Ultra Rare Mattel M16A1 Examination
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- Long thought to be a myth or a poorly-remembered memory of war, the M16A1 rifle made by Mattel for use by troops in Vietnam really does exist ... April Fools!
Discussion of the Mattel M16 myth with historian Martin K. A. Morgan: • The Myth of Mattel's M...
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My dad was in the Marines in Vietnam. He was issued both the M14 and M16 and liked them both. He never had the "horror stories" about the M16 that other vets had.
Some guys had issues and others didn't, that's for sure. Glad your Dad was one of the lucky ones.
My brother was in the Marines in the sixties. And trained with the M14 exclusively while on Parris Island. He was accelerated and wasn’t even done training and was deployed.
He shows up in country and received the M16 without any training. Great times.
@@whereswaldo5740 My dad swapped his M14 for an M16 as soon as he arrived in country.
Because he was a Marine. The Corps instills weapon maintenance like no other service. The M16 models are tight fitting weapons with little tolerance to build-up.
@Where’s Waldo Yep. They went from 12 weeks at boot camp to 6 weeks before being deployed and were expected to pick up the rest in country.
Fun! Most unusual sight for me was at Ft.Benning about 16 years ago. I was assisting the USAMU deliver SDM Training and noticed one Soldier had an M16 Lower Receiver which was labeled as being made by General Motors Transmission Division as I recall. I have not seen another but then I do not get out much.
It was the GM Hydra-Matic division. They made around 469,000 in total. Thanks for watching!
Hydra-Matic had a long history (since WW2, possibly earlier) of war production - parts, and complete weapons.
Supposedly, the idea behind these were such that a *lot* of the parts were intended to be made by subcontractors. Someone had learned what Germany did in late ww2 about distributing production such that production could be maintained even when widespread bombing/shelling/missiles/ etc. was happening.
I was issued A2 with a hydromatic receiver for WESTPAC '85.
At Ft Hood, I had a receiver on my rifle stamped GM Turbo Hydramatic. I had one made by Chrysler Corp at Ft Knox and in 1976, they gave use replacement handguards made by Mattel (No April Fool's joke). C Company 46th Engr BN was up from Ft Rucker, AL to do dirt work on the Lower Douglas dam. Anyone who was there in '76 (In my platoon anyway) would remember this.
Yep, I carried one for a few years...
The fact that you went out of your way to get this lower made, is a level of commitment to the bit that I highly fucking respect. I am subscribing.
Thanks very much! Appreciate you watching, commenting, and subscribing!
Mattel did make an M-16 though. They called it the 'M-16 Marauder Automatic Rifle' and featured 'real sound'. "Hear 50 rounds of Automatic Rifle Fire! No Caps! No Batteries!"
Very true - and they're surprisingly expensive for a toy!
I had one. Wore it out from so much play
They did make parts for the M16 and AR15, and there is proof. The Book Of Colt Firearms literally shows the Mattel parts. Not only do they show the parts, but one of the guns with Mattel parts that they show is the very first SP1 serial number 00001. That same rifle went up for auction at RIA, and was featured in the September 2012 RIA catalog, and in that catalog RIA also says it has parts made by Mattel. I am not sure if they made receivers, but they did in fact make parts. So just read The Book Of Colt Firearms or lookup the RIA catalog from September 2012, because both show the Mattel parts. So yes Mattel did at least make parts, and there is verifiable proof.
When I was a kid my younger brother had a Mattel marauder M16, he'd carry it when my granddad, dad & I would go rabbit hunting, when we got close to a good spot, he would shoot his M16 and scare the rabbits out of the brush for us to shoot.
I also had a Mattel marauder M16. I wish I still owned it, but I have no idea what happened to it.
LOL, you got me. I'm usually good at picking up on April Fools jokes, but your deadpan delivery nailed it. Especially when you did a closeup of the handguard. I said to myself, "oh wow, they had the same problem with thermal sinks that Brownells has on their retro handguards". 😆 😂.
Thanks for watching and for taking the joke in stride!
@@beargillium2369 I don't recall ever saying I invented the myth, and I'd love to read the article you found. Can you send it to me if I give you an email address?
