dazdot Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 The 32nd scale tiger moth is a lovely kit that builds well and is still the only one in the scale it still has the floats and ski's in the revell boxing too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sten Ekedahl Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Totally agree Julien . Whilst a little on the crude side , the addition of a correctly shaped radome and a better set of canopies transforms the kit into a pretty decent rendition of a Spey Phantom , especially round the rear fuselage which is reckoned to be more accurate than the Fujimi kit . I have built two British Phantoms (both before the release of the Fujimi kits, that's how old I am). On the first I just substituted the radome with the one from the old Airfix Phantom. With the second I grafted the forward fuselage (cut line just behind the cockpit) from an ESCI kit, to the Matchbox kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Leiby Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Matchbox, along with Monogram and Airfix were the only source for injected plastic kits of 'tween wars' kits. Matchbox, at the time, produced the only kit of the US Army Air Corps P-12E in any scale, of which I have a half dozen. Also in my stash are: Siskin IIIA, also a vacuform conversion for a Siskin trainer SBC-4, with resin fuselage for the SBC-3 Heyford Gladiator Fury He70, three on hand, one for each version that can be built Stranaer Walrus and modern CH-47D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Just been having a look back at all the beautifully made Matchbox kits on this thread, classics all of them and well done to all that built them. It also is always nice to see some these old kits still on sale in the shops, though albeit now in Revell boxes. The Revell range of small armour kits taken over from Matchbox are excellent value for money and still look great even today, the same can be said for many of the Matchbox kits such as the Wellington now sold in blue Revell boxes. If anyone is interested in taking up the challenge of building a Matchbox kit then please don't forget to vote for Matchbox in the 2016 Group Build ballot that is currently taking place and which closes at the end of November. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I'm a huge fan of Matchbox kits. Here's my Matchbox 1:32 Bf109E-4: Beautiful model! Seriously impressive. Not exactly OOB… ;-) Kind regards, Joachim 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Beautiful model! Seriously impressive. Not exactly OOB… ;-) Kind regards, Joachim It certainly is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mancunian airman Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) I have the MB Lancaster in the stash and I might give it a coat of looking at. IIRC the undercarriage looked a little short and the front turret is a strange shape also. I will probably build it before long and i think I shall try and make improvements as necessary. http://www.matchboxkits.org/ Edited November 18, 2015 by Mancunian airman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 I have the MB Lancaster in the stash and I might give it a coat of looking at. IIRC the undercarriage looked a little short and the front turret is a strange shape also. I will probably build it before long and i think I shall try and make improvements as necessary. http://www.matchboxkits.org/ I have just started building a Matchbox Lancaster kit in tallboy markings. As yet I haven't looked at anything other than the fuselage and wings which I have begun to re-scribe, smaller bits like the cockpit will be taken from an old broken Airfix model. Best of luck with your build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelh Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Agree with WIP on most of the above. I would add the Vickers Wellesley to the list of worthy buys. Also the He 70. They were, are very buildable. Given the market at the time which was largely children. The biplanes were definitely easier to build than their rivals. I liked them but even then as teenager. I didn't like the trench like panel lines and often the inaccuracies were obvious even to my eyes. Early Matchbox could be poor but there was a steady improvement over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 As the Matchbox is still the only mainstream Mosquito with twin-stage engines, until the Airfix new tool in 2016, it's still a valid build, imho. OK, you may need to scratchbuild an interior, cross-kit with some Airfix bits, and perhaps use some AM for wheels and canopies, but it's still a lot of fun. regards, Martin 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) I have also got one of those Mosquitos in my stash and I don't know why or how I haven't built it yet. The above Mosquito demonstrates just how good Matchbox kits can look if you are prepared to put the effort in. Heavy panel lines are the most common complaint with Matchbox kits, but we should remember that when these kits came out in the 1970's they actually looked very good compared to similarly priced Airfix and Revell kits which at that time were covered in large rivets. Matchbox kits almost always fitted together much easier than Airfix or Revell kits of the time and this meant that a much neater looking model could be built as