Random thought: I love Matchbox kits. What's your nostalgic favorite and why?

[tigercat2]

I think MatchBox kits are great; easy to build and accurate enought for me.  Once built, I can then do what I really enjoy; paint and decals.  Plus, they have some kits that are not available anywhere else, like the T-2, IIRC. (perfect for What Ifs).


Wes W.

[Weaver]

never really had an 'got caught up in a bomb explosion' happen to me, but i did have a
very close shave once. some people will remember the ladbroke grove rail disaster a few
years back. a few days before the tragedy, i had a ride from paddington to west drayton
[for TAHS] in the DMU that was involved in the collision. haven't used paddington station
since, its too scary to do so.

The night of the King's Cross tube fire, I was on one of the trains that passed through the station's lowest levels and disgorged people who walked upwards to their deaths. The group of people I was with were debating whether to get off at King's Cross or not, and only decided against it on a whim at the last minute....

The next morning I walked down into a tube station (I forget which one) where multiple stairways meet at an underground "plaza", and it was packed solid with people, shoulder-to-shoulder. I took one look at it, turned around and walked smartly out: the only panic attack I've ever had in my life.

[Radish]

Matchbox kits I have loved are:

Hawker Fury Biplane
Gloster Gladiator
Vickers Wellington
Bristol Beaufighter

I built a VEB Be-6 last year, for BIGGLES and did it as a non-specific "Shorts Flying Boat"...

[pyro-manic]

That's a beauty, Radish! Do you (or anyone else) have any more photos?

[PR19_Kit]

Love that Beriev!

Looks like a version of the Mariner that wasn't properly documented anywhere, magic. 

[Cliffy B]

Looking back at all of the models I built as a kid I'd have to say my first ship model was my favorite.  I'd won an Airfix 1/48 B-24 at school in 5th grade in a raffle and that started it all.  What a mess I made of it, used the better part of a tube of Testor's glue on it    After a better attempt at an old Revell 1/48 F-16 my Dad surprised me for my Birthday with Revell's 1/426 USS Arizona complete with more glue, some brushes and PAINT!!!!  Up until then I hadn't painted anything before and what a fun time I had with that ship.  I still remember the nights I spent in the garage working on it.  That simple little gift spurred a lifelong love affair with model ships and I'll always remember it above all else.  I still have it too!  Since then I've gotten back into planes but ships are still my favorite and I have my Dad to thank for that 

[upnorth]

I actually got my hands on quite a few Airfix and Matchbox kits when I was a kid getting into the hobby in Canada in the early 80s.

My top sentimental favorite kit is Airfix's 1/72 F-86D Sabre. I built it more times than I recall and it was the one model kit that was always good to me and never gave me headaches. If the moulds are still around, I very much wish Airfix would reissue that one.

The Matchbox DeHavilland Twin Otter and F-101 Voodoo were also favorites as there were Canadian marking options in them. I grew up where Twin Otters were based at the time, so I got to see them fly over all the time and got rides in them a couple of times.

[Mossie]

I had a few Matchbox kits as a kid, two that I can remember as defintately being Matchbox were an F-16 & Hawk 200.  The F-16 was okay, I did it in Thunderbirds colours but I really liked the Hawk 200.  I always had an eye for anything out of the ordinary & the Hawk 200 had only just flown recentley.  I picked up an Italeri MiG-37 for exactly the same reason.  Did it oob in the black scheme & I was quite chuffed with it.

One great thing about Matchbox kits was that they were readilly available in newsagents, I only had to venture into the next town on my bike to get hold of them.  These days models are only stocked in specialist outlets, I'd have had to get into into Hull & that would have never have happened with a Dad working shifts & a Mum who didn't drive.

[Nick]

I think my first kit was a Gloster Gladiator, probably Airfix. Matchbox kits are so much more tactile with the chunky feel and actual weight to the built model.
Pretty sure my first few kits were the 'Giftsets' with mini pots of paint and a cheapo brush!

My sister was in London with friends in 1981 and thought about going to a Wimpy for lunch but decided it was too busy. They walked on to a McDonalds further on. Later that day a Police officer was killed defusing a bomb in that Wimpy.
My cousin was on the Tube train at Aldgate on 7/7. He moved carriages because he felt uncomfortable and survived.

[rickshaw]

I cannot remember what my first kit was.  I was heavily into wargaming in my youth.  Loads of Airfix vehicles, then Fujimi and Hasegawa and then Matchbox.   Each new release was awaited eagerly.  Then I joined the army and all that was pushed to the back.  Went to Uni, did a Master of Defence Studies.  I'm slowly getting back into modelling.   I used to enjoy building Matchbox kits.  They were as far as I could tell, reasonably accurate and went together well.  I used to build some aircraft.  I remember the A-4, the F-4 Phantom, some WWII aircraft.  I'm surprised at the price they fetch nowadays.

[ChrisF]

I made three matchbox kits... all from the multicoloured days... A Hawker Hurricane IID, a Spitfire, and two tanks, One russian and one german... I still have no idea what ones they were.. The german tank came in great use later on in the hobby when i discovered the dark art of drybrushing and needed something to practice on... It came out awesome !   

[lancer]

I grew up on a steady diet of airfix and matchbox kits when I was younger. The local newsagent used to sell them in large quantities. Most of my paper round money would be spent on various kits when I got paid on a Saturday morning! 

[beowulf]

im a born again modeller.....took it up again about 3 years ago after a 30 year layoff

when i was growing up it was a very steady diet of Airfix since thats all the local newsagent had.........stuff like revell and frog was almost exotic  ...then along came matchbox and it was like a breath of fresh air..............one i remember the most was the f86a with the dragon decals.........the F4k......and strangly enough, the Siskin

[NARSES2]

and strangly enough, the Siskin

Nothing strange about that. Just good taste  All their biplanes were fantastic kits, they even "solved" the strut fixing problems normally associated with the types, especially by younger (and some older  ) hands, with their "connected pairings" that fitted into the slots.

Currently have a Siskin in mid build that will be Imperial Austrian AF.

[Spey_Phantom]

i love ey'old matchbox kits to, i build quite a few myself.
maybe we should have an "I Love Matchbox" Group Build, based on the same GB we did with airfix kits some time ago  

i did build the SA365 Dauphin (revell re-box of matchbox) and the gloster gladiator mk1 isnt bad either.
but my favorite has to be the 1/72 Sea Harrier FRS1, although the sidewinder missiles look like crap, the kit (besides having no cockpit detail) is pretty well detailed externaly