Vintage Airfix Kits

[Crossiant Oliver]

Hello,

 

Ive been itching to work on a vintage Airfix kit OOB just for the fun  of it. What is a good Vintage Airfix kit that can hold up today OOB?

[Fernando]

Hi, Oliver,

 

My initial instinct at a short answer would be "None".

 

But then, and giving "vintage" its true meaning, and assuming it should be a WW2 one, I would name the Dornier Do-17E/F and possibly the Mosquito NF.II.

 

Fernando

[shatters]

The old hurricane 1 was an easy  kit.

 

Phil

[Beard]

The 1979 Hurricane I is, if I recall correctly, accurate (although lacking in detail) and is certainly easy to build. Likewise, the Spitfire Vb and Mosquito II/ VI/ XVIII.

[Charlie Hugo]

I second the above and would add the '70's era Fw190A-8, Fw190D-9 and series 3 Ju-87 into the pot, The Grumman Duck, Whirlwind, Lysander and HS-123 were also a nice kits for the time

[Troy Smith]

4 hours ago, Crossiant Oliver said:

Hello,

 

Ive been itching to work on a vintage Airfix kit OOB just for the fun  of it. What is a good Vintage Airfix kit that can hold up today OOB?

 

You  may wish to define "vintage",  perhaps a good definition would be the  original Airfix,  so  pre -  1981 

(then went bankrupt, well, actually the parent company did in 1981,  Airfix kits division still  made money)

 

Also, "hold  up  today" 

Very few vintage kits "hold up today" when you have companies like Eduard making essentially OOB multimedia kits,

But, if you  mean decent shapes,  and some reasonable detail, and assuming you can deal with fine raised panel lines,  the era for classic kits that were decent scale models without gimmicks  was the mid to late 1970's, this was after Airfix  sacked The Phantom Rivetter   of legend...

so from memory some that I enjoy the remains of (I  built all of  these as a child, back then)

 

1/72nd

B-26 Marauder,

F-80 Shooting Star

F-86D Sabre

 

The above have basic cockpit and reasonable UC legs and wheels,  the late 70's Lancaster is apparently good as well.

I picked up an F-80 recently and it's neat little kit, so it's no just nostalgia. 

pre-mid 70's there are reasonable kits but spoiled by rivets,  though even a light rub down can make these OK.

 

Other kits from this era are worth investigating,  a look at the Airfix Tribute  forum should give dates.

 

Also of note

1/24 Ju-87B, still impressive.

 

1/48th Mosquito FB.VI,  legend  has it the result of initial plans  for a 1/24th kit,  and can still form the basis for a really good model.(better shaped than the Tamiya kit it seems)

the re-issues  of this are as a NF.30 and PR.XVI,  while a  good  idea, the new bits are 'clunky'  but they both contain the  full FB.VI kit.

 

HTH

 

 

 

 

 

[Crossiant Oliver]

50 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

 

You  may wish to define "vintage",  perhaps a good definition would be the  original Airfix,  so  pre -  1981 

(then went bankrupt, well, actually the parent company did in 1981,  Airfix kits division still  made money)

 

Also, "hold  up  today" 

Very few vintage kits "hold up today" when you have companies like Eduard making essentially OOB multimedia kits,

But, if you  mean decent shapes,  and some reasonable detail, and assuming you can deal with fine raised panel lines,  the era for classic kits that were decent scale models without gimmicks  was the mid to late 1970's, this was after Airfix  sacked The Phantom Rivetter   of legend...

so from memory some that I enjoy the remains of (I  built all of  these as a child, back then)

 

1/72nd

B-26 Marauder,

F-80 Shooting Star

F-86D Sabre

 

The above have basic cockpit and reasonable UC legs and wheels,  the late 70's Lancaster is apparently good as well.

I picked up an F-80 recently and it's neat little kit, so it's no just nostalgia. 

pre-mid 70's there are reasonable kits but spoiled by rivets,  though even a light rub down can make these OK.

 

Other kits from this era are worth investigating,  a look at the Airfix Tribute  forum should give dates.

 

Also of note

1/24 Ju-87B, still impressive.

