Airfix Blisters – Introduction

Airfix Kits

When considering which range should be the subject of this, my 13^th (and probably final in this form) set of fighting toy stories, there was really no contest. When I was young, I was an Airfix Boy. Their kits were everywhere, and for many years I didn’t even realise that other makers existed! They dominated the market in the UK, and created hundreds, if not thousands, of kits covering a wide range of military, transport and other subjects, as well as ranges of soft plastic soldiers (see here for the very popular 1:32 range). So, Airfix it had to be.

Skybirds – Distinctiveness

Innovation

Successful toy ranges often need a USP – a Unique Selling Point, that makes buyers turn to their product over the competition. So, what was distinctive about the Skybirds range? Up front I’ll claim that they created a new type of aircraft kit, quite unlike most of their competitors, that had a unique appeal. Let’s look into this assertion by getting familiar with an important RAF warplane of the 1930s, the Hawker Hart.

Matchbox Skybusters – Accuracy

Accuracy

How far models faithfully reproduce a subject is a frequently discussed topic in the pages of FTS. Is a model accurate? It might seem a little heavy-handed to make this enquiry of cheap toys like the Skybusters range, but unless you examine the question, it’s difficult to form an opinion on their value. So, let’s dive in (pun intended) by assessing the Skybuster miniature of the German wartime bomber, the Ju 87 ‘Stuka’.

Skybirds – Identification

Skybirds

As you might expect, Skybirds tend to be rare nowadays, especially if you want one in good condition. Moreover, most Skybirds kits were assembled by relatively unskilled hands (sometimes by children) to varying qualities. And if the constructed models are hard to find, unmade kits are as rare as hens teeth! Most of the time, therefore, the collector has to be content with constructed models of indifferent quality.

This, in turn, prompts a question: how do you know if the models you possess are by Skybirds, and not another make? The name is often applied to wooden models of that era as a sort of catch-all description, but without cast-iron provenance or the original packaging, how can you be sure? To illustrate the problem, let’s take a look at a famous warplane of the Great War, the S.E.5.

Skybirds – Introduction

Skybirds

With Skybirds, we jump back to the 1930s, and what many consider to be the birth of aircraft kits. Yes, we are going vintage!

‘Skybirds’ was the name given to a range of aircraft kits produced by A.J.Holladay during 1932-46, with a hiatus from 1942-45 as materials were reserved for the war effort. The range was the brainchild of J.H.Stevens, a young designer and artist who designed them, drew the plans and illustrations, and wrote extensively on the subject of flight and aircraft. He has been credited with inventing, or at least establishing, the 1:72 scale which has been the mainstay of aircraft kits ever since (there will be more on this subject in a later story).

Matchbox Skybusters – Introduction

Matchbox Aircraft

In 1973, Matchbox introduced two new ranges of aircraft to the market. The first has already been covered in these pages – plastic construction kits. The second was a range of diecast models, the Skybusters.

Dinky Aircraft – Big Planes

The Big Planes

The last of the roughly 1:200 series of aircraft models that we have so far been examining was produced in 1960, and the range fairly quickly faded out of production. But after a short hiatus, the first new aircraft of what is generally called the Big Planes range was released in 1965, and this was followed over the next 10 years by another 15 models.