So what makes a 'Classic' kit?

[Bruce Leyland-jones]

I read of many modellers wanting old kits re-issued, perhaps with the Kit Starter scheme, simply because of nostalgia. Lots of the kits requested were (and are) absolute pants, in terms of build quality and accuracy, etc..

Many have long since been superceded by other manufacturers and some were even bettered by their cntemporaries, 'back in the day'. Examples could be the FROG DH88 Comet and S-6B, both far better than the Airfix and both now much bettered by modern kits.

Nevertheless, some peoplpe still want to see these older kits in a new Airfix catalogue, in a new box.

 

I've also bought old kits, out of a sense of nostalgia and realised just how poor those kits not only are, but were. Many, with some modelling care and attention, can be brought up to scratch. Some, however, are beyond redemption.

 

For me then, a 'Classic' kit has to be at least 25 years old. It has to be basically accurate and, whilst fit does not have to be perfect, by any means, I like such a kit to be of reasonable fit and should not require me to invest heavily in filler. I can live with gimmicks and working feattures, especially if they don't make the model irretrievably toy-like.

Some such kits have been repeatedly re-issued over the last decades and many now present as very shoddy goods indeed, due to their tools effectively being worn out. For such kits, obtaining an original issue can be a revelation, as the detail is much sharper, there are less, if any, moulding defects to manage and fit is usually much improved.

 

Speaking of detail, good detail raises an old kit from run-of-the-mill, to true 'Classic'. The old Airfix Gladiator, with its moulded on head for internal detail, fails miserably. The old FROG is over-engineered, to a level of silliness, but the Heller remains a Classic and, I believe, only the new Airfix knocks it off the Number One spot...though the old Matchbox comes close.

 

So...for an example of what I believe to be a true Airfix Classic, I would suggest the Martin B-26 Marauder. Great fit throughout, accurate and amazing detail that, even today, can challenge its modern equivalents.

Aircrew are provided and, if you get an older edition, there's even a stand supplied, (though these are now readily available from the modern Airfix catalogue).

 

Another might be the Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle, which easily matches the modern Trumpeter kit.

 

What makes a Classic kit for you, then...and why?

 

Regards,

Bruce

[feanor]

Ayup...

 

A 'Classic Kit' is... Up to and Including the Kits I built when I first started building them. Like the GOOD OLD JE-J mk 9 spit. G-6 Me 109, The Lunar Module (Old jamaica choc for the gold foil) 1/32 figures like the Desert Rats and Afrika Corps, (all buried somewheres in an old garden) but moulded and cast in lead for posterity, the polythene AFV range, esp. the DUKW. Romans and Ancient Britons. Cutty Sark (the BIG one !) the Tiger tank in a Blister pack along with the Me 163. It doesnt have anything for me to do with fit, number of parts or even the box art. Its about a particular model that I can use to absolutely nail a moment in time that meant something to me.

[Braille Dave]

Now there's an interesting question....For me the kit that sticks in the mind was the B25 Mitchell- my first 'big' kit, after a succession of series 1 & 2 kits. The Hunter is another.

However, I would say that a classic kit should be the one that stands the test of time, that is still a good kit to make. The Matchbox Comet (IMO really captures the character of the vehicle), Gladiator and my current personal favourite, the Airfix refuelling set, are examples. But the Scammell, even with its rather overscale rivets, would be another. The Heller Vampire is another. Uniqueness, IMO is not a criteria, though- I've got an Aeroclub Venture T2- fairly unusual kit, but not exactly a good put-together.

From personal experience, though, very few Frog kits pass as 'classics'- Although the Shackleton is one that does. In fact, not a lot of kits from that era do, anyhow. 

All that being said, this concept is all a bit subjective anyway, because as feanor says, a lot has to do with the emotion of the moment.