1930 Tomiyama, Pre-War Clockwork "Cierva Gyro Plane"
Awesome!! Wind-up clockwork tin litho Gyro Plane or Gyro Copter manufactured by Tomiyama, Japan. The actual name of the toy is "Cierva Gyro Plane". It was named after the inventor of the Gyro Copter, Juan de la Cierva. Mr. de la Cierva was not only the inventor, but in 1923 he became the first to fly a Gyro. In 1928 he was the first person to fly across the English Channel in a gyroscopic plane. As you'll see in the last photo, Tomiyama's production of this toy was extremely faithful to the original vehicle. The Tomiyama company began producing tin toys in 1930. The Cierva Gyro Plane was one their first toys. It's lithoed with their earliest trademark logo on the the left rear underside of the fuselage. On the opposite side of the fuselage is the logo "Suppra" and "REG Foreign". As far as I can make out Suppra was the name of the Japanese exporter. REG The "Foreign" designation was an early requirement for all products imported into the U.S. and several European countries. The toy winds using an attached key located under the left wing. The clockwork motor simultaneously turns the wheels, rotors, and propeller. The tips of both the main and tail wings were intentionally angled (as per the actual plane). The two main wings are also hinged and fold up completely. Possibly this was used to pack the toy into a smaller box. The three rotor blades are polished tin litho. Again, as per the actual plane each rotor was slanted along one long edge. The blades do not fold up and are not removable. It's lithoed primarily silver with red triangular designs that are very reminiscent of the Japanese flag. The red, white, and blue circular emblems were lithographed; they are not decals. The wheels are metal with lithoed treads. It also has a third smaller wheel in the rear. It also has a small clicker connected to the clockwork motor which produces sound as it moves. The two halves of the fuselage, pilot, upright tail wings, and engine are all a single piece of tinplate tabbed together. Size: Fuselage w/prop 5¼". Wingspan 7-1/8". Rotor blades 3-1/8" Sold: Jan. 2012
Price Sold: $ 575
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