In my very early teens, I asked for the Airfix 1:24 scale Spitfire Mk.l for Christmas. This was without a question the wonder kit of its day. It was released in 1970, followed by a 1:24 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109 E, a Ju 87 B Stuka and a Hawker Hurricane. A 1:24 scale Hawker Harrier joined this large-scale lineup too. These kits boasted accurate outlines and admirably restrained recessed surface detail. Instructions were comprehensive and the boxes were adorned with evocative artwork by the legendary Roy Cross. And of course, they were big! Yet in other ways, these kits were a product of their age. They were burdened with workable features, including retractable undercarriage and removable cowlings, which impinged somewhat on detail accuracy and scale. Detail was pretty basic too, especially in the Spitfire's engine bay and wheel wells. Even so, these kits loom large in the memories of those who built them in the 1970s or any of the subsequent decades in which they have been regularly re-released. During 2009, Airfix breathed new life into their 1:24 scale series with a very nice Mosquito - long rumoured and well received. This was a major improvement over the original releases, but still looked like a scaled-up model in some areas. The brand new 1:24 scale Hawker Typhoon Mk.lb stands apart from all those that have gone before it. This model radiates quality. Surface texture is positively daring with its rippled oilcan effect and the combination of raised and recessed rivets. Detail is dense, just as it was on the original aircraft. In fact, this kit conveys the rugged core of this aircraft so completely that there is very little to add.
No comments:
Post a Comment