Chocks away! Airfix’s Spitfire takes to the skies again.
Some people here need to get a grip - inflation people - twenty quid in 1975 is GBP161 today. IIRC 1/24th Scale cost about 15 - 20 odd quid when I was a kid (and was a once a year present at best). This idea of 'pocket money kits' is a bit deluded - what scale, what quality, what year...? Some of the cheap kits in Series 1 in the early Seventies were very basic with poor fit and little detail - not much like the kits of today.
'Pocket Money' kits is often a claim from people who don't realise how affluent they or their close relatives were.
'Pocket Money' kits is often a claim from people who don't realise how affluent they or their close relatives were.
Whereas a brand new MGB cost £1312 in 1973 - but you can't buy anything remotely like it for £13033 today! Similarly, a house which cost £36000 in 1983 cannot be bought today for £111824.
Inflationary price increases aren't always that straightforward!
Inflationary price increases aren't always that straightforward!
In the 1950s one kit maker (can't remember which) offered 1/72 kits of the Bristol Britannia and the DC-7 for 17/6 (seventeen shillings and sixpence), equivalent to approx £20 in today's devalued currency. Way beyond the pocket of most modellers in those days. IIRC these kits both included BOAC decals.
It was FROG and in 1/96th scale. As well as the DC-7C and Britannia, he other BOAC models they did at the time in the same scale were the Comet 4 and Boeing 707.
17/6 in 1955 would be £18.18 today....
17/6 in 1955 would be £18.18 today....
Gnome de PPRuNe
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https://www.kingkit.co.uk/product/fr...britannia-boac
https://www.kingkit.co.uk/product/fr...dc-7c-airliner
https://www.kingkit.co.uk/product/fr...met-4-jetliner
https://www.kingkit.co.uk/product/fr...ers-super-vc10
They haven't got the 707 but they do have a Caravelle. I recall my local bits'n'bobs shop sold Frog 1/72 kits rebadged as Novo for really silly money during a clearance sale when I was about 10, 20p each or something. I bought a few... wish I still had them unmade!
I also remember Chris Trace on Blue Peter with a 1/72 Gannet kit which he fitted with an electric motor for RTP; he actually got it to work!
Somewhere in my loft I have an unmade Airfix Chipmunk and Sea King and an unmade Italeri Airspeed Horsa in 1/72nd.
Guest
Some people here need to get a grip - inflation people - twenty quid in 1975 is GBP161 today. IIRC 1/24th Scale cost about 15 - 20 odd quid when I was a kid (and was a once a year present at best). This idea of 'pocket money kits' is a bit deluded - what scale, what quality, what year...? Some of the cheap kits in Series 1 in the early Seventies were very basic with poor fit and little detail - not much like the kits of today.
'Pocket Money' kits is often a claim from people who don't realise how affluent they or their close relatives were.
'Pocket Money' kits is often a claim from people who don't realise how affluent they or their close relatives were.
Guest
Also remember that plastic model building is much less common than it was in the 1950-60s. When I was a kid, almost all the other boys I knew built them, and seemingly every store sold plastic model kits (even the local drug store) - now days you seldom see them in anything other than a dedicated hobby shop (and at least around here, those are few and far between 
). Most of today's kids are far more interested in video games and the like than they are in building something with their hands. So despite the soaring population, the market for plastic model kits is much smaller - with young kids a small portion of that smaller market. Much of the interest now days is among adults - who are also looking for much better quality and detail than the 10-year-old who bought a simple to assemble kit 60 years ago.
More expensive to create and produce - with a smaller potential market means Airfix, etc. need to charge more for the end product to make a profit.
). Most of today's kids are far more interested in video games and the like than they are in building something with their hands. So despite the soaring population, the market for plastic model kits is much smaller - with young kids a small portion of that smaller market. Much of the interest now days is among adults - who are also looking for much better quality and detail than the 10-year-old who bought a simple to assemble kit 60 years ago.More expensive to create and produce - with a smaller potential market means Airfix, etc. need to charge more for the end product to make a profit.
When Tri-ang went broke in the early 70s a good number of the FROG moulds were sold to Russia and marketed as Novo.
I've still got a couple of boxed DH Hornets I paid 30p each for, the price stickers are still on the boxes.
Later they were more common in plastic bags with poor instructions and equally poor or missing decals. I think there are a few of those stashed away in a cupboard too.
I've still got a couple of boxed DH Hornets I paid 30p each for, the price stickers are still on the boxes.
Later they were more common in plastic bags with poor instructions and equally poor or missing decals. I think there are a few of those stashed away in a cupboard too.
Also remember that plastic model building is much less common than it was in the 1950-60s. When I was a kid, almost all the other boys I knew built them, and seemingly every store sold plastic model kits (even the local drug store) - now days you seldom see them in anything other than a dedicated hobby shop (and at least around here, those are few and far between ). Most of today's kids are far more interested in video games and the like than they are in building something with their hands. So despite the soaring population, the market for plastic model kits is much smaller - with young kids a small portion of that smaller market. Much of the interest now days is among adults - who are also looking for much better quality and detail than the 10-year-old who bought a simple to assemble kit 60 years ago.
More expensive to create and produce - with a smaller potential market means Airfix, etc. need to charge more for the end product to make a profit.
). Most of today's kids are far more interested in video games and the like than they are in building something with their hands. So despite the soaring population, the market for plastic model kits is much smaller - with young kids a small portion of that smaller market. Much of the interest now days is among adults - who are also looking for much better quality and detail than the 10-year-old who bought a simple to assemble kit 60 years ago.More expensive to create and produce - with a smaller potential market means Airfix, etc. need to charge more for the end product to make a profit.
The stuff now is often quite incredible in detail before people do after market stuff
I was much cheered when I asked my 14 year old grandson what he wanted for Christmas and he replied he'd like some money for a kit he's buying. I thought perhaps he'd seen the Spitfire but oh no it's an add-on for his (non-aviation) video gaming. Still at least he's building/assembling something, which is good news.
PLASMO
Anyone with an interest in plastic modelling at it's very best should have a look at the work of PLASMO on You Tube. This guy does time lapse video of his builds and has a cheery commentary explaining what he is doing, it's The Potters Wheel for the 21st century, enjoyable to watch and his final results are outstanding.
Anyone with an interest in plastic modelling at it's very best should have a look at the work of PLASMO on You Tube. This guy does time lapse video of his builds and has a cheery commentary explaining what he is doing, it's The Potters Wheel for the 21st century, enjoyable to watch and his final results are outstanding.
Frog Kits
When Tri-ang went broke in the early 70s a good number of the FROG moulds were sold to Russia and marketed as Novo.
I've still got a couple of boxed DH Hornets I paid 30p each for, the price stickers are still on the boxes.
Later they were more common in plastic bags with poor instructions and equally poor or missing decals. I think there are a few of those stashed away in a cupboard too.
I've still got a couple of boxed DH Hornets I paid 30p each for, the price stickers are still on the boxes.
Later they were more common in plastic bags with poor instructions and equally poor or missing decals. I think there are a few of those stashed away in a cupboard too.
Last edited by POBJOY; 3rd Dec 2022 at 21:46.
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. . . and had it been a Bf109, then the pilot would have been a little under an inch tall