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC maybe ironically the place where we're most likely to find these grips is probably somewhere in Vietnam
@@beargillium2369 The snopes article you claim proves Mattel made the grips is exactly the opposite. The 1987 book they cite is called "More Rumor!" and it's about debunking common myths. The citation at snopes is showing an example of the myth that the book disproves.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC it says: "Morgan and Tucker, 1987]
The handgrip of the M16 rifle was made by Mattel. When the gun was first introduced in Vietnam, soldiers noticed the toy company's logo embossed on the handgrip and complained. Later shipments arrived without the imprint, but the grips were still manufactured by Mattel."
I had a Mattel toy M16 as a kid it sounded really cool ! I am surprised you did not talk about that one .
There's another video here on the channel that talks about the Mattel Marauder.
The sound box was in the "magazine", which was much thicker than a real mag in order to hold the sound mechanism. I really wish I still had my toy guns, but my nephews were very rough with them after I left home for school.
As did I. Fond memories of me and Brian Harlan playing “Guns” outside.
In basic training in 1986 our drill set told us "Don't believe that crap about the M-16 being made by Mattel. They only make the butt stock, grip, and fore grips". HAHA!
I've heard that version too, but there's nothing to support it. To my knowledge, all of the plastic parts from the known makers are marked accordingly and there are no unidentified markings or even unmarked parts that could possibly be linked to Mattel.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC Indeed, my friend, but we all should respect the myth as one of the longest and most often repeated gun rumors in history.
Fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.
My old boss was a door gunner on a gunship in Vietnam back in the 60s and told me he had seen am M16 made by Mattel. I thought it strange but actually had an M1 carbine made by Underwriters. A typewriter manufacturer. IBM even made some. Not very knowledgeable about M16s everything you said made sense.
So I was definitely taken in.
April 3rd, 2023.
THAT was a good one.
Thanks for watching and for taking the joke in stride. Yes, over the years, a number of unconventional manufacturers have stepped up to help with weapons production, but there's zero physical proof that Mattel was ever one of them.
I think that should be Underwood.
This was amazing! I don't know why it took a year to cross my feed but I'm glad it did and I subscribed!
Awesome! Thank you! Better late than never, right!?
I was issued an M16 A1 made by Mattel. Recieved from the armorer and proceeded to clean it and seen the exact stamping on the magazine well. I thought how funny! As a kid I had a hand me down marauder by Mattel. Years later I'd tell people about that rifle and they wouldn't believe me. The crazy thing is I was issued the rifle in 1993 with the California National Guards 40th Infantry division. A mechanized moarter unit of Brookhurst street. I believe Fullerton. Then I look that rifle up a few years ago and all the "experts" said it never existed. April fools bs. That gun existed.
Hilarious video!! Well done. Kudos for keeping a straight face through it all!
Thanks!
Mattel did make a stock for that A1, my a1 hac.d Mattel on the stock , stupid.
I had heard about the Mattel guns but didn't actually realize that they didn't exist until this video. Glad I watched until the end. LOL
Thanks for watching - and I'm glad you learned something!
Mattel M-16's did exist. I carried one in Army Basic Training. This RUclipsr just thinks they didn't exist; but, I'm here to testify that yes they did.
@@301steady No, M16s with Mattel handgrips on them exist. Mattel never made a complete firearm. Here is the M16 wiki page, it clearly shows all the manufacturers of the M16 for the US military. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M16_rifle#:~:text=As%20a%20result%2C%20the%20design,for%20the%20other%20service%20branches.
I was a Basic Training Commander at Fort Jackson years ago, and among the rifles the troops were issued were a mixture of Colt, FN, Balimoy, Harrington and Richardson, and Hydramatic. The old receivers were repurposed with A2 uppers right up to the point where M4's replaced the A2 rifles.
If Forgotten Weapons and Valor Ridge had a child.
That's a new one I hadn't heard yet!
Great retro build. I have been planning the same build for years but never followed through. I couldn't find anyone to do the rollmark. Great work
I've heard that issue from a few people. Unfortunately, the company that did this one no longer offers the service.
That's exactly the weapon I had in infantry basic training at fort Benning, it was so worn out that the barrel jiggled inside the upper
In the early to mid 1970s I,as a child, had a toy M16 . M16 was cast written on the magazine well of the receiver. and it had a prong flash hider. The stock,pistol grip and forearm were black and the barrel and receiver were a blue color. This color combination exactly matched the color of the M16s in the John Wayne movie The Green Berets. If I recall correctly the toy was manufactured by Mattel toy company….. many years later I was issued an A2 variant followed by an M 4…. I miss my toys……😊
In the movie 'The Green Berets' there is a scene where John Wayne breaks one of the Mattel Toy M16"s on a tree. You can see it is a toy by the larger magazine on it as that was where the speaker on the toy was located.
