3 ms·

I had one of these in the 80s, a P-51 Mustang. I vaguely recall it being annoying to start, but was with my dad so he definitely helped with getting it going.

I had one of these in the 80s, a P-51 Mustang. I vaguely recall it being annoying to start, but was with my dad so he definitely helped with getting it going. We had a bunch of soccer fields behind where we lived, so we flew it there to avoid any accidents. It did eventually crash, but was fun while it lasted.

neilv 4y ago
Yes, in the 1980s. It must've been Christmas gifts, and my brother got a P-51, and I got a Spitfire. They were made of plastic, and looked more like realistic scale models, rather than what in the photo looks like a hand-painted balsa wood kit. (I don't recall we ever ran the engines. Probably told to wait until we went to a place with room to fly them, and then probably parts were lost before that could happen.) Speaking of most dangerous toys of that era, I'm troubled to recall that we dumb kids threw around lawn darts, which already looked of vintage design by the time we got them, second-hand. There must still be holes in our garage. We're so lucky no one ever got hit, because now I realize those things could easily maim or kill. We must've also had figurative guardian angels when (pre-helicopter-parents era) speeding around the streets on our bikes, walking through active train yards, disassembling and repairing high-voltage and motorized appliances and machinery, wandering off on trails and into the woods, etc.
- asdff 4y ago
  I still have some lawn darts at my parents house that were illegal even when we got them. Javelins were banned in my state for track and field too.
  - m4rtink 4y ago
    Really ? One would assume schools or athletic clubs would make sure to observe the necessary safety for javelin practice. It really seems like there would be bigger problems if one can't assume even that.
    - asdff 4y ago
      Track meets are a little chaotic sometimes with all the events going on both the field and the track around the field. I guess someone actually was hit by a javelin at one point. From my searching it seems like these days its only just starting to come back to some highschool programs.
sjm-lbm 4y ago
I had one of these in the 90s, an F4U Corsair. It's weird to think that these are considered so unsafe you can't have one anymore, seeing as by that time people were well into complaining about how the nanny state and/or lawsuit-concerned companies wouldn't let anyone have fun anymore. (it was, to my memory, an annoying and silly toy, like everyone else is saying)

neilv 4y ago

Yes, in the 1980s. It must've been Christmas gifts, and my brother got a P-51, and I got a Spitfire. They were made of plastic, and looked more like realistic scale models, rather than what in the photo looks like a hand-painted balsa wood kit. (I don't recall we ever ran the engines. Probably told to wait until we went to a place with room to fly them, and then probably parts were lost before that could happen.) Speaking of most dangerous toys of that era, I'm troubled to recall that we dumb kids threw around lawn darts, which already looked of vintage design by the time we got them, second-hand. There must still be holes in our garage. We're so lucky no one ever got hit, because now I realize those things could easily maim or kill. We must've also had figurative guardian angels when (pre-helicopter-parents era) speeding around the streets on our bikes, walking through active train yards, disassembling and repairing high-voltage and motorized appliances and machinery, wandering off on trails and into the woods, etc.

asdff 4y ago
I still have some lawn darts at my parents house that were illegal even when we got them. Javelins were banned in my state for track and field too.
- m4rtink 4y ago
  Really ? One would assume schools or athletic clubs would make sure to observe the necessary safety for javelin practice. It really seems like there would be bigger problems if one can't assume even that.
  - asdff 4y ago
    Track meets are a little chaotic sometimes with all the events going on both the field and the track around the field. I guess someone actually was hit by a javelin at one point. From my searching it seems like these days its only just starting to come back to some highschool programs.

sjm-lbm 4y ago

I had one of these in the 90s, an F4U Corsair. It's weird to think that these are considered so unsafe you can't have one anymore, seeing as by that time people were well into complaining about how the nanny state and/or lawsuit-concerned companies wouldn't let anyone have fun anymore. (it was, to my memory, an annoying and silly toy, like everyone else is saying)