thx6667 Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Long story short, while I can remember making Airfix, Revell and even Frog kits as a kid, for some reason Matchbox always stood out - probably because they were just coming onto the market as I was starting out and you could buy the Matchbox stuff in more places than other kits. Great box art, unusual subjects, choice of decals, two colour plastic, simple construction, cheap... what more could a 6 year old modeller want? I can remember being impressed by the pointy-fin Spitfire IX, the Yugoslav markings in the Fury, the choice of engines on the Tempest, the different noses on the Wellington etc, it was just such imaginative stuff. I think maybe we're getting a generation of 30 something modellers coming through who cut their teeth on Matchbox and who remember them as being great fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary West Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 No, that had to wait 'til my teenage years . Late developer then Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leigh Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Oh this is so cool thanks Jen, I'm so tempted to build a Matchbox out of the box with no paint. Anyways here's my contribution Tornado F.3 U.S.N. Aggressor Hawk 200 R.C.A.F. Buccaneer U.S.M.C.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorth Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 O.K. now this is just bringing back a flood of memories! I wish I had pics of some of my old Matchbox builds. Without a doubt, their 1/72 Canberra PR.9 is one of my all time favorite kits. I also have great memories of these other Matchbox gems (all 1/72): Saab SK37 Viggen Provost trainer BAC Lightning series Lysander Hawk 200 ME-109E Mirage III trainer Gloster Gladiator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desmojen Posted August 11, 2007 Author Share Posted August 11, 2007 Oh this is so cool thanks Jen, I'm so tempted to build a Matchbox out of the box with no paint.Anyways here's my contribution Tornado F.3 U.S.N. Aggressor Hawk 200 R.C.A.F. Buccaneer U.S.M.C.. Wow! That Buccaneer looks so right, who'd have thought it? Awesome stuff Leigh Jen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike7451 Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Wow! That Buccaneer looks so right, who'd have thought it? Awesome stuff Leigh Jen. Makes you wonder tho 'What if' the USN did'nt go with the Intruder & got the Bucc instead?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeew Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Wow! That Buccaneer looks so right, who'd have thought it? Awesome stuff Leigh Jen. Gotta agree with Jen on that, who'd have thought?? Looks the biz! I also grew up on Matchbox kits, always liked the P-51D Dooleybird, I think it was one of the first times I had come across a mustang without stas n bars. The 1/32 Dauntless holds a special place in my heart. I built it when I was just 14 years old and one 1st prize at Southern Expo in the junior awards. I still have the kit and trophy in my parents house in their display cabinet with a photo of me with the trophy and the model that was in my local paper after my proud parents phoned the editor and told them about my winning at a model competition. I'll try and get some piccies of it for this thread at sometime in the near future. Meanwhile here are a couple of my recent builds of Matchbox kits: - 1/72 Grumman Hellcat 1/72 Avro Lancaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandwagon 106 Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 (edited) I remember my Dads build of Dooleybird, I took a lot of convincing before I accepted that the Mustang was American, not British! I was also convinced that the Jaguar was a Vulcan. The things you do when your'e young! Dad built me some great models, nearly all of them were Matchbox. One of the first joint ventures we did was the Matchbox Tomcat, he did the painting, I did the decals, or transfers as we called them. Some of my all time favourites come from these kits we did when I as young, Tomcat, Phantom, Corsair(both types), Fighting Falcon, Starfighter, Skyhawk, Mustang, Spitfire....The list is very long, and its thanks to Matchbox. Talking of Matchbox Starfighters, there is a review on Modelling Madness from this last week, Dad did the RCAF version, but I always wondered what the other one as. It is a Luftwaffe G. Joel Edited August 11, 2007 by Bandagon 106 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leigh Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Wow! That Buccaneer looks so right, who'd have thought it? Awesome stuff Leigh Jen. Makes you wonder tho 'What if' the USN did'nt go with the Intruder & got the Bucc instead?? Be careful, the dark side is powerful, and may lead you you down the path of the "What If" world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hunter Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Wow! That Buccaneer looks so right, who'd have thought it? Awesome stuff Leigh Jen. Agreed, that Bucc looks so right ... very nice. Have any of the model sites ever done a "what if" group build? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike7451 Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Be careful, the dark side is powerful, and may lead you you down the path of the "What If" world. MMmmmm......... Group build anyone????? USAF Tornado's F3's..... USN Buccs...... USAF Lightning's...... Isreali Tornado GR4's......(That I like the sound of!!!! ) Royal Navy A-6 Intruders..... RAF F-15E Strike Eagles... Dont need the F-16,Done in Idependence Day!