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The first Airfix Spitfire - BT-K - FINISHED


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Well done Greg - this can be an example of a 'bare build' which is certainly how many of my first kits were done. From bag to flying round the livingroom well before tea-time!

I must say though, my heart leapt as I thought a build of an original 'BT-K' was about to happen in this GB and I think you are right in that it was in the same lurid blue plastic (reproduced by Airfix for this special release). I wonder if we can persuade someone to do one for this GB? Looking forward to it. Cheers. Mike

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1 hour ago, Ventora3300 said:

Well done Greg - this can be an example of a 'bare build' which is certainly how many of my first kits were done. From bag to flying round the livingroom well before tea-time!

I must say though, my heart leapt as I thought a build of an original 'BT-K' was about to happen in this GB and I think you are right in that it was in the same lurid blue plastic (reproduced by Airfix for this special release). I wonder if we can persuade someone to do one for this GB? Looking forward to it. Cheers. Mike

Thanks Mike 😀

 

I remember your He 115 builds from the Matchbox GB and thought this one might look ok just built up unpainted given the bright colour of the plastic. 

 

Also BT-K should be represented in an Airfix build even if it's not the original moulds I think.

 

The tube glue is taking a while to dry so I will probably be finishingvthis one off tomorrow rather than today.

 

Cheers Greg 😉

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Progress on the Spitfire at this stage is a bit stop start!

 

Building without the use of filler is proving challenging, but it s what i used to do and would leave little white lines all over the model anyway. This kit has been a reissue of the snap fit version Humbrol issued some time back. Fit is somewhat haphazzard as a result. 

 

Heres what i have so far...

 

28725831227_c83c07be82_z.jpg

 

41805619530_421539ae2b_z.jpg

 

43565864902_3fc62b712b_z.jpg

 

43613260961_cab603d1fd_z.jpg

 

I am hoping for a nice smooth finish to the unpainted model but this is proving difficult. Sometime will be spent cleaning up the seams and then micromeshing the scarred plastic.

 

This may take longer to complete than i first thought!!

 

Cheers Greg

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I built this kit "boxing" without paint many years ago, and filled the seams with plastic filings from the sprue mixed with liquid cement to produce a filler that precisely matched the colour of the kit parts.

 

The snap fit version was actually made by Airfix themselves back in 1980, so non-snap versions are relatively uncommon.

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4 minutes ago, Richard Humm said:

I built this kit "boxing" without paint many years ago, and filled the seams with plastic filings from the sprue mixed with liquid cement to produce a filler that precisely matched the colour of the kit parts.

 

The snap fit version was actually made by Airfix themselves back in 1980, so non-snap versions are relatively uncommon.

Great idea Richard, I'll give that a go.

 

Cheers Greg 😀

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That's coming together really well! A very nice addition to the GB. I've not seen one of these kits built up yet. I'm looking forward to seeing your build.

 

If you PM me your address, I'll send you an original rectangular stand for the kit. That would help backdate the model a bit.

 

Here's the original kit, alongside a header variation and a built pair. The kit came in blue or grey plastic. The blue model is unpainted. The cammo one is grey plastic underneath. Both were restored by me a few years back.

 

IMG_0161_zpsb78f1ca9.jpg

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1 hour ago, TonyW said:

That's coming together really well! A very nice addition to the GB. I've not seen one of these kits built up yet. I'm looking forward to seeing your build.

 

If you PM me your address, I'll send you an original rectangular stand for the kit. That would help backdate the model a bit.

 

Here's the original kit, alongside a header variation and a built pair. The kit came in blue or grey plastic. The blue model is unpainted. The cammo one is grey plastic underneath. Both were restored by me a few years back.

 

IMG_0161_zpsb78f1ca9.jpg

Hi Tony,

 

That's a very kind offer of the original stand. I will message you shortly. 

 

Nice job on those restored originals.

 

Cheers Greg 😊

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2 hours ago, TonyW said:

That's coming together really well! A very nice addition to the GB. I've not seen one of these kits built up yet. I'm looking forward to seeing your build.

 

If you PM me your address, I'll send you an original rectangular stand for the kit. That would help backdate the model a bit.

 

Here's the original kit, alongside a header variation and a built pair. The kit came in blue or grey plastic. The blue model is unpainted. The cammo one is grey plastic underneath. Both were restored by me a few years back.

 

 

I think I remember seeing this when I was researching the difference between the original BT-k and the 'retro' re-issue by Airfix. I saw the difference in parts make up and I believe the 'retro' BT-K is actually the new tool Spitfire Mk.I with reproduction transfers/decals?

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We found a real BT-K in a collection of built models donated to our club a few years ago.  It was in silver plastic.  Our resident "old kit" guru restored it, complete with bombs, using some parts and the decals from the recent "recreation" issue.

