Toy aeroplane, wood painted blue, made by Dik Garrood Toys in England in 1986

This aeroplane is made of painted wood. It represents a First World War biplane. It is painted air force blue with four vertical red rods between the two wings, and three red diagonal rods protruding from each side of the cockpit. It has a painted blue nose and an unpainted but varnished revolving propeller. The tail is painted with three vertical stripes in red, white and blue. The pilot consists of a painted blue wooden peg with a round head and a grey painted helmet. His goggles and moustache are painted on in black. The pilot is attached to a spring inside the cockpit. A piece of metal is screwed to the base of the cockpit; attached to this, by way of a magnet, is a bomb painted black, with 'BOMB' written in yellow along the side. When the pilot is pressed the end of the peg knocks the bomb loose. There is a black machine gun in front of the pilot. A white transfer "DG..10" is written on each side of the plane. The two wheels are grey with red and yellow hub caps joined by a red axle, attached to the aeroplane by a blue triangular section.

Given by the maker

Purchased from maker [86/509]

Dik Garrood set up his own toymaking business in Devon in 1982. He was one of a group of craftsmen toymakers who were interested in making things individually by hand rather than by an industrialized process, a movement which grew in the last quarter of the 20th century. Like most of these craftsmen Dik Garrood belonged to the British Toymakers' Guild whose work continues today. This airplane represents a World War I biplane, with a pilot, machine gun and detachable ‘bomb’. The ‘bomb’ is attached by a magnet and can be released when the pilot is pushed down. This airplane was made by Dik Garrood himself who gave it to the museum in 1986.

MISC.182-1986