In last week’s post we talked about Tudor’s Electric Football painters in Hong Kong. The job they did getting all those tiny NFL teams painted and ready for Tudor was amazing. It was hard work, but they were rewarded well because at the time there many American toy makers with paint “shops” in Hong Kong. After training up a painter the last thing Albert Sung wanted to do was lose them to a competitor. Sung’s deadlines were tight. He always needed the best painters he could get.

So this week we’re going to take a look at Hong Kong’s “Greatest Hits” — that is, the best work done by Tudor’s painters. And the work is truly special when you recall our photo from last week showing the stacks of player pallets sitting at each painter’s station. That the painters could impart this much detail to the players…it’s was a major factor in Tudor earning the top-sellers spot at NFL Properties from 1967-76.

Hong Painters NFL Greatest Hits

We — us kids, that is — had never seen anything like this:

Cleveland Browns triple-sleeve stripe.

Atlanta Falcons sock stripes.

Saints triple-sleeve stripe.

Rams’ helmet horn.

Four sleeve-stripe pattern of the Eagles.

Packers sleeve and helmets stripes.

Oilers sleeve stripes.

Chiefs’ helmet arrow.

The best Tudor and Gotham had done before 1967 was this…

Lee Payne’s 1964 Electric Football “Fab Five”

Or this…

1961 Gotham NFL G-1500

What Tudor’s Hong Kong painters gave us were major upgrades to the Electric Football experience. It took the vision of Lee Payne and Norman Sas, the practical nuts-and-bolts genius of Albert Sung, as well as the very determined and talented hands of unnamed artisans in Hong Kong to create the painted NFL player.

It’s a concept that we’ll never forget, and one that will be on full display in our upcoming Full Color Electric Football book. Keep that finger on the switch!

Earl, Roddy, & MK