Dinky Vulcan: Not a kit, but very rare, and very cool

When it comes to the Cold War, there’s little more iconic, at least in Europe, than the Avro Vulcan bomber. With an advanced design and powerful engines, the Vulcan was the bomber that looked like a space ship and handled like a fighter. I remember seeing it when I was very young at the London (Ontario, Canada) International Airshow. It was amazing then, and it’s still amazing now, even though XH558 is no longer flying.

Of course, this symbol of British achievement makes a natural subject for a toy from a top British maker. Dinky thought so too, and thus undertook to develop and sell a Supertoys-sized replica of the silver, dart-like bomber in the mid-1950s. Space, jets and all things fast were all the rage, and Dinky thought a Vulcan would be a sure seller. They were right. However, due to a serious oversight, only 500 or so of this mould were ever produced. They were so awesome they LITERALLY broke the mould.

Amazingly, I have (thanks to my brother) managed to get one of these for my collection. If you’ve never seen one before, I’m not surprised. I hadn’t either until I got mine as a Christmas gift. Check out Dinky’s biggest example of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” at the link below.

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/dinky-toys-supertoys-no-749-992-avro-vulcan/

I remember as a kid reading about the Vulcan because of the Star Trek connection, lol. Thanks for the extensive article (getting through it in chunks). 

Great article, thanks. Back in 1971 I was in the UK with the family. While I was a plane buff at that age (11) I'd never seen or heard of a Vulcan. Until one took off over the family car while we were driving past the end of the runway. The sky darkened and the Fiat shook. I've since seen several, including one I was surprised to see at Castle AFB Museum, Ca.

Yeah, a Vulcan would certainly shake everything around it! I have such great memories of my dad, uncle and I watching them in the early '80s at the airshows in London, Canada. Even today, they look futuristic.

ive been inside a vulcan, surprisingly roomy.....although only the two pilots get ejector seats......the other three are expected to jump out of a hatch in the floor!