I was born in 1960 so theses kits were being released in the late 60s and 70s with this box art . I would always look in the shops at these they just caught your imagination . Even if I couldn't buy them all I just liked to look at the boxes on the shelfs and the little bags in the smaller kits . They were in Newsagents toy shops of course Woolworths ; all over town and many small model shops sprang up ; all over London ; eventually some large ones . To be honest I never learned to make the models even to my own satisfaction but it didn't stop me trying , I never got any supervision ; though sometimes my mother would buy me a kit . . Though what sticks in my memory was the box art ; especially Roy Cross and the Airfix catalogue . The worst thing Airfix ever did was put a picture of the model on the front ( under Humbrol )
Now that's a really cool story that a lot of us can relate too. Many hours were spent at the local hobby shop trying to take it all in. Models, Gaming Figures, Rockets, Radio Controlled and Trains. That's a lot for a kid to contemplate. I'm no pro myself but I still enjoy the RC and Plastic Kits even if I don't build them. The boxes look great on the shelf. Thank you, Anthony, for telling us your story. Just awesome!!
Built the Flying Fortress with my dad when l was a nipper during the '60's . Always remember the pin up "A bit of lace " . Another one l remember fondly was the Mustang with the legend " Fools Paradise" . l was a avid plane modeller up to my 16 th year then after a long break returned to the hobby in my 40's . The artwork on the classic Airfix models was pure class . Happy memories .
I believe we all remember those pin-up girls along with the catchy phrases too. My favorite was a P61 adorned with Lady in the Dark on her nose. Thanks for sharing and happy modeling.
I've built almost all the Airfix 72 and 144 scale models, and as a youngster, yes, the box art really sold the models to me. A favourite was the Short Sunderland doing battle with a FW Condor.
Built a fair number of them over the years. Last one was the CAC Boomerang. Before that, Boeing 707-420. I did a lot of commission work in the 90s, and my main customer was a retired British ground crew. Most of the kits I did for him were Airfix.
Didn't see one of my favourites the original night bombing Wellington scene , you can still see these pictures on Pintrest . The later Wellington picture didn't quite have the same impact , though probably technically better . I think modelling was more just artistic imagination . Now there seems to be mostly adults trying to get extreme accuracy and " realism " spending huge amounts on detailing . It's still a plastic kit !!!
