As kid banned from using paints for fear of damage I would inflict on the house, the bright colours and competitive prices gave me a lot of pleasure. As a fifty odd individual who got back into modelling about 20 years ago and focuses on 1/72 British and German WW2 I am something of a fan. Matchbox deserve credit for producing some terrific and quite obscure, especially British, subjects. The Stranraer, Heyford, Fairey Seafox, Wellesley, Merlin Halifax with lots of options including CC, a Wellington CC, late thimble Beaufighter and 2 stage Merlin Mosquito come to mind - the latter the only one in the game still despite promises by Special Hobby and AZ Model. The Dornier 18, Privateer and Heinkel 70 were also nice kits I have built. Fit good, reasonably accurate for their time and not over engineered. Says something that Revell regularly re-release them. One wonders if they had carried on what other obscure British stuff they could have made an Overstrand , Harrow, Bombay. After all they did a Siskin.
Matchbox kits came onto the scene right about the time I started modeling. I loved them. The it was great and they went together easily. I suspect that “sturdy” was part of their design criteria, but they were not “toy-like.” I remember building the Hellcat, Beaufighter, Harrier, 262 and 76-scale armor. Great stuff.
I saw matchbox kits for the first time around 1974 when I saw 10 years old. Matchbox was really the new kid on the block. Wow they did models of aircrafts I did not know exist. I was like finding the bucket with gold at the end of the rainbow. And later the spitfire mark 22/24. I have always loved the spitfire but did not know then that it evolved into such a potent version like the 22 and 24 - nearly confirmed that God exists. Thanks matchbox for that and you Max for the story.
I bought my first Matchbox kits in the autumn of 1973, a Spitfire Mk. IX, Hurrucane Mk. IIc and a FW 190...I loved them and continued to buy their stuff for years...In the 80's I was in a IPMS club, I and others built their kits and some of us used them in our own club's contest or contests in our area, including the bigger events....Since MB provided us unique kits that most model companies has not or would not bother to build we had some pretty unique stuff to show.....true some were pretty simple but scratch building interior and other things is also part of this hobby and these kits were perfect for what we were after.....the deep recess lines never bothered us, just fill them in and sand them....I either kept them or filled them, this never bothered me....the plastic was sturdy which leads to pretty solid built kits, at the time their decals were pretty good and again the subjects to make was unique. Like in the past and still today I still hear or read others complain about these kits....get real nothing is perfect in this world....with these kits like any other kits it is the modeler who is the one who can make any model shine....believe me I have witness so many of these so called perfect kits look pretty bad when done...I love my Matchbox kits...I have recently bought a few to add to my stash....they look great when done and they are big time winners! Thank you for the video!
I'll always remember Matchbox kits as some of the best made and affordable kits out there. An average builder could get one, build it and maybe learn to add details that the master builders said were not there.
Spent the whole of the 1970s making matchbox models in my youth. I loved them.! That was back in Belgium. Much missed and I bet they would find a new generation of kids wanting to build them nowadays.
As a kid I loved these kits. My grandfather would get me one to do on the one night the adults would go out when visiting them. My two favorites were the 1/72 Zero and the A-7 Corsair II, as a kid I loved that they looked cool without painting. The only matchbox kit I have left is a 1/32 Lysander that needs some cockpit frame strengthening for final assembly.
LOVED MATCHBOX. In the UK you could get them in newsagent shops, so they where prity much everywhere, sometimes in old shops they still have them lurking in the top shelves! Apparently a mould designer was contracted to make 4 moulds a year. Three the company's choice, one their own. That's why there was always something quite exotic in each year's release.
The dual or triple coloured sprues was so novice modellers who didn't have the paints or know how to paint them butcould make a fare representation of the finished kit
Thanks Max, calls sweet memories: In Hungary 1988 was a year of relief: state toy retailer has begun selling MB kits! For fair price (just ~2 times of a Czech KP, not ~10 times of black market before) so many boys of my age, built many of them. Good fit, simplicity, GOOD decals: perfect for beginners! BUT very strange that some of their kits: 1/72 Vickers Wellington and Wellesley, A.W. Siskin and Fairey Seafox were much-much above in detail of the rest! I tried to search why, but I couldn't find any different origin. At 1/48 Ww2 fighters the reason was clear: Otaki tools. But with above, I'm lost! Btw. I feel really sorry about MB kits, just recenty as all my 3 boys interested in models we have put together from my old stack in basement a Mirage IIIB, a Jaguar T2 and an 1975 issued Hurricane (!) all decals worked perfectly (!)... just one expression fits: SHEER FUN! (btw. KP would also deserve a video I think, as they were far the best of WarPac country origin kits, and led to the Czeh 'boom' in '90s)
Matchbox must have felt like high tech kits compared to KP. Back in the late 80s I found a bunch of KP kits in a toy shop here in Australia. It was the only time I ever saw them. They were $2 each which was really cheap so I bought them all. I made one or two and put the rest aside for later. They were pretty crude, especially the canopy, but enjoyable. I gave most of the rest to my children and nephews to make. I wish I had kept them as there were some interesting subjects. I still have a Po 2 and a Lublin in the stash.
@@hikokibert I think Lublin was Polish, maybe ZTS Mikro... at KP line Letov S-328 might resemble some Lublin biplane... I would argue on KP quality, not the clearest canopies not best fit, but deatail and exactness were mainly OK for the time... sometimes better than western competitors (Mig-19,-21, Su-7...)
@@balikolaci1 you are correct. It is a Letov. They do make up into nice models. They were crude as to the quality of the mouldings on the ones I have. Lots of scratches in the moulds made a lot of imperfections to sand off. But that's probably due to old moulds I guess.
I must say that, as someone who spent a lot of time and scant resources on Matchbox kits I always felt they sometimes got a raw deal from 'serious' modellers. Yes, there was the WW1 trench digger responsible for much of their surface detail and sometimes a real howler in the kit (the pitot tube on the MiG21 was on the wrong way), but when they got it right they REALLY got it right. They seemed to have a talent for doing their most unusual subjects very well and here in the UK they were often praised for their choices. A sample few:- Vickers Wellesley, Supermarine Stranraer, Hawker Fury I, Armstrong Whitworth Siskin. For many years their Meteor night fighter kit was the only game in town and, when it was released, earned rave reviews. A little dated now? A bit clunky? Sure. But in their time very well received kits. I'm building the Fury I at present and have the Wellesley, Siskin and Heyford to go. I guess the predominantly British subject choices weren't for everyone but I 'd be the poorer without them. Incidentally, I always thought that the rationale behind the multi coloured plastic harked back to Lesney's toy based heritage and added 'play value' in the days (and yep, we all did it), when you knocked up a model in a day and rushed out to join your mates in their dogfights in the street. Eventually, of course, the battered remnant of the model would be sacrificed in an air gun shooting match or an inflammability test. Happy days!
The Matchbox Hawker Fury has a build-ability and logical parts fit - that puts a lot of modern kits to shame - I loved that model - it still attracts a heft price on ebay ( for a kit designed in 1972 ? - that's not a bad record )
@@73north Very true. I am enjoying my build a lot. I'm not a great kitbasher so all I've done is tweak the cockpit a bit and get some really nice aftermarket decals......the kit's biggest weak point being the rather basic set included, (not to mention the fact that they're very old and a bit yellowed). As an intro to biplanes this is a great kit to start with.
