Fred Thompson Smith Miller, Inc. “Smitty Toys” Vintage SMFD Fire Engine *SOLD*

Fred Thompson Smith Miller, Inc. “Smitty Toys” Vintage SMFD Fire Engine

Enjoy our beautiful Smith Miler Fire Engine.  It is an open cab B-Mack design with a ton of detail.

Smith Miller has always boasted that they are the best toys made in America for the day.  This one holds up, as it has more gauges and levers and fire department detailing than the competition.  There is even a folded set of hoses in the bed.

The paint and condition are original and excellent.  We believe this to be an early Fred Thompson Smith Miller, which is why there are so many details on the toy.

Material is aluminum, brass, rubber, fabric, plastic, polished and plated metal, and potentially other materials.  The factory did the best job with whatever material it took!

This edition, and we believe this is a variation within the edition, was 175 units.  The SMFD and roofless variation are extremely difficult to find.

This is approximately 21″ L and marked “RP164  175”.

A brief history of Smith-Miller Toys “Smitty Toys” of Santa Monica, California:   

Smith-Miller Toys was founded in 1945 in Santa Monica, California, and stayed in business for about 10 years. Smith-Miller, Inc. was the producer of arguably the finest toy trucks ever made in the United States, or anywhere else for that matter, has produced more than 75 different toy trucks. When the company ceased production in the mid-1950s the factory sat defunct for a little over 23 years before being purchased by Fred Thompson in 1979. 

Now for a little more history on these highly sought-after trucks. It was the spring of 1979. Smith-Miller, Incorporated, which had made trucks of about 1/16 scale under that name as well as “Smitty Toys” and “M.I.C.” (derived from Miller-Ironson Corporation), had been defunct for about 23 years. Fred Thompson, a Los Angeles area resident, had bought Smith-Miller trucks as a kid. He still had several and needed parts to restore them. Unlike today, original or replacement parts for Smith-Miller trucks were not available. 

After tirelessly trying to locate the factory Fred was able to track down its location and phone number which still was in service even after the factory had been closed for so long. After several calls for an appointment, Fred was finally able to get into the factory. After his initial introduction, Fred was able to make reoccurring trips to get the parts he needed for his restorations. He even went so far as to inquire about purchasing the factory. Four years later in 1979, Fred Thompson was able to purchase Smith-Miller, Inc. Not just the leftover trucks… not just the parts… the whole company! The cardboard boxes… the sign over the door… the factory photos… the dies… the company name… the whole company! 

Fred Thompson and the Smith-Miller Corporation of today have produced 48 different toy trucks. These newer trucks have all been serially numbered limited-edition issues. They are made from new-old-stock parts, replacement parts made from original dies and/or to original specifications, and newly manufactured parts, which are hand-assembled to exacting standards. 

The year of issue and descriptive information for the limited-edition trucks thus far produced is only an approximation as Fred was not absolutely certain for some of the trucks.