Collector Glenn Byron says, "The Al-Toy program started in 1945 and went to about 1950, producing slush cast aluminum models of the CJ-2A, Pickup, Jeepster, Station Wagon, and CJ-2A Fire Truck. The 2A Jeeps are most frequently found -- the others are very scarce." Glenn provides more background in his comments on Terry Smith's Al-Toy Jeep Collection on The CJ3B Page.
Is this the rarest Al-Toy of all? Phil Bragg wrote to The CJ3B Page in early 2009: "I have been doing some research on this die cast M-274 Mechanical Mule. Just this week I acquired another one of these die casts. It brings to 7 the number that are publicly known in the Mule community. Many of us are afraid that the history of this model will fade away as most have come from estate sales."
In the larger copy of the photo you can clearly read "Willys Motors Inc." on the rear of the model. The undercarriage (100K JPEG)has pretty amazing detail. It clearly shows the four-cylinder engine, transmission, drive train, steering linkage, etc."
"I have located this one photo in a July 1958 issue of the US Marine Corps Leatherneck magazine (50K JPEG) and have spoken with an M-274 Mule parts dealer who relayed to me an account of a person who told him of only 12 of these made for Willys.
"It is 10-5/8" in length and 4-3/4" wide, and weighs just over 3 pounds."
Al-Toy collector Colin Peabody comments: "The M274 Mechanical Mule wasn't built by Willys until the mid-50's, when Toledo Casting and their associate names were supposedly no longer in business. I am thinking that the model was made by either Authenticast or Banthrico, even though the toy is the same scale as the Al-Toy Jeeps. Al-Toy (et al) always made their tires with their name on them, and the M274 model doesn't have that trademark. I would suppose that Oglesby or Westcraft could have made it. It will require more digging to get to the history of this neat toy."
Glenn Byron adds: "I held one of these in my hands at Hershey many years ago. It was on a vendor's table alongside an Al-Toy Jeepster and Station Wagon, both of which I parted with mega $$$ to add to my collection. I found no evidence of Al-Toy being involved with this toy and was not at all impressed with it for the price, as the man wanted just as much for the Mule as he did for the Jeepster and Station Wagon. I do not doubt the rarity, as in all my travels I have only seen this one and I think one was on eBay a few years ago. It is a very unique toy and I'm sure a very historical piece, just not a part of Al-Toy lore. My thinking is that previous owners such as this vendor tried to make the connection to enhance its value."
Phil Bragg responds, "Very interesting observations. Many of us who have been scratching our heads over this believe it was built as a sales tool, not a toy. Hence the detail of the undercarriage and its use in the Leatherneck magazine. However, the similarities of these die-cast mules and Al-Toy jeeps and their production time frame and proximity are quite thought provoking.
"It is true that there are no markings on these tires. There appear to be at least two different sets of tires used (80K JPEG) and neither have markings.
"The rear engine guard is mounted with a type of screw that can't be removed. The screw head was designed to only turn in one direction. There is one on each side of the guard. These are very small screws. Tried removing one of them but was not sucessfull. I have wondered if there could be a casting mark on the inside of the rear guard. Perhaps someone has an idea about this engine guard.
"Willys made sales brochures that focused on its (military) capabilities. No die-cast is shown in the brochure but one brochure was rubber stamped with a Nash auto dealership out of New Jersey on the back. Reads: Weinmann's Sales Co, Inc, W. Hanover & Barnes Street, Trenton, N.J. Have often wondered if dealerships may have also had the model for display.
"In Willys News, Vol. 4 No 1 dated January 1958, article entitled 'MULE DRAWS BIG CROWDS IN SHOWS ACROSS COUNTRY' states 'One of the most exciting vehicles among the hundreds of 1958 models exhibited at the Chicago Auto Show proved to be the Army's new M-274 Weapons Carrier, popuraly known as the Mechanical Mule.' Article also states 'On January 16 the Army's new half-ton weapons carrier was placed on display in the visitor's gallery at the American Stock Exchange' The same article also mentions it being used in a TV commercial: 'Millions of other people have also seen the mule on television, as it appeared in commercials on the Maverick show recently.' Even the Leatherneck magazine mentions possible uses by farmers, ranchers and outdoorsmen. This shows that Willys may have had a civilian application in mind with the Mule. Did they make more die-cast models for this market?"
