Fantasy Airfix

A rainy afternoon, and I got thinking of what a turn-up it is to be getting the Airfix TSR-2 kit forty-odd years late. That got me thinking about the other kits Airfix never made…

TSR-2. 1/72nd scale Series 4 kit, issued in Type 3 box, 1965. Decals for RAF & RAAF machines. Classic piece of Roy Cross artwork depicted XR219 being put through it’s paces at a sunny Farnborough show. The kit gradually disappeared from the shelves in the late-sixties, leading to the urban myth that a drunken employee learned of the destruction of TSR-2 jigs and decided the Airfix moulds should suffer the same fate. For many years the kit (along with the SR-53 & Rotodyne) remained a poignant reminder of what-might-have-been for both the RAF and Airfix, until in early 2005 the missing moulds were re-discovered…

Vickers Viscount 800 series. 1/144th scale Skyking, Series 2, first issued in Type 2 box in 1957. Various BEA and later BA & BAF markings. A true airfix classic, and the only Skyking kit to remain in continuous production, until the moulds literally wore out in the late-nineties. Thought to have single-handedly spawned the after-market decal industry.

HMS Ark Royal (post-war). 1/600th scale, series 5. First issued in a type 2 box, 1961. Always one of the most popular warship kits, particularly during the tie-in with the BBC series “Sailor.” Many purists winced at the later title Ark Royal 4 given in a vain attempt to distinguish it from the later kit of the WW2 Ark (Ark Royal 3). Generally accurate, well-detailed kit spoiled for some by having the same aircraft as the HMS Victorious kit, although many modellers made passable Phantoms & Gannets from the Scimitar and Skyraider mouldings.

HS Andover C.1. 1/72nd scale, series 5, first issued in Type 3D box, 1971. Seen as a companion to the C-130K, but nowhere near as popular, especially after the type was prematurely withdrawn from the RAF, then the sole operator. The kit was also criticised for its flimsy working reproduction of the “kneeling” undercarriage, and the rear fuselage with loading ramp made it extremely difficult to convert to a civil HS748. Never re-issued after its withdrawal in 1982, and as such usually commands a high price on eBay.

Sir Winston Churchill. 1/12th scale, series 2 kit, first issued in type 3 box, 1965. Depicted the great man in wartime V-for-victory pose, complete with trademark cigar. First in a projected “Great Britons” series (other rumoured subjects included Shakespeare, Francis Drake, Brunel, and Lord Nelson, as well as re-issues of earlier historic figure kits) Release of the kit unfortunately coincided closely with Churchill’s death, and was thus unfairly criticised by some as “tacky.”

Re the forthcoming (for real) TSR-2 kit, I can’t help feeling sorry for those people desperately trying to flog their hitherto collectable vacform/resin kits. Saw a bloke on eBay a while ago asking £500 for a resin one. Hope no one takes this seriously and starts looking for the Andover or something.