I got almost all of my Matchbox kits from an ex-forces professional modeller, whom had bought them on mass in the 1970's and '80's as part of a mix of doing large scale wargaming* at the time, and an interest in building entire classes of ships via modding. *Such as utilizing a local sports hall to do complete 700th scale sea battles. As such I can confirm that they did have a fanbase amongst some pro's, very much so :-) .
The Matchbox HMS Kelly and Exeter were STILL highly thought of until very recently when the Flyhawk 1/700 put it to shade with Slide Moulding -and Trumpeter HMS Exeter 1/350 kit is fabulous ( both came out 2 yrs ago ) - even now the 2 x 1970's Kits attract a decent price on Ebay - I also never realised but I had made a FROG kit when i made the 1/500 HMS Exeter a few years ago in my youth - it was a grand kit , fairly accurate and not bad fit
2:44 I remember reading at the time that the idea behind the multi coloured kits was that kids could assemble and decorate one in a sitting, without requiring paint and detailing, to yield a result that gave kids satisfaction. This was a strictly marketing move intended to increase appeal and thus generate future sales.
That's exactly why they appealed to me. I used to save my pennies for some time before having enough to afford bus fare downtown to the hobby shop and the price of a kit; Paint, brushes and thinner were a rare treat indeed. It was my ritual, when I had enough, to excitedly wait until Friday (always Friday), take the trip, build it that night then enjoy it all weekend. I loved waking up Saturday morning and looking at it. The diorama aspect was certainly a nice bonus and added so much to the animation and imagination of the finished product.
My first Matchbox kits were the 1/72 Alpha Jet trainer and 1/76 M24 Chaffee tank. Like ESCI and Italieri, Matchbox occasionally had unique models which bigger brands like Airfix tended not to produce. The pre-colored parts (odd as some color combinations were) saved on buying paint and time spent painting for casual modellers not wanting to display finished items in grey or some other mono-color plastic. Lastly, the more costly / the larger scale the kit, the more color combinations you got. Thanks for the vid and stay safe, Max!
The idea of the multi colour plastic was so the subject didn't have to be painted..the tomcat jet from memory was in white and light grey and black for example..today Academy have done the same with their current 1/48 Phantom kits..
The idea of the 2 & 3 colour kits was that you could build them without the expense of painting them. This was a USP for the product in the '70s. They were great for entry level modellers but could be tricked up a bit by more serious modellers. The quality of he molding was excellent bu they did lack a bit in detail giving them a toy-like look that fitted with the wider Matchbox product line.
I've been waiting for this one. I cut my modeling teeth on Matchbox in the 70s and they were always my preferred manufacturer. I dont think Iv'e ever had more building pleasure overall than with those kits. Sure they were not the pinnacle of model engineering but as a child I found them easy to build. They fit together well, and the biplanes were kid friendly too. I always struggled with the Airfix biplanes back then. I eventually grew out of them as I became a "serious" modeler but also lost some of the joy that I got from building them. I still make them when I can find them. I currently have the Boeing P4 to make, which is colored perfectly in the two colours of yellow for the wings and tail and green for the fuselage and struts. Some of my favourites that I made several times because I enjoyed them so much were the Fiat G91, the Hawker Tempest, A4 Skyhawk, Saab Tunnen, Hawker Hurricane, Long range desert group, Renault tank, M4 Stuart, Hawker Hunter, there are so many I enjoyed.
The Matchbox Handley Page Heyford is my most fond memory of all models I’ve assembled. So precisely molded. Excellent details. Quality all the way through.
I remember building matchbox kits in the 5th grade in the mid 70s. Plastic models were very popular amongst Aussie boys at the time . I remember that the multi colour kits were very a big hit with my friends and I . We usually didn't paint our finished kits at that age . The multi coloured kits looked less boring than the single colour Airfix , Revel , or Frog , kits that were available at the time . We were of the opinion that the Matchbox kits had better fit than the kits from their competitors . We had not yet discovered Hasegawa .
That was my experience as a kid too. Use to wander down to the newsagents near my home in Hobart with my pocket money and pick up a kit on Friday for the weekend build. I use to love the fact the Matchbox kits came in a proper box with a clear panel on the back where you could see the actual kit inside (in two colours), a paint guide printed in colour on the back and a nice bright artwork piece on the front of the subject. You also scored a proper instruction book inside and for airplane kits a fancy stand that had a ball and socket joint, so you could pose your model any angle you wanted. While the tank kits scored a super cool diorama base. Really made you feel you got your monies worth and it was a "proper kit" like those ones you couldn't afford on the top shelf and only got on your birthday. I think the cheaper Matchbox kits were like 25 or 50cents more then the Airfix kits that came on the blister packs, but they were so much more appealing to a young boy like me and they often went together better too. I would gladly forgo a couple of planet of the apes bubble gum card sets for the Matchbox kit I was lusting after. I built a Matchbox US Half track and put a video of it up on my channel. Had a ball building it and now have a Matchbox 1:72 Hurricane waiting for its time on the bench.
I first saw these aged 11 on a trip to Edinburgh; I bought the Humber armoured car and the Jagdpanther, and built them both while riding on the back seat of the coach home... loved the little dioramas!
I did start my modelling career with this brand... all 1/72 planes, when I was 7 or 8... I put together the kits with plastic cement, decals and no paint... use them to play and I can tell you, the Spitfire and the FW190 get entangled in endless dog fights over the living room channel too many times... The Lyssander always came to the rescue of the downed pilot, regardless the nationality... A few years later all those models were destroyed by my younger brother in fearless combats.... no survivals are know... The Alpha jet, the mig 21 were also among the builds... good memories Max... Thank you again for a free and priceless ride to Childhoodland...!
Along with Airfix, matchbox were my favourite kits as a child. Especially liked the armour kits with mini diorama. I remember the multi coloured plastic was promoted so you didn't have to paint the kit. Most of my early kits were unpainted.
The idea behind the 2/3 colours was that many models were left unpainted (just decals) so completed models were deliberately designed to be eye-catching in this condition. This was actually a selling-point in the UK.
Worth the wait! From Lesney cars in the late '60s to Matchbox kits in the '70s, this company's impact on my childhood imagination is second to none. Loved the video, it brings back great memories. And more to come! Thanks to eBay I can buy and build 'em all!
I just remembered the Matchbox kits used to have a clear window in the back or the box so we could see the colour of the contents before purchasing. They also came with a clear plastic ball jointed stand to pose the finished model on. I think both features were eventually done away with in a cost cutting measure.
When I was a kid, Matchbox models were the only available in my village. My grandfather bought me some from time to time. It didn't cost much and I made a bunch. It was really Matchbox that introduced me to model making.
I do not think I ever bought a Matchbox kit, but I do remember buying a lot of those matchbox diecast toys in the little yellow box. Originally there were 29 cents each. Played with them for hours.
Awesome. Matchbox have always been a favourite for me. The rationale behind the multicolour kits was for kids who may not paint the models. Would have been a great idea if the colours were alwars relevant but sadly they were not. They did some great subjects that no one else would touch. The 48th scale Skyraider was a beauty. Have heard the FJ1 Fury in the same scale was good too. The 32nd scale aircraft are great and I have the Spitfire 22/24 Tiger Moth and Puma helicopter in the stash to build, and want to get the Dauntless and 109E. I also have a load of the 72 scale kits and some armour, and the 72 scale Corvette ship. One of my favourites from the ranges is the 72nd Skyhawk. I sent one to a buddy in the states to build as 1 he had never built a Matchbox kit. And 2 it comes with a choice of two USMC markings and his Dad was a USMC pilot. Thanks for featuring Matchbox Max. Great job.
