is of porcelain, made by Meissen about 1750-60 give and take a couple of years. Also Worcester and Dresden  produced soldiers just to name a few who made a number of these  figurine's into the 1900's.



The number of manufactures from the past to the present are mentioned within the pages of this book like Seyfried, Meherheine,, Kiel, Beck Kebbel and Staar, Scholtse, Britains, Crescent, J Hill.co, Marx, Model Toys, Merten, Elastolin, Ericksson & Winkler to name a few.  Dioramas by Fred Winkler, A Ping and Roger Berdou as just a few of the master modellers and soldier enthrusiasts that are mentioned between the covers of this 38 year old book.

There are a number of publishers of this book and the first addition was published in 1972 by Octopus Books Limited England. Universal Books distribution Australia and printed by Mandarin Publishers Limited Hong Kong.

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Some of the guns that I have in my collection.



From left to right: No 1201 Royal Artillery 18 pounder gun introduced into the Britains line in 1930. Next No 1292 Royal Artillery 6 inch howitzer introduced 1934.  Small gun No 1263 could be the 13 pounder. Last is the Confederate Artillery that came in a set with two confederate gunners No 2038 and 2037 for the Union set. introduction into Britains was before 1930 although this gun was made again from  1951 and re numbered 2057 and 2058.







Britain's 4.5 inch Howitzer No 1725. This rubber tyre wheeled gun was introduced in 1939 and was available until 1967. Early guns had brass elevating adjuster knob and later replaced with die-cast one.



Gun on the left has a home made brass elevating adjuster knob.





Britains modern artillery. British Anti-Tank Gun 9720 released 1960's and 1981





Left 105 mm Pack Howitzer No 9724 released in 1960's



Right German field Gun PAK 38 No 9732 released 1974



Two pounder Light Anti Aircraft gun No 1715. If  mounted on 4 wheeled trailer with swing out boom stabilizers it was No 1717 available from 1939-40 and 1946 to 1962,





In travelling position.



Set up for firing position.

18 inch Heavy Howitzer on tractor wheels. No 1265. has realistic breach loading mechanism and ammunition and shell incorporating spring loaded that firers the shell when breach is close triggering the release.  Introduced about 1920 and had number changed to No 2107 in 1955.  Production stopped around 1980
Below older version white metal or tin  lead casting


Average play wear damage missing breach and the brackets plates.separating the trails and gun platform frame.  Tried to make my own using a plaster mould. Alas hot metal usually doesn't like plaster and the consequences is that the hot metal spewed out leaving a nice hole in one of the plates.



Above later version in Zalmac casting although looks the same but different breach and elevation bracket underneath is on the side instead of barrel recoil housing and the barrel slides out which is a separate casting. The older version has the barrel moulded into the recoil housing.

Below showing the underneath elevation and the early type breach.



 25 pounders.



1960,s 25 pounders No 9705  and the later version No 9704 released 1977.



Above 1960's 4.7 Naval Gun No 970



On the left is No Rd 388707  first produced in the 1900's as the word Depose is written on the barrel indicating registration for sale and manufacture in France. This gun also had the enclosed trail covering the metal flat spring. In 1915 Patent was taken out and the new boxed trail had left the flat spring opened. Also on the side of the box trail one can see the Patent date.  The in 1933 it was given a set number which included a naval officer  No 1264


 Collection of 155 mm guns No 2064 first introduced in 1953 and continued well into the 1966's

Some of these I have had to repair and make some spare breaches.

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One of the most popular die-cast toy artillery hardware made during the 1950's and well into the 1970's was the 25 Pounder (pdr) Howitzer  Gun.   That had the capability of firing anything from matchsticks or manufactured envisaged shells that were initially provided with the toy by the manufacturer either made of lead or plastic included in the box or sold separately.

Crescent, Britains, Lone Star-DCMT, Benbros, Corgi and Dinky followed by Matchbox were the main manufactures within England, that endeavored to supply the world with these type of pull back spring loading apparatus, shooting toy missiles around the battlefield for children of all ages to enjoy.



Crescent really did capture the natural features of the 25 pdr howitzer developed during the Second World War,  by having the turntable gun platform and included more detail on the protective shield and box trail than their competitors.



In comparison on the left in the above picture, Dinky also reproduced a very striking resemblance with their toy 25 pdr, although Dinky, never included any firing mechanism due to the small scale I suppose.  In the middle is the Modern Military Series by Britains, while on the right is the Crescent 25 pounder.



The two versions by Britains.