I had one of those! It was awesome! Just wish I still had it.
The new Toy Story looks absolutely incredible
Underrated comment lmao
When I was in DEP, the Marine and Navy recruiter offices were in the same building. The Marine recuiter brought in an M16 to show us future sailors. I remember distinctly him joking that the gun was made by Mattel because it was made of plastic. I always assumed he meant it was the plastic parts, like the handguard, and buttstock, made by Mattel. This was in 1983.
Thanks for watching! Joking is the key word here. There's never been any proof that Mattel made M16 parts - labeled or not.
Damnit! I wanted to believe!
When I was a kid, I had a Mattel® M-16 Marauder. The Mattel® toy was used in a scene in the movie The Green Berets, Col. Striker (John Wayne ) broke an M-16 against a tree to disable it to keep it from being used by the Viet Cong. ( the A-1 flash hider did look a bit fishy as I would have expected a 3-prong hider.)
Here's why this argument even exists: Plenty of veterans remember the Mattel rifles. The government and Mattel corporation absolutely don't want that fact confirmed and despite so many knowing the truth, simply scrubbed the records.
Plenty of guys who join and serve in the military are not gun guys, especially in basic.. But seeing a rifle sporting a toy company logo gets more than a few people's attention and is often many a veterans introduction to the "lowest bidder" reality.
Of course the last of those rifles were gone from BCT unit armories by the time the military moved to the M-4. Likely destroyed.
The fact this argument persists is in itself very interesting. First I heard of it was in the mid 2010's. So after the military likely had long disposed of the rifles. The argument is so persistent that it's to the point of me wondering if was and still is an early example of 5th Generation Warfare being deployed and tested, possibly still tested to see how well and long a manipulated truth can persist in a community that values facts and correct information.
You guys have your lack of records, we have what we clearly remember.. It's an information version of Yanni/Laurel and the white gold/black blue dress perception problem.
A little off topic but....when me and my brother were kids (70s 80s) we had a toy pistol that shot the yellow rubber balls. The pistol was very streamlined and futuristic (I think it was made by Mattel or Daisy). Years later I learned at a gun show that there was an actual pistol. The Whitney Wolverine in 22 lr. Of course it was a little more than I wanted to pay. Later Olympic Arms released their version. Just a little side note of toy gun/real gun examples. edit: Okay. I found the toy. It's a Rayline Zebra II.
The Rayline Zebra does bear a striking resemblance to the Whitney Wolverine!
I have one of those!
I had that toy pistol as well.
ruclips.net/video/pMR9kwgxTh4/видео.html
Today's Forgotten Weapons/Bloke on the Range collab sent me here.
Welcome!
I remember a skit on "The Flip Wilson Show" where there were a group of soldiers who were fighting in Vietnam and were complaining that the Army didn't care about them. One of them said, "Look, even the gun is made from Mattel!" I remember the sequence well although I am paraphrasing the lines here. Great video though as I admit, you got me! Thanks!
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed the video.
That was a good one dude, you got me. Nice looking rifle build.
Thanks for taking the joke for what it is!
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC I was a child in the 60's and remember the old timer's saying our government is now giving the solider's toys or the new M16 looks like a toy....something to that effect is in my memory. lol
I grew up playing with toy guns made by Mattel. 50 years ago I was in air force basic training and qualified on a Mattel made M16. So yes, they do exist.
When and where were you in basic?
They don't exist. If a M16 made by Mattel exists than prove it.
I, for one, totally believe you.
I was issued one in basic training in 1987 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Tripped me out.
I remember showing it off to the other soldiers.
I believe it was a Nam-Era rifle.
If we had camera phones back then, I would have taken a picture of it, because no one in permanent party ever believed me.
Best to you-
I randomly got suggested this video 11 months after it was first posted.
TFW you get to 8:00 min mark and thinking this is a crazy story and then you drop the date you posted this video lmao.
Haha thanks for watching and for taking the joke in stride!
Ahhh! Bamboozled! Good video Logan. Took it hook, line, and sinker.
Haha! Yes - gotcha!
