Hi all,
I have just picked up at a flea market a Matchbox 1/32 bf 109E-3 kit. I was wondering if anyone here can tell me anything about the Matchbox kits. How are they for fit and detailing etc…
The box is dated 1983. What time frame did Matchbox make kits? Just by looking at it, it seems to be a decent kit and looks like it is going to be fun to build.
I will be doing some searching around but does anyone know if there are any good aftermarket sets that would fit this model - reisin or photo-etch?
Also - the decals look pretty bad. The sheet of decals is all there but it is all kind of wrinkly and curled and rolled up on the sides. Should I trust the decals or would it be better to get a new set?
Thanks all,
Wayne
[8D]
Matchbox haydays were in the 70s, when they flooded the market with cheap and cheerful kits, marketed in colourful boxes and with sprues molded in various colours. I have fond memories of the Matchbox kits, as I must have gone through the whole catalogue at one time or another when I was new to the hobby. In particular, their small scale AFV series was cool because they were simple yet quite detailled and featured a little base to put the model on. Their biplanes in 1/72 are probably their best kits ever. For the other aircraft, they were renowned too for the trenches that served as panel lines, but having said that, they must have been the first manufacturer to introduce recessed panel lines…! The rest is history as they say!
Honestly, I’ve never purchased nor built any of their larger scale aircraft. I know the Tiger Moth was well spoken of, that the Dauntless could have benefitted from better details. I’m 100% sure that the Me-109 from Hasegawa is better, but then it’s also 5 times more expensive I guess. Armed with patience and good reference books, I’m sure the Matchbox kit can be turned into a great-looking model! Go for it!
I have a few and I find them fairly decent kits for their time period. A little heavy-handed in the details, if I recall. A friend of mine refers to whoever did the engraved panel lines as “the trench digger.” [:D]
built it many years ago, i remeber the kit i had was a bit warped in the fusalage but not un fixable some parts seemed thick to be scale but a good paint job hides alot. dont trust the old decals usually in my experience even if you get them to stick flat the glue is usually junk and turns them whitish id hunt for some after market ones and in 1/32 it shouldnt be hard to find (or go nutzo and by a model decal printer and make your own decals, pricey but man the results are great)