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Not only a model box


Proud Kraut

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Just came across this Airfix model box today. I think I haven't it in my hands for years. I remember building such a kit in the 1970's with my father. The Ju 88 was Grandfather's plane; he was shot down and KIA in 1941 with a JU 88 over the English channel.

Box1.jpg

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Did I told you that I'm addicted to British toys: Airfix, Matchbox, Corgi Toys, I have collected them all. Inside the JU 88's box we'll find some nice figures from Timpo Toys (I really loved them) and Britains.

Box2.jpg

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In honor of my Grandfather and these times, when British producers build German planes and German boys play with US and British soldiers, I will let them march once again. Enjoy!

Box8.jpg

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Lars... every British boy of my generation (post-war boomers) grew up with Airfix kits. They were an essential part of a boy's childhood. Back then the war was less than 20 years behind us and my father's generation had fought it. The world wasn't blighted by "PC" in those days and "War" was what we played...daily! Many's the time my 1:72 Airfix Spitfire shot down my Airfix 1:72 Bf 109! (Sorry!) In recent times, Airfix has suffered falling sales due to the advent of Play Stations etc..young lads just don't build kits anymore! Sadly, I believe it's now French-owned. (I say "sadly" because it's yet another Great British institution which is no longer in British hands...mais c'est la vie, n'est-ce pas?!)

 

Ian :crying:

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Really like the Marine band and its condition!.....I have a large number of lead Britains from the early 1900's through the late 50's and had the Marine color guard from the same era as the band you posted....but it was well played with and now in pieces. The early lead figures though, are in very good condition and in many cases in their original boxes.

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You guys are killing me---as an american kid growing up in Germany in the 60s my weakness was Airfix models and French made Starlux toy soldiers---and unfortunately (or fortunately) I've managed to still have most of them....Sadly enough, I could never get my kids even remotely interested in model building or playing toy soldiers-- it just wasn't interactive enough for them---I guess they never appreciated the thrill of finally getting the decals just right on that Focke-Wolf...or the high from the glue and the paint fumes...regards and thanks for the memories.

Al

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ww2reproductions

Yes the good old days of plastic kits and toy soldiers......I still like the airfix Ju88... the old airfix kits may not be as good as todays computer designed kits but they made you use some skill and I would rather build the old airfix or revell Ju88's.

Leo

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That is a great looking band Lars! They are in great condition. I too have loved Airfix figures and models since I was a kid. On saturday mornings a bunch of us kids used to bike down to a little shop in Philadelphia that carried all of the Airfix kits and soldiers and the Lesny matchbox car collection. We used to blow all our money on the boxes of 1:72 scale Airfix soft plastic figures. I think you got 48 figures in each box for like 50 cents, to a 9 year old that was a great deal. We had them all, Afrika Korps, 8th Army, British, German, Russian, Japanese and US infantry as well as the US Marines, each week it was something new. Later on Airfix introduced French Foreign Legion and Arab Cavalrymen on horses and Camels. We kids used to have some elaborate if weird battle with all those little figures and matchbox vehicles. Arab Camel cavalry supporting an attack by Japanese and German infantrymen against US Marines and the British 8th Army. It's funny now but, I guess it made sense to a 9 year old.

 

That shop used to have all those great looking Britain's figures like yours. The painted WWII soldiers and mounted knights plus the Queen's coronation coach and all the red coats and bearskin hats marching along with it, but those were on the top shelf and out of our league. Thanks for showing those figures Lars, you bought back a bunch of good memories.

 

Dennis

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Thank you all guys for sharing your memories here! I could not resist and had to enter the attic today. You are kindly invited to join my sentimental journey!

 

As usual, helter-skelter everywhere!

Spitzboden.jpg

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But I had prefered the 1:72 scale then. As Old Marine described it it in his post. We were crazy for these figures. Everyboy tried to rise the strongest force. But no Sahara Fort could resist my Commandos hehehe.

