The worst box art

[Alvis 3.14159]

When Monogram did the Battlestar Galactica back in the late 70s, the boxart actually kept me from buying to kit. It wasn't until I saw one built up that I realised the kit was not as bad as shown  on the box.


Alvis Pi

[ChernayaAkula]

My "favourite" worst box art is the newer version of the Airfix Su-27 Flanker:



Yuk! And it's a shame, really, as the kit is still the most accurate 1/72 rendition in terms of shape. The older box art, with two Flankers climbing steeply and banking away from the camera, was much better.

At the end of the range we have Mastercraft, who have fantastic paintings on the box, but mostly sub-par kits in them. 

[Mick Keenan]

I had to google the "infamous" Airfix Buccaneer box art, when I seen it laughed and just to post it here just to show people who never seen it before.

[ChernayaAkula]

^ Whoa! Cool! But that's not really a whif, is it? That's a well-documented historical event. Hollywood even made a film about it. Only they used, of course (because it's Hollywood), a US Navy carrier. Think the name was "The Final Countdown" or somesuch. And they used Tomacts instead of Buccs.

 

[kitnut617]

I had to google the "infamous" Airfix Buccaneer box art, when I seen it laughed and just to post it here just to show people who never seen it before.

I've got that boxing ----- 

[raafif]

I built that kit when I was um ... 10 !

Check out the price -- $39-99 -- cheap !!!!  The Airfix 1/72nd Pucara goes for $60.00 in my local "hobby shop".

[McGreig]

Not the worst box top ever, just odd. This is the starter set version of the Airfix Spitfire Mk.V, but for some reason it has been depicted with a very prominent four bladed propellor.

Otherwise, it's not too bad as new Airfix box tops go. While the new red boxes are sturdy, stylish and eye-catching, the actual artwork itself is generally unappealing (well, it is to me, anyway ) There are some exceptions but too many are flat, unrealistic, dark, computer generated and look like a screen grab from a video game. Look at the MiG-15 (dull grey aircraft flying over dull grey landscape), the gift set Yak-9 (dull green/brown aircraft with little colour contrast), the AEW Sea King (flat, dull blue-grey aircraft against a flat, dull blue-grey sky) or the smooth, flat, unreal looking Bv-141. Bring back Roy Cross!!!

[puddingwrestler]

It's quite possible there was a legal trades discription act sorta reason to use photos on boxes, but I much prefer box art on top, and photos of contents on the side. That way you get the advertising impact of box art, but still get to see the model built up. Particularly importanty with car models as they often contain optional parts - you need the photos on the side to get an idea of what the optional parts look like. Okay, older custom parts including kits (AMT's Trohpy Series) had paintings on the boxes, and paintings of the parts which is just as good.
Speaking of, there was nothing technically wrong with the AMT Trophy seires boxes (they were pretty damn good actually!) but I always found the full custom cars depicted on the boxes so tastless and over the top that they kinda put me off a bit. Of course I was not even born at the time, but I've seen reproductions.


The bizzare 'Stylized' T-Bird gets all the glory whiel managing to look like some sort of guppy/e-type hybrid, leaving the stock model very little space...

There's a much better example where the custom version has a half-landau town-car style roof, huge side pipes and is painted bright blue with flames, but I can't find it or remember what the car was...

[Weaver]

What gets me is the way some companies, Airfix and Revell in particular, go to all the trouble of printing a very nice colour box and then waste some or all of the back of it with an advert for a random 5% of the rest of their kit range. The only time you're actually looking at the back of the box is when your standing in a hobby shop, so the rest of the range are there on the shelf in front of you, selling themselves. Why not use the back of the box I'm holding to tell me more about the contents, since I've already shown enough interest to pick it up...

Personally, I like the old Frog principle, which Airfix have followed to an extent with some of their new boxes. Make the box a lid-and-tray design, use the coloured sides and bottom of the tray for useful information like colour schemes, and print all the legal BS on the insides of the box, thereby reducing the size and cost of the instruction sheet.

[rickshaw]

I must admit I used to like the Matchbox boxes, with the colour schemes and markings printed, in colour on the back of the box.

[pyro-manic]

Italeri do that quite a bit, and I've bought a few short-run kits recently that have had the same. AZ Models and RS Models kits of the Spitfire 18 and Avia 135 respectively.

The new Airfix art is quite his-and-miss IMO - some are great, like the new Hurricanes, and some are awful, like the Yak 9, Fairey Battle etc. The CG style seems to either work well or look dreadful.

[Maverick]

I have to agree with Rick.  It's all well and good having a national marking on the boxtop to suggest the available decals (eg: Airfix), but I much prefer the old Matchbox & newer AZ style that gives you those options in colour on the back.  Mind you, at least there are options, unlike some newer kits that have only the one option entirely.

Regards,

Mav

[Fulcrum]

Hobbycraft Canada's box art was quite dire stuff through the 80s:

Judging by the picture, it looked like the RAF Jaguar was on a mission over Tronland

[puddingwrestler]

Nonesense! That's an old lego Space box!

For years every Lego space range had those grids in the background.

[Weaver]

Otherwise, it's not too bad as new Airfix box tops go. While the new red boxes are sturdy, stylish and eye-catching, the actual artwork itself is generally unappealing (well, it is to me, anyway ) There are some exceptions but too many are flat, unrealistic, dark, computer generated and look like a screen grab from a video game.

That might be exactly the point for a younger audience, of course: for many, the only place they've ever seen the things in in a flight sim....