Box art.....

[SaparotRob]

I always assumed the pilots included were supposed to be torched. Then Mommy took me to a special doctor who showed me pictures of spilled ink.

 

[nuuumannn]

I've got some old Matchbox kits sitting in a box in the back and the box art changed over the years. Initially, like other kits seen here, there were dogfight scenes with aircraft crashing and burning, with little descriptions of the scene being depicted. The boxes themselves were two piece, with print on both bits, but later the paintings were edited and the wee descriptions removed and the boxes became one piece. They still kept the gaudy plastic sprue colours, which for a kiddie were a real attractive feature of Matchbox kits.

 

[SaparotRob]

Wasn't there some righteous soul, waaaaay back when, who made a big stink that what's inside the box didn't look like those beautiful paintings on the box?

 

[MIflyer]

Yes, and that was in the mid-70's when they got rid of the gorgeous box art and posted actual pictures of the models. Yuck!

 

[pbehn]

Wasn't there some righteous soul, waaaaay back when, who made a big stink that what's inside the box didn't look like those beautiful paintings on the box?

My brother used to build models so even when I got my first model of my own at the age of 6 I knew the model didnt have a running engine or guns that fired and only had a passing resemblance to the picture, a clue would be that the person who builds it decides what colour it is.

 

[SaparotRob]

I loved those beautiful ship paintings on the Revell kits. They were done by Steele?

 

[Capt. Vick]

I've got some old Matchbox kits sitting in a box in the back and the box art changed over the years. Initially, like other kits seen here, there were dogfight scenes with aircraft crashing and burning, with little descriptions of the scene being depicted. The boxes themselves were two piece, with print on both bits, but later the paintings were edited and the wee descriptions removed and the boxes became one piece. They still kept the gaudy plastic sprue colours, which for a kiddie were a real attractive feature of Matchbox kits.

I remember the Wellington one, describing the explosion in the tail turret...or am I making that up?

 

[nuuumannn]

I remember the Wellington one, describing the explosion in the tail turret...or am I making that up?

Nope, you certainly aren't, Capt. Vick... From the box top. "During a night raid over Duisburg, a shattering explosion rips into Wellington HE239 of 428 Squadron blowing off the rear gun turret, fuselage fabric and parts of the vital control surfaces. Sgt L.F. Williamson was awarded the CGM for courage and flying skill, bringing his battered, crippled aircraft home to base, April 8th/9th 1943."

The kit comes without damage to the rear fuselage!

 

[SaparotRob]

There were a few airplane kits featuring "battle damage" parts some time ago. I wonder how convincing those parts were. I created some convincing battle damage using a heated screwdriver and a light dusting of gun powder.

 

[Lucky13]

 

[pbehn]

There were a few airplane kits featuring "battle damage" parts some time ago. I wonder how convincing those parts were. I created some convincing battle damage using a heated screwdriver and a light dusting of gun powder.

I got great results with a Ronson lighter from my bedroom window.

 

[Lucky13]

 

[MIflyer]

The battle damage kits were from IMC and included a 1/72 A-1H, an A-4E, an F-100D, an RF-4C (first kit I know of for that one), and a Mig-21 (first kit I know of for that one). The RF-4C and F-100D were almost exact copies of Revell kits, with most parts interchangeable. I used the undamaged wing from the Mig-21 to update the old Revell F-102A to a tall tail version.
They were re-released a few years back under the Lindberg label.

 

[Lucky13]

 

[nuuumannn]

I had the Airfix Wellington once and it looked the part when finished, but the Brownings were the thickness of tree trunks and no way resembled .303s! I built the Airfix Halifax for a mate of mine involved in the recovery of Halifax bits from a crash site in England, I remember the rear turret is mounted too low and so requires raising to match the profile of the original. These big models were interesting but not very accurate, but some of them were the only ones that were produced by kit manufacturers at the time, so if you wanted one of these types in model form they were the only game in town. The Stranraer always seemed to be an odd model for Matchbox to do, they did some unusual topics, then I remembered that the RAF Museum has a Stranraer from which the Matchbox researchers based their kit. I'm still looking for the Handley Page Heyford hidden away in a corner at Hendon...

RAFM 144

 

[Ivan1GFP]

View attachment 644424
Why would you have this image as the box art?

Looks like the same idea as the Me 109 with the pilot bailing out at Post #65
Box art.....

Goofy Idea!

 

[SaparotRob]

This is not my photograph but it is a very memorable model I built when I built decades ago.
One usually expects the featured aircraft to be performing some heroic deed.... as this one was not.
The other very memorable thing was that everything was moulded in red plastic.
I have thought about trying to find another one of these kits to keep for nostalgia until I think about how really BAD the kit actually was.

- Ivan.View attachment 568588

I remember building this kit. I thought it was the WW 2 Red Baron's plane. Just how accurate (inaccurate) is the kit?

 

[Wurger]

It's as accurate as the rivets and rivet lines there.

 

[SaparotRob]

So, "not very" is the answer?

 

[special ed]

If I remember correctly, it builds into an early 109, before the E model.