Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Mk1
“A walk down Memory Lane…”
There was a time when kids used to go out and play in the neighborhood (after having finished their homework, of course), coming back home by sunset, having beforehand meticulously cleaned all their small wounds after all that playing with the other kids, so they would not be told off by their parents.
When having free time at home and with the absence of computers, tablets, mobiles and the like, many of those imaginative, prolific youngsters would spend it on various “craft” attempts. One of them was plastic modeling, as the idea of making a scale replica of their beloved plane, armor or ship with their own hands was, simply, unbeatable.
Being a kid in the 70s, I was really fortunate to be introduced by my Parents to plastic modeling. If I recall well, my first kit was a 1/72 F-5E. I cannot remember the brand, but I cannot forget the shiny black styrene and the dual exhausts. And, of course, it was sold in a bag!
Needless to say, this kit (like all the others that followed) was impatiently put together in an afternoon with glue oozing from each seam, the goal being to fly it around the room in the evening and proudly show it to my friends the next day, hoping to make them jealous.
Those Were The Days, the days of the bagged kits hanging from the toy shops hangers, with us youngsters trying to peek through the transparent bags, in order to figure out the parts' layout. “Cannot see the canopy, but I'm sure it will be in, it has to be in - or it will be missing? Will the decals work? Last time they were a disaster! WIll I manage to save sufficient money, so Dad will cater for the rest?”
One thing was for sure: we would build a lot of models!
Yes, these times are long gone. We now live in the golden age of modeling, being able to obtain (albeit, usually, at a price) almost every kit we would have dreamt of back then. But don't a number of us miss those times…
As for the iconic Spitfire, little can be said that hasn't been said: highly maneuverable, particularly at low and medium speeds, featuring a high roll rate and being sufficiently armed, it exhibited exceptional agility in dogfights, making it a formidable opponent in close-quarters combat.
Airfix came in 1955 with their first 1/72 Spitfire which itself looked like a pantographed version of the 1954 Aurora 1/48 “British Spitfire”. That Airfix offering was molded in a lovely blue plastic and sold in a bag. Airfix decided to recreate it in 2003, by molding its 1979 Spitfire Mk1a tooling in the same blue styrene and using the same sort of package (in a bag, with the original header, having the instructions printed overleaf). Though to my understanding, it was also sold separately (also in other versions), the specific kit was part of the Airfix “100 Years of Flight Centenary Gift Set” that contained six planes.
Having this kit floating in the Airfix big gift box for a while, I decided to quick-build it as a stand model and send it as a Christmas gift to a beloved friend in France. Just for old times sake, I would opt for a look close to the drawing featured on the header, which depicts a gloss medium blue bird, featuring the fictitious codes “BT/K' and the equally fictitious RG904 serial number. To add to the nostalgia, I decided to hand paint it with the closest gloss blue Humbrol enamel shade, using a Humbrol Senator brush of course!
Should you wish to read the full build review, you may do so by visiting my beloved site Modelingmadness:
https://modelingmadness.com/review/allies/gb/spits/pen1.htm
Happy Modelling!
This definitely brings back memories, Spiros @fiveten
You did an amazing job on this oldie. Never saw mine ending up this nicely as yours.
Well done.
Thank you so much, my friend @johnb!
Very nice model & article… reminds me of my 1970s model experiences.
Thanks a lot, my friend @ssgt!
It looks extremely nice. Simple stuff is always difficult to do and you've pulled it off to perfection.
Thank you kindly, my friend @christopher!
Wow, what a lovely build, Spiros @fiveten. The Spit looks absolutely marvellous in blue, make sure to present it together with the cool cardboard cover!
And what you said regarding childhood is so true - i teach teenagers and all they do these days is stare into cellphone screens. They have become very unimaginative, for the large part. I feel bad for them. We played outside, glued Spits together and experienced the real world. I am glad i grew up in a world that was analogue.
Thanks so much, my friend @fxrob!
