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The Remco Fighting Lady
Motorized "Assault Battleship"
Back in the 1960s, several battery-operated ships were available. remco
made several, including a Roman Galley and an Aircraft Carrier named Mighty
matilda. These ships were not meant for use in water. They ran
on batteries, powered by wheels underneath.
The Fighting Lady "Motorized Assault Battleship" is one such type of ship.
Never intended for use in water, it rolls on wheels. The controls
on the bridge handle direction.
The designation "motorized assault battleship" is pure salesmanship, intended
to impress little boys seeking the ultimate gunboat. For that is what
the Fighting Lade really is: a gunboat, perhaps a destroyer escort, Coast
Guard cutter or small destroyer class ship. The toy is approximately
1/64 to 1/48 scale, sized comparably to O27 trains. (i will be adding it
as scenery to an O27 layout in progress)
Armaments are themselves formidable for the toy battlefield. On the
front is a turret-mounted cannon, made to fire the lind of plastic bullets.which
used to be packed with cap pistols. The bullets are loaded from the
turret top, and fired by a switch on the bridge. Behind the bridge
are a pair of swivelling, non-firing anti-aircraft guns resembling 40mm
dual-mounted oerlikons. Behind the smokestack is a depth charge launcher.
Other gear includes a launched scout plan at the rear, and a small "amphibious
craft" that is a crude model of the amphibious "DUKW". The DUKW was
supposed to hang from hooks off the rear cranes.
Our model is pretty good, with only the mast and one place showing significant
damage. There is plenty of deck space for plastic soldiers. I
am uncertain if any kind of figures were included with the Fighting Lady.
One rarely encounters a find like this. the ship was given my by Lee
from the Jersey Girl Store. He is a collector of unusual items, having
a nice assortment of steel and tin trucks (akin to Tonka) displayed in the
store in Spring Lake, NJ
though in rough shape, the Box is legible. |
A front view - mast & radar dish and DUKW are to the right. |
 |
Gun turret overhangs the deck! |
Side view - two depth charges, mast pieces and DUKW are in foreground.
Note the plane at the rear of the ship |
Rear view - plane has tilted over accidentally. |
 |
The front decks of the ship - from bottom: depth charge launcher, smokestack
and two AAA guns, control panel on bridge, gun turret. |
Aircraft on launcher - note hoists on rear deck. |
The bridge - a non-working deck light is to the front (left). From
left to right on bridge deck are - gun firing lever, steering, turret turning
lever |
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