May 19, 2009 – Fort Worth, TX – Some toys are truly works of art, and without a doubt the Sanshin Toy Company’s rare “Ack-Ack Squad” Mercedes fits the bill. Produced circa 1960, this unusual tinplate litho 190SL “Atom” open-top car with Air Force insignia is manned by a driver and a rear-seat gunner. With the battery activated, the machine gun swivels and a dash-mounted radar lights up.
But even if you saw an example of this toy featured as the Mercedes-Benz Modellauto-Club’s model of the month in July 2005, you missed one element that makes it truly special. At the top of its super-extended antenna perches the target of the anti-aircraft gun, or “ack-ack”, an airplane which circles overhead when the battery is engaged.
“I have seen this toy once or twice at auction, but I had never encountered one with the airplane intact until I found this one,” says DFW Elite Toy Museum.com owner Ron Sturgeon. “I was thrilled to find this rare Mercedes toy in such pristine condition. Sanshin made a series of these imaginative military toys dedicated to different branches of the military, and we have four in our collection,” says Sturgeon.
Of interest to Mercedes enthusiasts, toy collectors, aviation buffs, and fans of military miniatures alike, the Ack-Ack Squad appeals to a broad cross-section of groups. “It’s quite a little gem,” says DFW Elite Toy Museum curator Rodney Ross. “Very detailed, bright colors, not the kind of thing you run across very often.”
“The Ack-Ack Squad exemplifies the ingenuity, creativity, and humor of the Japanese tin toy designers,” says Christmas Morning Antique Toys’ proprietor John Bolton. “Who would ever think of putting an anti aircraft gun in a Mercedes roadster and then attaching a moving target to ensure hours of entertainment?”
The complete Ack-Ack Squad, along with other rare and antique toy cars, can be seen at the Toy Museum inside DFW Elite Auto Rental at 5940 Eden in Fort Worth. Hours are 8-6 Monday through Friday, weekends by appointment. In Fort Worth call 817-838-RENT (7368); in Dallas call 214-247-4700. For more information, visit online at http://www.dfwelitetoymuseum.com.
###.