Monday, July 22, 2013
Structi
"Auto-Bilder" Kits
I was looking for something else on Liveauctioneers,when a Structo "Auto-Bilder" kit caught my attention. I double-checked my posts to see if I had written about this before, and the answer was no.However, I did have one photo that I had used in a post.
Structo Manufacturing was founded in Freeport, Illinois, USA in 1908. At that time the company name was the "Thompson Manufacturing Company". In 1911, the name was changed to "Structo Manufacturing" to reflect the durability of the product. The company initially built steel-building kits similar to the Meccano (Great Britain) and A.C.Gilbert (U.S.A.) kits. These kits came with "blueprints" or instructions as to how to build the toy. The connecting parts were usually nuts and bolts or screws.
In 1917, the company decided to introduce their "Auto-Bilder" kits. THese kits came with a set of parts, screws, a small screwdriver., and a set of instructions for assembly. The "kits"offered by Structo Manufacturing came as cars, tractors, and dump trucks. I even managed to find an ad on E-Bay that illustrated a tank.
Notice the different wind-up keys or cranks between the orange roadster and the red one.
The red Structo roadster was restored. Notice how the floorboards on the side of the car are unpainted compared with the original black running boards of the orange car.
The above toy has been restored. Notice how the collector added a different windshield and a second spare tire to the back of the car. The original kit did not have these features, and the kit was called the Structo "Deluxe Auto" kit.
I've presented the above "Whippet" tank in a small-sized box. I would think that this item came already assembled. But as I mention before, the tank did in fact come as a "kit". I tried to contact a store-seller on E-Bay who in fact had a page from a Structo catalogue for sale that did show the tank as available in kit form. However, the seller, was not receiving e-mails from Canada!
I've added the above truck, as I did see it in the original 1921 advertisement for Structo.
However, the one above has rivets rather than screws that the "kits" came with. So two possibilities exist. Either I misread the advertisement, or I am correct in that like the "whippet" tank, the above truck came in 2 options - completely assembled or as a kit.
Details, details!
Another super summer day here in Montreal - Cool and clear skies with very little humidity. My wife Heidi and I were walking and I mentioned how this day felt more like an Indian Summer day in the fall, rather than a summer day. She told me not to "rush it"!
Thanks for dropping by,
and have a great part of the day,
wherever you may be.
Stacey
(toysearcher@gmail.com)
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