So I am looking to buy a vintage Kenner Cargo Truck as the final piece of my vintage collection and can't help noticing the inaccuracy of the truck. It's missing the flag pole on the front bumper and what is "112" on the door for? Does anyone know why it is so inaccurate? Is it based off of a sketch? Or is it just poor design? Hmmm........
"It is a pretty tough vehicle to get these days and command a pretty hefty sum to pick up. I heard one time in my toy travels that one reason it was so hard to find is it the only time this particular German truck was made in 1:18 scale making it desirable for WWII 1:18 collectors."
I never looked at the vintage truck that closely.
That 112 really stands out.
It amazes me how much better some toys look these days.
The new truck looks great, and seems even better side by side with the old version. I bought one for my son, and he really likes it and plays with it a lot. When not in use, it sits on a shelf in the little diorama from the box. Very cool.
And I'm not dissing collecting vintage, just drawing the comparison. That's an awesome last addition to your vintage collection. My son also plays with all my old vintage Star Wars stuff and really likes it. They have a classic look and feel.
So, good luck finding one, and let us know if you come up with some insight on that 112.
Thanks for the comparison/side-by-side pics. of the old & new Cargo truck. I never had the old one, but was happy to get the new one in 2008 - and, obviously, the new one is much more movie-accurate. I'm a fan of Vintage toys as well (IJ, Star Wars, etc.) but in many/most cases, the "modern" versions are usually (but not always) superior than the older ones.
No official insight on the 112 - other than it also forms part of the truck license plate. Coincidentally, the German motorcycle in the modern line has the same plate ! Was wondering if perhaps if the WH11284 designation was a nod to a Kenner sculptor (initials and birthday) - the 112 smacks of a last-minute graphic used to replace swastikas featured in the concept art for the truck...
From one vintage collector to another, I have a cheeky request: my truck is missing the 'handcuffs' on the back - any chance of a close up shot and some measurements so I can replicate them from scratch ?
EDIT: the bike plate is actually WH31984. Still sounds suspiciously like some kind of catalog number perhaps. Design patent ?
EDIT: talking rubbish. The WH actually stands for Wermacht Heer - valid prefix for WW2 German military vehicles.
Last edited by inky_skin : 05-10-2012 at 12:02 PM.
...indicates the 112 shows the truck to be assigned to the military district of Hannover. Why it appears on the toy but not on screen remains a mystery.
...indicates the 112 shows the truck to be assigned to the military district of Hannover. Why it appears on the toy but not on screen remains a mystery.
Good bit of research on the Military Districts (Wehrkreis), inky.
The registration pre-fix would be either WH or SS, to distinguish the Army from the SS. I've always thought it interesting that Lucas chose to have Hitler send the Army into Egypt.
As for '112' on the truck door it seems to be one of those strange occurences in the world of toys where a designer just does something, maybe to make the product look more appealing?
Or else as Henry W Jones suggested, there was a reference photo or a production sketch of a truck with that numbering?
Here's the Cool Toy Review page showing the original from different angles:
Thanks Montana - I always enjoy it when Indy is the springboard into some real-life research. And if anyone was going to know about the accuracy of the bikers uniforms, it was you FYI - looks like the Hasbro bike has a Berlin plate...
...indicates the 112 shows the truck to be assigned to the military district of Hannover. Why it appears on the toy but not on screen remains a mystery.
That's pretty funny, considering that Harrison Ford starred in "Hanover Street", 2 years before "Raiders"!
Location: Neuchâtel, Switzerland (Canadian from Montreal)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Montana Smith
Should we ignore the elephant in the room?
(The ComicConnvoy Truck?)
Yes, that superhero stuff should be ignored. (A bizarre addition to this thread's topic.) Speaking of convoys...the song, "Convoy" was a big, N.American radio hit in 1975. My friends & I loved it at the time...and it even became a movie in '78!
On-Topic: I don't collect Indy toys buy must say that the new Hasbro truck looks much better than the old, Kenner version!
As for '112' on the truck door it seems to be one of those strange occurences in the world of toys where a designer just does something, maybe to make the product look more appealing?
Just to continue the theme of funny factoids (although I can't beat Ali MacGraw overtaking a truck in her unique way):
Since 1948, '112' was used in Germany as the emergency telephone number - "Call 112 to reach the firefighter truck" was a kindergarten song there. In 1991, '112' was standardised across the EC (and in 2002 in the EU) as the euro emergency call number.
Maybe Kenner Indy should have dialled '112' to phone for help getting rid of trucking Nazis...
Just to continue the theme of funny factoids (although I can't beat Ali MacGraw overtaking a truck in her unique way):
Since 1948, '112' was used in Germany as the emergency telephone number - "Call 112 to reach the firefighter truck" was a kindergarten song there. In 1991, '112' was standardised across the EC (and in 2002 in the EU) as the euro emergency call number.
Maybe Kenner Indy should have dialled '112' to phone for help getting rid of trucking Nazis...
Random, but neat ! I was always told the 999 was selected in the UK as 9 was as the the bottom of a rotary dial and therefore easiest to reach from the floor while incapacitated or sheltering from smoke.
My final word on the matter - painted numerals of this type in the side of vehicles were normally reserved for armoured (eg, tank) divisions and signified battle group and position.
Last edited by inky_skin : 05-13-2012 at 03:20 PM.
Can I ask whether you chaps know how widely the truck with the actual fabric cover (as opposed to the plastic version ) was available? I never saw them for sale in the uk
Can I ask whether you chaps know how widely the truck with the actual fabric cover (as opposed to the plastic version ) was available? I never saw them for sale in the uk
Can I ask whether you chaps know how widely the truck with the actual fabric cover (as opposed to the plastic version ) was available? I never saw them for sale in the uk
Yup, that's where I got mine - but was it ever advertised as such ? Don't recall anything specific on the package like they did with things like their TVC Vader.
Yup, that's where I got mine - but was it ever advertised as such ? Don't recall anything specific on the package like they did with things like their TVC Vader.
I think it was just a standard box, probably because they were sold in other countries as exclusives by different companies there?
As appearances go, I prefer the regular plastic covered version:
FYI - looks like the Hasbro bike has a Berlin plate...
(A bizarre addition to this thread's topic.) Speaking of convoys...the song, "Convoy" was a big, N.American radio hit in 1975. My friends & I loved it at the time...and it even became a movie in '78!