But many times the plastic colours WERE adequate for the subject being modelled. I loved their Wellesley (beautiful, important aircraft, another strange Airfix deserter), it was a very good kit in three colours: a decent dark green, a decent dark earth, and black. A kid could easily cheat himself into believing he´d made a Bomber Command subject in authentic colours! Other Matchbox exclusive subjects I thoroughly enjoyed: Supermarine Stranraer, Handley Page Heyford (wow! you´ve got to be really bold to market that!), and Handley Page Victor, the latter one only in tanker version, something I lamented, but not for long: converting the kit into an all-white nuclear bomber gave me a lot of modelling pleasure! The swan-song of the once proud and gorgeous British modelling industry. Gone to the dogs, as Britain herself.....
@@javiergilvidal1558 so very true on all points. I have several of all the subjects you mentioned. The Stranraer is indeed a beautiful model. As is the Vickers Wellesley. I really liked the small biplanes too. It is a pity they didn't do more.
To confirm, Matchbox did actually move their entire model kit production line to China (but some car kits didn't make it due to licensing), and their kits also gained a lot of popularity down there through the 1990s. Even by today there are still many die hard fans of their kits in China and desperately searches every single toy store's old warehouses for them. I personally owns both the original version and the Chinese version of the 1/32 scale Packard Victoria kit, the Chinese version was produced on a later date and the Made in England engravings on the plastic trees have been grinded off. It's highly likely that many of the molds were still in use until the early 2000s but after the factory in Shanghai was closed, all the molds were scrapped and recycled as they've never showed up anywhere else. Or perhaps they've been sitting in a warehouse somewhere in China rusting in peace.
I built as a Child , in the 1970's a few Airfix kits , first among them the HMS Hood in 1/350 scale - but along with others I have looking forward for this Matchbox Video - thanks Max ! I built a lot of the Matchbox kits in the 70s and early 1980's and they were among my favourites. I got a lot of enjoyment. Sure they were not the pinnacle of model engineering but as a child I found them easy to build. They fit together well, and the biplanes were kid friendly too. The 1/76 Diorama Tank Models were just superb for the time , and I still have a few of them - the Comet Tank was unique to Matchbox for a long , long time . The 1/72 Hawker Fury is still admired for its easy fit and appearance .
In England, at the end of the last century (around 99), I installed some period lighting for a Mr Ulrich in a Northamptonshire village. I was restoring two sports cars and building a special (KSK 362) which was quite well known in the car community then as I had just driven it across the top of the Sahara. So it was fair to say I was kind of a man obsessed and consequently ate, dream't and slept old British engines. So I could not help but notice all of the fascinating artwork and motoring ephemera EVERYWHERE in Mr Ulrich's cottage. With the new/old lighting installed, whist celebrating with a cheque in one hand and a cup of tea in the other I had to ask. "Whats with all the artwork?" "I was the Matchbox box-designer in the 60's!!" What then followed was the most fascinating discussion as he showed me albums after albums and huge portfolios' showing all the artwork for the boxes for all the toys I had as a kid... I went from cool professional to gibbering, stuttering enthusiast in a heartbeat. I asked Mr Ulrich if he would paint a make-believe Matchbox box for KSK 362 (The Bellini Special) I was building if I paid him, he was so excited and agreed to do it for 'a drink' if I gave him all the photos and measurements, he was such a nice guy. However, a month after that I met a really cute brunette and we got engaged... she was a nurse, so a little respect please, at the time it was a no-brainer! However, we went on to buy a house and I sold my special and yes you guessed it, we broke up. So whilst I admit I don't really regret selling the car as I have evolved and I am now pursuing other interests. In any case, I am content knowing that the car is currently racing around Ireland (last I heard). However, I do regret not having a little Bellini box to look at. I now restore armour and specialise in making miniatures for a living, so for sure I would have built the little car to go in the box. Great video, and thanks for triggering that memory. 🏆🇬🇧
Thanks for that nice video Max. I do still collect Matchbox kits not only of sentimental memories but because of the outstanding boxart done by Roy Huxley. Among other artists, he is the reason why I became an illustrator and painter myself. I recently read in an interview that he likes to publish a book with his box top paintings. That's a dream come true.
Back in the 70's and early 80's I was a keen Matchbox model maker and built as many as I could afford. Mostly the 1/72 planes and 1/76 armor kits. Still have many of the armor models at least. I don't think I ever got the rebadged AMT kits. I have built a few of the Revell mouldings and a couple of the Asian kits. I found the models to be easy to build although the critics hated the trench-like panel lines they never worried me back then.
I always liked Matchbox aircraft kits. I wasn't fussy and the argument that the panel lines were "deep enough for trench warfare" fell on deaf ears as far as I'm concerned. They also had terrific pilot figures like Airfix. The Matchbox 1/72 Stranraer British seaplane was fantastic and my favorite. Revell Germany grabbed the molds and occasionally re-releases it.
OK, as a pilot, I have to ask: How does one get to fly a retired military jet trainer for a living, If this is the one in the UK that still does training for civilians then I may have seen some of your videos.
@@maxsmodels Hi Max. First of all, love your videos. I'm in Australia and yes, that is me in the video. I used to work for a company that took the general public in what are called Adventure Flights in the Strikemaster and a Yak 52. I also used the Yak to teach aerobatics and formation flying as at one stage we had 3 of them. We were very busy doing adventure flights on the weekends and flying instructing during the week. My type endorsement training for the jet was completed by a RAAF fighter Combat instructor who had civilian instructor qualifications. I flew the jet for 5 wonderful years and I believe it was the best flying job in country back then.
Always loved Matchbox kits, I'm from the Scottish port of Stranraer and Matchbox were the only model kit maker to have the Supermarine Stranraer flying boat, which were actually based at Stranraer in the early years of WW2. Revell relaunched the kit with updated features.
I have the Revell re-release in my stash. I'm originally from Greenock and if I see a kit that has a Scottish connection I buy it, regardless of whether it's a plane/ship/truck etc.
@Baz Bazdad so It's true! The fabled tale of the Stranraer stash! A tale passed down in whispers through the ages! The Shanghai, the Cortez's gold of the modeller! It EXISTS!
I have fond memories of building the Puma armoured car, I always remember the box art ..loved the little diorama base with the lampost.. and I did the Kiowa a few times.. but all told i liked Matchbox kits.. esp the tanks.. you seem to get more for your money with them...
The 1/32 scale cars were all Matchbox original molds. The five I have so far built are absolutely excellent. The multi color parts are mostly correct, but I paint everything, so when they are not I am OK. Black mechanicals with body color separate can work well for a beginner. Several more are in my stash awaiting the right moment to build. Very good details, the best I have found in inexpensive 1/32 scale.
I sort of started my plastic modeling career in the 1970s with Matchbox. Mostly 1/72 kits of airplanes and armoured vehicles. The thing I liked about them in those days was the fact you didn't really need to paint them, the 2 sometimes 3 colours were good enough for me. Only slowly did I start painting them. I had to, I also started building kits by other companies.
I built lots of these in the 1970s, for some reason the Dornier Skyservant sticks in my mind best. They did go together well. I've still got the unpainted A7 corsair in the attic, badly built by my son 20 years ago, now he's a navy helicopter pilot.
