I have a Mattel Tommy Burst machine gun (cap gun) that is molded in clear plastic rather than the usual black. It is fully functional and appears to have never been fired. I tried contacting Mattel about this item and was told that their archives from the period from which it dated (late 1950s) had been lost to fire. I took it to an Antiques Roadshow event and stumped the toy guy.

Can anyone shed light on this unique cap gun? I presume that it may be a salesman’s sample made to show the action of the toy but I really have now idea. I bought it at a swap meet about 20 years ago and the seller didn’t know anything about it either.

Glenn