During the Second World War, Merkelbach & Co. N.V. in Rotterdam, a German-controlled company, produced small wooden aircraft painted in various colours under the Rupa brand.
Rupa logo
They were sold in cardboard boxes labelled and marked with the logo, with the toy resting on wood shavings.
Rupa published advertisements in the Dutch press between March 1943 and August 1944.
These aeroplanes were produced in various scales; they mainly depicted aircraft from the Axis and Allied air forces, plus a few Dutch aircraft. The roundels were either painted or made of printed paper. Small Rhodoid discs simulated the rotation of the propellers.
heir wingspans range from 6 to 16 cm and their lengths from 5.5 to 13 cm.
These small toys were intended to compensate for the disappearance of white metal toys due to the war.