American-Retro Army Patrol Classic Pedal Airplane

by American Retro

Product Features

• Inspired by the 1941 steel craft U.S. Army patrol plane
• Propeller turns when the plane is pedaled
• Features a padded seat
• Made of the same heavy gauge steel just like the originals
• Recommended age range from 2 to 6 years

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 45.5 x 13.5 x 35 inches ; 45 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 45 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000EVH9PE
• Item model number: AR-1001
• Manufacturer recommended age: 24 months - 6 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,527 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The greatly loved 1941 Steelcraft U.S. Army Patrol Plane inspired our pedal planes. Our plane is made of the same heavy guage steel, just like the originals. We added chrome and lots of it. Our windshield, steering wheel, exhaust prots, hood scoops, propeller and hub caps are all chrome. When this plane is pedaled, the propeller turns. Plane features a padded seat. Ages 2 to 6 years old and adult supervision required.

Product Description

The famous 1941 Steelcraft U.S. Army Patrol Plane inspired our pedal plane. Our plane is made of heavy gauge steel just like the originals. But we added chrome and lots of it. Our windshield, steering wheel, hubcaps, exhaust ports, hood scoops and propeller are all chrome. When this plane is pedaled, the propeller turns. We make this model in several color combinations. The original U.S. Patrol in deep silver gray, trimmed in red with blue graphics and a red padded seat. We have the Yellow Jacket which is black, trimmed in yellow with a yellow padded seat. The Speed Pilot is red, trimmed in white with a white padded seat. The Air Knight is white, trimmed in red with a red padded seat.

For ages 2 to 6.

Features:

• Overall Dimensions: Length 45.5", body width 13.5", wing spread 35"
• Materials: Heavy gauge steel, vinyl padded seat
• Wheels: Steel (10" dia in front, 8" in the rear) rubber in front, 5/8" in rear
• Finish: Scratch resistant, rust resistant, child safe, non-toxic powder coating

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not so good..., September 3, 2008

By 

Matthew Orton (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: American-Retro Army Patrol Classic Pedal Airplane (Toy)

This plane would have been great, and was exactly what we were looking for, had the manufacturer shipped it with the necessary parts. After assembling the plane (which is pretty straightforward), I noticed that the shipped cotter pin did not fit through one of the holes on the axle. (For those of you who do not know, the cotter pin is used to keep the wheel on the axle. It probably wouldn't have been too fun to have a wheel come flying off while this plane was travelling at a decent speed.) The problem was that the holes on the axle were different diameters while the supplied cotter pins were exactly the same. On top of this, the adhesive on the seat cover was not holding the cover to the metal and the red piece connected to the propeller would drag on the plane when it was moved forward and was scratching the paint (I believe it was bent).

I contacted the reseller (Best In Home, who handled this entire situation very well) and told them the problems I was having. They assured me that other than the seat cover detaching, they had never experienced any of these problems with planes shipped from their manufacturer. They contacted the manufacturer and called back to me with this: a $30 credit so I could purchase adhesive for the seat cover, the manufacturer would ship a new prop and housing and new hardware to correct the other issues. This solution was suitable to me so I gave them the go ahead.

I received the new hardware for the plane a few days (maybe a week) later. After opening it I discovered that the cotter pins were exactly the same size, again. I re-contacted Best In Home and attempted to explain my situation better, emphasizing that the holes in the axle were different sizes and the cotter pins needed to be different in order to fit into them. He re-contacted the manufacturer and they said that the plane was defective (holes should have been the same) and they would send out another plane. The next plane I received had a bigger problem. The hole drilled into one of the axles was drilled at the end of the metal rod (unsafe and definitely would have broken with use). On top of this, the new plane also had the seat cover issue. At this point I lost complete confidence in the manufacturer and wanted a refund. Two planes with different issues from a manufacturer that has apparently never had any problems...kinda sketchy. I re-contacted Best In Home and requested a refund. The rep made me take pictures of the problem and email them to him (which was a bit annoying). After seeing the pictures (and I assume sending them to the manufacturer) they issued the refund. A bit of a waste because it was a great plane and I would have loved to keep it for my son. Oh well, at least we got some good pictures out of it.

3.0 out of 5 stars good enough, October 17, 2009

By 

R. Christensen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American-Retro Army Patrol Classic Pedal Airplane (Toy)

This product is cute but has its rough edges--literally. The pieces do have sharp metal edges which were a concern during assembly. Fitting some pieces took effort as the manufacturing tolerances are not real close. It is lighter than some models available but still not easy to pick up and move around. Our grandson is still too small to pedal the plane but likes to sit in the seat. Hopefully, he will love it as much as the adults!

1.0 out of 5 stars A Bad Choice, September 7, 2009

By 

G. Mattenson (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: American-Retro Army Patrol Classic Pedal Airplane (Toy)

The first plane I ordered the propeller rubbed the red paint off the cowl and there were small dents in the wings. All parts were included and went together in about an hour. Thinking maybe I got a bad kit, I returned it and requested another. Sadly the propeller still rubs and one of the buttons that hold the seat on was snapped off. This is a poorly made product from my experience! I would not recommend you order it unless you want the same aggravation of assembling and disassembling this product. It is way too expensive to be having these problems. So you can heed the bush pilot who can't spell or the two negative reviews.