Airfix in the Dales

 Whilst holidaying on the Yorkshire Dales this weekend I invested in this boxed Airfix German Half Track from 1975. 

Is it a kit you know?

There's lots there with parts still on bags.

The main body has been built. 

The box contained lots of hard plastic soldiers including Rommel.

There were instructions and transfers too.

A nice find as was seeing the neat open rear Dales bus in lovely Reeth.

What a great looking vehicle. Have you open top buses where you are?

Airfix Kits for 2025!

Hi Woodsy

Airfix have just announced their 2025 kit range. A few new kits, and several re-issues, some of kits we have not seen in a long time.

There is going to be a SLS Artemis rocket in 1/144th scale, with paints, cement, and brushes, for £49.99. Just the rocket it seems – no launch tower.

There are new aircraft in 1/72nd and 1/48th scales, and a number of re-issues in the Vintage Classics line. Including the Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat, and the WW1 Sopwith Pup fighter (I remember building this when it came out in the 1970s).

New military vehicles in 1/35th, 1/48th, and re-issues in 1/76th scale. Fans of the amphibious Stalwart truck have a new kit in 1/35th to look forward to, with 211 parts.

The 1/72nd scale torpedo boat line is also coming back.

A video of the range launch, showing the colour schemes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBFaBVtfDww

See anything you like?

Paul Adams

New Zealand

The Airfix Yeoman: Model Citizen

Here is another article on the Airfix 1/12th scale figure line: the Airfix Yeoman of the Guard in 1/12th Scale

The third of the Airfix 1/12th scale figure kits was the Yeoman of the Guard. Released in 1959. It was the last of the initial group of three kits, described on the header as Soldiers of Famous Regiments, which later changed to Military Figures.

Like the other kits, it was a Series 1 model, sold in a plastic bag, and had a retail price of two shillings (10 New Pence).

This was a more elaborate kit than the Coldstream Guardsman or Life Guard Trumpeter, with an impressive 63 parts, moulded in white plastic. Many of these were the tiny, flower-like details that adorn the hat of the figure. There is also a small row of medals to be fixed to the front of the uniform. The pike was in several pieces, to keep the length down. It had a small base, on which to pose the finished model, and a printed name plate on the back of the header which was to be cut out and stuck in place.

Initially numbered M3F, it was moved from Series 1 to Series 2 in the early 1960s, and re-numbered M207F. The packaging also changed from a bag to a box. In the early 1970s it was again re-numbered, becoming 02507-2.

The Yeoman remained in the Airfix Catalogue until the 16th Edition, which is dated January 1979. This gives it a production life of around 20 years. It has only been re-issued once, as part of the London Icons boxed set in 2011-13, which also contained the Coldstream Guardsman and the Life Guard Trumpeter. This version was moulded in light grey, and the set number was A50131.

The artwork on the paper headers used with the early plastic bags, and the later boxes, changed several times over the years. One odd fact is that the Yeoman seemed to put on weight over the years.

Eight photographs, from Worthpoint and Super Hobby.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

THE AIRFIX SR-N1 HOVERCRAFT

Airfix are to re-issue their 1/72nd scale Saunders-Roe SR-N1 hovercraft kit, in the Vintage Classics range. This kit was last seen in the 16th Edition Catalogue (dated January 1979).

The kit was initially released in 1960. As far as I know, it was always moulded in a silver-grey plastic, and there were 46 parts, including a clear windscreen.

The kit first appeared in a plastic bag, but was later put in to a cardboard box. Oddly, it was always grouped in with the aircraft kits.

The SR-N1 was built by the Saunders-Roe aircraft company, to test the hovercraft theories of Mr C.S. Cockerell. It was the first hovercraft in the world, and therefore a very significant craft.

This was one of the more unusual Airfix kits, the sort of model you just did not see in the shops in New Zealand in the 1970s. Only in the Airfix Catalogues.

At this time one of the major sources of kits for me was a chain of toy shops called Martin's Toys and Hobbies (now long gone), which sold toys, nursery furniture, and bicycles. They had a large store in Customs Street, in the central city of Auckland.

