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Vintage Airfix GB....Rules & regs, chat and questions thread

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  • PaulTRose
    SMF Supporters
    • Jun 2013
    • 6464
    • Paul
    • Tattooine

    #1

    Vintage Airfix GB....Rules & regs, chat and questions thread

    Welcome to the Vintage Airfix GB

    This will run April to June 2025

    Rules and regs

    1......any Airfix kit where it was new tool before 1981........if you have a reissue post '81 thats ok cos it was still made with that old old tooling.......its easy to check on the age of a kit by using Scalemates

    Ive picked 1981 for a good reason after reading up about Airfix history.....it was the year they went bancrupt and got bought by an American company......all the tooling got shipped to a factory in France......a few years later Heller was using them as after another buyout put them as stablemates for over a decade.....very little new stuff came along til Hornby bought them and kick started the brand once again

    2.......what you do with the kit is up to you......build it as is.......'improve' it.....do a dio....whatever........lets see if we can make a silk purse out of a sows ear

    Key thing is to use a kit that at its newest is 40+ years old....there are kits that go back to late 1950s!!

    Bonus bragging rights for who ever uses the 'oldest kit' in terms of when it was released first lol

    3......When the time comes round start your own thread in the usual way........sprue shots are a must.. ....post pics and updates regulary......please include a pic of the boxart as that helps date the actual issue of the kit and we can look at that wonderful artwork they used to do before things went a bit pc

    4.......'new'/ unstarted kits only

    5.......subject or scale is up to you.....the Airfix back catalogue is pretty expansive....as long as its pre 1981 first issue

    6.......use this thread to chat or ask questions about the GB

    7.......above all, the most important rule of all........HAVE FUN!
    Last edited by PaulTRose; 30 September 2024, 14:39.
    Per Ardua

    We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no ones been
  • HAWKERHUNTER
    SMF Supporters
    • Feb 2012
    • 1589
    • Steve
    • Halifax, West Yorks.

    #2
    Great idea Paul and it's generated a lot of interest. Looking forward to the build.
    Steve

    Comment

    • Nicko
      SMF Supporters
      • Apr 2019
      • 1403
      • Nick
      • East Anglia

      #3
      Had a little foray into the loft this afternoon mainly to see if I had anything for the Alan G memorial build. I thought I would dig into my teenage stash and came up with these for the Vintage Airfix GB. I have a number of old Airfix kits bought in the seventies but these look like they may keep me on the right side of the fun/losing the will to live abyss.

      I give you a new tool in 1970 of which this appears to be a 1972 boxing:

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      And a new tool from 1975 of which this appears to be an initial issue (can I call it a first edition?). Probably need some new decals.....

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      Both set safely aside ready for the alloted start date.

      Nick

      Comment

      • Jim R
        SMF Supporters
        • Apr 2018
        • 15702
        • Jim
        • Shropshire

        #4
        I'm looking forward to this. Maximum fun for minimum expense.
        Last edited by Jim R; 04 October 2024, 17:09.

        Comment

        • PaulTRose
          SMF Supporters
          • Jun 2013
          • 6464
          • Paul
          • Tattooine

          #5
          I can remember that f86 back then

          Per Ardua

          We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no ones been

          Comment

          • HAWKERHUNTER
            SMF Supporters
            • Feb 2012
            • 1589
            • Steve
            • Halifax, West Yorks.

            #6
            Hi Paul. I have an issue. I thought I had an old Airfix 1/24 Stuka. I thought I would just go and dig it out today and check it over only to find that it is not an Airfix but the vintage Heller version. I see you mention that Heller bought into Airfix and were using the tooling from Airfix. Is that model going to be acceptable or not. I dont have a problem if I cant use it I will just source another kit. According to scale mates it was the Airfix kit that was new tool in 1975 and then had several new box releases. Heller released it in this box in 1991 before Airfix took it back in 1996.

