I is for Ingap

Now - We were labouring our way through vehicles last time we met, and had veered off to Italy by way of a break from US/UK Dime Store/Pocket Money toys, so lets stay there for a moment and look at Ingap... Industria Nationale Giocattoli Automatici Padua, making tinplate vehicles, dolls and general toys since 1922...gone now!

Funny little firm by the late 1950's - rather on its uppers, there is - it seems - quite a range of civil cars in an approximate Ho/1:86 scale, but there was also a small military range and a number of aircraft, boats and the like. This is the biggest military set, containing one each of the military vehicles. A small pick-up truck with van cab, an Austin Champ (probably a copy of the Morstone/Budgie or Britains Lilliput models), a spring-loaded launch-platform and the rocket to leave it, a generic M26/46-47 Pershing/Patton and a reasonable rendition of a 25lbr Field Gun.

What I call the medium set, again all 6 items, but this time on a card only, and mirrored by a set of six aircraft on the same sized card. Unusual (to a Brit) in having an Aeroflot example, we didn't have 'commie-shit' in Britian in the 1950/60's, but the attitude was clearly a little more relaxed and liberal closer to the Balkans where they would have been a far more common sight in the skies overhead. [I think it was quite late in the 70's before Airfix tackled post war 'Soviet' designs, but that may be a false memory caused by my Russkie-sheltered, service-life childhood!!! (Sorry Dimitry, but that was then and it was a very differnet world!).]

The 'Small' set, every set has the tank & 25lbr , but you then get either the two transport vehicles or the rocket assembly, this is constant, I've seen quite a few of these over the years.
[I could not get the background, flash, spot and cards to produce a well balanced image on this one? Cards are a fawn with red printing.]

Clockwise from bottom right; We have three boats, the off-shore power boat at the back and the lake-side cruiser in the foreground are both somewhere in the 'H0/00' realm, the tug is a much smaller ratio. The two colours the military sets are found in, two cars from a range better described on one of the 1:87 scale websites, and finally an 'Empire Made' copy, which would go on to be much copied over the years, particularly the 25lbr, which turns up in various forms/sets.

Do we have an Italian reader who could cast greater light on them?