Scarce, Japanese Pre WW2 Tinplate Mechanical Flying Toy of The Royal Airship Works R-107(K.K Japan) 1930s Japan

Certfied by Lanes Armoury. Nicely detailed tinprinted body, with \'R-107\' and \'G-FAAW\' to the sides, with RAF roundels, fixed key mechanism. Originally with clear plastic propellers but now no longer present..

 The toy would be hung from a string in the air from a ceiling, and once key wound and released, the propellers rotated and the toy airship flew in a constant circular motion. The clockwork mechanism works well but the clear plastic propellers need replacing in order to operate as a flying toy once more. Fortunately the propellers were so simply constructed they could be easily replaced with new, thin and rigid clear plastic hand cut propellers. they affix with a very simple triple bending hook system. Priced accordingly due to the lacking props.

The actual airship was the R-101 G-FAAW but maybe the name was changed by the Japanese toy company or printed in error to R-107.

R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airships completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry–appointed team and was effectively in competition with the government-funded but privately designed and built R100. When built, it was the world\'s largest flying craft at 731 ft (223 m) in length, and it was not surpassed by another hydrogen-filled rigid airship until the LZ 129 Hindenburg was launched seven years later.