Above is the Lone Star on the left. DCMT-Lone Star in the middle while the Benbros is on the right.  Lone Star and Benbros also made their 25 pounder with waggon type wheels as well as the rubber types.



Very similar in design with box trail and the seating on each gun for the layer and breach loader on each side of the box trail has been included in these toys.  Nearly identical, although with close inspection one can see slight differences with the individual modelling of these toys by their parent owners.



DCMT and Britains showing the difference in design of the box trail



Dinky 25 pounder was either sold separate or in a complete set.



Matchbox Super Kings No 116 and Corgi 25 pounder also came in a set complete with limber and Morris Quad for Corgi. Matchbox with a modern design tractor.



Eventhough Matchbox could represent any number of designed guns from that futuristic period, although one can only guess it was designed on the principles of the 25 pounder.



The Matchbox 1-75 series included the look alike 25 pounder No 32.

How we age with time. This picture was taken about 15 years ago at Dimboola.  Now the gray hairs have taken over.

Notice that the 25 pounder hasn't got the muzzle break on the barrel end. The muzzle break was added on the end of the barrel in the 1950's.







One thing is for sure any visitor to the land down under, would often bump into the 25 pounder in museums, memorial parks and often found in front of the Returned and Service League Sub-branches around Australia.

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Britains Ltd started to make the 25 pounder  during the early 1960's.  Which would be about right when I acquired my first 25 pounder having the number of 9705.



The castings on the left and right was the first 25 pounders that Britain attempted to produce, which are similar to those of Lone Star in some respects as not being realistic enough.  Crescent and Dinky had produced the more realistic version, although Dinky didn't have any firing mechanism.   Crescent really got involved with their modeling, to include dial sights and range plate into their casting, while they also attempted to include the traversing and elevation wheels.  They also included the base turntable pivoting plate to sit the gun onto while in the firing position.  This enable the gun to be spun around in a complete circle, just encase the enemy slipped in behind the gun position.

These toy guns of Britains were designed to firer a lead or plastic look alike artillery round projectile.  As these often became lost in battles,  matchsticks would often replace the rounds and were set alight, so as to depict the actual firing of a gun with the tell tail vapor trail of the matchstick as it travelled through the air.  Well I did that and I know a lot of other young boys did the same thing.   If one wanted to really smash into the oncoming toy soldiers one could replace the matchstick with little ball bearings and that wasn't fair on the tin lead soldiers.  Ah then came those plastic ones.



The difference in the tooling is that the 25 pounder situated in the middle has the distinct deflective shield compared to the early versions.



In the middle of the picture the shield has the flap in the downwards position. The box trail has also been reworked, including the flash casting on the end of the barrel.  In all, I would say this is actually a complete new tooling of the die-casting mould made just before 1977.  Number 9704



The early 25 pounders had die-cast wheel hubs and rubber tyres while later in life, they were replaced them with plastic hubs with plastic tyres.

Just some memories of the real 25 Pounder.

The 25 Pounder Howitzer had a boxed trail riveted and later welded.  It had a quick firing slide breach mechanism, elevation from 4 degrees to 40 degrees while only having the adjust of 4 degrees traverse left and right of center-line.  Capabilities high angle firing and secondary anti tank when over run.  These capabilities was definitely proven in the Desert Warfare at Tobruk. Great little gun to work on and firer.

HE  shells with percussion fuse  and Air-bust time fuses were used for smoke and canister shot.  Different charges were contained in the shell casing and were taken out for setting the required charge by using the different coloured bags. White, Blue and Red being the smallest. When shooting over long distances all were used and if only firing short distances then the white bag of cordite was used.  Funny it used to feel like a bag of wheat, well it was in pallet form.

What else can I remember.  The Sargent would control the traverse when the gun had to be turned left or right by using a hand spike near the towing eye.  He would lift the trail up a bit and swing the gun as it pivoted on the turntable plate, then the Gun Layer would finalise the traverse.   The Number 3 being the Gun layer would trigger the firing mechanism near him on the left side of the gun when the gun was fired.
 
The breach loader Number 2, would open the breach while the round loader Number 4 would push up the 25 pound round into the breach by the slap of the open hand with fingers pointing downward, then the breach loader would ram the round home.  This is to stop the breach loader getting over impatient by slamming the breach closed.  If the loader or the charge loader Number 5 put their hands right in the breach then they may loose their fist. 

Number 6 would sort the charges set the time fuse or put the percussion fuse on under the supervision of the Bombardier.  My job.

Well that is all I can remember as that was so so long ago and I was really a 5.5 Gun BL  Medium Field Gunner anyway.

Bye GunnerJim.

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