ROYAL AIR FARCE: Spitfire

Friday, 14 March 2008

AIRFIX ART ( 1 ) First Spitfire Kit

Airfix is THE UK manufacturer of plastic scale model kits, mainly of aircraft and military interests in 1/72 scale.
In Britain, the name Airfix is synonymous with the hobby, a plastic model of this type is often simply referred to as "an airfix" even if made by another manufacturer. It's only serious rivals was Revel.

Airfix was founded in 1939 by a Hungarian businessman Nicholas Kove, initially manufacturing rubber inflatable toys. He selected the brand name Airfix to be first alphabetically in any toy catalogue.
In 1947, Airfix introduced injection moulding, initially producing pocket combs. In 1949, it was commissioned to create a promotional model of a Ferguson tractor.

The model was initially moulded in cellulose acetate plastic and hand assembled for distribution to Ferguson sales representatives. To increase sales and lower productions costs, the model was sold in kit form by F. W. Woolworth's retail stores.

In 1952 the first Airfix kit, the Golden Hind, Francis Drake's flagship, on sale in Woolworths, for two shillings

In 1953 the All-time Airfix best-seller released - the "two-bob" Spitfire kit- a 1/72 scale replica 21-part bagged model in light blue plastic, with instructions, and a childhood legend was born.
By the 1960s-1970s the range expanded to include figures, trains, ships, cars and more. Sales ran into millions!

For more loving info and photos on original kits and boxes by Airfix afectionados fly to http://pws.prserv.net/gbinet.dbjames/kits.htm

In 2003, Airfix celebrated the "50th" anniversary of its first aircraft kit, the Supermarine Spitfire. The celebration was actually two years early due to an incorrect 1953 date commonly accepted at the time.

This series of blogs "Airfix Art" is dedicated to the childhood memories of every young boy of a certain age...

Friday, 29 February 2008

SPITFIRE ( 6 ) Bouncing Czech

Painting of TE566 Spitfire in Czech colours by Todd Ferris.

20,351 were built between 1938–1948
If you were to write a "Czech" for one in 1939 it would have cost you £12,604

AIRCRAFT MOVIE POSTERS ( 2 ) Spitfire!

Tally Ho!
A brief spot of intel on these posters.

They're all actually the same motion picture, "First of the Few" a cheery British flag waver from the dark days of 1942.
"Spitfire" was it's title in the USA & Sweden, Finland, etc (not Germany,however...).

Leslie Howard, a top heroic star at the time had his best ever role playing RJ Mitchell, the inventor of the world's greatest fighter plane, the Spitfire.
Tragically, it would be Leslie's last film as he was killed a year later when the Germans shot down his unarmed transport plane.