The Air Force Driver

The Air Force Driver

The TimMee aqua blue Air Force driver is considered to be the rarest (and smallest) of the U.S. soldiers produced in the United States. Only the four TimMee Germany GI poses created specifically for their market in 1957 are as rare. The Air Force driver was included in bagged sets (such as the #168 U.S. Air Force Combat Force, the #169 U.S. Soldiers Jeep and Gun and the #199 United States Army Artillery) as an alternative to the more familiar Army driver that was produced in both olive green and aqua blue. The Air Force driver's rarity is more than likely the result of the figure's cavity being removed early on from the Air Force set tooling due to damage. The driver's early demise probably explains why the Army driver was cast in aqua blue as well; replacing the former in future bagged sets.

Prior to this posting there have been only a few obscure photos taken of the Air Force driver, none of which were ever made available online for whatever reason. So these high resolution photos are long overdue. Click to enlarge and enjoy.

Size comparison

Driver and Jeep

Black Helicopter Strikeforce

Black Helicopter Strikeforce

TimMee Toys has just released a 'Reimagined Reissue' with the Black Helicopter Strikeforce. The pieces in this set were never offered in black and the helicopters were released many years after the S.W.A.T. figures were retired. The set includes the 6352 Attack and Civilian Helicopters that were originally released some time in the mid-90's. They were usually cast in yellow, red and blue and were included in the 6350 bulk aircraft assortment. The S.W.A.T. figures were usually cast in blue and date back to the late 70's. They were usually included with a Police Chief Car or in a S.W.A.T. gear playset. The rare TimMee 'Shadow Mountain Assault' military playset was the main inspiration for the name and color, but the 'Black Helicopter' conspiracies from Coast-to-Coast AM were also a contributing influence.

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Military Defender Chopper

Woodland camo version from the #7447 Boxed set

Introduced in the early '90s, the #7440 Processed Plastic helicopter was based on the Bell/McDonnell Douglas LHX project, which began in 1982. At nearly 28 inches in length, this massive helicopter featured an internal winch system comprised of string, cog posts, hook and a stretcher assembly. It also included a rotating chin turret, four detachable rockets, three retractable wheels, two side-mounted machine guns, opening cockpit canopy, a pilot and an extensive decal/sticker sheet. The #7447 boxed set included 26 Vietnam Era soldiers. This is the only military vehicle that sported the TimMee Toy logo and is located above the Processed Plastic product information. 

Below is a list of the other boxed playsets that featured the helicopter. 

• #7442 Ultimate Battle Playset: black hull, aqua green blades, armament and accessories.  

• #7444 Attack Helicopter: green hull with, silver blades, armament and accessories. 

• #7445 Tactical Force Police Copter: blue hull, silver blades, armament and accessories. 
  (Included  blue non-TimMee police figures)

• #7447 Attack Helicopter: camouflage hull, black blades, armament and accessories 
 
• #7446 Super Attack Helicopter: desert tan hull, brown  blades, armament and accessories. 

• #9125 Shadow Mountain Assault: black hull, aqua green blades, armament and accessories. 

 

Stretcher assembly

Pilot

Quick Facts
• Manufacturer: Processed Plastic Co.
• Item number: 7440
• Production: 1990s - 2005
• Size: 27½" L x 10 4¼" W x 6½" H
• Scale: 1/16
• Colors: green, blue, woodland camo, desert camo, desert tan

Frontiersman Quick Review

Popular TV shows and movies have been driving the production and sales of toys for generations. The TimMee Frontiersman figures are a good historic example of these merchandising tie-ins that became an industry goldmine. 
Introduced back in 1954, the 70mm Frontiersman figures (a.k.a. Pioneers) were initially marketed as Daniel Boone figures in sets such as #158 Dan'l Boone Trailblazers. However, in early 1955, the popularity of the Davy Crockett miniseries prompted TimMee Toys to capitalize on its success and market the Frontiersmen as Davy Crockett figures. As the popularity of Daniel Boone began to cool off, the figures were then marketed simply as Frontiersman and included in subsequent sets and even the #165 Calvary & Apache set. After the Processed Plastic takeover in '65, the new Daniel Boone TV series was off to a rousing start in the ratings and once again the company took advantage and released the figures as Daniel Boone figures in several sets.

The original set was comprised of six 'foot' pioneer figures. Additional Frontiersman figures were introduced in 1956 with three 'mounted' pioneers that could be placed on a 70mm horse from the same era. Original figure colors included green, reddish-brown, yellow, butterscotch-tan, gray and waxy brown.

These are the oldest TimMee figures brought back to life by the Reissues Series.  The molds have obviously stood the test of time as the details rival the originals. Flash is minimal. While most of the reissue figures are cast in a stiff plastic, the Frontiersman are cast in a slightly softer plastic, much like the originals. That alone puts these figures at the top of this blogger's Reissue list. The set includes 24 'Davey Crockett & Daniel Boone' Pioneers.

Foot Pioneers

Walking with rifle

Standing shooting rifle

Overhead with rifle

Scouting with rifle

Kneeling shooting rifle

Kneeling shooting pistol

Mounted Pioneers

Riding with powder horn and rifle

Riding shooting Rifle

Riding shooting pistol (with knife)

Quick Facts

• Manufacturer: J. Lloyd International, Inc.

• Production: 2014-present
• Item number: 6127
• Scale: 70mm

• Colors: waxy brown

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