Me-163, bagged airfix

[sandiego89]

I needed some easy (famous last words) kits after the Frog Shackleton gave me fits. 

Looking at my bagged Me-163, Mig-15 and a Heller F-84.

First up, bagged Airfix Me-163.  Scheme undecided, likely a captured test bird. 

I'm a sucker for these old cheap kits, perhaps a few of my UK friends may have had some excitement walking to the corner drug store for these bagged kits...."please mom".  They seemed rare in the USA.   









Thats better, maybe 30 minutes on assembly and putty. 



   

[PR19_Kit]

I've still got some of those 'old bagged kits' in The Loft. Not too many now, just a few.

[The Wooksta!]

I've never had one. It was always supposed to have been a nice enough kit, just overshadowed by the superior Heller one released around the same time (better cockpit interior and it comes with the specialised recovery tractor).  I don't think it's been seen as a kit since before Airfix were bought by Humbrol in 1986/87.

Most 1970s Airfix tooling were decent enough kits that are still decent builds now. 

Oddly, there's only been four mainstream injection Komets over the years (I can't count the Condor/Special Hobby Me 163A, Me 163S or Pavla Me 163S kits as mainstream).  Lindberg's is very old and rivetty, plus they measured up a Japanese Shusui at a museum in California so theirs was never yer actual Komet.

[Rheged]

I had one of the bagged / bubble pack Airfix kits aeons ago, which I built probably in the ? early 1970's ? as a Soviet  trials aircraft.  It's long gone now.


More recently . when Lindberg kits were being sold off  by ?B&M? at £1 a box (2 kits in one box)  I bought 4 boxes...........did I really need 8  163's?  As it turned out, yes I did.  One very wet Boxing day 7 or 8 years ago, I dug them out and the  whole family party (me, Madame R, older son and wife,  younger son ) were given one each  and the use  of the imperial spares box, Madame R's sewing and jewellery making scraps box  and a wide selection of paints.  The challenge was to " make something good"  by close of play on 27th December.  Daughter in law  won with a 163 looking like one of the more flamboyant Faberge eggs.    We decided that given Herman Goering's love of bling, this must have been his personal machine!    And I still have 3 163's to play with.

[The Wooksta!]

I travelled the length and breadth of the north east in 2016 when Home Bargains were doing similar with Airfix kits and cleared most the Spitfires.  I still have a good number in the loft...

[sandiego89]

Most 1970s Airfix tooling were decent enough kits that are still decent builds now.....

quote]/quote]

This 163 is quite nice, not huge detail, but that is fine for me in 1/72. Went together well. Nice kit

[frank2056]

The Airfix MiG-15 I had was the US Airfix boxing. It didn't really look like a MiG-15 and the raised panels lines were thick and tall.

[Gondor]

I remember the bagged Airfix kits in Woolworths once or maybe twice when I was very young in Faversham, the shop was just off the market square if I remember correctly.

Gondor

[Mossie]

I didn't know Airfix had done one.  Looks a reasonable kit for its age.

Oddly, there's only been four mainstream injection Komets over the years (I can't count the Condor/Special Hobby Me 163A, Me 163S or Pavla Me 163S kits as mainstream).  Lindberg's is very old and rivetty, plus they measured up a Japanese Shusui at a museum in California so theirs was never yer actual Komet.

I've got the Academy kit which you can build as a B or S and comes with the tractor. Nice kit, althoughI bought it as a parts donor for something else I've long forgotten about and I'm not sure what to do with it.

[sandiego89]

The Airfix MiG-15 I had was the US Airfix boxing. It didn't really look like a MiG-15 and the raised panels lines were thick and tall.

you are correct....

probably 6 inch panel lines in scale.....

[NARSES2]

I remember the bagged Airfix kits in Woolworths once or maybe twice when I was very young in Faversham, the shop was just off the market square if I remember correctly.

Gondor

Yup, memories of childhood. They cost 2/- and I got 2/6d pocket money. So one kit and a bar of Cadbury's every Saturday in Woollies 

[zenrat]

The blister pack 163 is ringing bells.

[The Wooksta!]

I didn't know Airfix had done one.  Looks a reasonable kit for its age.

Oddly, there's only been four mainstream injection Komets over the years (I can't count the Condor/Special Hobby Me 163A, Me 163S or Pavla Me 163S kits as mainstream).  Lindberg's is very old and rivetty, plus they measured up a Japanese Shusui at a museum in California so theirs was never yer actual Komet.

I've got the Academy kit which you can build as a B or S and comes with the tractor. Nice kit, althoughI bought it as a parts donor for something else I've long forgotten about and I'm not sure what to do with it.

Yeah, the Academy one is nice, but I always felt it was a copy of the Heller kit that had been given a makeover, much like the Tempest, Harvard/Texan and the Storch.  Still, it was a mainstream S, which had to be a good thing.  I have a Czechmaster one somewhere.

My count of the mainstream kits:
Lindberg
Airfix
Heller
Academy

Condor did an A, but the breakdown is suspiciously similar to a vac form, so I suspect that they used that as a master.  Both Pavla and MPM did the two seat S, with Special Hobby doing the C.