I built that 1/32 Spitfire Mk. 22/24 in the mid 80s. It was an ambitious and as I recall, well detailed kit - but boy, did that thing have fit issues. The fit around the engine cowling and canopy in particular were a real problem. I ultimately managed to get it all together, but it was fragile, and never quite right. I don't think it made it far into the 1990s, if at all, before it was cannibalized for other projects. I believe it's the only Matchbox kit I've ever assembled, but despite the problems and somewhat disappointing outcome, I still overall have fond memories associated with that kit. Maybe not so much for the kit itself, but more for the fact that the difficulties made it memorable, and that makes it easier to reconnect with my earlier years and my life at that time.
Thanks again Max for another great video! Yeah they had a nice selection, of various items, including some unique models. I remember building the 1/76 scale, M16 Half-track. I like unique diorama bases too.
I have built lots of Matchbox kits in my time. I always thought they were a joy to build. Very easy kits. Especially the tanks with the dioramas, those were fun. ^^
Matchbox was my favourite since forever. I loved the toy cars and the plastic kits. I thought they were good quality but I will concede that as a kid I doubt I would have known what good or bad was. LOVED the box art by Roy Huxley!
Interesting tale about Matchbox. Childhood friend’s father would buy him the cars as a present on business trips. I never got into collecting them nor did I get into their model kits either. BTW that wing man song was funny as hell. Well till the next episode.
Great. Very interesting. Revell regularly release the matchbox military vehicles. They're easy to find as all the 1/76 vehicles (and figures) revell do are matchbox. I preferred them to Airfix when I was a kid so it's great to be able to do them again.
Built a lot of their 1/72 kits as a kid. As somebody wrote: they were fairly cheap, their fit was better than the old Airfix kits of that time for the same price and they had juicy boxarts. That was also unique to Matchbox: the first series of boxarts contained information about what exactly it depicts, not just a general background of the plane. A little later (knowing kits from Tamiya, Fujimi, Hasagawa) the trench-like panel lines and often the very simplified details were more bothering, but I liked them nevertheless. And "simplified" has to be considered in context of the era. On the collection display at 6:16 there are the Jet Provost and an early MiG-21. I had both these and the Airfix kits of them and building the Matchbox ones were much more fun and the result was "cleaner" than the Airfix planes.
The Matchbox story has one little post scriptum. The original mould makers who worked at Matchbox set up their own company called Renedra who now manufactures mostly wargaming models, they also produce sprues for companies like Perry Miniatures and Warlord.
maxsmodels, I looked up that tune and shared it with some of my coworkers. It is perfect for those times when you work with someone who is.........say,, Less than average.
Their cars were fantastic. Me and my brothers built several duplicates of Jaguars and Bentleys and others I can't remember just because they were such a joy to build. The fit of the parts was at the time just unbelievable. With no effort at all you got a build you could be proud of. Do some painting and... The time I thinking of is when Airfix, Heller, Italieri and others really was a meeeh, and Tamiya was just coming. I remember Matchbox models as the best most effortless kits ever built. It was all up to you to finish the painting - or not. The result was fine anyway. Thanx Matchbox. It's a fond memory.
Thank you, Max! As a kid, I built the Matchbox A-7 Corsair, the Stuka with the big anti-tank cannons under the wings and the SEPECAT Jaguar. Loved the box art.
I am from a small vilage in France and the local shop has a few revel models (expenseive and big scales) and some matchbox ones with soldiers that where quite cheap in price (arouns 1$ in 1980). So it became my main brand of my youth. I used them as toy a lot, they where very solid to play with. My dream goes to hasegawa, far more better but at the time count the price of 10$ per model compare to the 1$ of the matchbox.
The global quality of Matchbox is good, scale is consistand in the oposite of airfix and the 2 coulors set is nice when you are a child that does not know how to paint it yet. It is far from being high quality model but not bad ones either. The plastic is not as fine as other brand but the bult quality is very well done and I never see problems. pilots where nicely detailed and figures of tanker where fine. THe tanks has heavy track in plastic, not a lot realistic but easy to put, in that Hasegawa or fujimi do it better. Planes where 1/72 and tanks 1/76 but I still think it should be considered as "toy to build" even if model where nice and seems quite authentic in shape. thanks for this overview of the brand, I love your chanel.
Built a 1/72 zero, folk wolf. Have the 1/72 t34, quad 50 half track, honomag half track and m24 Chaffee. Love detailing . Good challenge. Get a lot of kit at toy fairs. Great for small dioramas .
i remember having a lot of Matchbox models back when I was a kid. Actually, one of the first models I had was one of the bombers (I forgot what it was) when I was six. My dad built it for me though. When I started to build models seriously at around 13, I many of them were the 1/76 armor kits. I loved the diorama bases that came with them. The best part was the larger kits had more than one vehicle. I remember having the Stuart Tank, M16, and Sd.Kfz 11 with BMW motorcycle/sidecar. I had great memories with these kits. I recently built the 1/72 Curtiss SBC-4 and it a nice model but I had to add a few details to the landing gears. Great job, Max.
Hi Max, another great video :D The Flower class corvette kit was releasd in 1979 by Matchbox and after bankruptcy later re-boxed by Revell Germany. Every clue it was a Matchbox original was scraped off the sprues. Revell later made a premium edition with a lot of PE and in 2017 a Technic version with working LED lights and a motorized radar. I'm building the Technic version since last month. A very demanding kit with some, minor, fit issues.The details are good for a 1979 kit, some flash on parts, a number of holes to be drilled and some other things. But I love working on it, and the result is looking great so far. Great kit for all who love large ship models and/or challenging older kits.
Thanks for the video! I loved those Matchbox kits! The box art was irresistible to 7 year old who had recently seen " Tora, Tora, Tora," " The Battle of Britain" and I think, " Kelly's Heroes" on t.v. I think I paid 2$ for my first kit, the Matchbox Hurricane llc, with a particularly exiting and colorful box painting. I also loved their 1/76 th scale armour and built dozens. Matchbox kits fit well usually but are in most cases a little bare on detail. Still, if you can get them reasonably priced, they are good for beginners and for veterans wanting a " low-impact/stress" stroll down memory lane. And for people who like a challenge, you can attempt to enhance or improve these kits as they are sometimes the only model available of that particular vehicle/aircraft in that scale. Admittedly, these days that may no longer hold true! Anyways,great video about this fantastic hobby that I have enjoyed so much, the last 46 years!
Most of the Matchbox kits were models no one else produced. For example the 1/72 Corvette ship kit. Do you have any idea how big that thing was? Revell kept it in production until a couple of years ago. They were generally good kits, not great, but are much missed.
My last build of the youth phase in the hobby was the match box F-4m phantom. It hung from my ceiling for years and was the apex of my modelling during that time. I actually painted it properly. It was likely that it was my first scribed kit that I had built that made it stand out. There are still a few Matchbox kits in my stash. The Twin Otter being the crown jewel of them.
Just restored a 1/32 scale model of the Aston Martin Ulster that was given to be back in 1976? It was in storage along with some old Airfix vintage car models since 1981. I found the Matchbox models of the cars were far better than the Airfix ones due to the 'chrome' parts, engine detail and 'rubber' tyres. Now displayed in cupboard of delights. (A collection of oddities including some MoY/Days Gone By models and a couple weird Tri-ang clock-work models of 1/43 Morris Minor MM (excellent detail) and Standard Vanguard Phase 1 (poor molding). Happy days! So that's what happened to the model kits. Mattel strikes again!
I used to buy Matchbox 1/72 scale aircraft models back in the 70s and into the 80s as a youngster, alongside Airfix. In my recollection buying Matchbox was quite difficult, at least where I grew up, as they had quite limited distribution locally. I clearly remember the multi-coloured plastic, but I don't recall that they were much better or worse than airfix.