I carried the M16A1 rifle. It was the best variation. The front sight post was tubular, so it was sturdy. It was easy to Zero the sights. The Left Right forearms fit nicely in the no firing hand and easy to steady. The M16A1 had a foreward assist.
I would think it would be Mattel that didn't want the public to know about this
I knew this was going to turn out to be what it was, you're actually not the first person to do this, there's been other one's surface that people have had made like what you've done.
Great April Fool's day video.
👍👍👍
Yeah, I actually had the lower made by the same guy who made one for Martin KA Morgan, who I mentioned in this video.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC ; wish you could have made a third hole in the lower to make it more believable at first but im sure you like your freedom, plus the explanation you gave for why it wasnt there was perfect. great video lol
@@bobbywright6354 Thanks! Yeah, would have loved to drill that third hole, but as you said, I value my freedom - and my dogs!
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC you know about the third hole I think he even taking a sharpie and putting a black dot there so idiot would call that your marking it so it can be drilled I wouldn't put nothing past the politicized government agencies very nice rifle man
Not April fool's , actually true.
The laser engraving rather than a roll mark was the biggest giveaway. Mismatched everything, and no auto sear could possibly be explained away, but not the markings.
Thanks for watching!
Dude, that's awesome, and you 100% got on on the April.Fools prank hahahaha 😂
It still a super cool gun and I loved the story.
chEErs!
Thanks for watching and for taking the joke as the fun thing it was meant to be!
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC chEErs 😎
The problem here is that someone will watch the opening of this, not watch to the end, and then declare he's seen PROOF it exists... I can't believe it never occurred to me to have a A1-style lower marked with Mattel markings before seeing this.
Unfortunately, there are people who claim to have actually held them, so I'm not worried about the video.
Pretty funny how war stories grow and grow. You got me on this one. I never believed the whole rifle story, but did believe that a plastic toy maker could easily get a contract for plastic parts. In WWII, companies that made anything often found themselves making anything they could get a wartime contract for. Today, any aluminum casting company worth their salt could cast parts that could be CNC machined by 50 or 100 different shops easily. Making M16 rifles utilizing multiple contracts for components in 2023 would be a real easy ramp up. Right now, any current AR maker could tool over to M16 only in a very short time in an emergency military order. If there was anything pure genius about the whole M16 concept was that they are easier than ever to make because of the polymers and aluminum alloy that have become common as dirt throughout industry over the last 60+ years. I was in an anodizing shop several years ago in Kansas City and recognized AR buttplate and trapdoor parts going down the anodizing line. Relatively small shop doing their part in the making of an AR for some company.
Yeah WWII was an all hands on deck operation when it came to manufacturing. Definitely a different story in Vietnam. And yeah, the modularity of the platform and its popularity makes it really easy for places to jump on board in 2023.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC How many times have you had someone tell you Charlie's guns could shoot our ammo but ours couldn't shoot theirs. 🤔🙄 I've seen a lot of cartridges over the years, and reloaded a few. And I cant figure how such a story ever started.
I enjoyed the ride; Nicely done!
Thanks! 👍
I remember these rifles. I was an armorer in 1979 in the Army, stationed at Ft Knox, and I remember seeing m16s that were marked Mattel and I don't think anyone ever believed me. I also remember the manifest and the fact that the rifle cost about $75 each.
Interesting. One, because you are too dense to realize this is a joke video, and 2, because you, like many others of your generation, always say you remember this vividly, yet there is literally zero physical evidence via photographs or videos of the time, nor any statement from Mattel themselves vindicating these claims of "seeing Mattel M16s". Ever heard of the Mandela Effect?
Our memory can play tricks on us
I did my basic training at Ft.
Jackson, SC in 1982. The rifle I was issued had the Mattel logo on the lower receiver. It did not look like the one in this video.
I was in the Marines from 1981 to 1988.....I was in the infantry....lejune n Pendleton n Parris Island....I guarantee you with out a shadow of a doubt different places I was stationed issued us Mattel M16s.....for real real
You got me good… I was believing it all…
Haha! Yes - gotcha! Thanks for watching!
I have just come upon your channel and have watched four of your videos, prior to this one, and plan to watch many more of them. While I realize that many-or most-people enjoy April Fools pranks, I don't number myself among them. While I, very much, enjoyed the previous videos, I'm disappointed that I wasted eight minutes of my life watching this prank. I'm sure I'll see better work from you in the future.
