Posted 8 years ago
Toyrebel
(215 items)
I picked up this Hubley Earth Scraper. It's a post '65 Gabriel/Hubley item #1807. I've always loved construction equipment, especially the articulated bottom dumpers and scrapers. This has a seperate tractor so it's not articulated, but it captures the "skeletal" look of the scrapers, dumpers and graders.
The Gabriel new Hubley items were usually smaller than the older true Hubleys. It's about 15" long and its got a thinner diecast than the old ones. Despite this, I love the scraper, its got a neat design and it's well constructed. This tractor was also used for a wheeled bulldozer and a crane with an incredibly short boom. The original Hubley Co. only made a small plastic scraper, I wish they had made one of these in metal in a larger scale like their construction equipment. I've seen these in few different construction sets also. These type toys were really the last well made good ones with the Hubley name. They gradually were cheaper made as time progressed. The Tonka's, Buddy L's, etc. got cheaper also, it was a watershed era between the old and the new. The small diecasts Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Corgi, etc. ruled the diecasts now, no more 8 lb. diecast trucks.
That is a fine scraper. Pressed steel gold as I say. The big change came in 1970 when they started the unrealistic version with the strange windshields.
Thanks to all for the loves. Apache I was in high school in 70. I hadn't kept up with toys in a while. When I looked in the Wishbook around then I couldn't believe the changes in the toys I remember. If it's the same windshields you're talking about, it's the ones that were flush with the front of the vehicles. I don't know what it could he based on to inspire this style.