It is always a pleasure for a long-term collector to discover a previously unknown manufacturer.  We first found details of this one, the Jotha Plastic Fire Truck in the book by Samlerborsen dedicated to Danish models - a real shock! 

In 25 years of travel throughout Scandinavia, we had never seen this item.  Three years ago, while looking at a catalog from a Swedish sales showroom, this coveted piece finally made an appearance, looking superb, complete and new in its box.  How did it get there?  A mystery!  Obviously, it was not liked by its young owner or more likely it stayed in the bowels of a store, a treasure ignored by buyers who had no idea of its rarity! 

The plastic used is of very high quality and it is a most attractive toy. The van contains a storage tank topped with a plug which serves as the front end of a pump.  The winder reel works and the headlights and the projector lamp are phosphorescent, so they glow-in-the-dark. This is a common characteristic in nordic toys, since night falls early, one must entertain oneself in the long winter evenings. 

The overall look of this van is reminiscent of a Tekno or similar Danish company, the wings are certainly of a very generous size. The toy also includes many detachable plastic pieces - on the featured example, everything is in its place, but it is easy to imagine how fragile the whole piece is and how easy it was for parts to get lost.  One wonders if this ephemeral manufacturer produced any other models?

Isabelle and Vincent Espinasse. Autojaune.fr

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