Thanks for watching. I assure you this is the only joke video on the entire channel.
“You can tell it’s Mattel, it’s swell!”
Mattel did make a M-16 toy rifle in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Also, A U.S. Army soldier told me that the hand guards and pistol grip were made for the M-16 by Mattel back in 1980.
Yes, they did make a toy. It was called the Marauder. As for the hand guards and grips: that has never been proven. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Loved the video! Very fun.
In the same vein, I remember talking to a couple WW2 vets who insisted to me that their favorite rifle was the one made by cutting down an M1 into (drumroll) the M1 carbine!
Lol, memory/perceptions are a funny thing.
Now that's one I have never heard before!
Had a neighbor growing up that fought in Viet-Nam. He told me that most M16's he came across in theater had Mattel handguards on the front.
Oh man did I fall for that one. You made it sound so believable and I’m an 60’s kid do you know I love Mattel! Too bad I didn’t watch the end of video before I went out telling everyone. 😂 I want one even more now! 2 of a kind! 😂❤️🇺🇸
Thanks for watching! Glad you got a kick out of it!
The m16 I carried was made by the hydratic division of gm
Yep, they made approximately 469,000 rifles.
I took basic at Benning 1979...used one for everthing! I remember it well ! Expert badge and it never let me down. Had a laugh or two with my brothers about it! Had narrow handguards seemed like also.
It would be a wonderful toy if it wasn't a joke.
It's true, Mattel made parts for the M16, or so some may (correctly? incorrectly?) remember. A summary search, based on the insistence of the originator of the top comment on this video indicates that there is no physical evidence of Mattel having made plastic components for the M16. A lot of memories, but that's it.
I'll be honest, I never studied the various weapons I was issued for over two decades close enough to remember small details like furniture markings. My M249 SAW was made in Belgium, so I suspect it was an early Army contract receiver (most are made in Columbia, SC now), and my M16s and M4s were all either Colt or FN.
I ran four Arms Rooms, including one with a lot of historical weapons including an XM177E2, an MP44, and other fairly uncommon small arms, and still can't insist on knowing much about each gun. I made note of the manufacturers of our M14s and ensured I was assigned a certain one, but to be honest still can't say which manufacturer I chose. That's been less than 20 years ago, much more recent than the 50+ years ago that Mattel M16s supposedly existed.
Anyway, nice and convincing video. I've subscribed and wish that I'd have found your channel sooner. I wonder if Forgotten Weapons' rather elaborate April 1st video and collaboration pushed the algorithm to recommend other good channels.
Thanks for watching and subscribing!
I just had a boomer try to use this video as proof that Mattel rifles existed.
That's not the first time I've heard this.
That’s why I’m here hahahahaha
All I remember of them was as a JOKE, "Made by Mattel" when the AR-15 were replacing M14 just after the M-1 Garands.
And I thought you found the ultimate unicorn...shame.
If I had, it would be worth untold sums!
The Mattel logo has saw tooth points all around the circle that surrounds the name, and perhaps the smooth circle on that receiver keeps the lawyers away.
Nah, Mattel used the smooth circle on the rifles to differentiate the divisions that made guns versus toys. LOL. Just kidding.
😸 I thought it was a joke, too, and I served in the Army in the late seventies! Notice the lack of a forward assist, but it has the "birdcage" flash suppressor, not the "Vine catcher" of the earliest models.
Yeah, some concessions had to be made for this project due to difficulty in sourcing certain parts. Thanks for watching!
My pleasure buddy! It was an Awesome April fools!!
Glad you enjoyed the joke!
😂at first I was like, bruh that's an a2 lower😂 good video
Thanks for watching!
I went to Basic Training at Fort Dix in the Fall of 1980 and used the Mattel manufactured M16's
The logo on the side was the actual Mattel Round Saw Blade Logo.
In the Marines I was issued the first M16,A2 IN 1981,I got first COLT. I loved it. Good video. It had a bad reputation to start with
Cheap toy.
Yes, early on they were often compared to cheap toys because of the plastic components, but nontheless, they were never made by a toy company. At any rate, thanks for your service.
Lol! I am commenting *exactly* a year, to the day, that you posted this video.
