1978 Matchbox Kit Catalogue

[72twink]

I saw this in a Brick-a-Brac today for £2 so couldn't leave it there, if anyone wants to see an old favourite I'll post some pics.

[wolfracesonic]

Yes please! Any images will do, always like a nostalgia trip.

[generationx]

Every page please!

[Eric Mc]

I've got 1973 Frog and Airfix catalogues somewhwere.

[Yertis]

If that's the Airfix catalogue with the Viggen on the front I'm quite keen to get my hands on one, to go with my "Type 4 Box" collection.

[Eric Mc]

I think it's the one with the Harrier - so probably 1974 actually.



The FROG catalogue is definitely 1973 -

[generationx]

I have all the Tamiya catalogues from 1973 onwards, the first (´73) one of which has a Riko pricelist included... The 1/12th F1 kits, if I recall correctly, are listed at 4.50 GBP each!

It´s in storage at the moment but I could get round to putting a scan here?

[Yertis]

When I was at school I swapped a mid-70s Tamiya Catalogue for issue 1 of a new comic called '2000AD", which I read and then threw away.

Just googling around it appears that the 9th edition I'm after is 1971/2. So maybe I want the 10th edition.

[droopsnoot]

Those Tamiya catalogues were always really nice productions, I've got a couple somewhere.

[dr_gn]

I've still got my '77 Matchbox ctalogue:





And the '74 Revell version:







I dread to think how many hours were spent looking at those. I wish I'd still got all the others, especially my Tamiya catalogues.

[wolfracesonic]

It always used to bug my young self that Matchbox's AFV kits were 1/76 scale whereas the Airfix ones were 1/72 The Revell catalogue also reminded me that they used to produce a comprehensive range of WWII American battleships: I had the Missouri.I also read mine till they were dog-eared

[Eric Mc]

Airfix's AFVs were 1/76, weren't they?

[wolfracesonic]

Good point Eric, you've got me confused now. I'm sure there was a manufacturer who made 1/72 AFVs that always looked a bit odd compared to the Airfix/matchbox ones; or it could have been the 1/72 planes that were the wrong scale for carrying out strafing runs on the ground forces!


ETA Here we go! I think this was the bone of contention I had: vehicles in 1/76, figures in 1/72!



I realise now there is not that much difference but to my young, impressionable mind it was a whole 4 different!

Edited by wolfracesonic on Tuesday 7th February 18:51

[P5BNij]

droopsnoot said:

Those Tamiya catalogues were always really nice productions, I've got a couple somewhere.

As well as the regular kit catalogues they published a couple of WWII photo booklets in the same large format, they were great inspiration for building dioramas. I wish I knew what happened to all of mine...!

[72twink]

I don't think I'd have been looking that far ahead GN, I was only 10 at the time I had my original copy! Anyway here are a few of the pages.









[url]

|http://thumbsnap.com/7PSnbGjT[/url]

[Eric Mc]

wolfracesonic said:

Good point Eric, you've got me confused now. I'm sure there was a manufacturer who made 1/72 AFVs that always looked a bit odd compared to the Airfix/matchbox ones; or it could have been the 1/72 planes that were the wrong scale for carrying out strafing runs on the ground forces!


ETA Here we go! I think this was the bone of contention I had: vehicles in 1/76, figures in 1/72!



I realise now there is not that much difference but to my young, impressionable mind it was a whole 4 different!

Edited by wolfracesonic on Tuesday 7th February 18:51

With their smaller figures, Airfix chopped and changed how they were labelled scale wise. Strictly, they were HO/OO - which is 1/76. However, as you can see from the box art, they have been described as 1/72 on occasions as well. With figures it doesn't matter a huge amount.

More seriously, Revell issue small scale armour in both 1/76 and 1/72. This is because they took over the old Matchbox AFV moulds (which were 1/76) and also have their own 1/72 line. Kits appear in modern boxing to both scales even today.

This is the same set of figures you have shown in your post in its original boxing from 1961. Notice the scale indicated -

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

wolfracesonic said:

Good point Eric, you've got me confused now. I'm sure there was a manufacturer who made 1/72 AFVs that always looked a bit odd compared to the Airfix/matchbox ones; or it could have been the 1/72 planes that were the wrong scale for carrying out strafing runs on the ground forces!


ETA Here we go! I think this was the bone of contention I had: vehicles in 1/76, figures in 1/72!



I realise now there is not that much difference but to my young, impressionable mind it was a whole 4 different!

Edited by wolfracesonic on Tuesday 7th February 18:51

This is the same set of figures you have shown in your post in its original boxing from 1961. Notice the scale indicated -

It's not the same set of figures, they are in fact totally different.

Airfix released two versions of many of their figure sets, the first of which were all HO/OO. The second were HO/OO with the newer boxings (containing the same figures) re-designated as 1:72.

[dr_gn]

I remembered I'd also got an Airfix booklet from '84:



There are several new releases listed, which never made it to production in the end, some are on this page, including the Agile Combat Aircraft (a conceptual aircraft that is a very distant ancestor of the Typhoon):

[dr_gn]

72twink said:

I don't think I'd have been looking that far ahead GN, I was only 10 at the time I had my original copy! Anyway here are a few of the pages.

Some of those 1:72 biplanes are still very good models even by todays standards. The Boeing P-12E and the Siskin are two that spring to mind.

[Eric Mc]

dr_gn said:

It's not the same set of figures, they are in fact totally different.

Airfix released two versions of many of their figure sets, the first of which were all HO/OO. The second were HO/OO with the newer boxings (containing the same figures) re-designated as 1:72.

Hadn't realised that.

I was going on the listing as per the Airfix Tribute site.They do have two Afrika Corps sets - but both listed as 1/76.