it was relatively easy to avoid gaps or misaligned fuselage or wing halves. When I build a Matchbox kit today I find that the parts still fit together with a minimum of fuss and often don't even require the use of filler. As far the heavy panel lines are concerned I have discovered that they are very easy to replace. If after market or other replacement parts are wanted then the low cost of Matchbox kits makes them more affordable. I have looked at many build threads where a modeller has purchased a short run kit for what amounts to about twenty quid and then had to spend hours of time filling up gaps, cutting, filing and sanding bits off before putting the thing in clamps to hold it together and then finally filling and re-scribing the corrected areas. Personally I prefer to buy a cheap well fitting kit and then either buy or build my own aftermarket parts to my own tastes. Edited November 19, 2015 by old thumper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 I have also got one of those Mosquitos in my stash and I don't know why or how I haven't built it yet. The above Mosquito demonstrates just how good Matchbox kits can look if you are prepared to put the effort in. Heavy panel lines are the most common complaint with Matchbox kits, but we should remember that when these kits came out in the 1970's they actually looked very good compared to similarly priced Airfix and Revell kits which at that time were covered in large rivets. Matchbox kits almost always fitted together much easier than Airfix or Revell kits of the time and this meant that a much neater looking model could be built as it was relatively easy to avoid gaps or misaligned fuselage or wing halves. When I build a Matchbox kit today I find that the parts still fit together with a minimum of fuss and often don't even require the use of filler. As far the heavy panel lines are concerned I have discovered that they are very easy to replace. If after market or other replacement parts are wanted then the low cost of Matchbox kits makes them more affordable. I have looked at many build threads where a modeller has purchased a short run kit for what amounts to about twenty quid and then had to spend hours of time filling up gaps, cutting, filing and sanding bits off before putting the thing in clamps to hold it together and then finally filling and re-scribing the corrected areas. Personally I prefer to buy a cheap well fitting kit and then either buy or build my own aftermarket parts to my own tastes. have to disagree with the part highlighted. In the '70s both Airfix and Revell love for rivets was well over. When Matchbox issued that Mosquito, Airfix had already done kits like the F-80C, the F-86D or the Lynx that were miles ahead of Matchbox in terms of detail and accuracy. All Airfix kits from that era featured quite delicated raised panel lines and often had some decent (for the days) details in the cockpit. Something that can't be said of Matchbox. The only kit of those years that featured rivets was the Puma, but this is a kit that even today is considered quite good, something that can't be said for example of the Matchbox Lynx (their only helycopter) The fit of the Matchbox kits was generally better because all joints were overdimensioned. This sure guaranteed a good fit but also meant simplyfying many parts. Airfix kits however were not particularly bad fitting, they were as good as most. A lot of us here know these airfix classics through kits that were made years later when the moulds were worn and during days when Airfix was at its lowest in terms of quality, grab an original from the '70s and it's a much better build experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 The newer Airfix kits have to disagree with the part highlighted. In the '70s both Airfix and Revell love for rivets was well over. When Matchbox issued that Mosquito, Airfix had already done kits like the F-80C, the F-86D or the Lynx that were miles ahead of Matchbox in terms of detail and accuracy. All Airfix kits from that era featured quite delicated raised panel lines and often had some decent (for the days) details in the cockpit. Something that can't be said of Matchbox. The only kit of those years that featured rivets was the Puma, but this is a kit that even today is considered quite good, something that can't be said for example of the Matchbox Lynx (their only helycopter) The fit of the Matchbox kits was generally better because all joints were overdimensioned. This sure guaranteed a good fit but also meant simplyfying many parts. Airfix kits however were not particularly bad fitting, they were as good as most. A lot of us here know these airfix classics through kits that were made years later when the moulds were worn and during days when Airfix was at its lowest in terms of quality, grab an original from the '70s and it's a much better build experience Yes the newer Airfix kits such as the Mosquito or B-26 were as you say, but the majority of the Airfix kits on sale back then were the old rivety ones. Matchbox did produce other helicopters, such as the Huey Cobra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamf Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I only ever did two Matchbox kits but they were good ones and I was attracted by the subjects. The mk22/24 Spitfire ( I was stunned when I first saw that as an offering)little did I realize that I would later be manufacturing cowling correction sets for them now.The other kit was the Halifax B version with the turrets, I was very excited when I saw pictures of the Halifax coming out of the lake in Norway seeing the bright metal under the peeling paint and stupidly expected it to be preserved like other aircraft ( how wrong was I ) so purchased it and did it in the same scheme. