It’s a rainy lazy Saturday here, time again for something completely different. Today we examine an unusual piece of history, a hard rubber truck. Some may remember the Auburn hard rubber Ford I reviewed some time ago:
This is made of the same material, from the same era. Today’s vehicle is a futuristic truck made by Sun Rubber, of Ohio:
These hard rubber toys were popular beginning in the mid 30s, as they were cheaper to produce than metal toys, and were probably safer. This example is prewar, and has survived in excellent condition. The rubber material is grey or black (I think), the colors seen here are original paint, and this model has not cracked or warped as is common with old rubber toys (which were cast in a die, so are diecast :) ) . Scale is unknown as there’s no 1:1 for comparison, but I estimate it exists in roughly the 1:43 world. There’s a lot of detail from all angles, this is a cool streamlined art deco kind of Buck Rogers style vehicle:
The front of this truck is nicely detailed and is an interesting piece of design, while the rear is more plain:
I am not sure what this truck was meant to haul, but as most trucks of this era seem to be open, I guess it could be anything:
The base is quite basic, the makers mark barely visible. The white rubber tires, worn by nearly all hard rubber vehicles, are in excellent condition:
No box, as I believe these were dimestore items not sold in boxes. No 1:1 pic, as this is a fantasy vehicle. I am glad to have this in my collection. I found it at an estate sale for little money, and it looks good on a shelf with the other rubber vehicles (upcoming reviews) I bought at the same sale. It’s an eye-catching blast from the past:
That is all.