The Elusive Shell mail-in Gas Pump for the Jimson Tanker

Well friends, if you have been reading the couple of blogs that I wrote about the Jimson Toy Tanker Truck from Hong Kong you know that one of the big questions is that on the original box it shows a picture of a Shell gas pump. In my last blog I cleared up the confusion about if the gas pump came with the toy or was a mail-in item like the 1966 Hess Voyager stand. For those of you who missed that article the answer is that it did not come with the toy. I thought that I would post a picture for everyone to see the pump itself. The pump is made of plastic and done in the Shell colors of white and orange and stands 3" tall x 3/4" wide. At the top of the pump sits the Shell logo. Right below that there is an arm attached to the top of the pump that extends out to the connection for the gas hose. The hose itself is green and at the end of the hose is the nozzle. The nozzle attaches to the side of the pump just like the real pumps and rests there until it is called into use for the next customer. There are some graphics on the body of the pump and at the very bottom it states - Made in Hong Kong. The pump has the graphics on both sides so if it is displayed in the center of an island it looks the same.

Vintage Mid Century Tin Litho Friction Oil Truck / Tanker

This is a rare tin litho toy oil tanker that was imported from Singapore. Some tin toys were made in Japan and some were made in China. These toys were not made as US imports and the US was not trading with mainland China at the time these toys were made and imported (i.e. until about 1979, only Taiwan was acknowledged as the Republic of China). You will notice that the box has writing in Chinese & English.

 

The oil truck is 7 5/8" long and has a short chain hanging from a small hole in the back bumper. There is no corresponding hole on the other side and no chain was ever there according to all articles that i have read on these toys. The truck came in a 2 piece box with colorful graphics of the tanker in front of the oil refinery. The truck itself is friction powered and nicely detailed in red, yellow & white with a chrome bumper and grille. It has real rubber tires along with chrome hubcaps. A very nice piece of history to have in any gas collection!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Followup blog to April 29th comparison between the 1964 Hess Tanker and 1960s Jimson Shell Tanker

Well folks I have received alot of questions and comments on my last blog about the differences between the 1964 Hess Tanker and 1960s Jimson Shell Tanker so much so that I need to write this followup article and include some additional information and be a little more specific. OK, the first thing that I need to clear up is that I stated that there were 12 Hess tanker tires and what I meant to write and be more specific is that there are 12 Hess tires under the tanker that are double and 2 single on the front for a total of 14 tires all together unlike the 6 that are under the Jimson tanker which are single tires plus the front 2 for a total of 8. I hope that helps clear up any confusion. Now, the other most commented on item is the gas pump that is shown on the front of the box (see pic). The reader went on to say that recently one sold on Ebay and in the picture it showed the gas pump and i didn't mention that it came with one so lets clear that up as well. Each truck DID NOT come with a gas pump and was an item that you could purchase separately. I know this for a fact as I talked to an older collector who is very knowledgeable on Jimson Toys and he was able to confirm this. He compared this to the 1966 Hess Voyager where you might have also seen some pictures of it sitting on a display stand. Everyone also assumed that when they got a Voyager that would be included, not so. That also was an additional item that you could purchase separately.I also wanted to show you a rare picture of the actual case of trucks as well as the label on the side of the case which you can see below. If you have any other question that you would like me to address on this subject feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I will do my best to answer them. We love to hear from you! Enjoy the pictures.

 CASE OF 12 TANKERS

RARE PICTURE OF A CASE OF JIMSON TANKERS

 

CLOSE UP SHOT OF TANKERS

 

SIDE LABEL ON CASE FROM HONG KONG

  

EBAY AUCTION PICTURE WITH OPTIONAL (SEPERATE PURCHASE) GAS PUMP INCLUDED.

Comparison between the 1964 Hess Tanker and 1960s Jimson Shell Tanker

In 1964 Hess introduced its line of Hess Toy Trucks at their stations which would end up becoming one of the most popular ideas of its time. They paved the way for all the other oil companies to start coming out with their own toy trucks as well but none were more popular than the Hess toy Truck. Here in this article you will be able to see side by side pictures of the similarity between the Hess and Shell Oil Company promotional toy tanker. The Hess tanker was produced by the Marx Toy Company who already had built up their reputation for the most well built and popular toys that children played with over the years. Hess always insisted in the very best detail and that is why right up to today they are the best quality and most durable plastic toy trucks ever made. The 1960s Shell tanker was produced in Hong Kong by a company called Jimson. Jimson produced many small plastic toys throughout the years one of which was a vintage and rare Shell Tanker Truck which featured a chrome plated front bumper & hubcaps along with friction powered front wheels.

Some of the similarities between the two tankers are:

• Both tankers came with a funnel to fill the rear tank
• Rear tank holds water
• Came with a drain hose and nozzle
• Had removable cap to install funnel
• Same rear style tank
• Both do not have any plastic windshield
• Both trucks are the same scale measuring 12" long by 2.5 wide and 2.5 high

Some of the differences between the two tankers are:

• 1964 Hess had battery operated lights
• Shell tanker does not have a rear bumper
• Shell tanker is removable from the cab
• Hess removable funnel cap is rear cap
• Shell removable funnel cap is in the center
• Hess has black plastic hose and Shell is clear
• Shell has removable chrome hubcaps
• Hess has 12 tanker tires / Shell only has 6
• Hess cab has 2 tone paint
• The Shell tanker is friction powered

Below are some picture comparison shots so you can judge for yourself how amazingly close they both are in detail. The Shell tanker is available for sale on our website http://www.raystoytrucks.com



1993 Humble Toy Truck Bank

1993 Humble Toy Truck Bank. Manufactured for Jmt replicas on behalf of Exxon with tiger spirit of Houston, Texas.  This truck it bright white with red front fenders, top of cab and trim color match the lettering and comes with working head and has opening doors. This collectors edition is very rare and hard to find.

Marx Toys - Eastern Airlines Truck & Coin Bank 1993 Special Edition

A beautiful old truck manufactured by MARX in 1993 as the 1ST EDITION in their Golden Memories series. This 1933 Chevy aviation fuel tanker is one good-looking truck molded in dark blue with chrome accents and gold lettering on the tank. It features opening doors, battery operated lights, and is a BANK as well.

1936 Dodge Shell Diecast Tanker Truck

Limited edition Shell bank, a 1936 Dodge tanker truck produced in 1996 by Spec Cast Collectibles. This finely detailed truck is 1:25 scale, comes serialized and is made of diecast metal featuring authentic Shell graphics, steel wheels with hub caps, rubber white wall tires, headlight lenses plus it also has a built in coin bank with key. The measurements are approximately 7 inches long by 2 1/2 inches high by 2 1/2 inches wide.