So, *HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!*
Btw, I remember being an 18 year old "basic trainee" at Ft. Dix, NJ (1986 or so) discussing whether or not "the rumors were true'' that Mattel may or may not have had a hand in our issued weapons... 😂
Thanks for being here, watching, and taking the joke in stride!
The plastic was designed by "Mattel" and the BCG was designed by GM. My jaw dropped when we were told this in 1981 by our Vietnam/vet drill sergeant in our weapons class, and had Colt stamped on it, with M16A1.
Then were told that they probably saw combat.
GM Hydra-Matic made more than 400,000 complete rifles, but there's no proof of the Mattel connection.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC LOL....Ya it was prolly more of a bit of satire placed on the M16, cause of Mattel did introduce its M-16 Marauder in 1966-the same year the actual firearm went to Vietnam.
Came across my feed, outstanding!! And neat rifle to boot.
Thanks for watching!
I know for a fact that Matel made furniture for the M-16. I have seen the marks on the weapon myself that a friend that came back from Vietnam ( who kept his rifle ) showed a group of us.
Your friend kept the machine gun that was issued to him in Vietnam?
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC , It was a long time ago. In the early 70s and he just got back so I assumed that is where he got it. At the time I wasn't that into weapons yet.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC HAHA 😂 my thoughts exactly
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC I have heard multiple stories of guys shipping the parts to reassemble an M16 back home piece by piece.
Awesome joke! I would've believed it based on your delivery. 😆😆😆
Thanks for watching and for taking the joke in stride!
Wow A unicorn for sure!!! Awesome job and great jab and upper cut body blow at the end! I was starting to lean towards this outlandish theory but once you should this unicorn I was like woooooOOOOOOOooooo! Thanks for the education as always!
Thanks for watching and taking the joke in stride!
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC You seriously had me going like WHAAAAAAA.....?!?!?! THEN YOU SHOWED THE STAMPED LOGO and with the different parts vs the p-grip and shoulder, you had me seriously having A MANDELA EFFECT AND I WAS LIKE WTF, WHEN DID I ENTER ANOTHER TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE AND HOW DO I GET OUT OF ROD STERLING'S MIND! - Maaaaaan you seriously got me like we playing cowboys and robbers boy I'm just glad that I'm not in another strange Salvador Dalhi surrealism nightmare!😅😆😂😁😀😊😋😎😍🤔😐😑😶😑😐😉😆😙😗🤗😇😎🙄😏😣😥😌🤓😛😜😖🙃😝🙁😪😯🤐😮😲😬😦😵🤑😳😳😳😳😳😳😖😂😂😂😂😂
The Aussie army M16A1's we had were old by the time I got my hands on one in 1985. Only the section commanders, forward scouts and #1 rifleman used them. The #1 rifleman had an M203 mounted to his. Everybody else (except the gunner) carried an FN L1A1. There was a lot of play between the upper and lower. I do remember the discoloration between the upper and lower as well, like yours. All were stamped Colt, Hartford Conn. Great yarn. Had me for a while.
Thanks for watching and for sharing the Aussie insight!
Indeed. Must have been easier just to dunk the whole thing in a barrel of LSA...
I love the slick side A1 upper. Wish they'd pump out a few more.
I love it, too. The asthetics are perfect.
I was going to call out the missing sear pin above the selector, the mis-matched coloring. LOL Happy April Fools.
Happy April Fools to you as well! Also, I've seen plenty of photos of guys with M16s (a1s and a2s) that have been reworked and the colors on the upper and lower don't match. So, I figured this didn't bother me too much. Plus, since Mattel was putting Colt uppers on their own lowers, some color discrepancy is to be expected! LOL!
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC True, I really like that lower, I have 2 A1's I built back in the 80's - back then if you wanted an AR you either built an A1 or a XM177A1 -- I went with the A1 - You had to scrounge around at gunshows, but pretty much everything you bought back then was surplus military, not like today where that's dried up and everybody that can pronounce AR makes a part for the 10,000 different models. Since those early days I've built a few A2's and a few M4's look-a-likes, Guess I'm old, but the original A1 is still my favorite, it's everything it was meant to be, light, accurate at combat distances and you can't hang a bunch of useless shit on it. the A2 is a close 2nd for me. Enjoy, it's a nice and rather unique rifle.
Hate to make this long, I know a guy that served in the AF back in the 80's, He swears up and down that his issue M16 said Mattel LOL -- I just let him live the fantasy.
