The History of scale aircraft modelling-Part 1

[wonwinglo]

The history of scale aircraft modelling-Part 7-Haldane place.



How did Airfix a small plastic bucket manufacturer from Haldane Place,London get involved with model kits ? well in the fifties the tractor and agricultural manufacturers Massey Ferguson wanted some small models of their tractors to give away to clients,they contacted a plastic products manufacturer called Airfix who had some state of the art injection moulding equipment at their factory,their main business was supplying thousands of plastic buckets and other domestic equipment to F.W.Woolworths branches nationwide,at great speed they had the patterns made and supplied the tractors to M.F who were delighted,Airfix must have come to some agreement with Massey Ferguson as the small grey tractor models were placed into plastic bags with a paper header and sold them through Woolworths,the models sold out very quickly and the company realised that there was a market out there for kits that sold at the right price ie 2/- two old shillings ! it is said that Airfix took the moulds for their next model from an example marketed by Aurora of the Supermarine Spitfire,this model which had very thin wings with no aerofoil section was a non-descript mark of this famous aircraft built to 1=72nd scale,Airfix acquired huge stocks of pale blue plastic and injected millions of mouldings for this kit,Woolworhs set up special counters in their chain of shops and the model was a knock out from day one,quickly following were a Gloster Gladiator,Supermarine S.6B seaplane,Westland Sikorsky S-55 helicopter,Bristol Fighter,Sopwith Pup,R.E.8 and some small galleon kits plus some vintage cars to add to the range,as the months went on twin engined aircraft were added to the range Me.110,Bristol Beaufighter etc and then the long awaited Avro Lancaster was announced at a retail price of 7/6 seven shillinmgs and sixpence,however it never appeared on time and there were cries of broken moulds and manufacturing problems with this ambitious project for its day,but it did appear and was very quickly snapped up by modellers everywhere who wanted to add a Lancaster to their collections,this model was a revelation and feat of small scale mould making not known at that time,Airfix's success was due to the right product,at the right price and at the right time,in doing so they went onto becoming the largest manufacturer of model kits anywhere supplying up until that time only F.W.Woolworths,things were about to change however as no contracts to make Woolworths exclusive retailers of these kits were renewed,and kits were starting to appear in ordinary model shops everywhere as demand and sales increased twofold.The company expanded to new heights with a new factory quickly appearing to meet the demand as the range grew huge as the American market was targeted with respective kits for subjects for that country emerging,they did however make mistakes as the choice of a Fairey Rotadyne as a kit subject proved a failure,the brunt of the costs of production being taken by more popular subjects such as the constant demand for models of the Spitfire which was completely remoulded with new tooling that demanded a more accurate representation of a Spitfire.

The rest of this story is history itself and the outcome would fill a seperate book alone,but without doubt the company succeeded in making scale models available to the masses and to which a lot of modelling pleasure was derived,the eagerly awaited model of the TSR.2 will be released by Airfix this year 2005,they have come a long way since that small blue Spitfire kit that we all remember so well.

Part 8 will consolidate some of the subjects that we have covered here in this small piece of history in the making.

[wonwinglo]

The History of scale aircraft modelling-Part 8



Having covered the basic history we can now look a little deeper into some of the success stories,when kits & models first came out the scales were just all over the place,America favoured the larger 1=36th scale which made for large impressive models,so how did the popular 1=72nd scale we know of today originate ? well it was easy,James.Hay.Stevens just halved the scale and came up with the magic figure ! although the trend today is to build larger models mainly to incorporate the necessary scale detail demanded 1=72nd has dominated the scale scene for many years,people only have so much space and the desire to build up a collection whereby the models can be compared in size was also on the minds of the designer,so there we have it.

Although the contents of this set look well worn which they are,the kit of a Skybirds Westland Lysander is very rare,Skybirds were the inspiration of J.J.Halliday who introduced a range of models which went under the name of 'Givejoy' these were later marketed as the famous 'Skybirds' model kits.The kits had wooden carved and spindled parts,metal struts and fittings such as lead undercarriage spats in the case of the Lysander kit which was introduced around 1942,quite a late example of a Skybird and the only one in my collection.

