Model Kits für beginners

[Kiteman]

My good lady was out shopping yesterday in one of those shops that sells everything. When she returned home she told me that she had bought a model aircraft. After staring at her in disbelief she pulled out of her shopping bag this kit. I was dumfounded as you can imagine. She informed me that there were several aircraft to choose from and a helicopter, but she liked the look of this one. Of course it happened to be a Spitfire, and she said that she had bought it just to annoy Wizzel. So i checked out the kit. It is from Grafix (which I have never heard of) and is about as simple as you can get. Great for kids and beginners.
The model portrait on the box bears no resemblence to the actual model but never mind. According to the box the scale is 1:100 but having had the thing in my hand it is more like 1:50. It`s a touch smaller than the 1:48 Spitfire that I have build. The mouldings are good for the price with virtually no flash. The model comes complete with the 4 Basic colours that you need and a piant brush. A perfect starter pack less glue, water and a piece of rag.
I find that it is a good size for kids and would be perfect for a make and take. There are no clear parts to mess up and the cockpit canopy is moulded and must be painted on.
The best news is that this range of models sells over here for 1,89 Euros (thats about 1,50 pounds in old money). Now that is good value dont you think. Comments welcome.



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[zak]

Looks great value for money.
You really can't go wrong at that price can you.

[Bigkev]

Cheap as Chips!!

Look hard at those instructions though. The wings are shown back to front!!

A good start point for Kids or Adults that have not grown up!

Bigkev

[Kiteman]

How right you are, I hadn`t noticed that. Well spotted!

[zak]

Eagle eyed Kevin strikes again!

[Wizzel]

Doesn't matter which way round you put the wings on, it still shot down less aircraft than the Hurricane in the Battle of Britain! 

[zak]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.............temper, temper - we do have spitfire lovers in the club you know.

[Bigkev]

Aaaaah that's very true Wizzel, but it looked a lot prettier didn't it?
Bigkev 

[Wizzel]

Oh yes, I won't deny its looks - but Kiteman would never have forgiven me if I hadn't responded in some way or other.  What a good price though, to get a youngster interested in modelling.  A lot easier than in my day - my first kit was a Matchbox Mig21 and 2 tubes of glue!

[Bigkev]

Mine was a an Airfix Sopwith Camel in 1/72.

I painted it a beautiful Gloss French Blue. I got a bit better in about 45 years!

Bigkev

[zak]

That would be a great theme - your first kit.
I have no idea what mine was, but in those days the glue seemed to go everywhere, things have certainly improved.

[Wizzel]

Duly noted for the newsletter.  At the risk of spoiling my story, my mate, Andrew Clark, used to come round after school for about a week after it was made to help me paint it.  The only thing I had was my box of water colours and it must have been about 1/4" thicker all round by the time we had got the paint to take.  As I recall, it was a real mix of all colours and my Dad was very diplomatic, telling me it looked dead realistic with all the different colours "mingled together, just like the real thing".  I dressed it in the Czech markings.

[Kiteman]

As I remember my first kit was a Bristol Beufort, or so it said on the bit of card attached to the plastic bag. I do remember that the Propeller was supposed to rotate but with the amount of glue I had used there was no chance of that. back then the glue came in a "toothpaste" type tube and we never considered applying the glue with a stick or whatever, and with the orafice of the tube being about an eighth of an inch or more in diamenter there was no other choice than to use too much glue, and no way of controlling where it went. I also have fond memories of my fingerprint being etched into the sides of the fuselage and wing surfaces where I held the bits together with glue on my fingers. Oh those were the days!!

[zak]

I ssem to remember spending a lot of time painting those small Airfix soldiers, then the paint would come off as soon as you handled them.

[Haddock]

            Back in the days of wooden ships and iron men, we used to stick 'em together with boiled 'orses 'ooves.