I think MPC was set up to market Airfix kits, and never had molds to swap. I can’t remember the details (and am at work without access to my references), but I think they were exclusively distributors of Airfix. Does anyone else know?
Every MPC aircraft kit I owned was an Airfix kit. I don’t think they had many, if any, original aircraft kits. I believe they actually started off as USAirfix… could be mistaken though.
Fade to Black…
Matchbox rule! simply because they remind me of a less complicated era of my life, being a kid and flying and fighting in whatever aircraft I’d built at the time.
they are a good basis for inflicting yous skills on, and for the money they couldn’t be beat, their kits were in some respects, the best choice for certain subjects. like the gnat, 2 on the market, airfix and Matchbox. the airfix i wouldn’t even look at once, let alone twice but the matchbox. with a little work can be a great little model, the afforementioned Beaufighter, when released it was the best on the market. as said before, they also did subjects that no one else would touch. good on em i’d say.
Greg
For the price, I don’t see how you can go wrong with them.
I built their little F-14 Tomcat, and I liked it. Simple and rugged.
I mean, besides the idiotic accuracy police you tend to get at some of these websites, how many people are going to come over to your house, come in, and say “Eeeeeeewwwwwww- that looks like a yucky Matchbox kit”?
All I would say to any of them is “Lets see you do better for the price”, or “If you buy the kit, and pay for the finished product, I willmake it any way you want”.
Remember: “The people that matter usually don’t mind, the people who mind usually don’t matter”
Tom [C):-)]
Matchbox kits were especially good for biplanes.They were easily buildable because of the way the struts were arranged.By comparisom with Airfix at the time ,they were a breath of fresh air.Their Beaufighter was streets ahead of the Airfix one.I didn’t go much on the bright colours.I was told by someone who worked for them that the moulds for the kits were made by the same tool makers who made the die cast cars, and they used the same techniques for panel lines ,which accounts for the deep grooves. Not hi-tec,not high detail ,but value for money and sadly missed.
yes, I miss them being in model shops too…especially considering there’s still plenty of other old kits being sold today from airfix, monogram etc which have been around for ages as well! The panel lines/grooves anecdote doesn’t surprise me either [:)]
Matchbox,Airfix,Aurora and Starfix was born when modelling was a sculpted piece of wood!
Many modellers started their first steps with those kits.
When those kits first appear,the only tools was a knife and some types of glue that sticks in your hands!.Even Airfix and later Humbrol paints are not easy to find.
I remember myshelf in my first painted kits,with acrylic plastic paints from the ones that my dad uses to paint our house…
For many ages those kits are the only path.
Japanese companies were born many years later.
And finally many kits are the only ones in the game.
At today standards,yes its too simple but…
I was in the Aviation Hobby Shop in London on wednesday.
They had recently found a stash of matchbox kits, including their F14 which I coveted as a kid.
By current standards, it is not a good kit, and I have no problem in saying that.
As a kid I thought they rocked!
I see people trash Airfix and matchbox in the same breath as they praise Revell and Monogram junk like the 48th Hurricane.
While in the hobby shop I looked at 2 72nd scale F14 kits by Hasegawa .
One was a new mould but the other was their 1970’s release.
Both were the same price.
We have an old saying - sold a pig in a poke.
This applies to manufacturers that sell old sub standard kits as new releases.
Revell are doing this with the old matchbox kits.
These kits were marketed as new kits by revell.
This is wrong and missleading and must be stopped.
Matchbox kits are brill!I started on them,the 2 seater Lightning was a favorite.
Easy to build & i fought a few wars as a kid with a matchbox kit.
(and a lot of the ‘plane’ models used for instructor duties were matchbox!)
Merv
have made several matchbox kits particularly like their halifax. makes such a differance from the usuall b3. also several of their moulds have been rereleased under the revell andmodelcraft label
I took delivery of 14 Matchbox kits last week.
Great fun and very easy to build!
cheers
Mike
Oggy You were less than half a mile from my desk on Wednesday!!!
TAHS is my LHS, has been since it opened way back when.
I’ll have to drop in and take a look at what Matchbox kits they’ve unearthed. I wouldn’t mind having another go at their Ju188.
Spike I used to buy a Matchbox kit every week with my pocket money. Ended up with quite a selection in my little personal airforce!!!
I still miss Matchbox, especially their little Tunnan.
Karl
swanny is working on a couple of matchbox Do-18’s at the moment, hope mine turn out as good when I get around to making them [8D] good stuff!!