Anybody have any more details on where, when and for whom the M-274 model was manufactured?
We still don't have complete information on these toys, but they were given as Christmas presents to Willys-Overland executives from 1945-49, and some were also given away as promotional models. The October 1946 ad (right) from Toys and Novelties magazine also indicates that Toledo Casting was marketing them as a "popular priced" toy. Thanks to Colin Peabody for the ad. The Early Al-Toy page includes a 2002 photo of the Toledo Casting building at Summit and Locust Sts. in Toledo.
The company is also sometimes referred to as Central Casting and Toledo Brass. Colin says, "I have been wondering if they were the same company who cast the hood spears and step plates for the wagons and Jeepsters back in '46-'49. It would seem feasible to me that Willys wouldn't go far outside of their suppliers to have these limited toy castings done."
Al-Toy 2A's from the first casting had only a driver's seat (see Fred Coldwell's Early Al-Toy Jeep) but most have two seats. Either version could be considered prototypical, since the passenger seat was an optional extra. On the other hand, the Al-Toys have "WILLYS" cast above the grille, and "JEEP" below the windshield, neither of which is accurate to the prototype 2A. The center of the wheels is usually painted a contrasting color as on the prototype 2A's, but some examples have all-black wheels (40K JPEG).
The tires (20K JPEG) usually have "6.00-16" and the Al-Toy name molded into them, but the bottom of the Jeep body casting itself has only a single-digit number, which apparently represents a mold number. Most recently, Daron Wanberg found an example with a "1" and Doug Price has reported a "5", which extends the series of mold numbers. Fred Coldwell's early example has no number on the bottom.
Colin Peabody reports a #1 casting that does not have the JEEP name on the windshield casting. Anybody else seen these? His two #3 castings both have the JEEP windshields, one stamped with a 1 and one with a 2.
Gary Keating reported in 2006, "I recently bought an Al-Toy 2-seater CJ . This particular toy has several things that appear 'wrong' or at the least not noted anywhere. The underside (80K JPEG) is stamped with a 6 or 9. The windshield (50K JPEG) is engraved 'JEEP', not raised letters as on other models. The windshield is cast aluminum, but is more squared-off at the edges with a slightly thicker center rib. The steering wheel (40K JPEG) and column is plastic with a nut holding it on the underside of the Jeep body. Is the windshield a repro? Is the steering wheel?"
Meanwhile, after experimenting unsuccessfully with stamping steel parts, Sam McKay in Illinois says, "A friend and I have come up with a way to cast aluminum replacement steering wheels for the Al-Toys. They are the same size OD and as thick as what the outside of the originals are, with the column made out of the same size steel riveted to the wheel the same way. I can make the column with the threads or make them knurled to press in. We are also thinking about making replacement windshield frames and hoods."
The photo shows an original (black) and a repro (silver). See also a top view photo (10K JPEG). Sam is at
jeepster@mchsi.com.
Apparently Toledo Casting eventually sold the molds for the Al-Toys, and they were used by at least two other companies. Toys identical to the single-seat Al-Toy Jeeps were produced with tires labelled "WEST-CRAFT" rather than "Al-Toy".
Two-seater versions (left) were also produced in green and red with "Made in Canada" embossed into the rear of the base. The example shown here is also stamped with a 4 in the middle of the base and a 2 near the front. The rubber wheels have no identification on them, but are painted white in the center. See a larger copy of the photo (30K JPEG).
Colin Peabody points out that the steering column is mounted at a slightly different angle than on the Al-Toy, putting the steering wheel closer to the driver's seat. Colin's example is stamped on the bottom with a 4 in the middle and a 1 near the front rather than a 2, suggesting more than one mold was used.
