Early Matchbox Gnat Boxing

[dr_gn]

Might be of interest to any nostalgia junkies: Picked this up at Cosford for the daughter (easy to build, one colour to paint). It wasn't until I tried to open the end of the box that I realised it was a very early top-opening box. Dated 1972, Matchbox kits first appeared on sale in 1973. These boxes lasted less than year before being replaced, initially by the end-opening with window style. The parts appear to have never been removed from their bag, but the plastic looks better quality than many kits (more opaque and harder, very similar to the even older Merit Alfa Romeo I've got in the stash):















Matchbox clearly took their multi-coloured concept to extreme lengths: Orange and red on an all-red aircraft...I remember building this very kit with my dad back in about '74 or '75; we put too much glue on the fuel tanks and they melted.

[perdu]

That is a lovely first model for her to get into, hope she decides to 'do' the Red Arrows scheme

The Training command scheme is daunting me and I have one to build soon

Sadly not this nice little Lesney model but the Airfix one

Which fortunately is the later moulding not the old XP503 one

Will we get to enjoy a build with her or will it become too much of a chore I wonder?

[dr_gn]

perdu said:

That is a lovely first model for her to get into, hope she decides to 'do' the Red Arrows scheme

The Training command scheme is daunting me and I have one to build soon

Sadly not this nice little Lesney model but the Airfix one

Which fortunately is the later moulding not the old XP503 one

Will we get to enjoy a build with her or will it become too much of a chore I wonder?

I don't think so - she watched the boy and I building the Skyservant and wanted to glue stuff together and paint too. For the sake of £4 I thought it might keep her quiet - at least painting - for a while.

[Eric Mc]

Matchbox really were ace at producing kits at just the right level of complexity for beginners. They weren't all perfect but they built easily and some are quite unique - especially the between the war biplanes.

The original sale price of these early kits was 23p each.

[Marvindodgers]

I remember building the Matchbox Gnat kit as a child, but I think it was with the end opening box. It's still around, eternally flying (from a length of cotton) in my fathers loft!

[Eric Mc]

About 30 years ago, I was given a small number of old style box Matchbox kits (with proper box lids) by a chap who had been a toy wholesaler in Ireland. I still have some of them in my loft. I know for sure I have a Gladiator and their original (very inaccurate) Alpha Jet.

[Mutley]

Doc, that lookss a great little kit. Am sure you'll have fun helping your daughter build it.

As an aside, I live on the estate next to the old Matchbox factory in Rochford, almost buying a house on the estate that is now where the factory was. I believe it was for their die-casts rather than plastic models.

[EskimoArapaho]

Mutley said:

As an aside, I live on the estate next to the old Matchbox factory in Rochford, almost buying a house on the estate that is now where the factory was. I believe it was for their die-casts rather than plastic models.

I did a few Summer stints there. And from memory, it was only die-cast at the time I worked there (1980 or so); I never saw (or even knew) about these kits. Matchbox/Lesney was an old-fashioned employer that would run buses to collect workers from around the nearby towns, had a decent canteen, and gave real performance bonuses for workers. I rather enjoyed it (although I never matched the assembly speed of the middle-aged ladies).

(end of tangent!)