You'll shoot your eye out - My everyday display of A Christmas Story Props

Did you recently acquire the zeppelin? I think we may have bid against each other. Mine is missing one of the propeller props.. your's looks complete. AMAZING Display. I love everything you've done.

Yes, it was a recent ebay acquisition, and likely we bid against each other. When it arrived, the wheel assembly just slid out. It took me a little bit to realize how it was anchored into the body of the gondola. Then, I reached in carefully and bent the retaining tab back, put the assembly back in place, then gently bent the retaining metal back just enough to secure it.

The toy is otherwise in decent shape for the age. If you look at the movie prop toy, as I'm sure you have, you'll note the wheel type is more generic, and the assembly slightly different. My guess is that it was owned by a collector that had it partially restored. I think the rear wheel on these must have had some sort of rubber tire on it.

I don't know how many of these toys were made, but it couldn't have been too many. Most Henry Katz Toys that show up today are his monoplanes, and the electric trains.

My display is not as comprehensive as yours and likely will never be, but it is a fun collection to focus on. I need to get the remaining magazines, and an ROA pin...maybe a Chein Ferris Wheel.

Now the radio was a trick...painted pink, and UPS nearly destroyed it. They dropped it so hard that the shelf holding the radio chassis broke and fell...and the power transformer ripped from the chassis.

I had to open the transformer and re-soldered all of the leads. While I was in there, I repacked the filter caps...and the radio works now.

The refinishing was done with nitrocellulose lacquer.

Tim
MBL
 
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UPS had also broken the feet off the radio. I decided that I'd put them back on after getting the cabinet stripped.

It went together decent enough.
Tim MBL
 
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Yes, it was a recent ebay acquisition, and likely we bid against each other. When it arrived, the wheel assembly just slid out. It took me a little bit to realize how it was anchored into the body of the gondola. Then, I reached in carefully and bent the retaining tab back, put the assembly back in place, then gently bent the retaining metal back just enough to secure it.

The toy is otherwise in decent shape for the age. If you look at the movie prop toy, as I'm sure you have, you'll note the wheel type is more generic, and the assembly slightly different. My guess is that it was owned by a collector that had it partially restored. I think the rear wheel on these must have had some sort of rubber tire on it.

I don't know how many of these toys were made, but it couldn't have been too many. Most Henry Katz Toys that show up today are his monoplanes, and the electric trains.
They are rare as hen's teeth. In the 15 years I've been looking, only 4 have come up on ebay and I have 2 of those 4. Neither is as nice as the copy you won however.

Here are some pics of the screen-used props I took in 2008 at the 25th anniversary convention and trip to the ACS house/museum.

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I can't find the pic handy right now of the screen used zeppelin, but I know I took one. I'll look when I get home.

My display is not as comprehensive as yours and likely will never be, but it is a fun collection to focus on. I need to get the remaining magazines, and an ROA pin...maybe a Chein Ferris Wheel.

Now the radio was a trick...painted pink, and UPS nearly destroyed it. They dropped it so hard that the shelf holding the radio chassis broke and fell...and the power transformer ripped from the chassis.

I had to open the transformer and re-soldered all of the leads. While I was in there, I repacked the filter caps...and the radio works now.

The refinishing was done with nitrocellulose lacquer.

Tim
MBL
My radio arrived similarly despite being pretty expertly crated. the shelf holding the radio equipment dislodged in transit and caused damage to the radio components and the cabinet. I repaired the cabinet, but the components I never replaced/fixed. I should send mine to you and have you work your magic!! Mine came from NewFoundland, Canada. I saw a radio in Austin Texas last year I think, but those are the only 2 I've ever found online.

Those knobs are great. I'm missing some, I need to find some like that. Where did you get the replacement speaker fabric?
 
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NOS #30

That link should bring you to a page that sells the correct knobs... #30.

The original grille cloth does not exist as a repop...the cloth I used was from Joanns fabric.

