Mighty Tonka Dump Trucks 1973 - 1982
1964 through 1972 represented the true design concept of what a Mighty Tonka should look like as presented by then Tonka Vice President of
Manufacturing Charles Groschen. Highly detailed, at least for a sandbox toy, the trucks were a trend setter and consumers voted their approval with
sales that helped Tonka continue to grow the Mighty Tonka series. 1973 saw continued sales growth of the Mighty Tonka series but at the expense of
detail. Beginning in 1973, the nose of the #3900 Mighty Dump, #3902 Mighty Hydraulic Dump, #3915 Mighty Wrecker, #3930 Mighty Shovel, #3938 Mighty
Bottom Dump, #3940 Mighty Crane, #3950 Mighty Mixer and #3990 Car Carrier all sported a chunk of plastic representing the grille, bumper and
headlights. At least the headlights were represented by four white buttons that broke up the monotone of black plastic. Mighty Tonka trucks would
continue with this design element through 1982.
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| 1973 #3900 Mighty Dump |
1974 #3900 Mighty Dump |
What changed from 1972 to 1973: The 1964 - 1972 steel bumper, plastic grille and headlight bezels that were punched into the cab were all replaced with a single piece of "SCUFF GUARD" plastic. The Mighty balloon XMB-975 tire had the letters and numbers roll coated white. The cab decals changed
to ("Mighty-Tonka").
What changed from 1973 to 1974: The nose decal to the oval ("Tonka" above a plain yellow background"). The soft vinyl breather changed to hard
plastic.
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| 1975 #3900 Mighty Dump |
1976 #3900 Mighty Dump |
What changed from 1974 to 1975: The rear bottom bed lip was doubled folded to eliminate a sharp edge
What changed from 1975 to 1976: Nose decal deleted. A new cab wrap side decal ("Mighty" followed by a red/white "Tonka" logo.)
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| 1977 #3900 Mighty Dump |
1978 #3900 Mighty Dump |
What changed from 1976 to 1977: The rear of the cab wrap was shortened 1/2 inch (material cost reduction)
What changed from 1977 to 1978: The decals on the sides of the cab wrap changed to ("Tonka") in red letters.
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| 1979 #3900 Mighty Dump |
1980 #3900 Mighty Dump |
What changed from 1978 to 1979: NO CHANGES.
What changed from 1979 to 1980: The white, pressed in place, headlights were deleted. The headlights were now a part of the headlight bezel and therefore black (material & labor cost reduction)
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| 1981 #3900 Mighty Dump |
1982 #3900 Mighty Dump |
What changed from 1980 to 1981: The axle cap nuts (custom made for Tonka's application) with 6 embossed "lug nuts" was deleted and replaced with an off the shelf, standard cap nut. (material cost reduction)
What changed from 1981 to 1982: The decals on the sides of the cab wrap changed to a multi-colored design that included the first use of the "TURBO-DIESEL" reference.