Martin has produced many different figures.
The toy which was a great success was produced over a long period of time and Martin’s successors; George Flersheim and Victor Bonnet have also continued to produce these successes with sometimes minor or larger adjustments and changes.
The changes resulted from improved production methods, the pressure to produce cheaper, changes in “fashion” such as clothing but also, as in this example, the helmet and the keys.
Overvieuw:
1) First released by Martin in 1904 with the number 197.
2) Flersheim reproduced the same Martin 1904 model in 1912, he only changed the type of key.
3) But later Flersheim modernized, between 1912 and 1915, the head and a different “modern” helmet model.
4) Victor Bonnet reproduced the Flersheim fireman again in 1919, he only changed the key to a Victor Bonnet model and he got a completely different ladder, this ladder was a freestanding model and consisted of 3 separate components, one component is the three parts ladder and the other two components are the separate parts for the behind standard, this standard is attached to the ladder at the top and attached to each other in the middle and to the three parts ladder with a small tube.
5) Later the victor Bonnet model got a start/stop handle on the back, these are quite rare.
You see the differences are sometimes small.
-left- MARTIN : three-part ladder and a low back of the helmet and a clockwork with Martin key.
-right- FLERSHEIM : three-part ladder and a low back of the helmet and a clockwork with Flersheim key.
-left- FLERSHEIM : the same three-part ladder but now with a different model head and modern model helmet, the clockwork get a typical Flersheim key.
-right- VICTOR BONNET : a different freestanding ladder and a clockwork with the Victor Bonnet model key. (see detail), the VICTOR BONNET model gets a another box.