I have argued with people over two ARs that were issued to us in basic at Fort Polk. About half our company had M16s that were labeled Mattel. Perhaps it was only on the plastics, but not on the receiver, but it did exist somewhere on the weapon. The other was the Colt, fully automatic, AR15s, of which I was shooting. I remember that I preferred it over the Mattel, only because it did not say Mattel and because I was able to shoot Expert Marksman. I was in 1973 to 1976. There were many variations of which may not have received much attention.
I’ve know about this for about 35 years!! I knew a Gunnery Sargent at Camp Pendleton, Ca. who actually showed me one back in 1988.
I was issued are whole battalion was issued Mattels at Parris Island s.c. Sept 1981
Who did those roll marks with Mattel? I want to get one made for myself asap! Thanks and funny vid!
The company who offered them is no longer doing it.
Nice build
Thanks!
I trust the government as much as I trust Mexican tap water.
About two minutes before you mentioned the date, I was thinking that I should check the date of this video to see if its a prank.
Beautifully done, I suspect that had you not announced that it was a gag, that many viewers would've fsllen for it.
Thanks for watching!
Saw those brand new production handguards, and I knew something was up
I knew immediately it had to be a gag. I carried the M16 in the early 1970s and although we joked about it being made by Mattel, I don't think any of us actually believed it. However, Mattel had more experience with polymers than most companies so it wouldn't have been hard to believe they made the stock, handguard, and/or pistol grip. Even so, I don't remember anyone I served with giving it any credence.
There's a surprising number of people who swear they exist.
8:13 I’ve never felt so betrayed in my life
I appreciate you watching and taking the joke in stride.
Born on 1975 so the story I was told, was the first Air Force M16A1 guns like 1000. Mattel made the buttstocks , pistol grips and handguards. But an outside company gave Mattel the resin to make the parts.
Interesting story, but there's simply no proof that this ever happened.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC I knew it was not true but that story was being pass around in the 80. I told you would like hearing the Mattel story. It was told from the Vets told to friends and a dumb 9 yr. LOL
Cool vidieo! When I was in the Marine Corps in the 70's Staff NCO's referred to this as a "Matel" gun beacause of the butstock, pistol grip and handguards. Should make one to take to the gun club just for shits and giggles. Loved it thanks!
Thanks for watching! Yeah, it's definitely a conversation (and sometimes argument) starter at the range!
I qualified first on the M14 and then on the M16. I really thought that in comparison to the M14, the M16 felt like something made by Mattel.
Yeah, that's a common comparison.
On a real Mattel M-16 ,the magazine would hold a 250 roll of caps.
Haha yes! The Marauder toy!
Mine had a pull back that wound a spring I think. You could shoot a really long burst with that thing no batteries in it it had a mechanical noise maker that sounded pretty real .
@@jhonsiders6077 The Marauder was a cool toy!
One veteran who went overseas with a M14, was later issued a M16, said he sent home a request for a made by Mattel sticker.
The Filk Song Space Hero mentions "guns that jam and spray like hell, with stocks made by Mattel." I never thought that Mattel actually made furniture for the M16 proper.
They never did.
That is crazy. Really cool
I just couldn't resist having one made!
You got me, well done!
Thanks for taking the joke in stride!
FAKE! Mattel made an M-16 Marauder toy gun in the mid-1960s, but not real guns according to their own records.
Tell me you didn't watch until the end without telling me you didn't watch until the end...
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC Of course I didn't. Not yet, because I didn't have the time. But I will.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC Okay. Now I HAVE watched the entire video, and the rifle is a fake like I said. Being an April Fool's joke doesn't make it any less fake. By the way, I have seen a couple of GM Hydra-Matic Div. M16A1s in the army. If they could make transmission housings from aluminum, why not rifle receivers? And one guy in basic training had a Harrington & Richardson that was marked AR-15, then stamped M16A1. The anodizing on the lower was so badly worn from numerous men handling it over the years that it was polished smooth and no longer black. It was kind of a purple color with gold undertones. As if it was anodized gold first, then black was applied over it, but that must just be the way it aged when the surface of the metal started wearing off. It's the closest thing to a rainbow I saw on any kind of weapon, and it was only that one. Everything I worked on was shades of gray and black, except the 4.2" mortars that had layers of green paint on them. So did the T&E mechanisms for the 81mm mortars, but everything else from .38 snub-nose revolvers on up was black or dark gray. No purple, gold, or any other weird color.