I also consider myself lucky that I grew up in an analogue world.
I agree with all the above,Spiros, a nice trip down Nostalgia Avenue.
Thank you kindly, my friend @chinesegeorge!
Well done, Spiros.
Despite the one color, it is very eye catching. Nice job on all!
Thank you very much, my friend @gwskat!
Great memories, Spiros. My dad got me started with Airfix kits as well, 1969. I remember the Val and Boomerang being the first two.
Thanks so much, my friend @j-healy! Great memories indeed!
For those of us from that early era, you express our sentiments very well. We share similar stories of our beginnings with our cherished hobby. I too enjoy building those early kits "one more time," and continue to hope that the early kits will be re-issued. When building one of them, there is a definite return of the pleasant emotions of those simpler times of childhood.
Absolutely, my friend @n81we293!
Love it!
Thanks a lot, my friend @butchbryan!
Your trip down memory lane resonated strongly with me. Fast builds were the order of the day, followed by running through the front yard with Spitfire held out “in flight.” Fortunately I did not have access to fast drying glue, so I could correct some of my mistakes. I love your retro build.
Thank you kindly, my friend @russjurco!
Beautiful job and great discussion of the joys of early modeling as a kid. I remember my first kit...the 1/48 Aurora "Me 109" in red translucent styrene. I built it in 1955 or 1956. And yes, glue was oozing out most of the seams.
Thank you so much, my friend @trod348! Glad my article brought some nice memories.
Although I am a few years older than you, Spiros @fiveten, you've perfectly described those halcyon days of youth, and also perfectly recreated an example of the simple builds you described so well! 👏 Thanks for the great memories and the nostalgic trip back in time!🙏🏻
Thank you so much for all kind words, my friend @garybrantley!
Those Were The Days!
This is fantastic Spiros! My first model was a US submarine from 1974 by Revell that my parents gave me 5.00 to buy when I was 7 years old, this has inspired me to do the same thing, now I need to find that kit!
Thanks a lot, my friend @rickschad! Hope you'll find your beloved Revell submarine!
Definitely took me back to my childhood, especially trips to the base exchange looking for what was new on the toy shelves, then spending Saturday morning out on the picnic table with friends (and glue, and paint, and...)
Absolutely, my friend @gkittinger!
love your work here Spiros buddy , memory lane is my buzz at the minute so I totally get it , it looks like were not on our own as well, what a level of response you got !
Thank you kindly, my friend @neil-foster!
No, we are not on our own!
This one brought a smile to my face. Great work, my friend.
Thanks a lot, my friend @vacrat!
I agree with all comments, this is simply beautiful, no need to take care about camouflage, weathering...lot of adult stuff, just simply joy of modelling.
This is how i started 🙂
Thank you for sharing this
Best regards
Djordje
Thank you kindly, my friend @djordjestarcevic!
Hi Spiros, your story is so recognizable!
As a kid I could spent hours in a toy shop deciding which bagged kit to choose.
If I remember well there was also FROG besides Airfix, but it had less quality kits.
The Spit looks fabulous on its transparent stand. Thanks for sharing your trip down memory lane!
Thank you so much, my friend @alfred!
Nostalgic to say the least, excellent narrative. Nicely done.
Thanks a lot, my friend @roofrat!
Great article, Spiros. There are a few kids in my neighborhood, but I've never seen them outdoors! I remember the days of shopping for the Monogram and Revell kits at the local dime store, I think I eventually had 70 models total, none of which survived my young adulthood. I've since rebuilt quite a few of them. Thanks for recalling those good memories!
Thank you kindly, my friend @robgenev665!
Yes Spiros, I had it exactly as you write. I will never forget my beginnings and the first model I ever built with the help of my father.
Thanks a lot, my friend @milantesar! Yes, those were the days!
Spiros @fiveten, this is an eye catching build to a very simplify approach on the build. Nicely done and beautiful!
Thanks a lot, my friend @v1pro!