My brother and I created epically scaled strategic deployments of green plastic soldiers. That was one of our favorite activities. Having the largest platoon of little plastic army guys was a true badge of honor when we were kids. In a huge technological advance, our molded plastic
armies received reinforcements in the way that only the raw power a double "A" battery could provide. Despite our generally peaceful household, our ex-hippie parents temporarily cast aside their ideals and bought my brother and I battery-powered Stomper tanks. Soon these motorized marvels became one of our favorite toys. We would test the tanks' terrain tackling prowess by running them through a barrage of backyard obstacles. Puddles, rocks, dirt, sticks-- there was a true sense of achievement when your tank came through unscathed.In a previous post, I mentioned how, in 1980, the Schaper company, of Minneapolis MN, had created a hugely successful line of battery-operated trucks called Stomper 4x4's. Stomper trucks were pretty cool but the coolness factor skyrocketed in 1983, when they launched a line of Stomper military vehicles that included three different styles of tanks.
Stomper tanks had a lower gear reduction than the wheeled Stomper vehicles giving them more power and a lower speed. They also ran on a larger chassis than the trucks. In 1984 they expanded the line once more to include two different half tracks and an additional style of tank.
The half tracks are by far the rarest of all the Stomper military vehicles. Examples pop up on eBay occasionally. They typically fetch $30-$40. Recently a German Stomper half track showed up that was mint in package. The seller had set an absurdly high buy-it-now price of $299. By the time the auction ended, the bidding had gone up to $125 and the reserve had still not been met. The item was not re-listed.
The half tracks are by far the rarest of all the Stomper military vehicles. Examples pop up on eBay occasionally. They typically fetch $30-$40. Recently a German Stomper half track showed up that was mint in package. The seller had set an absurdly high buy-it-now price of $299. By the time the auction ended, the bidding had gone up to $125 and the reserve had still not been met. The item was not re-listed.
Fortunately you do not need to spend $30-$40 on eBay because I have examples of every type of Stomper tank or half track produced from 1983 to 1988. Just march into the Stomper Military Tanks and Half Tracks gallery in the Stomper 4x4 section of the Vehicles gallery and you can do a full inspection of these vintage mini military machines in the Cabinet of Curious Frivolities.
Full steam ahead.
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