Panavia M.R.C.A 729 thumbnail 1
Panavia M.R.C.A 729 thumbnail 2
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Panavia M.R.C.A 729

Jet Plane
1973 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Jet planes were first developed during the Second World War, but have been constantly redesigned and improved over the Twentieth Century in order achieve military superiority from all participants.

The public were captivated by the power of the jet age and many toy companies, such as Dinky, made accurate scale toys of the real things for children to play with at home, such as this Panavia M.R.C.A Jet Fighter, made in the 1970s.

This Jet has realistic bodywork, retractable wheels, and came with transfers that could be attached to the jet in true military style.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Toy Model Plane
  • Packaging
TitlePanavia M.R.C.A 729 (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Brief description
Boxed Dinky Toys No.729 Panavia M.R.C.A jet fighter toy, England, 1970s
Physical description
The body of the jet is made of metal and is painted in grey/green, with a semi-striped pattern to replicate camouflage. The nose of the jet has been panited black and there red and blue roundels on both sides and wings of the plane. There is a clear plastic cockpit, which sits next to a black slidable button that releases the wheels of the plane.

The packaging consists of a clear plastic top section which covers a blue card base. The plastic has cracked and been repaired with sellotape. The base is covered with text and images relating to the jet fighter, such as visual instructions showing the release of the wheels. The underneath of the cardboard base also has instructions on how to open the box and how to apply the transfers to the plane using water.
Dimensions
  • Model plane width: 16cm
  • Model plane length: 20cm
  • Model plane height: 8cm
  • Box width: 25.5cm
  • Box depth: 13.5cm
  • Box height: 9cm (approx.)
Object in exhibition case at time of cataloguing
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • Printed in England U.K. Prov. Pat. No. 8138/71 © 1973 Meccano Ltd. (Located on packaging)
  • This product conforms to British Standards BS 3443 (Located on packaging)
  • To open - finger nail under lug - flick up To close - squeeze sides of lug together - press back into pack (Located on packagaing)
Gallery label
(2013)
Jet planes were first developed during the Second World War, but it was during the Cold War that major innovations were put into use.
It was essential for both sides to constantly update their plane technology, both for delivering a potential attack and to defend against it. Both sides developed supersonic jets that were capable of delivering nuclear bombs, intercepting aircraft or patrolling near enemy airspace.
The public were captivated by the power of the jet age and many toy companies, such as Dinky, made accurate scale toys of the real things for children to play with at home.
Object history
This jet toy was purchased specifically for the War Games exhibition (2013). It was bought on Ebay from seller Michael McNamara.
The Panavia Tornado was a military jet that was manufactured in the early 1970s by a group from Germany, Italy and Britain. The aircraft was a Multi Role Combat Aircraft (M.R.C.A), designed to be diverse and a single aircraft that could complete missions that previously took a fleet of aircraft.
Subject depicted
Summary
Jet planes were first developed during the Second World War, but have been constantly redesigned and improved over the Twentieth Century in order achieve military superiority from all participants.

The public were captivated by the power of the jet age and many toy companies, such as Dinky, made accurate scale toys of the real things for children to play with at home, such as this Panavia M.R.C.A Jet Fighter, made in the 1970s.

This Jet has realistic bodywork, retractable wheels, and came with transfers that could be attached to the jet in true military style.
Other number
729 - Model number
Collection
Accession number
B.363:1,2-2012

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Record createdJanuary 8, 2014
Record URL
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