Fairey ? Russian kit.

[AdamReith]

My friend sent me pic's of a kit he picked up at a flea market.  Anyone recognize it?

[Graham Boak]

The ex-Frog Fairey Firefly Mk.i

[modelldoc]

Yes, the "good old FROG". Nice kit.

 

Here is my once, build years before.

 

 

modelldoc

[Max Headroom]

Yes. It's Frogspawn

 

 

Trevor

[Eric Mc]

From the 1970ish FROG mould. When FROG went out of business in 1976, the receiver (fillowing assistance from the Labour government of Harold Wilson) sold most of the FROG moulds to the Soviet Union. For a while, some of the kits continued under the Novo label but eventually the Novo production ceased and the kits disappeared behind the iron curtain. Now and then they would reappear in the type of boxing shown above.

 

Be aware that these particular Soviet mouldings often used very inferior polystyrene to what FROG themselves used. Even the Novo versions are better.

[Nigel Bunker]

It can make up into a nice kit - it needs interior detail adding and the wheel wells boxing in and probably some refining of the mouldings - the Rusian repops were not known for the quiality of their plastic or moulding. And you'll definitely need new decals.

[stevehnz]

Smer have reboxed this kit too, one of many iterations. Going on the two I have, the molds have stood up quite well. Not sure how later ones are looking.

Steve.

[Max Headroom]

I have a Novo boxing. The quality of the moulding is on a par with the FROG original. My failing memory says that early batches were done in this country to get Novo on their way.

 

I've been meaning to build it for.....decades and have the several Ian Huntley SAM articles put away for the occasion. My main bugbear is the transparencies. The cockpit is passable, but the two part rear is quite frankly pants and I would need a vac replacement. Falcon?

 

I just know that as soon as I do it, Airfix will announce a new version!

 

Trevor

[Dave Fleming]

The Special Hobby kit is quite nice (Although their mk IV lacks the proper contours around the intake)

[Graham Boak]

The Frog deal with the Soviet Union was underway before the receiver, and was linked to Russian attempts to expand more into consumer goods.  Frog tooled four Russian subjects - LaGG 3, MiG 3, Yak 3 and Anatra, but these were not included in the eventual sale of non-Axis tools.  They were available in the UK in small numbers before being picked up by a small UK producer - eventually Emhar?  The MiG 3 was the pick of the bunch.

[modelldoc]

Here is the kit:

 

http://www.ark-models.org/catalog.php?cid=70

 

ARK Models have it now.

 

modelldoc

[Aardvark]

Hi, all!

 

It is valid the Firefly from the Frog the USSR which was issued for domestic market on Donetsk Factory of Toys (The Donetsk plant of toys). It is considered that Donetsk the Factory of Toys at the time of the USSR was the bigest in Europe.

 

 

 

Resource photo: 

http://nuker82.livejournal.com/44242.html

 

Such frankly bad packaging for domestic market it is possible to explain the following factors:
 

- absence in enough polygraphic capacities in USSR;
 

- the absence in enough was accompanying productions in the USSR good paper and a cardboard for boxes;
 

- As from it is known good, high-quality packaging very much increases product cost. But in the USSR models were considered first of all as toys for children, but not for big man! In this connection for maintenance of low retail price directly 
on model in order that all categories were able to afford to buy them the population of the USSR, saved on polygraphy.
 

- demand for models in domestic market of the USSR was so agiotage that they were instantly swept away from counters of the state shops of the USSR! Therefore, why something was to improve to packaging if so everything is on sale? Competition was practically not! Plasticart worked in 100th scale,
own production to the Frog of an era in 50th scale, in 72th scale to the Frog models were practically not.
The reasons of such packaging are that in my opinion.
 

Examples of packaging for domestic market of the USSR:

 

 

 

....e.t.c

Resource photo: http://www.novokits.ru

By the way in the USSR the whole research institute to Zagorsk was engaged in toys even.
I don't know who began to lobby the idea of release of models of airplanes USSR. Perhaps it were the relevant divisions of ideological divisions of the Communist Party of the USSR concerned about a disproportion on release of the western airplanes, they made the main range the FROG, can do it was  the initiative from consumers, and can there was a successful experience of sales of the cruiser "Aurora" and atomic ice breaker "Lenin" of a compression mold for which were are ordered from Heller, and can the understanding came that combined models it  not just toys for children. 

