1950 Sallou Corp., Cata-Bo Aluminum Jet Bomb in Original Box
From East Rutherford, New Jersey (soon to be home of the first U.S. indoor snow ski jump) comes the "Cata-Bo All Aluminum Jet Bomb with Steel Head". Toy has never been played with and comes complete in its original box. "Cleverly" named by combining the words catapult and bomb, the Cata-Bo is essentially a spring loaded cap bomb with a trigger firing release mechanism. The resemblance to an early 1950's jet is unmistakable, while the stark "red" color was almost certainly intentional. The toy name, manufacturer name and address were painted in yellow on the top of the base. A cap is fitted into the nose of the bomber and then screwed closed. The catapult mechanism is primed by pulling the launching carriage into position using the attached metal ring. Once its locked into position the jet bomber is loaded onto the carriage. A trigger underneath the carriage releases the spring and launches the bomber. The metal base, launching carriage, and two support rods easily disassemble to fold flat. The entire toy, except for the steel nosecone, is made from Alclad™. Alclad™ is a trademark of Alcoa used as a generic term to describe corrosion resistant Aluminum sheet formed from high-purity aluminum surface layers metallurgically bonded to high strength Aluminum Alloy core material1. The underside of the base and jet still show the original Alclad™ stamped trademarks. The bright yellow, blue and red box features a perspective illustration of the Cata-bo launching and its subsequent detonation. The front apron advertises that the toy is "safe and thrilling" and "fun for all". The rear apron was printed with a four step set of instructions for loading, launching and firing the jet. The original $1.99 retail price and purchase code written in light pencil on the cover can still be seen. $1.99 was considerably expensive for a c.1950 toy, most likely because of its Alclad™ composition. The bottom of the box is blank. Size: 17" long x 12" tall x 3" wide". Jet 5¼" long. Sold: Dec. 2008
Price Sold: $ 139