I hardly ever got to go to this shop, but I do remember it was the only place I ever saw this hovercraft kit, and I snapped it up. I never did build mine, but with the re-issue I will finally have a chance to build the model.

Dinky also did a die-cast version of the SR-N1 at about the same time.

I am sure this kit will be of great interest to many Moonbase Central readers. To celebrate the re-issue, here are some photos of the various header and box designs used over the years.

Most of the photographs are from Worthpoint, with the shot of the Vintage Classics box from Airfix.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

WILL'S PROGRESS: CECIL COLEMAN AND AIRFIX GERRY ANDERSON

The Cecil Coleman Supercar is now as close to the original as I can get. 

The Airfix Fireball XL5 is stripped and disassembled as much as I can. Hoping to build it back up with a better paint job. 

Fingers crossed.

Will O,

UK

WILL'S COLEMAN SUPERCAR AND AIRFIX FIREBALL XL5

My customer who bought me that box of bits awhile ago bought a few more things for me the other day. What looks to be a Cecil Coleman supercar and also the Airfix Fireball XL5 . I shall be attempting restorations on both. there are also lots of other bits which I will email to you in due course. 

Will O

UK

Have you Driven a Ford Lately? Asks Rob C.

Woodsy,

After some discussion with Paul Adams, and some good fortune on eBay, I decided to try a modeling challenge.

First, I purchased a 1910 Model T Ford model by Airfix, 1/32 scale, one of their earliest releases, from the late 1950s.

Next, I purchased a 1912 Model T Ford, also originally produced by Airfix, but released in the US by MPC in 1971, as one of their “Wild Drag” series, marketed as “Build Stock or Wild Drag!” These kits featured the original Airfix model, plus “custom” chromed parts to make a hot rod “Drag” version.

In building the MPC kit, I discovered what any unfortunate modeler from the time would have discovered, that the custom Drag parts really didn’t fit the original model well at all, and in fact had to be kind of slapped on any way you could do it.

Still, a comparison of the two models illustrates what a company can do with an existing mold to try and “jazz it up!” File under the “You can put lipstick on a pig…” section.

What do you think?

Rob C

USA

PAUL'S VW CREATURE

Last year Max's Models had a Group Build devoted to Kit Bash models. These are models made by combining parts from several different kits, usually to create a fantasy design.

My Kit Bash entry was a tracked Volkswagen. There really are some tracked or half-tracked Volkswagen out there, but nothing exactly like my model.

The basis is the 1/32nd scale Airfix Volkswagen, with the tracks from the new 1/72nd scale Tiger I tank kit. I did have to lengthen the tracks to fit the VW, using parts from a second Tiger kit.

This did not mean I had to rob two Tiger kits just for their tracks. The Tiger I includes two full sets of tracks, a fast assembly version of just two parts, and a more detailed multi-part set, so I can still build the Tigers as intended. I also have a set of four Volkswagen wheels left over.

The Volkswagen is rear wheel drive, so drive sprockets are now at the rear. I also ignored the fact that the Airfix VW is right-hand drive.

Things did not go exactly according to plan, and the underside is a sorry sight. Strength took priority over realism.

I created a fictional history for the vehicle, to explain why a Volkswagen is sitting on top of a set of under-sized Tiger tracks.

*

A totally fictitious history of 'The Creature'.

The hero of our story, Wilhelm Von Frankenstein, worked in a Tiger tank factory during WW2. He was therefore familiar with the suspension of the Tiger, and its interleaved road wheels.

After the war, Wilhelm bought himself a Volkswagen saloon. But he lived in an area of Germany prone to heavy snowfalls, and wanted to improve the mobility of his car in the snow.

Tracks seemed the obvious answer. Putting his wartime experience to use, he fabricated a set of tracks for his VW, based on the design of the Tiger. This explains why the suspension looks like that on a Tiger, but is considerably smaller.

Today, members of the Von Frankenstein family can still be seen driving The Creature around the family estates.

Paul Adams from New Zealand