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedbird Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Matchbox did a few choppers IIRC. They did the Wessex and the chinook and some European air ambulance thing the name of whitch I can't remember and I'm pretty sure they did a military variant of the jet ranger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince14 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 They did quite a few helicopter kits - the Wessex and Chinook, Huey Cobra, Lynx, Dauphin, Seasprite... The 'Air Ambulance' kit you're thinking of is the MBB BK.117 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelldoc Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Yes, today we can say - vintage kit, but nice: https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/5323568215/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/5324656539/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/5602802641/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/5602794897/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/6667393865/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/11890725426/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/8013318189/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/14706162203/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/15294969194/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16018447972/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16431595146/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/16802816471/in/dateposted/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/18615485936/in/dateposted/ and so on modelldoc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Yes the newer Airfix kits such as the Mosquito or B-26 were as you say, but the majority of the Airfix kits on sale back then were the old rivety ones. Matchbox did produce other helicopters, such as the Huey Cobra. Even the Mosquito has its share of rivets. Airfix found the only parts made of metal and put all their rivets there! Trevor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Matchbox did a few choppers IIRC. They did the Wessex and the chinook and some European air ambulance thing the name of whitch I can't remember and I'm pretty sure they did a military variant of the jet ranger They did quite a few helicopter kits - the Wessex and Chinook, Huey Cobra, Lynx, Dauphin, Seasprite... The 'Air Ambulance' kit you're thinking of is the MBB BK.117 I should have made my statement more clear: when I said their only helicopter, I meant their only helicopter by the time the Airfix Puma was issued. Although the Cobra may have been issued around the same time. I'm well aware of Matchbox later helicopter kits, but these were more modern compared to the ones I mentioned in my previous post. By then the stake had been raised and Airfix had issued some very nice kits, for example the 1/72 Seasprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWFK10 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Even the Mosquito has its share of rivets. Airfix found the only parts made of metal and put all their rivets there! Trevor At least one contemporary review commented on the "Clydeside rivets" on the Airfix Mosquito. The multi-variant Hurricane kit they released the same year had golf ball-sized warts on its engine cowling, though in that case over-enthusiastic riveting was one of its more minor issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cossack52 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 i remember the first matchbox kits were 23p in our newsagents.i think the 30's aircraft seemed to show a little more finesse than the ww2 and modern aircraft.i don't think their interplane strut arrangement has ever been bettered. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shalako Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 i remember the first matchbox kits were 23p in our newsagents. Ah.... Those were the days!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthewbacon Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 i remember the first matchbox kits were 23p in our newsagents. They really, really wanted to be 4/6, didn't they...? ;-P bestest, M. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewerjerry Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 They really, really wanted to be 4/6, didn't they...? ;-P bestest, M. Hi unfortunately they came out 2yrs to late cheers jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Matchbox kits? Yeah, brilliant range of obscure subjects, this hobby would be poorer without them, and eastern european short run kit manufacturer a whole lot busier!! Matchbox T55 with Airfix F1a ventral tank Matchbox Wessex, Ark Royal edition! Ha! . . . Kes (who would be lost without Matchbox LightningT55s and Meteor NFs) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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