1930 Marx, (World War I) Doughboy Tank in Original Box
Outstanding tin litho clockwork World War I era Doughboy tank. It was one of Marx's earliest best selling toys and was produced in six variations over 25 years. This was the first version manufactured for only two years. It comes complete with its very scarce original box.The tank was beautifully designed with an overall shape resembling an elongated diamond with rounded points. It's lithographed in contrasting colors of bright orange and deep blue. The edges are scalloped and lithoed brown with faux treads. It has a twin cannon main turret and wedge mounted side cannons (like those shown in the third Indiana Jones movie). It has three wheels; one moves it forward, the second spins freely to balance out the first wheel. The third is a smaller, rounded tin wheel, mounted in the rear to a geared support that turns it right and left. This causes it to zig-zag. Wind it up. Set the lever to start. As it moves along, the rear hatch opens and an authentic looking WWI infantryman in red uniform aiming a rifle pops out. The soldier is pulled back into the tank and the hatch closes as it continues to move forward. The cycle then repeats. The main turret is attached to a rod which is geared to the motor. Occasionally the gear loses contact with the rod allowing the turret to bump up and down freely. After a few seconds it'll catch again tightening up the rod to stabilize the turret. All actions; the soldier, hatch, turret, wheels, etc., work flawlessly! It originally retailed for 95¢. The rarely seen box features a detailed line illustration of the tank coming over a ridge. The perspective drawn is looking up from the bottom of the tank. It shows the soldier shooting out of the hatch towards the left. A tangle maze of barbed wire and a small pond lays off to the left. The text was printed in a Germanic bold type which I've not seen on any other Marx toy. It sports the original Marx logo in the corner. This logo style was used until 1939. It has all four original interior flaps which have the directions for operating the toy printed on every one. Size: 9½" long, 4¼" tall. Sold: May 2006
Price Sold: $ 361