Airfix5.jpg

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My Airfix era ended when they started to produce the figures in light yellow - always hated this color. Here are some of my planes that survived. Focus on Allied and Airfix. Action Team member Hard Rock helps a bit.

Airfix7.jpg

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Lars...most of us viewing your Airfix kits and figures will sigh and think: "Dammit... I wish I'd kept mine!?" You mention the box-art. The artist who was responsible for painting the aircraft model box-art is interviewed in the BBC's James May's Toys as per the Youtube link I've posted above.

 

Ian

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Lars...most of us viewing your Airfix kits and figures will sigh and think: "Dammit... I wish I'd kept mine!?" You mention the box-art. The artist who was responsible for painting the aircraft model box-art is interviewed in the BBC's James May's Toys as per the Youtube link I've posted above.

 

Ian

 

 

Great link; I almost finished part 6, the rollout.... :thumbsup:

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Glad you enjoyed it Lars! I just re-watched it myself. Unfortunately, the YouTube version has been slightly edited. The interview with the Airfix box-art painter was consigned to the cutting-room floor! However, he does appear in the un-edited original tv version!

 

Ian

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Hey Lars - thanks for sharing some of your history with us. Are you familiar with the phrase "pack rat"? :lol:

Seriously though, that's neat you saved so many items for so long. And your attic looks quite organized!

Terry

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Hey Lars - thanks for sharing some of your history with us. Are you familiar with the phrase "pack rat"? :lol:

Seriously though, that's neat you saved so many items for so long. And your attic looks quite organized!

Terry

 

 

Yes, Pack Rat = Messie, I know what you talking about. Do other houses look different...?

 

(pic from lustich.de)

1525_muell_wohnung.jpg

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Interesting question, if or why it seems harder to interest today's youth for modelling. After 3 daughters were grewn up, I always hoped my son would get the thrill at least. I showed him these kits of course, we played sometimes, that was great. I started to show him how to build a model. He was a good boy, listened, for sure he wanted to build his own model. I think he was happy, when it was finished and I always thought he did it to do me a favor.

 

No problem with that, he is a great guy. Modelling was and is my personal thing. If I would have had a PC at my time, these models would not be that important for me still today.

 

Lars

 

P.S.: There are some really great PC games out there, I'm personally "Civilized" for a long time... :lol:

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Great thread! Can we maybe broaden the Airfix theme a little? When I was a kid growing up in the UK in the 50s > 60s, like most boys of my age I cut my proverbial teeth on Airfix kits. They were cheap, readily available...but above all...fun to build! Then, I grew up, discovered girls, moved away from home and went to university to be educated. Making models became a thing of the past. Then...one day in the mid 70s, I was window-shopping when I happened upon a well-stocked hobby shop. My latent model-making curiosity was aroused so I went inside to take a look-see. There on the shelves were neat stacks of boxed kits bearing the familiar Airfix logo..but alongside them, even bigger stacks of boxed kits bearing an unfamiliar name/logo. Tamiya. Each box had great artwork and the subjects were wide-ranging. I took down a box which contained a 1:35 kit of an 8-wheeled SdKfz 232 armoured car. I opened the box and examined the sprues. The quality of moulding and detailing was astounding! How things had moved on in the 6 or 7 years since I last built an Airfix kit. Evidently, the Japanese product was far superior (and more expensive) I bought it and made it....my first kit in years. I enjoyed it so much I went and bought another Tamiya kit. I was hooked again and for the next 5 years became a military modeller until the models gave way to collecting the real thing...which I do to this day, some 25 years later.

 

As for Airfix? The writing was on the wall. The Japanese were producing more and better kits...then along came Italeri too! Airfix, for reasons best known to themselves, bucked the 1:35 trend and ploughed their own furrow with a limited range of 1:32 armour kits and their popular "Multi-pose" figures. Things were never quite the same again, but I hold them in great affection as an important part of my developing years.

 

 

Ian

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