I have a few hundred unbuilt kits from the sixties, seventies and eighties and the one brand I wont be building in retirement are my Matchbox models. I may buy a second example of each to build but I just like the subjects, the packaging, the quirky multi colour sprues and the clever little window on the box. Who else gave you Omani decals and Siskin fighters?
I think that this series is a hugely useful catalogue of all the model company’s that most modellers at one time or another has made, well perhaps not but tried to make. I thank you for taking the time to research and compose the videos. The small errors that others highlight is mere chaff for me as you are touching the core of the issue. Most of these companies were founded with the spirit of the hobby as the key ingredient. Ok commercial reality had to play a part but the essential ‘can I build something from this pile of bits?’ still stands. Great series and a credit to you for taking the time to curate.
I remember buying the 1/32 Me109 and SBD Dauntless on sale for cheap in a shopping mall toy store (Kaybee?) back in the 80's. As you commented, their overall shapes were good, but they really lacked detail (SBD's .30 cals looked like broomsticks stuck in cereal boxes). Sold them off when Hasegawa and Trumpeter kits of the same aircraft came along. Really wish I'd bought the Flower Corvette though.
To be fair most 30cals and MG's didn't look right back then. It's one detail that's still hard for smaller scales to get right. Still: better than the standard guns on many vintage model warships though, which Matchbox's were quite decent.
@@decam5329 You are correct. I could have bought one in the 80's for much less than they're going for now, but only became interested in that kit much later, after I got a Revell Type VII U-boot. Missed opportunity!
Despite being a Brit I never assembled a Matchbox kit . I think they were just a little after my time . Didn’t realise the range was as big as that , particularly the ships . They missed a trick as if they’d made them to 1/600 they would have been compatible with Airfix . Great vid again Max . Thanks for that
I think you are right about the wrong choice for ship scale. At 1/700 they matched the Japanese waterline series, but even the best of them was far cruder and less builder friendly than the Japanese competition. But at 1/600 they would have compared well with Airfix.
My 1st build .. 1/72 P-47 "razor back" - followed by so many others, He-111, Lancaster, even got painted. Fit was better than the occasional Airfix "vintage" kits like the "Bit O'Lace" B17, Mosquito kits I built. Later appreciated that panel lines were more easily filled than sanded 😁
I think the two-colour thing was a toy angle which Matchbox would have been very alert to. A kid who did not paint kits (yes, there were many back then) could put them together and they would I think make a more attractive toy/model to play with or not as they preferred. Most Uk buyers were children then and It is generally overlooked today that many kids who bought kits back then did not paint them or only painted a select few of their collection, and many did play with their models often complementing their boxes of scale soldiers. Another point I would make is I thought those diorama bases that came with th Matchbox military vehicles kits were fantastic; a great idea. Not only were they a super addition to the kit, I was always aware of the value delivered in them as there was a fair bit of plastic invested there. Figures too were often included.
If I remember correctly, the advertising at the time claimed that, because of the two colour plastics, you could leave the models unpainted if you wanted to.
Ditto - the "cool to look at unpainted" was the reason.. pretty sure it mentioned it somewhere on the box or in the instructions. When all you had to paint with was kludgy Airfix enamel paints with no thinners and a stink that would cause parents to complain , to a 12 y.o. kid, these were the duck's nuts. Pretty sure I never painted the Gladiator, the Firefly, or the Panther initially but I did try to pretty them up a couple of years later. It might be rose-coloured glasses but I remember also as a kid thinking that they were better detailed and better fitting than Airfix kits at the same price point, which for some models, such as the ubiquitous Series 1 "Johnny" Johnson Spitfire, seemed like they were being pumped out well past the mould's useful life in terms of lost detail, bowed plastic and a respectively crappier fit.
@@TheMightyHellfish They did hit the ground running so to speak. I felt that the quality was in some ways better than Airfix eg. being all new they were very clean and the plastic seemed _better_ . Tanks had better tracks.
I remember the slogan, “No painting needed!” being used. Which was OK for tanks that were moulded in brown and green, but I never understood why my silver P-51D was moulded in pink and pale blue. I still remember my dad coming home one day with a 1:72 Hellcat from this new manufacturer. Their tank kits were much better than Airfix.
i assembled a lot of matchbox 1/72 kits and 2 1/32 planes. I didn't go for accuracy , just the fun of building them because they where cheap and easy . I really dig those plastic stands.
I remember them fondly. Their F4U Corsair (in light blue and dark blue) was my first of many Matchbox kits I built. They produced subjects no one would touch and some that no one else did still, after 30 years. Siskin, Percival Provost, Fairey Seafox, Supermarine Stranraer, De Havilland Twin Otter, Dornier Skyservant, Messerschmidt ME 410 in 1/72 scale; In 1/48 scale their Sky Raider (though Revell does re-issue this occasionaly) and Kaman effing Seasprite!!!, and in 1/32 their Lysander, Tiger Moth and Sea Venom kits.. (yes Trumpetter does a Dauntless in that scale now) are all unique to Matchbox. Not to mention their 1/32 car kits (Auto Union Type D anyone? still not available as a kit in any other scale!)
I loved the Matchbox 1/72nd scale kits. I had a goal to build every aircrafts used in WWII, and they had a great selection at very good prices. Airfix kits were not really available in my little remote AZ own. But I would save my lunch money and buy a Matchbox model with it - at least weekly during my Jr High school period. I was pretty close to their whole inventory. They were typically solid builders (the parts fit well) and seemed accurate to me. I found Aitfix, and some of the other brands would get a bit dicey on fit and required a lot more putty to loook good.
Built a few... what I noticed as unique was the multi-colored sprues...which still had to be painted to be accurate. Max, like you I find Scalemates more addictive than bacon.
I've only found Matchbox kits for cheap in small model stores, grabbed around 6 or 7. Don't have any nostalgia for them particularly, or any model company at all for that matter, but the kits are decent.
This is great. thanks for putting these videos together. I have loved Matchbox kits all my life and built most of the aircraft in their range as a kid...awesome memories! Roy Huxley was the best box top artist ever in my opinion. Matchbox kits forever!!!
Great video again, many thanks! Brought back memories of me and my younger brother building their Spifire IX, Ju 188, Alpha jet, Hawker Tempests etc, and the tank models with their diorama base. And the box artwork was just superb too.
I have a memory of them being good kits for fitment...can't remember which ones though. I built SO many models.....I sucked donkey balls...but built a lot of them lol....
I loved the Matchbox kits - as a tabletop wargamer in the late '70s , their rare AFVs were invaluable. The Comet, Sherman Firefly and Jagdpanzer IV were excellent and saved me uncounted hours in conversions (and resulted in models well beyond my skill to scratchbuild). I still have a few including a Humber, M3 Stuart "Honey" and a couple of Jagdpanzer IV's, which I 'resurrected' a few years back by airbrushing them.
I used to buy a Matchbox kit every week with my pocket money from a garage along the road, I always thought the multi colour plastic was designed to appeal to children who didn't want to paint them, just play with them as toys. The colours were always a very rough approximation of the real thing.
Not painting models was quite common. A single tin of Humbrol enamel was the same price as a bagged kit, and you might require a few to complete the job. So they were built naked for play value. Having coloured plastic was quite innovative for that market.
Although a dedicated Airfix junkie, I LOVED Matchbox kits when they came out. They had new ideas, new moulds, and came out with some models we'd not seen before.
