toy airplane models

Treasure trove of TWA toy planes in Kansas City, MO

A favorite find from our visit to Kansas City, MO a while back is the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures.

The museum boasts both the world’s largest collection of fine-scale miniatures and one of the largest collections of historic toys on public display.

If you had a favorite toy when you were a kid, it is likely on display at the museum.

There are many aviation-themed toys in the collection, but we’d love to jet on over now to see a new exhibit in the museum’s Hall of Collections.

On display are more than two dozen Trans World Airlines (TWA) toy airplanes from the collection of retired TWA pilot Cooper Weeks.

Here’s some of the TWA history shared on the sign by the exhibit:

The collection ..”harkens back to the heyday of the airline, one known as the Airline of the Stars. Initially formed in 1930, TWA became one of four major domestic airlines after World War II. The airline was headquartered in Kanas City, MO and in 1962 opened a hub for international flights at Idlewild (later known as John F. Kennedy) Airport in New York. TWAS was acquired by American Airlines in 2001.