 

One question I have is whenever I see the headers for BT-K it has the "One of the Airfix series of scale models of famous types of aircraft" strapline.

  • Was there a first issue without the motto when it was their first (only) plane?
  • Did they know they'd do other aircraft already and had planned a range?
  • Was it just marketing in case the kit took off?

I've never really seen this discussed in the Airfix histories.

 

Cheers

Will

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4 minutes ago, Ventora3300 said:

I think I remember seeing this when I was researching the difference between the original BT-k and the 'retro' re-issue by Airfix. I saw the difference in parts make up and I believe the 'retro' BT-K is actually the new tool Spitfire Mk.I with reproduction transfers/decals?

 

That's correct.

The first kit was a direct copy of Aurora's 1.48 scale model. Even the stand and transfers were copied. Only the scale changed. It was not exactly a replica of a Spitfire, more a nod in its general direction!

 

Perhaps discusion should get a thread of its own, to save de-railing this thread?

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17 minutes ago, malpaso said:

We found a real BT-K in a collection of built models donated to our club a few years ago.  It was in silver plastic.  Our resident "old kit" guru restored it, complete with bombs, using some parts and the decals from the recent "recreation" issue.

 

One question I have is whenever I see the headers for BT-K it has the "One of the Airfix series of scale models of famous types of aircraft" strapline.

  • Was there a first issue without the motto when it was their first (only) plane?
  • Did they know they'd do other aircraft already and had planned a range?
  • Was it just marketing in case the kit took off?

I've never really seen this discussed in the Airfix histories.

 

Cheers

Will

 

Full coverage of the BTK Spitfire here...

 

http://www.sworld.com.au/steven/models/spitfire/

 

The definitive article on the subject.

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10 minutes ago, TonyW said:

 

Full coverage of the BTK Spitfire here...

 

http://www.sworld.com.au/steven/models/spitfire/

 

The definitive article on the subject.

Yes i read that article before but it doesnt address my strapline query.  I thought some Airfix uber-collectors might have looked into it as they usually would hunt down any minor variants in packaging.

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Was there a first issue without the motto when it was their first (only) plane?

 

So far, there are only three different UK BTK headers known, all with the yellow motto across the bottom of the front face. There's always the posibility of an unknown one surfacing though.

 

Did they know they'd do other aircraft already and had planned a range?

 

Airfix had struck gold around the time the BTK was issued. Woolworths were buying the small sailing ships as fast as Airfix could bang them out. The car range had just started, with 'One of a series of Model Vintage Cars' along the bottom of the header and were selling well. The BTK sold well enough for a Gladiator to follow it the year after, along with a Whirlwind helicopter and an incredibly bad Bf109. All carried the same band on the header as the BTK.

I suspect Airfix could only just keep up at this point. The range grew at a stunning rate. Airfix really were pushing at an open door at this point.

 

Jeremy Brooks Sixty Years of Airfix Models covers release dates and packaging styles pretty well and is well worth getting if this sort of thing interests you.

 

Was it just marketing in case the kit took off?

 

Possibly. It might also have just been a way to add a bit of script to the header. Boxes were the norm at this point, the header was only there to get the price point down for Woolworths. It's all a long time ago now.

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4 hours ago, malpaso said:

We found a real BT-K in a collection of built models donated to our club a few years ago.  It was in silver plastic.  Our resident "old kit" guru restored it, complete with bombs, using some parts and the decals from the recent "recreation" issue.

 

Will

Likewise, I found a real BT-K amongst some models donated to Jet Age.

Cleaned the dirt off, then kept for it's historic value.

Airfix_Spitfire_BKT.jpg

Believed to be a USA release kit, with a teardrop shape stand base - that I had not seen previously.

Other donated models on similar stands - we sold those.

 

I've also got a retro BT-K kit in my stash, and have built that 1980s Spitfire I twice.

Edited by theplasticsurgeon
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I've built the retro one & haved a bagged original, I was going to build it & display them together, now, I might just keep it as is for now. :)

Steve.

Edited by stevehnz
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  • 3 weeks later...

That one captures the spirit of the original very well.

 

I'm going to need one of these, for continuity's sake you understand. And an unbuilt one to sit alongside it. It's not easy being a Collector /Builder 🙄

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18 minutes ago, TonyW said:

That one captures the spirit of the original very well.

 

I'm going to need one of these, for continuity's sake you understand. And an unbuilt one to sit alongside it. It's not easy being a Collector /Builder 🙄

Thanks TonyW,

 

I understand the need to have completion of the various issues. I am unsure if this was available separately from the 1/48 F-22 Spitfire kit I got my example with. 

 

Cheers Greg 

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