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            Last edited by HAWKERHUNTER; 27 October 2024, 20:43.
            Steve

            Comment

            • PaulTRose
              SMF Supporters
              • Jun 2013
              • 6464
              • Paul
              • Tattooine

              #7
              Im going say yes for 2 reasons

              1......the moulds are originally airfix from before the cut off date and no doubt heller was knocking them to put in an airfix box as well as their own


              And 2........i want to see this built! ?
              Per Ardua

              We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no ones been

              Comment


              • HAWKERHUNTER
                HAWKERHUNTER commented
                Editing a comment
                Thanks Paul. It has been festering in my stash for years so it will be a good excuse to get it built.
            • yak face
              Moderator
              • Jun 2009
              • 13841
              • Tony
              • Sheffield

              #8
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ID:	1247003 Got mine today so just got to wait till April now ! Its a good oldie , first tooled in 1970 I believe although this is a later boxing with hopefully non yellowed decals . I had this one as a kid , it was in the white plastic then though . Going to be adding a bit ( a lot! ) to the cockpit as its just a seat and pilot ! Going to be doing the spanish civil war version??

              Comment


              • Nicko
                Nicko commented
                Editing a comment
                I remember that one Tony, I think mine was light blue plastic, but it definitely came in a bag....

                Nick
            • PaulTRose
              SMF Supporters
              • Jun 2013
              • 6464
              • Paul
              • Tattooine

              #9
              One i always wanted to do butnever did
              Per Ardua

              We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no ones been

              Comment

              • pjgtech
                SMF Supporters
                • Dec 2023
                • 832
                • Peter
                • Swale Kent UK

                #10
                Think I might have to join in on this one if that is ok. It starts in April, yes?
                I have an old Airfix HMS Fearless 1:600 kit, checking with Scalemates it appears to be from 1968!
                Can't see any new tool updates, but it has had several new box designs, mine looks like it 1994, but I assume as the kit tool is from 1968 its still ok?
                Cheers
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                Comment

                • PaulTRose
                  SMF Supporters
                  • Jun 2013
                  • 6464
                  • Paul
                  • Tattooine

                  #11
                  At the minute im planning on doing hms devonshire
                  Per Ardua

                  We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no ones been

                  Comment

                  • colin m
                    Moderator
                    • Dec 2008
                    • 8755
                    • Colin
                    • Stafford, UK

                    #12
                    I'm in. I landed this old dear. It comes with decals, but they must be well past there sell by date by now. It was a new tool in 1968.
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                    Comment

                    • pjgtech
                      SMF Supporters
                      • Dec 2023
                      • 832
                      • Peter
                      • Swale Kent UK

                      #13
                      What do you do about very old decals? eg: try to find newer ones? have some printed? paint your own?
                      Had a look in the box at my HMS Fearless and the decals look awful, doubt if I'll be able to use them.
                      Or is there a way to "revive" them?

                      Comment

                      • PaulTRose
                        SMF Supporters
                        • Jun 2013
                        • 6464
                        • Paul
                        • Tattooine

                        #14
                        Originally posted by pjgtech
                        Or is there a way to "revive" them?
                        You know that bottle of clear you bought?......try brushing a coat over the decal sheet....cut as close to the decal as you can.....might hold them together if youre lucky
                        Per Ardua

                        We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no ones been

                        Comment

                        • Geoffers
                          SMF Supporters
                          • Jan 2017
                          • 1703
                          • Geoff
                          • Shropshire

                          #15
                          That’s good advice from Paul but what’s wrong with them Peter?

                          If the white areas have yellowed pop the decals in a plastic bag and place the bag in direct sunlight for a few days. I usually stick them up in a window which gets the most sunlight.
                          This often helps restore them, although getting enough sunlight may be a challenge at this time of the year ?

                          Geoff.

                          Comment


                          • pjgtech
                            pjgtech commented
                            Editing a comment
                            Yep, they just look old, faded and yellowed.
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