Had a few matchbox kits. Built the 1/32 Lysander and dauntless. They were actually quite well detailed. The 1/72 victor built into a nice model. Their tanks and dioramas were cool. They also did a tank transporter which I built and put a matchbox Matilda on.
I had the pb4y1 liberator and like everyone else the colors almost blinded me but l loved the kit I would have painted it anyway.Its still in my collection!👍
Model where cheap, quite solid to play with and yes more toys than models kits for exposition but so nice to play with. plastic is thick and parts are mobile, tracks are easy to set and solid. A good brand to play with little soldiers at this time.
Thanks for the video! I have fond memories of making some of these with my brothers around the kitchen table. They lacked detail but they weren't expensive either.
Chunky and clunky Matchbox might have been with detail and accuracy very much 'of the era' but - broadly speaking - they were better fitting than Airfix. That alone made them easier to build than many kits of the time. They were moulded in different colours which made them a good choice for children who couldn't, or didn't want to, paint their kits, but for a more serious modeller it made little difference since they would have painted the kit anyway. Criticised - not unfairly - for the depth of their panel lines, Matchbox were actually ahead of the game at a time when Airfix (and others) were being criticised for producing new moulds with raised panel lines. Their Wellington though had beautiful surface texture which even if some regarded as clumsy, went some way to giving a good representation of the geodetic construction of the actual aeroplane. What also set Matchbox apart was their choice of subjects and scales they were in. 1/32 Venom/Lysander/Puma? 1/72 Corvette? Supermarine Stranraer? The cars and motorbikes (pre-AMT)? Also their armour/military subjects that had a diorama included, which my brother loved, giving so much play value and still within 'pocket money' range.
Развлечения
As kid banned from using paints for fear of damage I would inflict on the house, the bright colours and competitive prices gave me a lot of pleasure.
As a fifty odd individual who got back into modelling about 20 years ago and focuses on 1/72 British and German WW2 I am something of a fan. Matchbox deserve credit for producing some terrific and quite obscure, especially British, subjects. The Stranraer, Heyford, Fairey Seafox, Wellesley, Merlin Halifax with lots of options including CC, a Wellington CC, late thimble Beaufighter and 2 stage Merlin Mosquito come to mind - the latter the only one in the game still despite promises by Special Hobby and AZ Model.
The Dornier 18, Privateer and Heinkel 70 were also nice kits I have built. Fit good, reasonably accurate for their time and not over engineered. Says something that Revell regularly re-release them. One wonders if they had carried on what other obscure British stuff they could have made an Overstrand , Harrow, Bombay. After all they did a Siskin.
Matchbox kits came onto the scene right about the time I started modeling. I loved them. The it was great and they went together easily. I suspect that “sturdy” was part of their design criteria, but they were not “toy-like.” I remember building the Hellcat, Beaufighter, Harrier, 262 and 76-scale armor. Great stuff.
I saw matchbox kits for the first time around 1974 when I saw 10 years old. Matchbox was really the new kid on the block. Wow they did models of aircrafts I did not know exist. I was like finding the bucket with gold at the end of the rainbow. And later the spitfire mark 22/24. I have always loved the spitfire but did not know then that it evolved into such a potent version like the 22 and 24 - nearly confirmed that God exists. Thanks matchbox for that and you Max for the story.
I bought my first Matchbox kits in the autumn of 1973, a Spitfire Mk. IX, Hurrucane Mk. IIc and a FW 190...I loved them and continued to buy their stuff for years...In the 80's I was in a IPMS club, I and others built their kits and some of us used them in our own club's contest or contests in our area, including the bigger events....Since MB provided us unique kits that most model companies has not or would not bother to build we had some pretty unique stuff to show.....true some were pretty simple but scratch building interior and other things is also part of this hobby and these kits were perfect for what we were after.....the deep recess lines never bothered us, just fill them in and sand them....I either kept them or filled them, this never bothered me....the plastic was sturdy which leads to pretty solid built kits, at the time their decals were pretty good and again the subjects to make was unique. Like in the past and still today I still hear or read others complain about these kits....get real nothing is perfect in this world....with these kits like any other kits it is the modeler who is the one who can make any model shine....believe me I have witness so many of these so called perfect kits look pretty bad when done...I love my Matchbox kits...I have recently bought a few to add to my stash....they look great when done and they are big time winners! Thank you for the video!
I'll always remember Matchbox kits as some of the best made and affordable kits out there. An average builder could get one, build it and maybe learn to add details that the master builders said were not there.
Spent the whole of the 1970s making matchbox models in my youth. I loved them.! That was back in Belgium. Much missed and I bet they would find a new generation of kids wanting to build them nowadays.
As a kid I loved these kits. My grandfather would get me one to do on the one night the adults would go out when visiting them. My two favorites were the 1/72 Zero and the A-7 Corsair II, as a kid I loved that they looked cool without painting. The only matchbox kit I have left is a 1/32 Lysander that needs some cockpit frame strengthening for final assembly.
The only company to come up with a 1/72 HP Heyford, and the Stranraer. They really had some stand-out subjects.
LOVED MATCHBOX.
In the UK you could get them in newsagent shops, so they where prity much everywhere, sometimes in old shops they still have them lurking in the top shelves!
Apparently a mould designer was contracted to make 4 moulds a year. Three the company's choice, one their own. That's why there was always something quite exotic in each year's release.
The dual or triple coloured sprues was so novice modellers who didn't have the paints or know how to paint them butcould make a fare representation of the finished kit
Thanks Max, calls sweet memories: In Hungary 1988 was a year of relief: state toy retailer has begun selling MB kits! For fair price (just ~2 times of a Czech KP, not ~10 times of black market before) so many boys of my age, built many of them. Good fit, simplicity, GOOD decals: perfect for beginners! BUT very strange that some of their kits: 1/72 Vickers Wellington and Wellesley, A.W. Siskin and Fairey Seafox were much-much above in detail of the rest! I tried to search why, but I couldn't find any different origin. At 1/48 Ww2 fighters the reason was clear: Otaki tools. But with above, I'm lost! Btw. I feel really sorry about MB kits, just recenty as all my 3 boys interested in models we have put together from my old stack in basement a Mirage IIIB, a Jaguar T2 and an 1975 issued Hurricane (!) all decals worked perfectly (!)... just one expression fits: SHEER FUN! (btw. KP would also deserve a video I think, as they were far the best of WarPac country origin kits, and led to the Czeh 'boom' in '90s)
Matchbox must have felt like high tech kits compared to KP.
Back in the late 80s I found a bunch of KP kits in a toy shop here in Australia. It was the only time I ever saw them. They were $2 each which was really cheap so I bought them all. I made one or two and put the rest aside for later. They were pretty crude, especially the canopy, but enjoyable. I gave most of the rest to my children and nephews to make. I wish I had kept them as there were some interesting subjects. I still have a Po 2 and a Lublin in the stash.
@@hikokibert I think Lublin was Polish, maybe ZTS Mikro... at KP line Letov S-328 might resemble some Lublin biplane... I would argue on KP quality, not the clearest canopies not best fit, but deatail and exactness were mainly OK for the time... sometimes better than western competitors (Mig-19,-21, Su-7...)
@@balikolaci1 you are correct. It is a Letov. They do make up into nice models. They were crude as to the quality of the mouldings on the ones I have. Lots of scratches in the moulds made a lot of imperfections to sand off. But that's probably due to old moulds I guess.