 

1/48th Mosquito FB.VI,  legend  has it the result of initial plans  for a 1/24th kit,  and can still form the basis for a really good model.(better shaped than the Tamiya kit it seems)

the re-issues  of this are as a NF.30 and PR.XVI,  while a  good  idea, the new bits are 'clunky'  but they both contain the  full FB.VI kit.

 

HTH

 

 

 

 

 

I've heard some good things about the B-26, and I'll look into the F-80, as the air museum I work at is currently restoring a T-33 and it would make a good display there.

[Black Knight]

Some of the other jets from the early to mid 1970s are good too; The Douglas Skyray comes to mind

[old thumper]

The Marauder is a nice kit to build, if you can find one. The 1/72  Mosquito is a pretty good kit and should be easy to get hold of as it is in the current Airfix catalogue. The Hellcat is a personal favorite.

[stevehnz]

Don't forget the F2H Banshee, the F-4 Phantom & the RA-5 Vigilante, all of which I've seen decent builds on line. Some googling is sure to take you too them.

Steve.

[RJP]

It depends on what you mean by 'vintage' and what you feel you need in the box.  For me at least vintage Airfix starts somewhere around 1960. 

 

They were kits of their time and they really were the best, honest kits with few gimmicks, basically accurate, easy to assemble and with plenty of scope for the exercise of modelling skill.  The rivets usually draw comment but honestly a man can learn to use sandpaper and a few minutes improves things no end.  Some aftermarket stickies and maybe canopies (see:  Falcon and Squadron for that) and you have can have a very pleasant modelling experience.

 

The Spitfire Vb has already been mentioned, the same goes for the basically similar Mk I.  The Boston was always a favourite.  The B-26 (both the Marauder and the Invader) are quite good.  If you'd like to go older, the Bristol Superfreighter and DH Heron are pleasant and simple.

 

Airfix also did a string of US Navy types during what I think of as their Blue Period.  Wildcat, Hellcat, Corsair, Avenger, Devastator (very good indeed), Helldiver and Dauntless.  The Dauntless is a real sleeper.  Lose the rivets, replace the glass and have some fun drilling out the flap perforations.  

 

Watch for the remoulds of older kits.  The earliest Airfix catalogue included the Ju87, Spitfire, Hurricane and Bf 109 and Whirlwind.  All were replaced with all-new kits though the old ones held on for quite a while.  The newer ones were generally more accurate.

 

Old kits can be had from second hand retailers, show vendors or, if you get lucky, as old stock in shops.

[e8n2]

2 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Don't forget the F2H Banshee, the F-4 Phantom & the RA-5 Vigilante, all of which I've seen decent builds on line. Some googling is sure to take you too them.

Steve.

As far as the F-4 kit is concerned, I totally disagree.  It is best tossed in the trash because it is nothing but trash.  The wing does not have the humps for the fatter tires of the C/D/F/J versions, the only pylons are the Navy ones, and there are no windows in the space between the two cockpits as on the real aircraft.  Interior detail is sparse, which was typical for most kits at the time it originally came out.  Check out the review sections of the Detail and Scale books for the later Phantoms for more on what is wrong with the kit. 

Later,

Dave

[stevehnz]

Fair enough, even though I've seen some nice jobs made of it, maybe not so much OOB, I did ponder this one. Maybe too by your standards they're still trash incorporating those inaccuracies into an otherwise nicely made model. To me, I don't know what I'm looking at Phantom wise without consulting references so I think they look great, one mans food another poison & all that. In fact no older kit can compete with the best modern ones but many can have a decent job made of them. How would you rate this one, trash or treasure, I know what I think?

Steve.

[Paul J]

There are  still older Airfix kits than those mentioned above .. all worth building for the fun of it. I might dig out  my poly bag, type 2 header, series 1 Ford Model T in red plastic to do just for a change. 