Colin was told the Jeeps may have been produced by a company known as Lincoln Toys (also Lincoln Specialties), operated out of Waterville, a suburb of Windsor, Ontario. His research indicates Lincoln was a long-time family business producing mainly stamped steel toys and
farm equipment, which was also tied in with a Windsor toymaker named Harry Ellwood, who later bought all the dies from Lincoln when they folded in the mid 1950's.
The Oglesby Jeeps, including this version with "Western Jeep" graphics, 17.5 inches long with trailer, were apparently manufactured in the 1950's in Peru, Indiana. They usually have smooth rubber wheels with "Willys" cast into the center, but some have tires with military tread. See Lee Stopoulos' photo of the U.S. Air Force version (40K JPEG). The base of the casting is inscribed "Oglesby, Peru, Indiana."
The Oglesbys are similar to the Al-Toys, but the headlights are attached to the hood (20K JPEG), which raises to reveal a cast engine. The front bumper projects further from the body, with details which appear to represent the 275-lb. bumper weight. The word "JEEP" below the windshield is slightly larger than on the Al-Toy.
Some Oglesbys also have the word "JEEP" and a D-Day invasion star cast into the hood, although they are seen painted red (60K JPEG) more often than olive drab (20K JPEG). This example is unfinished; it may have had the paint stripped at some point. The snowplow attaches to a hole in the front bumper.
Mike Slaight of California built up this collection of large Jeep toys. It includes Oglesby "Western Jeeps" and trailers with both smooth and treaded tires on the left, and Marx Jeeps and a Tonka fire engine in the front row. At right is a Wood Commodities Corp. Jeep, in the second row with the Al-Toy Jeeps. The back row includes two single-seat West-Craft Jeeps and a red invasion-star Oglesby.
A display of cast aluminum dealer promo models (30K JPEG) at the Spring Willys Reunion in Wausau, Wisconsin in May 2001 was photographed by Bill Wheeler. Alongside the large Al-Toys and the smaller Banthrico or Comet castings, it included a CJ-2A with the windshield cast in the down position.
As of 2005, we've been told about a current reproduction casting of the entire Jeep, which like the Oglesby has the engine cast into the body. Our correspondent Drew says, "The casting is poor, and obviously from a secondary cast. The steering wheel is even cast into the body. Both the jeep and the trailer are freshly painted. The wheel hubs are even painted olive drab. I bought it on eBay. The price was really too good to be true ($75)."
As noted above, a number of other Jeep vehicles were also cast in the Al-Toy series by Toledo Brass. This station wagon apparently dates from 1949. It's about 14" long and weighs over 6 pounds. The blue and yellow license plate reads "WO-1949". There are decals on either side of the hood which say "Jeep Station Wagon". The vent window dividers and door handles are wire. There are no windows in this example, but there are plastic tabs at each screw site in the roof, indicating that it might have had windows at one time. In addition, there are two small holes under the front window, as if for wiper blades.
See also a rear view, bottom view, and front view (20K JPEG's).
Colin Peabody purchased this 1949 Al-Toy Willys Station Wagon, possibly the only one in existence still in its original dated cardboard box, in 2008. Colin says, "The toy is perfect save for some minor rubbing of the cardboard box on the roof of the toy from 60 years of storing it inside. The plastic windows have yellowed and shrunk with age and heat, but otherwise it is perfect." See a large copy of the photo (140K JPEG).
Joe Campbell found this maroon 1948 Jeepster in an attic recently. See also a rear view photo (30K JPEG).
Thanks to Mike Slaight for the photos from his collection, Joe Campbell for the Jeepster, and to the other contributors. -- Derek Redmond
See mint examples of Al-Toys including the pickup truck and fire engine, in Terry Smith's Al-Toy Jeep Collection.
Also on The CJ3B Page, see an Early Al-Toy Jeep and some Sandbox Jeeps of the 1950's.
Return to the Toy Jeeps Pages.
CJ3B Home | Site Map | Search | Movies | Bulletin Board