I knew something was weird at first with how new and lighter colored the lower looked, but then just rolled with it and was fooled
I should have gone with my gut lol
Thanks for taking the joke in stride!
I know this is a joke, but I was really surprised to learn that International Harvester manufactured M1 rifles during the Korean War.
Yeah, lots of unconventional makers chipped in during WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
You me going man
Haha, thanks for watching!
I'm currently building
a GM Hydra Matic M16 Clone.
The project started when I found original early M16 Triangular Handguards, Pistol Grip and Stock that are a Fiberglass Bakelite Material with whitish threads in the Material.
An Upper from Brownells and other small parts.
Last year did GM Hydra Matic XM177E2 Type Prototype and R&H XM177E2 Prototype...both have the Aluminum 2 position Buttstocks
Nice! The pistol grip and stock on this one are original, but the handguards are Brownells repros.
I figured It was a joke.
I always thought the story was about sub contract plastic injection molding furniture made by Mattel. Had no clue it was whole rifles.
It depends on which version of the story you get from the vet who tells it. Some say it was the entire rifle and they were rollmarked Mattel right on the side plain as day. Others say they only made small parts. It's a roll of the dice as to which version you get!
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC if you had put the Tri Tip flash hider you would have had me for a few more minutes. 🤪
Good Job!
@@ElmoUnk1953 Thanks for watching!
I went through basic training in 1972 and I trained with an M16 that had the Mattel stamp on it.
Me too. In the Summer of 1987, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, I was issued one for basic training.
Me 2 Parris Island Sept 1981 boot camp...everybody had Mattels.
Matel was ahead of the game lol they even had A2 lowers. Haha love the video.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!
I owned an M-1 Carbine made by the Underwood typewriter co made in 1943 and it jammed often but was easy to clear.
Cute. Word was back in my 70s Ordnance Daze, word was that Mattel actually DID produce the stocks, handguards and grips for M16/M16A1 rifles. True Story? I've no clue. I've never seen those items in packaging indicating Mattel as the manufacturer and I know of no cage code assigned to Mattel.
There's simply no proof that Mattel ever made any parts for the military. No documentation or parts have ever surfaced.
When I went through basic in the early 70s, right after Vietnam, we used to claim that stocks and hand grips were made by Mattel. Drill sergeants hated them.
You really F 'd my mind up with this story . Problem is I had an M 16 A 1 issued to me in boot camp at Fort Dix June 1975. I remembered my rifle serial number until a few years ago , and I still remember it once in awhile. I can tell you my rifle had Mattell Toy stamped on the left in a circular Seal Type Logo. I never cared about that stuff or knew much about it. I just knew every freaking part of it from dis assembling it and cleaning it so often. That SOB was clean when I had it, I can tell you that . I apparently was pretty good with it in Basic I qualified Sharpshooter . I have a certificate. LOL. So a few times I told guys about Mattell Logo on my M 16 and of course they all call BullShit . All I know is we had them in the Armory at Fort Dix in 1975.
If you ever remember the serial number, let me know!
ROFL bullpoop… your mattel rifle has M16A2 reinforcements. That was a 8O% receiver done with mattel markings.
@@p99guy I take it you didn't watch until the end of the video.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC it just wasn’t that good of a joke….. it probably caused more confusion among
The low info types than anything useful.
@Grumpy Bastard hiketh longly
this is hilarious. Happy April Fools Day, everyone!
Glad you enjoyed the joke. Thanks for watching!
Great video. Good April Fools joke.
Thank you!
I noticed the ring that is pulled back to release the handgrips, that it’s not beveled Which I think was the case on the A1.
Fun Fact:In the movie The Green Berets, the rifle that John Wayne slammed into a tree at the death of Mike Henry's character was an actual Mattel toy M16.
You didn't think that the Army's assistance in making the movie extended to letting them destroy an actual issue carbine,did you?
Correct: it was called the Mattel Marauder.
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC My little brother broke mine just like the Duke did.
Swung it on a tree to see if he could break it.
I got in trouble for kicking him for it.
@@doughesson Well you can't blame him for wanting to be like The Duke!
@@HighCaliberHistoryLLC I never had anything growing up that he didn't tear up.
@@fulcrum3007 'He must have took ' em all with him or else they wouldn't have left THIS!".