Before I returned to miniature gaming I was doing a lot of model making. At one point I decided to run a project where I revisited the smaller scale Airfix models of my youth. I can't quite recall the inspiration, but part of it was about seeing what I could do using the modelling skills I had developed since.
I'd almost forgotten about the project, but recently I bought a new PC and was trawling through old files doing a bit of housekeeping. In the process I came across many of the photos I had taken. For some reason they are fairly low resolution, but at least they still exist, which is more than I can say for many of the models.
At the time, most of the kits I was making were in 1/35 scale. As modelling projects, they involved a considerable investment of time, often going to great lengths for the smallest details. I didn't log how much time I spent working on the 1/35 Tamiya Wespe below, but once started it was a slippery slope. Obsessive? What me?
Returning to a smaller scale required something of an adjustment. That said, I'm of the Airfix generation and so this was a labour of love, as much as a trip down memory lane. Nonetheless, it did involve some moments of sheer madness. What do I mean exactly? Well, how about this. Among other things, I completely rebuilt the rear engine deck of the Josef Stalin III.
I gave myself one rule for all of the kits - I had to do it with the materials that would have been available back then - every change or addition had to be scratch built, no use of after market parts (and as 3D printing, as we know it now, didn't exist, that was never even a consideration).
The vast majority of the work was carried out using plastic card, pieces of wire and Milliput. Old school models, done the old school way. Here's the Centurion prior to painting and you can see where I've made changes and additions.
I have to say, I really enjoyed the project. There was immense satisfaction in seeing what I could achieve with kits that held such fond memories for me. Even more so when I could recall how the younger me would have slapped each one together in an hour or so on the kitchen table, before daubing it with a cheap paintbrush using Humbrol enamels. Now, I have an airbrush.
The Crusader holds up very well, considering its age. Airfix had moved on quite a bit from the early kits like the Centurion and Josef Stalin and it shows. Nonetheless, there was more that could be done to embellish it with more detail.
As I wasn't playing miniature games at the time, these were never intended to be models for wargaming. This was purely an exercise in model making. With that in mind, I dedicated considerable time to it, with no need to worry about how delicate the smaller parts might be. While the additions were fairly minor, it gave me another chance to use my airbrush to apply a suitable colour scheme.
A crew figure from Milicast was the perfect accessory.
I ended up making a small diorama base for it. The burned out Panzer II is not from Airfix, but it's a very similar vintage. It's from Matchbox, a company that gave the Airfix kits of that era a good run for their money.
The Panzer II received the same treatment as the Airfix models. In this case I wanted all the hatches open. Although I suspect it was just an excuse to do more scratch building.
It was also an excuse to try out a few of the newer painting techniques for rusting and weathering.
The Airfix Matilda is another model that holds up very well. It had a very similar treatment to the Crusader.
Sticking with a North African theme, the Airfix Lee/Grant had a makeover as the Grant version.
The colour scheme was inspired by a visit to the Tank Museum at Bovington.
One of the criticisms of the Airfix Grant (and many other kits of the same tank) is the incorrect shape of the turret. I can't say I solved it correctly, but I tried to get the shape a little closer. As you can see in this Grant the turret is raised, where as the Airfix turret sits flat.
I tried to recreate that with bits from the spares box and some milliput.
Despite the warm, fuzzy glow of nostalgia, I have very mixed feelings about the Airfix Tiger I. I may have been only seven or eight years old when I first attempted making one and I seem to recall having terrible trouble with the interlocking wheels. It's not the best model and needs a bit of work, not least of which is trying to conceal the hideous rubber tracks. Unfortunately, as you can see, that's not entirely possible.
The mud/dust guards on the side were an attempt at concealment that was only partially successful. Ideally it's best photographed from a few discrete angles....
Now, if the Tiger had issues with the wheels, it was nothing compared to the Churchill. How we ever persisted with model making after tackling kits like those, I will never know. Ironically, many years later I discovered that the Churchill wheels are spaced perfectly on the sprue to attach to the chassis. Just glue them in place, wait for it to dry and then snip the whole lot off. I wish I'd known that when I was ten years old.
Wheel assembly aside, the main issue with the Churchill is that the turret shape is not quite correct for the MkVII, which is the mark this kit most resembles. That was rectified with a bit of Milliput.
Unlike the Churchill and Tiger, I've always had a soft spot for the Airfix Buffalo and jeep. I suspect that's partly because it was the nearest historical equivalent to Thunderbird 2. Both the jeep and LVT benefit from a bit of work.
As is so often the case, it's the tracks that let the model down. Here it is before those nasty bits of rubber were added.
Nonetheless, it's otherwise a very presentable piece when finished.
Other than a lack of rivets in some areas, the Airfix kit of the Mark I Male tank from the First World War is fairly decent and one of the few tanks where the tracks don't cause too much offence. I made a change to the exhaust on the roof and added rivets to the gun sponsons, but other than that, this comes up quite nicely with a decent paint job.
Another Matchbox kit to undergo the treatment was their Humber armoured car.
Originally, I painted it in colours for North Africa.
Years later I needed one for a game, so I hunted around and managed to find the old model. I gave it a refresh with new colours and decals for NW Europe. It's the only one of those kits that has had an extended life.
All in all, it was a very satisfying project. I suspect my younger self would be very pleased with where our hobby skills ended up.
The only other person I know who would have really enjoyed seeing these would have been my father. He ignited my interest in military modelling, wargaming and military history. Initially, I would choose an Airfix model and he would make it for me. I can still recall the day when I asked him to make me one and he said, no. I was probably about six or seven years old and was quite taken aback. He smiled and turned to me saying, 'I think this time, you should make this one'. The rest, as they say, is history.
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