Note that the plans were a blueprint,incidently the drawings were done by James.Hay.Stevens who as a schoolboy, Halliday realised his talents and paid him to produce the excellent plans,at the same time Stevens was having his drawings published in a pulp magazine called 'Air Stories' which had a special section at the rear for model makers,to go with the drawings was a complete article on how to build each model,this was further enhanced with beautifully executed pen and ink drawings,James.Hay.Stevens was later to become a respected author and aviation consultant in his own right doing articles on French aviation in the fifties and later owning his own fleet of vintage aircraft which included a DH.84 Dragon,Moth Minor,Leopard Moth,Percival Proctor and a Coupe version of the Tiger Moth,these aircraft were operated by a company called 'Chrisair' from Sywell airfield.

Skybirds also ran a thriving network of clubs scattered the length and breadth of the British Isles,the voicepiece for the club was in the back of the Aeromodeller magazine,the pages being supplied for free until new management stepped in and imposed a charge for same,this was not taken too kindly and as a result the clubs and Skybirds suffered gradually going into oblivion.

The thing which Skybirds did was to pre shape the parts which appealed to many people,you could even purchase models built up and painted for a considerable price above that of the basic sets which were beautifully strung into flat cardboard boxes like the one shown above.

[wonwinglo]

The history of scale aircraft modelling-Part 9



By direct contrast here is a selection of wartime wooden solid kits,note the wooden parts roughly cut to shape on a bandsaw,paint and glue were included together with in this case pot ( clay ) engine nacelles,stamped tinb propellers and turned wooden wheels,until plastic kits came onto the scene this is how you built your models,the basics were provided but you added the finishing touches.

The B-17 Flying Fortress is an Airyda kit and the Dornier 215 & short nosed Bristol Blenheim are made by a company called Airyda,We are looking here at a piece of aeromodelling history here that has survived.

It is hard to believe that once this is all that we had to build from,never before as today did we have the resources to produce such beautiful scale models given the parts and tools available.

The temptation has been there to build up some of these old kits however if I want to build one then I simply reproduce the parts from the plans in order to keep them in their original state,its fun and above all it reminds me of the way that we used to do things not that long ago.

The next part will illustrate some wartime accessories that showed great ingenuity.

[wonwinglo]

The history of scale aircraft modelling-Part 9-Accessories in wartime



The ingenuity of the manufacturers to produce small scale parts from unusual materials in wartime was by circumstance,valuable metals and other raw materials were banned for toys and model manufacture so re-constituted early plastics known as Bakelite & beetle plastics were sometimes used,the cowlings in the above photograph were made from a clay substance,the tin cowlings are a work of art in themselves.To go with the kits clear plastic mouldings for canopies were produced in their thousands for those who did not have the skills to carve solid canopies from scrap aircraft perspex and polish them up with metal polish,ingenuity was the key word in the wartime conditions of make & mend as the air raid sirens wailed and you donned your gas mask.

The historical selection above is representative of what was available in the local model shop if they had any stock left ? it is interesting to compare these products with those produced today by the cottage industry that backs up the model kit companies with conversion add-ons and parts with greater detail.

Part 10 will deal with the kits produced post war as we went into the jet age.

[wonwinglo]

History of scale aircraft modelling-Part 10-Into the jet age.



Whilst the fifties saw some interesting developments as the jet age gained momentum,and the Farnborough air show showed the progress with this form of flight,unfortunately model kits were still suffering from the lack of sophistication due to the clinging onto blocks of sawn wood as their wartime counterpart ! illustrated above are these last kits produced in this way before plastic models came along Veron superscale headed by Phil Smith with his Bournemouth based company produced these models en masse,band sawn timber with plastic wheels and small canopies made on simple moulds and a piece of thin ply for the undercarriage doors.

The kits carried on right up until the Airfix revolution and then sales dropped dramatically and they became history overnight.

So there you have it,what will the next generation of models produce ? well my prophecy is that tougher new materials will emerge,even now resin moulded models are being produced in large quantities from RTV moulds mostly at the moment by cottage industries,Corgi do the ready built metal diecast models,not quite scale modelling but obviously there must be a demand,will self assembly metal kits emerge ? yes I think that they will,these will be the future kits that you trim up with a file and stick with araldite or cyno,it has just got to happen,so one day someone else will be telling the story from here onwards,meanwhile I will continue like many others to enjoy the vast range of scale models that we have at out disposal,they will keep me going for a bit !