[Charlie Hugo]

is there a decent on-line list of all Airfix kits and production dates? I know that I can do that Scalemates lists all kits  but it is kit by kit and all versions (useful for collectors)

[Black Knight]

Courtesy of the Airfix Tribute Forum

First; A kit index list

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/viewforum.php?f=71

 

select the subject, eg Aircraft -  Military

in that you'll see the alphabetical list of maker/type and kit date

Click on a choosen subject and it'll take you deeper into the history section giving you box art, boxing codes etcetera

[Richard Humm]

12 minutes ago, Charlie Hugo said:

is there a decent on-line list of all Airfix kits and production dates? I know that I can do that Scalemates lists all kits  but it is kit by kit and all versions (useful for collectors)

There's a basic one here and a much more detailed and illustrated one at the Airfix Tribute Forum that Black Knight has just linked.

[Giorgio N]

I've gone down memory lane to try and asnwer this, trying to remember the many old Airfix kits I built in the past, the ones I have in the stash and comparing them to today's kits, trying to imagine the old and new side by side

Spitfires ? Not a chance, the vintage Airfix ones were nice for their days but would they hold up to something like the Eduard Mk.IX. Hellcat ? Same. The 109s could never compete with the AZ kits, and let's not mention Fine Molds...The Fw.190A mentioned was a really nice kit but when I think of the Zvezda A4 I built recently, the Airfix one suddenly feels old. And why an Airfix Skyray when Tamiya did a much superior one ?

I may give a higher rating to the F-80 that has always been a favourite of mine. Now there aren't many modern F-80s around so this may still be a valid choice but comparing it with say the Academy Sabre the difference is clear. The same applies to the Mosquito, both kits are a valid base onto which the modeller can add a few things to get a very nice model. As for holding their own against modern kits today though, I'm not really sure.

There sure were some kits that may still be the best around for a certain subject... the Seasprite is for some aspects superior to the Fujimi kit, but the Seasprite may not be considered vintage and the Fujimi kit is not really modern itself (and of course the Seasprite is not a WW2 subject).

So after thinking a lot about this I came to the conclusion that IMHO no vintage Airfix kit can hold up to what is available today if built OOB. They are kits of their era, some were very nice for their days while others were not great even in their time. Some may still be a good base for a modeller to make a good model, others may even still be the best for a certain subject while others are hopelessly outclassed.

My personal view on building this kind of kits is that they sure can be built OOB to have fun or try to recapture the spirit of modelling as it was 30-40 years ago. They can be sure improved, a good modeller could take any of these kits and turn them into masterpieces but the same modeller could to the same with other kits with less hassle. Some are the only game in town, so there's no choice for the modeller, get the oldie and work on it.

As for choosing one of these kits against a more modern one and hoping to get a better result without putting a lot of work into them, it would be a waste of time. I'd build them for what they are

 

 

[Smithy]

In 1/72 the Spitfire Mk.Ia (old tooling, not the newer one from 2010-odd) is a great little kit shape-wise but like those of the era has raised panel lines and not much going in the cockpit. The Vb is the same very accurate in terms of shape but short on detail. The Mk.I Hurri is a goodie too but once again raised panel lines and lacking in detail. I built all of these when I returned to the hobby back in 2001 and went straight for Airfix as that's what I'd built when I was a nipper. One to stay away from is the old Airfix Spit IX, not a goodie let's just put it that way.

 

In truth all of those old Airfix kits are outclassed by the modern CAD designed and high engineered kits and the clear parts especially leave much to be desired. Saying that though if you're a skilled modeller and out for a challenge, taking something like the old Spit I or V and rescribing it and adding detail through aftermarket or scratchbuilding and you could end up with a very nice and accurate model. Too much of a challenge for me and beyond my meagre abilities but I have seen some truly gifted modellers do some incredible transformations with some of these old kits.

[Charlie Hugo]

28 minutes ago, Giorgio N said:

I've gone down memory lane to try and asnwer this, trying to remember the many old Airfix kits I built in the past, the ones I have in the stash and comparing them to today's kits, trying to imagine the old and new side by side

Spitfires ? Not a chance, the vintage Airfix ones were nice for their days but would they hold up to something like the Eduard Mk.IX. Hellcat ? Same. The 109s could never compete with the AZ kits, and let's not mention Fine Molds...The Fw.190A mentioned was a really nice kit but when I think of the Zvezda A4 I built recently, the Airfix one suddenly feels old. And why an Airfix Skyray when Tamiya did a much superior one ?

