Combining aeroplanes and lighthouses makes for a beautiful toy that combines movement and lights.
German manufacturers led the way, followed by their American counterparts.
In Germany
Bing
1931–1932, lithographed sheet metal, the aeroplane is driven by a propeller powered by a clockwork mechanism, lighthouse lighting, 34 x 74 cm
Einfalt (Technofix)
Between 1930 and 1935, children were offered a lighthouse around which two, four or six aeroplanes flew; the portholes of the lantern lit up in colour.
A clockwork mechanism in the base of the lighthouse rotates the electric bulb in the lantern and drives the arm carrying the aeroplanes.
Height: 37 cm, diameter of rotation: 72 to 100 cm
At the end of the 1930s, Einfalt offered a simpler toy with a rack and pinion drive.
Lithographed sheet metal, 18 x 40 cm
Georg Fischer
1934-1936, lithographed sheet metal, spring-loaded, aeroplanes revolve around the tower, 5 x 13 cm
Hoch & Beckmann
1930s, lithographed sheet metal, clockwork mechanism, 21 x 37 cm
Kellermann
Two versions of the same toy, one with two aeroplanes, the other with an aeroplane and an airship.
1928-1935, lithographed sheet metal, clockwork mechanism, planes turn in one direction, boats in the other, 11.5 x 21 cm
At the end of the last century, Tücher & Walther, which offered toys in the spirit of the 1910s and 1920s, revived this type of toy.
1985, tôle peinte et lithographiée, mécanisme d’horlogerie, 36 x 41 cm
In the United States
Marx
1937, lithographed sheet metal, spring mechanism in the aeroplane, propeller rotates, 24 x 67 cm
Unique Art
An aeroplane pursues an airship
1930s, lithographed sheet metal, clockwork mechanism, propeller rotates, 23 x 68 cm
United Electrical MFG
One of the planes with an electric motor, the power of the propeller drives the whole thing.
1927–1930, lithographed and painted sheet metal, electric motor, 70 (h) x 126 cm