[Guest]

One thing I don't think you mentioned (if I missed it - sorry) which was a key to the success of Airfix was that they produced all their kits in a common scale 1/72. Up to then scales were all over the shop not merely between manufacturers but a single manufacturer would use a variety of scales. A huge Spitfire next to a relatively tiny B-29 looked ridiculous. Airfix fighters and bombers could be displayed together. That had a huge impact on their sales and changed the industry. The variety of kits they began to produce was also a factor quite quickly. No one else produced many of the aircraft they did.

I remember when I first encountered Airfix kits in the late 50's. Crude as they may have been by todays standards they were light years ahead of Aurora for example without the heavy raised detail and rivets. They were a revelation. With the availability of Humbrol flat paints I could suddenly build a Spitfire or Hurricane which actually resembled the real thing. Wow!

Jeremy

From the Great White North - otherwise Known as Canada.

[wonwinglo]

One thing I don't think you mentioned (if I missed it - sorry) which was a key to the success of Airfix was that they produced all their kits in a common scale 1/72. Up to then scales were all over the shop not merely between manufacturers but a single manufacturer would use a variety of scales. A huge Spitfire next to a relatively tiny B-29 looked ridiculous. Airfix fighters and bombers could be displayed together. That had a huge impact on their sales and changed the industry. The variety of kits they began to produce was also a factor quite quickly. No one else produced many of the aircraft they did. I remember when I first encountered Airfix kits in the late 50's. Crude as they may have been by todays standards they were light years ahead of Aurora for example without the heavy raised detail and rivets. They were a revelation. With the availability of Humbrol flat paints I could suddenly build a Spitfire or Hurricane which actually resembled the real thing. Wow!

Jeremy

From the Great White North - otherwise Known as Canada.

*** A hearty welcome Jeremy and thanks for replying,Airfix were instrumental in promoting the constant 1=72nd scale for their revolutionary new kit products,something that as you say companies like Aurora and Comet did not do,they preferred to make the models to any scale that would conveniently fit the box,however having said this Airfix were by no means the first manufacturers to produce models to this constant scale,the first were the pre-war Skybirds ( take a look at the piece on this company and how James Hay Stevens the young designer evolved this scale ) even in the thirties American pulp magazines were advertising solid model kits where the scales were all over the shop,it just needed the popularity that both Skybirds and Airfix gave to firmly establish this scale.

In recent years the trend towards larger scales have been noticed with the demands for more detail but the sheer variety of subject matter in 1=72dn knows no equal in the kit world.

We owe it to Airfix for not only bringing out those historic pocket money priced kits but in further establishing this wonderful scale.

[Guest]

Early model aircraft

*** A hearty welcome Jeremy and thanks for replying,Airfix were instrumental in promoting the constant 1=72nd scale for their revolutionary new kit products,something that as you say companies like Aurora and Comet did not do,they preferred to make the models to any scale that would conveniently fit the box,however having said this Airfix were by no means the first manufacturers to produce models to this constant scale,the first were the pre-war Skybirds ( take a look at the piece on this company and how James Hay Stevens the young designer evolved this scale ) even in the thirties American pulp magazines were advertising solid model kits where the scales were all over the shop,it just needed the popularity that both Skybirds and Airfix gave to firmly establish this scale.In recent years the trend towards larger scales have been noticed with the demands for more detail but the sheer variety of subject matter in 1=72dn knows no equal in the kit world.

We owe it to Airfix for not only bringing out those historic pocket money priced kits but in further establishing this wonderful scale.

Yes, I was actually aware of those earlier wooden kits. They were a little before my time but ads for them appeared in a series you're probably familiar with called Aircraft of the Fighting Powers. These were a little like the later Profile publications but the descriptions of the aircraft were quite short and the profiles were line drawings without of course the colour. We had four volumes and they were my earliest source of information for my models. Interestingly, the diagrams of each aircraft were drawn in something very close to 1/72 scale as I recall.

BTW it's a great series. Brings back lots of memories.

Jeremy

[wonwinglo]

Yes, I was actually aware of those earlier wooden kits. They were a little before my time but ads for them appeared in a series you're probably familiar with called Aircraft of the Fighting Powers. These were a little like the later Profile publications but the descriptions of the aircraft were quite short and the profiles were line drawings without of course the colour. We had four volumes and they were my earliest source of information for my models. Interestingly, the diagrams of each aircraft were drawn in something very close to 1/72 scale as I recall. BTW it's a great series. Brings back lots of memories.