Shoot me some pics of the chassis damage. If "radio critical" components are broken, you could always just patch in a signal to the phonograph input. Mp3 player type thing.

My radio works, but what's playing on AM and short wave is not much worth listening to.
Tim
MBL
 
They are rare as hen's teeth. In the 15 years I've been looking, only 4 have come up on ebay and I have 2 of those 4. Neither is as nice as the copy you won however.

Here are some pics of the screen-used props I took in 2008 at the 25th anniversary convention and trip to the ACS house/museum.

View attachment 978122

I can't find the pic handy right now of the screen used zeppelin, but I know I took one. I'll look when I get home.


My radio arrived similarly despite being pretty expertly crated. the shelf holding the radio equipment dislodged in transit and caused damage to the radio components and the cabinet. I repaired the cabinet, but the components I never replaced/fixed. I should send mine to you and have you work your magic!! Mine came from NewFoundland, Canada. I saw a radio in Austin Texas last year I think, but those are the only 2 I've ever found online.

Those knobs are great. I'm missing some, I need to find some like that. Where did you get the replacement speaker fabric?

OK so here is where I either get labeled as having an impressive attention to detail, or as being a certifiable nutcase.

I believe the museum has several items that were not used in the movie, but perhaps are suggested as being?

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From the lithography, you can tell the screen tanks are different. Also the smaller tanks is a later model with the wind key on the opposite side.

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The other side of the museum tank lacks the E-12 that the screen one had.
 
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OK so here is where I either get labeled as having an impressive attention to detail, or as being a certifiable nutcase.

I believe the museum has several items that were not used in the movie, but perhaps are suggested as being?

The other side of the museum tank lacks the E-12 that the screen one had.

Now you have me wanting to check my tank for accuracy. As far as the zepellin at the museum goes, it was stated that it came from Ian Petrella who was given it after the filming of the scene.
 
Now you have me wanting to check my tank for accuracy. As far as the zepellin at the museum goes, it was stated that it came from Ian Petrella who was given it after the filming of the scene.

Yes, I've seen pics of the Zeppelin at the museum. It looks perfectly correct.
 
OK so here is where I either get labeled as having an impressive attention to detail, or as being a certifiable nutcase.

I believe the museum has several items that were not used in the movie, but perhaps are suggested as being?

View attachment 978144

From the lithography, you can tell the screen tanks are different. Also the smaller tanks is a later model with the wind key on the opposite side.

View attachment 978145

The other side of the museum tank lacks the E-12 that the screen one had.
Untitled-1.jpg

They seem to have had a few of the same toys on set, so perhaps the one on display in the museum wasn't the one that was filmed moving up close. You can see in this other screenshot, that there are what appears to be at least two more of these tanks on the hill.
 
View attachment 978562
They seem to have had a few of the same toys on set, so perhaps the one on display in the museum wasn't the one that was filmed moving up close. You can see in this other screenshot, that there are what appears to be at least two more of these tanks on the hill.

That is entire possible, but even the lithography on the tanks hubcaps for that E-12 do not match.

The toys that are too hard to see specific details on could be anyone's guess...

With that having been said, the reason I decided to focus on the specific E-12 tank is because, the camera focuses on it, and the fact that it's moving makes little sense...that is, as a wind up toy someone would have needed to been inside the window to wind it up and release it.

It may be splitting hairs anyway...I'll likely get a few more toys that I can identify from the Higbees window.
 
Was the tank in the movie sparking, I can't remember. My sparkers aren't functional anymore on mine.
Not sure if they were sparking. That's the kind of thing where it just wears out over time.

They spark real good when new, then it just fades. There are a few of the Marx doughboy tanks in the window of varying types....but I've not seen the Kiddy Cyclist...have you? It seems that the museum has one.
Tim
MBL
 
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Great site. I have been collecting as many things as I can too and just recently acquired the radio. The zeppelin is the last major thing I want to find but its not looking too promising:(
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