I may give a higher rating to the F-80 that has always been a favourite of mine. Now there aren't many modern F-80s around so this may still be a valid choice but comparing it with say the Academy Sabre the difference is clear. The same applies to the Mosquito, both kits are a valid base onto which the modeller can add a few things to get a very nice model. As for holding their own against modern kits today though, I'm not really sure.

There sure were some kits that may still be the best around for a certain subject... the Seasprite is for some aspects superior to the Fujimi kit, but the Seasprite may not be considered vintage and the Fujimi kit is not really modern itself (and of course the Seasprite is not a WW2 subject).

So after thinking a lot about this I came to the conclusion that IMHO no vintage Airfix kit can hold up to what is available today if built OOB. They are kits of their era, some were very nice for their days while others were not great even in their time. Some may still be a good base for a modeller to make a good model, others may even still be the best for a certain subject while others are hopelessly outclassed.

My personal view on building this kind of kits is that they sure can be built OOB to have fun or try to recapture the spirit of modelling as it was 30-40 years ago. They can be sure improved, a good modeller could take any of these kits and turn them into masterpieces but the same modeller could to the same with other kits with less hassle. Some are the only game in town, so there's no choice for the modeller, get the oldie and work on it.

As for choosing one of these kits against a more modern one and hoping to get a better result without putting a lot of work into them, it would be a waste of time. I'd build them for what they are

 

 

Unfortunately for many (international, and for that matter domestic) modellers these new exotic brands are not an option. And the OP wanted to know about classic Airfix kits. A lot of the Airfix kits from the '70's and '80's are still extremely viable as a base to build from, and are cheaper/more readily accessible in some places. Not all of us are as fortunate to have a local hobby shop, or access to exotic eastern Europe (or even Japanese) imports, and if they are available they are horrendously expensive (try twice the euro/sterling/dollar price)

If one wants these brands they need to be ordered from on-line stores/imported and to many (especially the younger generation) it is simply not an option unless you get someone use there credit cards.

Us older generation are very fortunate.

 

[Lawzer]

I can't comment on any 1/72 kits (my peepers can't see that small these days!) but I'm with @Troy Smith on the 1/48 mosquito.  I built one earlier in the year and enjoyed it so much I've got 3 more in the cupboard.  As Troy said all the boxings include the sprues for the FB VI.  Being a mosquito there aren't really any panel lines to speak of (access panels etc are raised).  The cockpit obviously isn't anywhere near an a/m one BUT it can be made to look nice with not too much work.  The kit itself doesn't pose too many major problems.  Shape wise I don't really know (not something that concerns me).  I'd also recommend the 1/48 me109 F.  Raised panel lines but cockpit detail is really good for it's age......just MHO....:)

 

[glatisant]

1/72nd Hs123 and HS126. That's just a quick of the top of my head preference. I have built a few of each and enjoyed building them.

[Charlie Hugo]

Is it not surprising that many of these vintage Airfix kits have not been replaced, and possibly even when replaced not been surpassed.

[Seahawk]

Interesting and thought-provoking discussion.  Some surprising names have come up: there are some that I would definitely consign to the darkest, most impenetrable depths of the stash.  From those names that have come up so far, I would pick the following as still acceptably accurate and acceptably well detailed.  A name in brackets denotes that a better option is available but does not IMHO consign the Airfix offering to the dustbin of history:

 

Seasprite

Banshee (Special Hobby)

F-86D Sabre

B-26 Marauder (Hasegawa - at a price)

Devastator (I have the Valom kit but do not think it is better.  However Devastator are not my subject so the experts may disagree.) 

Dornier Do 17E/F 

P-80 Shooting Star

Hs 126

Skyray (Tamiya)

D.H.4 (an absolute gem)

Sopwith Pup

Hannover CL.III

 

There are others that are accurate in outline and scrub up well if you're prepared to put the work in (but, with much better out of the box options available, why would you, except as an exercise in nostalgia?)