I must say that, as someone who spent a lot of time and scant resources on Matchbox kits I always felt they sometimes got a raw deal from 'serious' modellers. Yes, there was the WW1 trench digger responsible for much of their surface detail and sometimes a real howler in the kit (the pitot tube on the MiG21 was on the wrong way), but when they got it right they REALLY got it right.
They seemed to have a talent for doing their most unusual subjects very well and here in the UK they were often praised for their choices. A sample few:- Vickers Wellesley, Supermarine Stranraer, Hawker Fury I, Armstrong Whitworth Siskin. For many years their Meteor night fighter kit was the only game in town and, when it was released, earned rave reviews. A little dated now? A bit clunky? Sure. But in their time very well received kits. I'm building the Fury I at present and have the Wellesley, Siskin and Heyford to go.
I guess the predominantly British subject choices weren't for everyone but I 'd be the poorer without them.
Incidentally, I always thought that the rationale behind the multi coloured plastic harked back to Lesney's toy based heritage and added 'play value' in the days (and yep, we all did it), when you knocked up a model in a day and rushed out to join your mates in their dogfights in the street. Eventually, of course, the battered remnant of the model would be sacrificed in an air gun shooting match or an inflammability test. Happy days!
The Matchbox Hawker Fury has a build-ability and logical parts fit - that puts a lot of modern kits to shame - I loved that model - it still attracts a heft price on ebay ( for a kit designed in 1972 ? - that's not a bad record )
@@73north Very true. I am enjoying my build a lot. I'm not a great kitbasher so all I've done is tweak the cockpit a bit and get some really nice aftermarket decals......the kit's biggest weak point being the rather basic set included, (not to mention the fact that they're very old and a bit yellowed). As an intro to biplanes this is a great kit to start with.
I got almost all of my Matchbox kits from an ex-forces professional modeller, whom had bought them on mass in the 1970's and '80's as part of a mix of doing large scale wargaming* at the time, and an interest in building entire classes of ships via modding.
*Such as utilizing a local sports hall to do complete 700th scale sea battles.
As such I can confirm that they did have a fanbase amongst some pro's, very much so :-) .
The Matchbox HMS Kelly and Exeter were STILL highly thought of until very recently when the Flyhawk 1/700 put it to shade with Slide Moulding -and Trumpeter HMS Exeter 1/350 kit is fabulous ( both came out 2 yrs ago ) - even now the 2 x 1970's Kits attract a decent price on Ebay - I also never realised but I had made a FROG kit when i made the 1/500 HMS Exeter a few years ago in my youth - it was a grand kit , fairly accurate and not bad fit
Forgot to mention the matchbox Boeing P-12 is a belter of a kit also in 1/72 scale
2:44 I remember reading at the time that the idea behind the multi coloured kits was that kids could assemble and decorate one in a sitting, without requiring paint and detailing, to yield a result that gave kids satisfaction. This was a strictly marketing move intended to increase appeal and thus generate future sales.
That's exactly why they appealed to me. I used to save my pennies for some time before having enough to afford bus fare downtown to the hobby shop and the price of a kit; Paint, brushes and thinner were a rare treat indeed. It was my ritual, when I had enough, to excitedly wait until Friday (always Friday), take the trip, build it that night then enjoy it all weekend. I loved waking up Saturday morning and looking at it. The diorama aspect was certainly a nice bonus and added so much to the animation and imagination of the finished product.
My first Matchbox kits were the 1/72 Alpha Jet trainer and 1/76 M24 Chaffee tank. Like ESCI and Italieri, Matchbox occasionally had unique models which bigger brands like Airfix tended not to produce. The pre-colored parts (odd as some color combinations were) saved on buying paint and time spent painting for casual modellers not wanting to display finished items in grey or some other mono-color plastic. Lastly, the more costly / the larger scale the kit, the more color combinations you got. Thanks for the vid and stay safe, Max!
The idea of the multi colour plastic was so the subject didn't have to be painted..the tomcat jet from memory was in white and light grey and black for example..today Academy have done the same with their current 1/48 Phantom kits..
The idea of the 2 & 3 colour kits was that you could build them without the expense of painting them. This was a USP for the product in the '70s. They were great for entry level modellers but could be tricked up a bit by more serious modellers. The quality of he molding was excellent bu they did lack a bit in detail giving them a toy-like look that fitted with the wider Matchbox product line.
I've been waiting for this one. I cut my modeling teeth on Matchbox in the 70s and they were always my preferred manufacturer. I dont think Iv'e ever had more building pleasure overall than with those kits. Sure they were not the pinnacle of model engineering but as a child I found them easy to build. They fit together well, and the biplanes were kid friendly too. I always struggled with the Airfix biplanes back then. I eventually grew out of them as I became a "serious" modeler but also lost some of the joy that I got from building them. I still make them when I can find them. I currently have the Boeing P4 to make, which is colored perfectly in the two colours of yellow for the wings and tail and green for the fuselage and struts.
Some of my favourites that I made several times because I enjoyed them so much were the Fiat G91, the Hawker Tempest, A4 Skyhawk, Saab Tunnen, Hawker Hurricane, Long range desert group, Renault tank, M4 Stuart, Hawker Hunter, there are so many I enjoyed.
The Matchbox Handley Page Heyford is my most fond memory of all models I’ve assembled. So precisely molded. Excellent details. Quality all the way through.
I remember building matchbox kits in the 5th grade in the mid 70s. Plastic models were very popular amongst Aussie boys at the time . I remember that the multi colour kits were very a big hit with my friends and I . We usually didn't paint our finished kits at that age . The multi coloured kits looked less boring than the single colour Airfix , Revel , or Frog , kits that were available at the time . We were of the opinion that the Matchbox kits had better fit than the kits from their competitors . We had not yet discovered Hasegawa .
That was my experience as a kid too. Use to wander down to the newsagents near my home in Hobart with my pocket money and pick up a kit on Friday for the weekend build. I use to love the fact the Matchbox kits came in a proper box with a clear panel on the back where you could see the actual kit inside (in two colours), a paint guide printed in colour on the back and a nice bright artwork piece on the front of the subject. You also scored a proper instruction book inside and for airplane kits a fancy stand that had a ball and socket joint, so you could pose your model any angle you wanted. While the tank kits scored a super cool diorama base. Really made you feel you got your monies worth and it was a "proper kit" like those ones you couldn't afford on the top shelf and only got on your birthday. I think the cheaper Matchbox kits were like 25 or 50cents more then the Airfix kits that came on the blister packs, but they were so much more appealing to a young boy like me and they often went together better too. I would gladly forgo a couple of planet of the apes bubble gum card sets for the Matchbox kit I was lusting after. I built a Matchbox US Half track and put a video of it up on my channel. Had a ball building it and now have a Matchbox 1:72 Hurricane waiting for its time on the bench.
@@DansModelBench wonderful memories
I first saw these aged 11 on a trip to Edinburgh; I bought the Humber armoured car and the Jagdpanther, and built them both while riding on the back seat of the coach home... loved the little dioramas!
Hi Phil ! Built my Humber during a lovely holiday in Filey.
I did start my modelling career with this brand... all 1/72 planes, when I was 7 or 8... I put together the kits with plastic cement, decals and no paint... use them to play and I can tell you, the Spitfire and the FW190 get entangled in endless dog fights over the living room channel too many times... The Lyssander always came to the rescue of the downed pilot, regardless the nationality... A few years later all those models were destroyed by my younger brother in fearless combats.... no survivals are know... The Alpha jet, the mig 21 were also among the builds... good memories Max... Thank you again for a free and priceless ride to Childhoodland...!