Generally, were going to order production of compression molds of the following Soviet airplanes from FROG, and factory drawings and other necessary graphic materials had to provide for production from the USSR (!!!!):

 

F312 Anatra DS "Anasal"

F310 Lagg-3

F308 MiG-3

F311 Yak-3

F314 IL-2

F316 IL-4

F313 La-5

F317 MiG-19

F360 I-16 type 24

F343 I-153

F319 Po-2

F348 R-5

F315 Tu-22

F318 Yak-1M

 

But FROG as is well-known was ruined, and from planned it was succeeded to make only:

F312 Anatra DS "Anasal"

F310 Lagg-3

F308 MiG-3

F311 Yak-3

then them I bought models which at first were on sale under brand the Red Star and  Emhar.

Donetsk the Factory of Toys (The Donetsk plant of toys), endured the collapse of the USSR, and some time still in the nineties of the 20th century made models. But then at factory the owner was replaced.
The new owner, considered that production, export contracts it isn't favorable, and it is the most favorable to sell compression molds, to cut machines and the equipment on scrap metal, and to rent premises of factory to small traders having turned thus the factory territory into a certain similarity of hypermarket.

 

But because of the fact that, the factory was in the remote area, the industrial zone for which there were no good spur tracks and routes of public transport and also in view of the fact that on the city market the international retail chain stores, such for example as the "METRO", "Praktiker",  "Auchan" which are in more advantageous position from the point of view of transport availability came the factory territory as hypermarket didn't take place.

 

Crisis of 2008 and civilian war 2014 completed process.
 

Now the empty buildings of factory stand as a monument to "effective" managers of the 90th years.

 

 

Resource photo:

http://www.worldtravelserver.ru/travel/ru/ukraine/donetsk/gallery_donetsk/photo_22469915-Торговый+центр+Дружба(бывшая+фабрика+игрушек).html

 

B.R.

Serge

 

 

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Thanks Serge ... learned something new about soviet history. 

[pigsty]

9 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

LaGG 3, MiG 3, Yak 3 and Anatra, but these were not included in the eventual sale of non-Axis tools.  They were available in the UK in small numbers before being picked up by a small UK producer - eventually Emhar?  The MiG 3 was the pick of the bunch.

Red Star Models, I believe, had something to do with it.  I've heard that the Anatra is the one that's most sought after now.

[Aardvark]

30 minutes ago, pigsty said:

Red Star Models, I believe, had something to do with it.  

The quote a part from Sergey Svinkov's article "Unknown NOVO" published in Russian in the magazine of the M-hobby #4 (Spring of 1995) in which the author stated the vision of the history NOVO and models the forms made on English a press in the USSR. (computer translatе):
 

"Yes, and that there with forms on Anatra, MiG-3, LAGG-3 and YAK--3 which remained in England? Rovex conducted negotiations on sale of these forms to Lindberg, Monogram, Revell and Starfix. Any of these companies of a form didn't buy, and newly created Red Star got all of them. Everything began in 1982 when future founder of firm Jim Chapman during issue went to the USSR. He contacted with the Soviet foreign trade company, having offered the help in delivery of the former FROG models to the west. Soon it became clear that the foreign trade company has a vague idea of models as of goods, in particular of packaging. The Soviet party quite seriously offered, for example to replace decal with stickers, and even their trial circulations were printed (they got then on the Soviet market). While Jim was engaged in studying in a situation with FROG, he found four forms which didn't get to the USSR (it just and were four models of our airplanes about which I there were a speech above). Seeing the relation of the Soviet partners to production, Chapman decided not to give to good an abyss, and began to look for the people wishing to enter into consortium on production of these models. After some difficulties the consortium was hammered together, and the new firm received the name Glenprime Ltd. which was replaced soon with brighter Red Star Model Kits Ltd. At the end of October, 1983 Red Star delivered the first 7000 castings to CMS which became their distributor in the market. Models were delivered to the USA with lobes, and the last series even with their photocopies. Red Star tried to import models and from the USSR, having supplied them with the corresponding packaging. The firm even ordered to the artist new pictures on boxes (or lobes) the Skua, Vengeance and Ventura models and also new decal on Skua and Ventura. Deliveries of Shakleton and Whitley were planned, but eventually we began Perestroika leapfrog, and the transaction didn't take place. Afterwards Red Star fell into decay, and forms passed to Emhar which owns them now."