 

Fw 190A-8 (Eduard)

Whirlwind (Special Hobby)

Fw 190D 2nd issue (Tamiya, Academy)

Mosquito (Tamiya but not Hasegawa)

Spitfire I (Airfix)

Lancaster 2nd issue (Airfix)

 

Oddly, despite their age and limited detail, I can't offhand think of better options for the Spitfire Vb (Tamiya less accurate, Italeri needs many details replaced, eg from Airfix Spitfire Vb!) or the metal-wing Hurricane I.  And the sharpness of the detail parts on many of these older kits is better than Airfix can currently manage!

Edited November 23, 2017 by Seahawk

[Giorgio N]

2 hours ago, Charlie Hugo said:

Unfortunately for many (international, and for that matter domestic) modellers these new exotic brands are not an option. And the OP wanted to know about classic Airfix kits. A lot of the Airfix kits from the '70's and '80's are still extremely viable as a base to build from, and are cheaper/more readily accessible in some places. Not all of us are as fortunate to have a local hobby shop, or access to exotic eastern Europe (or even Japanese) imports, and if they are available they are horrendously expensive (try twice the euro/sterling/dollar price)

If one wants these brands they need to be ordered from on-line stores/imported and to many (especially the younger generation) it is simply not an option unless you get someone use there credit cards.

Us older generation are very fortunate.

 

 

I understand that some brands may not be immediately available in some parts of the world but neither are vintage Airfix kits. A number of the kits mentioned in this thread have been OOP for many years and can only be found at model shows or online. Finding an Airfix F-80 for example is going to be way more difficult and expensive than buying a kit from the far east or from a European short run manufacturer. Only last week I was looking for Skyrays online and there were Japanese shops that could get me a Tamiya kit delivered for way less than what an Airfix costed without delivery.

Where a number of these vintage kits are easily available is because Airfix reboxed them and some are still in the current catalogue. However for many subjects there are newer Airfix moulds available and these are invariably better.

 

1 hour ago, Charlie Hugo said:

Is it not surprising that many of these vintage Airfix kits have not been replaced, and possibly even when replaced not been surpassed.

 

But are they that many ? I can only think of a few Airfix kits that have not been replaced at some point. Granted, I may have forgotten some interwar type but I doubt that the total number is beyond 10 to be optimistic and some of these are not what are generally considered "vintage airfix".

As for kits that have been replaced but not surpassed, I can only think of a couple that have not been surpassed for certain aspects. Any suggestion ?

 

8 minutes ago, Seahawk said:

Interesting and thought-provoking discussion.  Some surprising names have come up: there are some that I would definitely consign to the darkest, most impenetrable depths of the stash.  From those names that have come up so far, I would pick the following as still acceptably accurate and acceptably well detailed.  A name in brackets denotes that a better option is available but does not IMHO consign the Airfix offering to the dustbin of history:

 

Seasprite

Banshee (Special Hobby)

F-86D Sabre

B-26 Marauder (Hasegawa - at a price)

Devastator (I have the Valom kit but do not think it is better.  However Devastator are not my subject so the experts may disagree.) 

Dornier Do 17E/F 

P-80 Shooting Star

Hs 126

Skyray (Tamiya)

 

There are others that are accurate in outline and scrub up well if you're prepared to put the work in (but, with much better out of the box options available, why would you, except as an exercise in nostalgia?)

 

Fw 190A-8 (Eduard)

Whirlwind (Special Hobby)

Fw 190D 2nd issue (Tamiya, Academy)

Mosquito (Tamiya but not Hasegawa)

Spitfire I (Airfix)

Lancaster 2nd issue (Airfix)

 

Oddly, despite their age and limited detail, I can't offhand think of better options for the Spitfire Vb (Tamiya less accurate, Italeri needs many details replaced, eg from Airfix Spitfire Vb!) or the metal-wing Hurricane I.  And the sharpness of the detail parts on many of these older kits is better than Airfix can currently manage!

 

The F-86D has been replaced by a much more accurate offering from Hasegawa. It may expensive and not easy to find but it's a way superior kit. Even the Special Hobby kit, while not as accurate as the Hasegawa one, is in many aspects much better than the Airfix offering.

I can think of a better option for the Spit Vb and it's the AZ/KP kit. Shapewise it's similar but being more modern is a much better kit