Jeremy

*** Good morning Jeremy,yes the AFP series produced by Harleyford pioneered the way plans were to be presented in the future,there were 7 volumes in all which covered all axis aircraft,the fighters were drawn to 1=72nd scale with a few of the larger subjects done in 1=144th,we have to take some of the earlier drawings at face value as some were not very accurate and done from German propoganda material available at that time,best to treat the earlier works as an history of what was flying in those far flung days, but today they can be considered a bold approach to the subject of aircraft 3-view drawings.

Incidently quite a few of the drawings appeared in the Aeromodeller and were drawn by A.J.Cooper and his team of tracers at Harleyford.

Volumes 6 & 7 which were quite scarce as originals were reproduced in the sixties and sold by Alan Hall,these are excellent and mostly accurate.

The Profile publication series,this was a great idea to produce budget priced compact colour works for aeronautical reference,the content was usually written by specialists in their field,my checklist lists over 300 subjects but I only purchased the ones that interested me personally.The colour artwork was what made them worthwhile for scale modelling,you could also purchase them as bound volumes.

Today we are bombarded with books on every imaginable subject and type of aircraft,the secret is to weed out the most useful to us as model builders.

Even with the internet you cannot beat a good library of reference material to draw upon for your modelling.

Glad also that you are enjoying the recording of these historical landmarks in Aeromodelling,it is important that we get such material on the internet before it is forgotton forever,our childrens children must know how things evolved from simple beginnings and the circumstances behind the development of the scale model,the refined form that we all take for granted today took a few years to settle down,injection moulding has assisted the hobby with those unable to make from scratch or the time restraints to produce scale models of such beauty,modelling is certainly an art form and as long as we have enthusiasts then the hobby will prosper.

[Guest]

*** Good morning Jeremy,yes the AFP series produced by Harleyford pioneered the way plans were to be presented in the future,there were 7 volumes in all which covered all axis aircraft,the fighters were drawn to 1=72nd scale with a few of the larger subjects done in 1=144th,we have to take some of the earlier drawings at face value as some were not very accurate and done from German propoganda material available at that time,best to treat the earlier works as an history of what was flying in those far flung days, but today they can be considered a bold approach to the subject of aircraft 3-view drawings.Incidently quite a few of the drawings appeared in the Aeromodeller and were drawn by A.J.Cooper and his team of tracers at Harleyford.

Volumes 6 & 7 which were quite scarce as originals were reproduced in the sixties and sold by Alan Hall,these are excellent and mostly accurate.

The Profile publication series,this was a great idea to produce budget priced compact colour works for aeronautical reference,the content was usually written by specialists in their field,my checklist lists over 300 subjects but I only purchased the ones that interested me personally.The colour artwork was what made them worthwhile for scale modelling,you could also purchase them as bound volumes.

Today we are bombarded with books on every imaginable subject and type of aircraft,the secret is to weed out the most useful to us as model builders.

Even with the internet you cannot beat a good library of reference material to draw upon for your modelling.

Glad also that you are enjoying the recording of these historical landmarks in Aeromodelling,it is important that we get such material on the internet before it is forgotton forever,our childrens children must know how things evolved from simple beginnings and the circumstances behind the development of the scale model,the refined form that we all take for granted today took a few years to settle down,injection moulding has assisted the hobby with those unable to make from scratch or the time restraints to produce scale models of such beauty,modelling is certainly an art form and as long as we have enthusiasts then the hobby will prosper.

I have 8 volumes of the bound Profiles which I still use. Some are exactly that the individual profiles just bound, but some have the pages renumbered which makes finding the right one much easier. But you also remind me I collected quite a lot of research material in those days - several Camouflage and Markings pamphlets which were similar to Profiles, a couple of Aircam series from Osprey. All of them are on my shelves somewhere, they've just become scattered over the years. You've inspired me to collect them together and reorganize them. Then there are the magazines - I know there's an article on modelling a WWI airfield. Was it in an old Meccano mag. or ...?

Thanks again, it's been an inspiration.