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA72 Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 (edited) Canberra's .............................yummeeeeeeee Built many a year ago - with Modeldecal's and scratchbuilt cockpit(s), PPAeroparts ladder (and yes, I know the canopy's fallen down!!!) Edited August 11, 2007 by Bill Clark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA72 Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 A Matchbox Victor K2....(Revell boxing) converted to an earlier "Blue Steel" B2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA72 Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 My only other "Matchbox" kit, a Victor K1, converted from the K2 with the help of Flightpath and Eurodecal.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike7451 Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Nice jobs Bill! Merv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorth Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Those Victors and the Canberra are real beauties! Love the Blue Steel Victor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmk.6john Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Some wonderfull builds there gents, I have a Matchbox T.55 Lightning on the bench at the moment, the biggest gripe I had with it though was that I had to ditch the wings as they just did not look right at all. A Revel kit was butchered for the wings and it's beggining to look real sweet!. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Have any of the model sites ever done a "what if" group build? We have them all the time on Whatifmodellers.com JASDF & USAF 60th Anniversary going on right now The ever popular 1 Week Group Build starts in 2 weeks time. As for Leigh's incredible Buccaneer, it was a GB winner (secret santa IIRC), but Leigh being the incredible guy that he is withdrew it as he felt it was won unfairly, being not strictly within the rules. Just to prove that honesty is its own reward, we had a re-vote and Leigh still won! An unbelievably gorgeous 43 squadron F-8 Crusader...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurent Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 My latest 'Matchbox' is... I wonder who modified Lesney's F-5A though. Lesney or Revell ? I've also done an A-4M, A-7D, P-40, Prowler, MiG-21 (the retooled one) since I got back to modelling. I'm currently working on a BAe Hawk and a Brit F-4 now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Love the Canberra Bill but as someone who eventually built this kit as 'in-flight' for a friend of my father's who used to work on them I have to ask, how on earth did you get the nose wheel to stay on the ground and detail the radar-operator's 'pit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overkiller Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Matchbox.... COOOOOOL One of my first kits as a child was the 1/72 Matchbox Mirage IIICZ, unpainted in SAAF markings. There was a small stationary goods store half an hours walk from my folks place in Alberton (a southern suburb of Johannesburg) that stocked loads of Matchbox kits. Every weekend I would make the trek down to the store to spend my pocket money on a kit, R2.50 (£0.25 in today's money) got you a basic 1/72 scale kit, the bigger subjects ran to R5.00 and the really big kits (Victor, Dauntless etc.) would cost up to R15.00. Absolute manna from heaven for a ten year old propeller head! I had loads of them built at one stage, buccaneer/mirage/B-25/RF-101/B-17G/Lightning.... Then I lost interest for a while, then discovered a hobby shop in Eastgate shopping centre (Think JO'burgs answer to the Trafford Centre or Blue Water) that stocked Monogram & hase kits and forgot all about Matchbox I stopped building altogether when I moved to the UK, until last year when I started again. I now have two Matchbox kits in the stash (a 1/72 TF-104C and a Canberra PR.9). Though basic both are nice little kits. I will do the Canberra straight OOB (perhaps with a few aftermarket bits to tart it up), the F-104 is going to be kitbashed into something a bit "different". All in all Matchbox kits were great value for money and covered some unusual subjects no-one else was covering. Cheers O.K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA72 Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Love the Canberra Bill but as someone who eventually built this kit as 'in-flight' for a friend of my father's who used to work on them I have to ask, how on earth did you get the nose wheel to stay on the ground and detail the radar-operator's 'pit? Thanks Col, I cheated! The nose cone actually came from the Italeri B57 - which in turn was used for my Airwaves B2 conversion. The front end of the nose is solid Milliput with some scraps of white metal added. The R-O screen was built flush onto this. The section aft of his bay, and below the pilots area is also solid Milliput. Additionally I have two white metal Aeroclub seats to help! I enjoyed building this kit, but theres a few inaccuracied that I never corrected- looking forward to getting it right later this year (In BOTH scales!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Some of mine As can be deduced by the topsoil in evidence, some of these are pretty old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedtaylor Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 some of my Matchbox models enjoy, hope you like them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Love that Puma Ted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now