1946 Unique Art Mfg. Co., Sky Rangers in Original Box
Classic four piece, mechanical, tin litho Sky Rangers from Unique Art. Includes high wing monoplane with pilot, observation dirigible, lighthouse signal tower on base, and balance beam. It comes complete with the original box and a partial section of its original instruction sheet. Both toy and box are in excellent+ condition. The toy features some of the finest lithography of any post-war mechanical air toy. The monoplane is yellow trimmed in orange with a robin's-egg blue propeller. Exhaust pipes spitting smoke were lithoed along both sides of the fuselage. The plane is controlled using a stop/start lever located on the left side of the fuselage. The key is attached. The observation dirigible shows pilots and enlisted men attending to various activities (steering, navigation, manning the radio, and relaxing with a cup of coffee). The lighthouse tower shows ground activities, signalmen, and lookouts. the upper half was lithoed as brick while the lower section left open showing internal stairways and girders. The base represents the ocean with flowing waves. The plane moves forward using its spring driven motor to rotate the propeller. It's heavier than the dirigible so it flies near ground level until it really gets going. It will then occasionally rise which lowers and raises the dirigible. It runs great! The original box is printed on one side with the Unique Art juggling clown logo in black ink. There are several versions of this box. The name of the toy, manufacturer's name, and address appear on the remaining panels. The partial instruction sheet describes setup and operation of the toy. Most of lower schematic is gone into obscurity. It's been glued to a card so it wouldn't totally disintegrate. Size: Tower 9" tall. Dirigible 9" long. Monoplane 7" long, 7" wingspan. Sold: Sep. 2006
Price Sold: $ 308
