Lincoln International

Lincoln International was a New Zealand-based toy company whose surviving reputation rests primarily on its character merchandise and collectible figures. It is particularly associated with some of the earliest officially licensed Batman toys made for the market. The company obtained permission to use Batman-related branding from DC Comics, but many of the resulting products interpreted the character in ways that were only loosely connected to Batman's established comic-book or television concepts. This combination of recognizable branding and unusual toy design has made the products of interest to vintage-toy collectors. One of the best-known examples is the Batman Seaplane, released in 1967. Rather than representing a vehicle closely derived from Batman stories, the toy was a Batman-themed repaint of the Howard Hughes H-4 Hercules, commonly known as the Spruce Goose. Other Batman-branded products included the Batman Escape Gun, which fired two Bat Darts and two Flying Gadgets, and a Batman Space Probe designed to launch into the air using water pressure. The range illustrates the company's emphasis on imaginative play features and licensed naming, even when the physical form of a product departed substantially from the source fiction. Lincoln International also used licensed entertainment properties beyond Batman. Its merchandise included products based on Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, the British science-fiction television property created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. The company further produced a pistol marketed as Doctor Who's anti-Dalek Fluid Neutralizer. The product's relationship to Doctor Who's established equipment was highly unconventional, making it an example of the loose and sometimes eccentric interpretation characteristic of parts of the company's catalog. In 1975, Lincoln International introduced a military-themed toy range called Soldiers in Action. The company also made a series of seven monster figures. These figures were not licensed Universal Monsters products, although their character types drew on familiar horror archetypes. The series included Count Dracula, Wolf Man, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and Girl Victim. The Girl Victim figure was reportedly a rare Spiegel catalog exclusive and appears to have been derived from a line called Mod Miss. Collector commentary has noted that the figure's inclusion was unusual in light of controversy surrounding a related Aurora Plastics Corporation model, The Victim, later marketed as Dr. Deadly's Daughter. The company's most notorious figure among collectors was Mr. Rock, an unauthorized figure resembling Mego Corporation's licensed Spock character. Its similarity to Spock and its status outside the authorized Mego range have contributed to its notoriety. In some collector markets, Mr. Rock has reportedly attracted higher prices than the licensed figure it imitates. Lincoln International's historical significance therefore lies less in a documented corporate expansion story than in the distinctive products preserved in the vintage-toy market: early licensed superhero merchandise, unusual adaptations of television properties, military toys, horror figures, and a prominent example of an unlicensed character imitation.

Lincoln International was a New Zealand toy company active during the vintage-toy era, but the available reference material provides little documented information about its incorporation, ownership, management, manufacturing facilities, distribution structure, or ultimate fate. The company is instead chiefly documented through the products that entered the collecting community. Its most distinctive historical contribution was an early group of Batman products made under an official DC Comics license. The license gave Lincoln International access to one of the most recognizable superhero names of the period, but the company's interpretations were often inventive rather than faithful reproductions of vehicles, weapons, or devices from Batman stories. The 1967 Batman Seaplane exemplifies this approach: it used the form of the Howard Hughes Spruce Goose, repainted and marketed as a Batman product. The Batman Escape Gun added play value through projectiles described as Bat Darts and Flying Gadgets, while the Batman Space Probe used water-powered launching action. The same broad approach appeared in other licensed products. Lincoln International made merchandise connected with Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and marketed a pistol under the Doctor Who-related description of an anti-Dalek Fluid Neutralizer. These products show how the company translated popular television and comic properties into toys that emphasized naming, visual association, and action features rather than strict continuity with the source material. The company expanded its catalog beyond licensed science-fiction and superhero products. In 1975 it produced Soldiers in Action, a military toy line. It also made seven monster-themed figures: Count Dracula, Wolf Man, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and Girl Victim. The figures were not licensed Universal Monsters merchandise. The Girl Victim is described in collector-oriented material as a rare Spiegel catalog exclusive and as apparently related to a product line called Mod Miss. Its inclusion has drawn attention because of the controversy associated with a similar Aurora Plastics Corporation model, The Victim, subsequently renamed Dr. Deadly's Daughter. Another important part of Lincoln International's collector reputation is Mr. Rock, an unlicensed figure closely resembling Mego Corporation's authorized Spock figure. The product is frequently discussed as a knock-off and is notable both for its resemblance to the Star Trek character and for the prices it can command in the collector market. This figure, together with the company's loosely interpreted licensed products, illustrates the blurred boundary between official character merchandise, generic genre toys, and imitation products in the period's toy industry. The available sources do not establish a precise founding date, a documented closure date, or a complete chronology of the company's product releases. Lincoln International's present corporate status is therefore uncertain. Its historical identity is best understood through surviving toys, catalog references, licensing associations, and collector documentation rather than through a fully recorded institutional history.