 

 Full article in electronic, on Russian,  available to the following address:

http://www.novokits.ru/index.php/component/content/article/10-project/123-svinkov.html

 

B.R.

Serge

 

 

 

[Aardvark]

5 hours ago, Aardvark said:

absence in enough polygraphic capacities in USSR;
 

Difficulties of machine translation. Necessary adjustment. 
 The polygraphic enterprises in the USSR  of course were!

But most of themcouldn't provide required quality of the press of packaging. And those which could provide good quality of the press were loaded by the press of other goods more important from the point of view of the state than packaging for models.
But also here the shortage of polygraphic capacities therefore there is a lot of was observed products it was ordered at the enterprises of East block - GDR,

Hungary, Czechoslovakia and also in the West, for example in Finland. 

 

B.R.

Serge

 

[71chally]

Superb oversight there Aardvark, I've been wondering about the whole Frog Novo link for years.

[Graham Boak]

Lindstrom did a history of Frog models which is still the best work by far,, running down many of the Russian producers of the "Frogspawn", but I don't think that even he gave quite the background to Red Star as given above.

[Aardvark]

1 hour ago, 71chally said:

Superb oversight there Aardvark, I've been wondering about the whole Frog Novo link for years.

To me it is simpler. I was my first model 
Hawket Typhoon

bought me by my parents in 1980 at the price 0,60 or 0,80 definitely I don't remember the Soviet ruble. At an official exchange rate 0,60-0,80 Soviet ruble 

1-1.33 $ equaled. At exchange rates of the black market it was 0.1-0,13 U.S cents. But foreign exchange operations in the black market then were illegal therefore it is simpler to me to give this money for cakes, for this purpose what it would be clear to you.

At such exchange rate 1 Hawker Typhoon cost me in 3-4 not eaten Soviet tubule cakes!

Here such here:

It isn't a lot of as on average parents allocated to each average Soviet school student of elementary grades a day from 0,5 to 1 Soviet rubles of money for a power supply in addition besides what else fed in school cafeterias with.
Thus on own experience, I can tell that in the USSR models were available to any categories of the population.
Production of the FROG models under the is NOVO/ Novoexport in the USSR was localized in the cities of Donetsk, Tashkent, Minsk, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Odessa, Naro-Fominsk, Baku, Sukhumi. But the bigger quantity of the FROG forms was after all in Donetsk.
Now, that direction of mine 
collections  jet fighters in the 72nd scale, 
I practically didn't have FROG models interesting to me. They were forced out by new models from Revell (as with the Hunter),  Hobby-Boss (as with Hawker Sea Hawk),  Airfix (as with BAC Lightning) etc.

But FROG - NOVO still isn't indifferent for my heart, everything began with it, and Donetsk the city in which I live and which I love and with which the Soviet part of history FROG is connected. And how it is possible to live and love the city without knowing its history?
Therefore to me it is simpler!

 

B.R.

Serge

[Aardvark]

Ridiculously, but today we with children came on city flea market, and I saw there at one seller, among coins, old cameras, toy solder, tea spoons, porcelain figurines, airplane model!

 

How you think what the model was?

 

Correctly, it was Fairey Firefly!!!!

 

With the Russian instruction but without such box as in the first message! And among everything that was in this flea market, it was the only plastic model of the airplane!

 

 

 Funny, but only yesterday we discussed
about russian model Fairey Firefly!!!

 

The seller departed somewhere therefore I didn't begin to photograph his goods, without it. So to you the word will have to take in such coincidence to me.

