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TOY SUBMARINES

Establishing a catalogue of those toys would be an impossible mission, so varied the products are. However, a list of the main producing countries may be given: GERMANY, with brands such as BING, MARKLIN, ARNOLD, FLEISCHMANN; FRANCE, with JEP, GIL, and a plethora of smaller brands; JAPAN, with MARUSAN, LINEMAR; ENGLAND with SUTCLIFFE. Curiously, the U.S.A. (1) were never big producers; however let us mention WOLVERINE; a small Italian production and a sizeable Asian production of contemporary plastic beach toys, the rest being marginal. This production starts in the early 20th century and is still going on today, from the rubber-band-powered submarine (1904, but the Musée de la Marine is showing a model from the end of the 19th century from the Jac Remise collection) to the radio-guided bath toy.

(1) except for licensed products.

1) Rubber-band-powered submarines

Principle: A rubber band is drawn between bow and stern and powers a propeller through a primitive reduction; lateral diving bars lowered along the hull allow the propeller to take the toy underwater and emerge when the rubber band is loose.
Appearing first at the end of the 19th century, rubber-band-powered submarines still exist today.

2) Chemically-powered submarines
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Principle: Bathing salts, effervescent tablets, or even yeast are introduced in a tank; when wet, these produce CO2, bringing the submarine up; the gas dissipates, the submarine fills with water and dives, and the cycle starts again until the chemicals are exhausted. Americans call these “baking-powder soda subs.” The first models appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, with numerous gadget prizes in cereal boxes of the 50s and 60s in the U.S.A. and the U.K. In France, PIF-GADGET produced two of these, the best being an AIRFIX submarine in the 70s.

3) Pneumatic-powered submarines
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Principle: An air pump is used to inflate a tank, and the air coming out is supposed to propel the item. Once the air reserve is exhausted, the submersible comes up. The AIR HOG underwater plane includes the pump, and compressed air powers a cylinder which acts on a propeller; this revealing the technological gap between the first pneumatic subs and the AIR HOG.

4) Bathtub submarines
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Definition: These are small submarines of all kinds, designed to navigate (or rather mainly dive and emerge) in a small volume of water, such as a bathtub, small garden pool, etc. These include some “ground-based” toys, most radio-guided toys (see the chapter about those), and are mainly aimed at a very young public. See also the paragraph about “chemical” power.

5) Mechanically-powered submarines
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The main category of the field. 4 winding systems are used to power mechanical submarines:

1) With spring, reduction and water ballast, e.g.: JEP, WOLVERINE, some japanese models;

2) Dynamic diving: spring motor and diving bars (adjustable or not): BING, MARKLIN, SUTCLIFFE, SCHUCO... Variants are equipped with a counter-weight on a rail to adjust the submersible’s diving angle (BING, FLEISCHMANN).

3) Mechanical timing system acting on the diving bars, without water-ballasts: this is the case of the big MARKLIN submarines.

4) Crank-wound wheel, a principle similar to “friction” floor toys, and water-ballast: mainly a Japanese speciality. In all cases the submarine emerges and floats when the spring has unwound. Note that some mechanical submarines only navigate on the surface (some ARNOLDS); they are more like boats, but as they navigate and represent submersibles, they have their place here.

6) Electrically-powered submarines
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This of course is an evolution from mechanical submarines, with 3 categories:

1) Motors with on-board batteries, with variants: timing for dives (GIL), pre-set bars (SCHUCO)

2) Wire-guided submersibles: Batteries are set in a command box with a wire of variable length, plugged into a waterproof motor, with pre-set bars. Once the hull is filled with water, speed causes the craft to dive (DELPHIN, MONTELEONE)

3) Waterproof motors clipped on the outside of a plastic hull; the submarine first moves on the surface then dives for good as the hull fills with water. Two possibilities follow: it goes on moving on the bottom (if in shallow water), or else it’s bye bye sub...
Most models shown here are made in Asia.

8) Prizes (1)

These are promotional gifts, buying prizes of which the famous (in France) “Cadeau Bonux” (for a washing powder) is a perfect example. Several submarines (mainly « baking powder soda subs ») were used as gifts in cereal boxes in the 50s and 60s, mainly in the U.S.A; Mc Donald’s issued a small series of spring-powered submarines, and Ferrero, either in its “Kinder Surprises” or Easter eggs, designed small and rather funny rubber-band-submarines. More recently, an American producer is said to have re-issued a Kellog’s cereal box from the 50s with its small sub inside!

(1) Brands are only quoted here as illustrations.

9) Artboxes
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These are of course packaging boxes, unfortunately extremely rare, or in a state of advanced decay. Some are small masterpieces! Here are a few examples, sometimes fragments... Please note, however, the worthy initiative of a San-Francisco-based website that republishes as collectors’ items the most beautiful boxes of the mythical former brand “Aurora.”
Of course, this chapter includes artboxes of the most beautiful S.F. submarines.

To close this chapter: where to find them? How much does it cost? What are the user precautions?
You can find them at specialized antique shops, at specific fairs like TOYMANIA, in classified ads (look for “Toys”), Collectibles, Antiques or Private Sales magazines, rarely on the Internet; more rarely still at garage sales!
How much does it cost? A lot... and that’s a euphemism! Specialized antique dealers are the most expensive, but prices are negotiable. The same goes for fairs. 60% of my own collection comes from such sources, as some pieces are quite rare; however, everyone can be lucky at a second-hand market, in ads, and old sea-side shops (1). Some examples of prices: a JEP Nautilus from 1954-58, in pristine state, working condition, with its (intact) box and key can reach well into 600 euros (780 dollars); in good general condition, no more, it can be negotiated around 200-250 euros (260-325 euros). The most expensive are the big MARKLIN models, new and therefore extremely rare. A few years ago, one was auctioned for FF46000 (about 7000 euros or 9100 dollars). The cheap Asian thingies can be bought for 5 to 9 euros (6 to 12 dollars) depending on the beach and the season. As a rule, a beautiful (small) BING model can be negotiated around 200 euros (good condition, nothing more).

Now about use. Keep in mind that for a toy submarine to work (it’s different for radio-guided models) it MUST float first; it will dive through the action of diving bars, combined or not with a water ballast. This may sound self-evident, but I know at least one brand of plastic electrical submarine that sinks even without including the batteries (2)
Once you are satisfied that the thing is waterproof and in working order, observe the following precautions:

- Avoid seawater at all cost (even for plastic models);

- Avoid lakes and ponds because of the danger of algae! (3)

- Get a ball of fine string, load it at one end, and attach a wire hook to it to retrieve a boat stuck under the central fountain of a pool, or out of order in the middle of it;

- Always grease the torus joints or mechanisms with silicon if they are on the outside (rubber band model reductions). Use silicon grease for diving material (at specialized shops).
Have fun!

(1) I myself found five new JEP Nautilus at the back of an old shop in French Loire Atlantique. Bingo!

(2) But I’m not gonna tell on them...

(3) For instance, when the city of London decided to empty the Kensington pond, they retrieved dozens of boats including many submarines stuck in the water vegetation then mired! Another extraordinary anecdote is that of Jac Remise who tells in his book “Le Jouet et la Mer” (Toys and the Sea) how thirty years later he found his OWN Bing submarine (a rare, big model) at a flea-market’s stall, after it had disappeared in the basin at the Jardin du Luxembourg...