Airfix had introduced a range of plastic building bricks in 1955, called Airfix Building Sets. These were revised in the early 1960s, and the Betta Bilda series was available from 1961 to about 1973.
There were various Sets, and packs of accessories. The range was available in a number of countries, including the United States.
The range was specifically intended to make model buildings, which were sized to go with OO and HO scale model railways. They were also in scale with Airfix kits and figures.
At the latest Auckland fair I came across a Betta Bilda set with a New Zealand connection. It was made in New Zealand by Lincoln Industries Limited, under licence to Airfix Products in Great Britain.
The most interesting thing about the set being the joint Airfix and Lincoln logo on the box top. This is based on the Airfix Type 2 logo that was introduced in 1959.
The box features the earliest style of Betta Bilda box art. It is the smallest of the sets available, the No.1, with 'Over 350 Pieces'.
These comprise a mix of white bricks, red doors and window frames, clear plastic windows, and green roofing titles. In the case of Betta Bilda, round pegs really do fit in to square holes.
I have never seen this type of mixed Airfix logo before. Lincoln made Revell kits in New Zealand under licence, but I was not previously aware of a link with Airfix.
My set is missing the instruction sheet, which might contain further information on the range, and what was available in NZ. Still, not bad for $10 NZ (about £5).
The book Forty Years of Airfix Toys, by Jeremy Brook, The Crowood Press, 2019, has a chapter on Betta Bilda. But this only covers the normal British sets.
Have you got any Betta Bilda?
Paul Adams from New Zealand
As a kid, I was bought Betta Bilda by my dad, as a cheap alternative to Lego. Ive still got a fair sized box of it, but it was absolutely useless as a system, as the bricks have hardly any traction and come apart easily. The green roof tiles were nice, but would not connect directly to the bricks, so roofs would have to loosely sit on top of the walls. Ive never heard of the Lincoln/Airfix connection, but am aware of Airfix reselling Sears branded toys, so maybe it was a means to extend their reach overseas? Bill
ReplyDeletehttps://www.brightontoymuseum.co.uk/index/Category:Betta_Bilda
ReplyDeleteIt is funny how the came up with a knock-off of Lego, but managed to much it up with the design, as traction and fit with these building sets are everything. The original Lego system was expertly designed, and the blocks were a nice, tight fit. Still, Lincoln and Airfix is a match made in heaven! SFZ
ReplyDeleteThanks for the extra information. I did not have the Airfix building sets, so I do not know what they were like. New Zealand had very tight import controls until the 1980s, and import licences were required for most goods, so a lot of things - not just toys - were made under licence by local firms. That is why Lincoln Industries were making Airfix Betta Bilda sets in NZ. When I saw that joint Lincoln/Airfix logo, I just had to get the set. A piece of local toy history. I doubt anyone outside NZ would know anything about it.
ReplyDeleteAmazing research Paul, as always. Its not a set I know really. i think there's a US version of this. I'll check in my refence books.
ReplyDeleteEarly Lego bricks had the same square pattern on the underside. I have a couple of them but I don’t recall them having all those tiny dimples at the intersections. I’ll have to pull them out and check them.
ReplyDelete