 

 But I didn't leave without purchases! Interesting replenishment:

for my mini-collection of the Soviet military aviation reference books:

all of them once belonged to military pilots, and have the corresponding marks:

and pay attention to a Russian text: "Not for sale"

Such amusing coincidence and interesting purchase!

 

B.R.

Serge

 

P.S. 

Maybe costs in any topic on BM to discuss about correction set for Hawker P.1099A(B) or Supermarine 525 from Maintrack, which I unsuccessfully look for the my collection, and next day I will see them on the city flea market???

.... it is more probable that aliens will arrive to Earth!!!

 

 

[Troy Smith]

interesting to see the cyrillic transliterations   of the American names...  

 

eg  (from my basic cyrillic)

 

F-84G "Tayanderdzhet"

 F-101 "Vudu"

 

fascinating details from  an someone else bygone era

 

cheers

T

[Black Knight]

Fantastic

The Soviet version of the 'Observers Book of Aircraft'

which so many of us must have bought every year so long ago

[Aardvark]

14 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

F-84G "Tayanderdzhet"

Correctly:

 F-84G "Tanderdzhet"

14 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Fantastic

The Soviet version of the 'Observers Book of Aircraft'

which so many of us must have bought every year so long ago

Not absolutely so. I had an opportunity to look "Observers Book of Aircraft" here such here:

 

According to contents, and style of registration they are similar (though there are exceptions but about it below), but the main difference that "Observers Book of Aircraft" it was the civil book published for civil, in the USSR these books were published by military for military!
They weren't possible to be bought legally in bookstores! Moreover if you look at covers, then you will see a text:

"Экз.N" - "Copy number", i.e. each copy of these books was unique, stayed on some registry so couldn't be on sale at the time of the USSR to legally civilian population! Therefore these books for you opening!
Besides, there were albums registration of which another. I have one of them, the truth and the state of disrepair demanding restoration:

Do you see distinctions with the previous books?
Here not just general views of airplanes, here instructions where are critical 
nodes of each specific airplane - fuel tanks, arms, the engine and finally the pilot's head! The picture  says: "Shoot them!"

 

And necessary addition for "Observers Book of Aircraft" occasion William Green familiar name in the USSR!
His book "The Jet Aircraft of the World" was published in the USSR in 1959 

 

and along with the second volume of V.B.Shavrov "History desigin aircraft in USSR 1938-1950 years":

actually became the Bible both modellers and just fans jet aircraft in the USSR.

 

B.R.

Serge

 

P.S. We of course already rather far digress of Firefly, but we will consider that these postings illustration polygraphic opportunities of the USSR.

Besides it should be noted that in the USSR similar books for military were issued to WW2 as an example:

 

"Silhouettes Aircraft of Poland and Romania"

 

"Aircraft of Germany"

 

http://www.aviagrad.ru/library/handbook/2008/01/01/ger_air_news

Web version book:

http://www.aviagrad.ru/library/gerairplanes/

as example:

 

 

 

article on russian about fake german aircraft in this book:

http://warspot.ru/2026-fantomy-neba-velikoy-otechestvennoy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[71chally]

This is fascinating stuff, gives great insight into what the the Soviet Union knew, deserves a thread of it's own really.

[Aardvark]

2 hours ago, 71chally said:

This is fascinating stuff, gives great insight into what the the Soviet Union knew, deserves a thread of it's own really.

Well, probably material deserves separate topic, but in what section of a forum? So it turned out that in it also the FROG-NOVO models, and the Soviet military literature of 2WW and Cold War intertwined......

I am ready to create a new topic and to copy the postings there, if there are no objections from administration of a forum, but in what section of a forum to create a topic?

By the way, search in a Russian-speaking segment of the Internet, showed the reference book close to an initial subject of a topic,

"Silhouettes English and American Aircraft":

 

you can see a part of pages from this reference book here:

https://www.yaplakal.com/forum2/topic1269885.html

But there is neither Firefly, nor his predecessor Fulmar. It is obvious that 
this album is narrowly targeted, and is intended only for those airplanes which could be put on a lend-lease!

 

B.R.

Serge