Jeremy :beer2:

[wonwinglo]

I have 8 volumes of the bound Profiles which I still use. Some are exactly that the individual profiles just bound, but some have the pages renumbered which makes finding the right one much easier. But you also remind me I collected quite a lot of research material in those days - several Camouflage and Markings pamphlets which were similar to Profiles, a couple of Aircam series from Osprey. All of them are on my shelves somewhere, they've just become scattered over the years. You've inspired me to collect them together and reorganize them. Then there are the magazines - I know there's an article on modelling a WWI airfield. Was it in an old Meccano mag. or ...?Thanks again, it's been an inspiration.

Jeremy :beer2:

*** Yes I remember that article now,it was by aviation artist Ken McDonnagh,really well done complete with canvas hangars,it could indeed have been the Meccano magazine.Like yourself I have books and mags everywhere and you do loose things over the years especially in house moves where things just vanish ! I personally find the earlier publications more informative,one of the best flying magazines was 'Flying Review' it had a first class cross section of material,interesting articles about aviators,cutaway drawings,plans,the model section done by Bill Matthews complete with colour side views,the sections in the back and front of the magazine answering questions on rare aircraft,now there is a mystery,when Flying Review was taken over and became the Air International I think it was called ? the files vanished into thin air,it was said to be the largest collection of aviation photographs held by any publishing company including the 'Flight' magazine ( even that one got dispersed after several take overs,and material disappeared ) whatever happened to those records I wonder ? we will probably never find out.

I am pleased that you are finding the material here useful and inspirational,sometimes we all need a breath of fresh air,Johns idea to start the Scale models forum was born not that long ago,from small acorns it has grown into what we have here today,your interest makes it even more worthwhile.

[Guest]

History of modelling

Hello Barry,

I have read your articles on the history on modelling with great interest, thank you!

However, I have missed the greater importance of the Frog Penguin range, which is only mentioned in a small amount of text and, unfortunately, with some errors.

You incorrectly state (in part 5) that FROG issued the range after the war, which should be 1936, with the Gladiator, Shark and Fury biplanes. This makes them the oldest all plastic modelkits in the world.

In fact, due to the war, the Penguins have 2 production periods, 1936-40 and 1946-49. The prewar models issued in silver boxes, the postwar in green.

The material is not celluloid, as you mentioned, a mistake that is often made, like others saying it was bakelite. The material was cellulose acetate, although closely related.

The great problem indeed was the tendency to twist and warp. Many models found today have this problem, but an amazing amount (built or unbuilt) have barely any damage. Best way to preserve them is store them cold!

FROG also was involved in the production of wooden recognition models.

In my opinion Skybirds was the first to introduce the 1:72 constant scale for models and Frog Penguin the first for all-plastic modelkits. Airfix was the company that filled the gap when FROG stopped Penguin production and made the scale famous.

More on the Penguin range can be found on my website www.frogpenguin.com, with over 600 photos and lots of information, you are welcome to take a look!

Peter van Lune

The Netherlands

[wonwinglo]

Peter thank you for your comments and specialist corrections,sadly not a single Penguin has ever crossed my path to add to my own vast collection of historical kits and models,I take your point about the materials used in Penguins,as you say we get warpage even today on modern plastic kits but perhaps not to the same degree as with Penguins,it is obviously a specialist job in keeping these relics from the past preserved,I have similar problems in storing Dinky aeroplanes albeit this time from metal fatigue on early examples.Sorry that my notes were somewhat sparse regarding the Penguin range,my father mentioned them many times,you are very fortunate in having such a wonderful collection of them,in fact I have seen your wonderful web site many times and drooled at your historic collection,there cannot be many around today and in all my searches have never seen a single example for sale,so keep up the good work in preserving a little piece of modelling history for us all to see.

[wonwinglo]

Peter has sent in these great pictures of a Frog Penguin Cierva C.30A Autogiro,amazing that this delicate model has survived all of these years.





Penguin model of the Cierva C.30A Autogiro,this was known as the Avro Rota whilst in R.A.F service,the autogiro was used for radar calibration duties during the Battle of Britain.

Thanks to Peter Van Lune for submitting these pictures from his extensive historic collection of Frog Penguin models.

[Guest]

Pics of Cierva didnt come through Barry, just the dreaded red X in a box. Great link to Peter`s site.