• 1975

  Soldiers in Action toy line produced

  [1]Lincoln International (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced a military-themed toy line called Soldiers in Action.

• 1967

  Batman Seaplane introduced

  [1]Lincoln International (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org

  Lincoln International produced a Batman-branded seaplane by repainting the Howard Hughes H-4 Hercules, popularly known as the Spruce Goose.

A vintage New Zealand toy manufacturer focused on imaginative, character-led merchandise, combining licensed properties with novelty play features and collectible figure lines.

• Licensed superhero vehicle · 1967

  Batman Seaplane

  A 1967 Batman-branded aircraft toy based on a repaint of the Howard Hughes H-4 Hercules, popularly called the Spruce Goose. Its connection to Batman came primarily through the branding and color treatment rather than through a close adaptation of a vehicle from Batman comics or television.

• Licensed superhero action toy

  Batman Escape Gun

  A Batman-themed toy gun designed around projectile play. It fired two items called Bat Darts and two additional objects marketed as Flying Gadgets, reflecting Lincoln International's use of action features to extend a character license into an interactive toy.

• Licensed superhero novelty toy

  Batman Space Probe

  A Batman-branded space-themed toy that launched into the air using water pressure. The product was an imaginative interpretation of Batman merchandise and appears to have prioritized a visible launch feature over fidelity to a specific Batman story concept.

• Licensed television merchandise

  Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons merchandise

  A group of Lincoln International products based on Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, the British science-fiction television property. The available source confirms the licensing relationship but does not identify the complete range or individual product specifications.

• Licensed television-themed novelty toy

  Doctor Who's anti-Dalek Fluid Neutralizer

  A pistol marketed with a Doctor Who-related anti-Dalek description. Its unusual name and form illustrate the company's tendency to create loosely connected, action-oriented interpretations of licensed science-fiction properties.

• Military toy line · 1975

  Soldiers in Action

  A military-themed toy range produced by Lincoln International in 1975. The available material identifies the line and its year but does not provide a complete inventory of figures, vehicles, accessories, or distribution markets.

• Monster and horror figures

  Monster figure series

  A series of seven monster figures consisting of Count Dracula, Wolf Man, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and Girl Victim. The figures were not licensed Universal Monsters products. Girl Victim is described as a rare Spiegel catalog exclusive and appears connected to a line called Mod Miss.

• Unlicensed science-fiction figure

  Mr. Rock

  An unauthorized figure resembling Mego Corporation's licensed Spock figure. Mr. Rock is especially notable among collectors because of its close visual relationship to the Star Trek character and because it can command substantial prices in the vintage-toy market.

• 2020-04-30

  Lincoln International appoints Florus Plantenga as managing director[2]Lincoln International 聘任 Florus Plantenga 为董事总经理prnewswire.com

  Reported: 2020-04-30

  Lincoln International announced the appointment of Florus Plantenga as a managing director, based in the firm's London office.

1. 1Lincoln International (New Zealand)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Lincoln International 聘任 Florus Plantenga 为董事总经理prnewswire.com