Along with Airfix, matchbox were my favourite kits as a child. Especially liked the armour kits with mini diorama. I remember the multi coloured plastic was promoted so you didn't have to paint the kit. Most of my early kits were unpainted.
The idea behind the 2/3 colours was that many models were left unpainted (just decals) so completed models were deliberately designed to be eye-catching in this condition. This was actually a selling-point in the UK.
Indeed it was.
Same in Australia. At 9 or 10 yrs of age , we didn't paint our kits .
Bandai certainly liked the idea, as almost all of their Gunpla kits use the feature.
Correct, the colour was linked to the intended scheme. So the F4U was in blue and white and the Twin Otter in yellow and white.
Worth the wait! From Lesney cars in the late '60s to Matchbox kits in the '70s, this company's impact on my childhood imagination is second to none. Loved the video, it brings back great memories. And more to come! Thanks to eBay I can buy and build 'em all!
Matchbox also did 3 1/48th scale kits, an FJ-4 Fury, a Kaman Seasprite and an AD-5 Skyraider.
That Seasprite .. 1/2 built in my stash .. somewhere!
I just remembered the Matchbox kits used to have a clear window in the back or the box so we could see the colour of the contents before purchasing. They also came with a clear plastic ball jointed stand to pose the finished model on. I think both features were eventually done away with in a cost cutting measure.
When I was a kid, Matchbox models were the only available in my village. My grandfather bought me some from time to time. It didn't cost much and I made a bunch. It was really Matchbox that introduced me to model making.
I do not think I ever bought a Matchbox kit, but I do remember buying a lot of those matchbox diecast toys in the little yellow box. Originally there were 29 cents each. Played with them for hours.
Awesome. Matchbox have always been a favourite for me. The rationale behind the multicolour kits was for kids who may not paint the models. Would have been a great idea if the colours were alwars relevant but sadly they were not. They did some great subjects that no one else would touch. The 48th scale Skyraider was a beauty. Have heard the FJ1 Fury in the same scale was good too. The 32nd scale aircraft are great and I have the Spitfire 22/24 Tiger Moth and Puma helicopter in the stash to build, and want to get the Dauntless and 109E. I also have a load of the 72 scale kits and some armour, and the 72 scale Corvette ship. One of my favourites from the ranges is the 72nd Skyhawk. I sent one to a buddy in the states to build as 1 he had never built a Matchbox kit. And 2 it comes with a choice of two USMC markings and his Dad was a USMC pilot.
Thanks for featuring Matchbox Max. Great job.
But many times the plastic colours WERE adequate for the subject being modelled. I loved their Wellesley (beautiful, important aircraft, another strange Airfix deserter), it was a very good kit in three colours: a decent dark green, a decent dark earth, and black. A kid could easily cheat himself into believing he´d made a Bomber Command subject in authentic colours! Other Matchbox exclusive subjects I thoroughly enjoyed: Supermarine Stranraer, Handley Page Heyford (wow! you´ve got to be really bold to market that!), and Handley Page Victor, the latter one only in tanker version, something I lamented, but not for long: converting the kit into an all-white nuclear bomber gave me a lot of modelling pleasure! The swan-song of the once proud and gorgeous British modelling industry. Gone to the dogs, as Britain herself.....
@@javiergilvidal1558 so very true on all points. I have several of all the subjects you mentioned. The Stranraer is indeed a beautiful model. As is the Vickers Wellesley. I really liked the small biplanes too. It is a pity they didn't do more.
To confirm, Matchbox did actually move their entire model kit production line to China (but some car kits didn't make it due to licensing), and their kits also gained a lot of popularity down there through the 1990s. Even by today there are still many die hard fans of their kits in China and desperately searches every single toy store's old warehouses for them. I personally owns both the original version and the Chinese version of the 1/32 scale Packard Victoria kit, the Chinese version was produced on a later date and the Made in England engravings on the plastic trees have been grinded off. It's highly likely that many of the molds were still in use until the early 2000s but after the factory in Shanghai was closed, all the molds were scrapped and recycled as they've never showed up anywhere else. Or perhaps they've been sitting in a warehouse somewhere in China rusting in peace.
Presumably these moulds were then sent back to Europe for Revell to use? Matchbox wouldn't have two sets of moulds.
I'd totally forgotten they were a thing.
I remember building the matchbox AH1 as a kid in the 80's, stringy glue like everything at the time iirc..
I built as a Child , in the 1970's a few Airfix kits , first among them the HMS Hood in 1/350 scale -
but along with others I have looking forward for this Matchbox Video - thanks Max !
I built a lot of the Matchbox kits in the 70s and early 1980's and they were among my favourites.
I got a lot of enjoyment. Sure they were not the pinnacle of model engineering but as a child I found them easy to build. They fit together well, and the biplanes were kid friendly too.
The 1/76 Diorama Tank Models were just superb for the time , and I still have a few of them - the Comet Tank was unique to Matchbox for a long , long time . The 1/72 Hawker Fury is still admired for its easy fit and appearance .
In England, at the end of the last century (around 99), I installed some period lighting for a Mr Ulrich in a Northamptonshire village. I was restoring two sports cars and building a special (KSK 362) which was quite well known in the car community then as I had just driven it across the top of the Sahara. So it was fair to say I was kind of a man obsessed and consequently ate, dream't and slept old British engines. So I could not help but notice all of the fascinating artwork and motoring ephemera EVERYWHERE in Mr Ulrich's cottage. With the new/old lighting installed, whist celebrating with a cheque in one hand and a cup of tea in the other I had to ask. "Whats with all the artwork?" "I was the Matchbox box-designer in the 60's!!" What then followed was the most fascinating discussion as he showed me albums after albums and huge portfolios' showing all the artwork for the boxes for all the toys I had as a kid... I went from cool professional to gibbering, stuttering enthusiast in a heartbeat. I asked Mr Ulrich if he would paint a make-believe Matchbox box for KSK 362 (The Bellini Special) I was building if I paid him, he was so excited and agreed to do it for 'a drink' if I gave him all the photos and measurements, he was such a nice guy. However, a month after that I met a really cute brunette and we got engaged... she was a nurse, so a little respect please, at the time it was a no-brainer! However, we went on to buy a house and I sold my special and yes you guessed it, we broke up. So whilst I admit I don't really regret selling the car as I have evolved and I am now pursuing other interests. In any case, I am content knowing that the car is currently racing around Ireland (last I heard). However, I do regret not having a little Bellini box to look at. I now restore armour and specialise in making miniatures for a living, so for sure I would have built the little car to go in the box. Great video, and thanks for triggering that memory. 🏆🇬🇧
uh....wow
Thanks for that nice video Max. I do still collect Matchbox kits not only of sentimental memories but because of the outstanding boxart done by Roy Huxley. Among other artists, he is the reason why I became an illustrator and painter myself. I recently read in an interview that he likes to publish a book with his box top paintings. That's a dream come true.
Back in the 70's and early 80's I was a keen Matchbox model maker and built as many as I could afford. Mostly the 1/72 planes and 1/76 armor kits. Still have many of the armor models at least. I don't think I ever got the rebadged AMT kits. I have built a few of the Revell mouldings and a couple of the Asian kits. I found the models to be easy to build although the critics hated the trench-like panel lines they never worried me back then.
Thanks for this, you always dig up the best dirt on these model and toy companies. Take care and be well.
I always liked Matchbox aircraft kits. I wasn't fussy and the argument that the panel lines were "deep enough for trench warfare" fell on deaf ears as far as I'm concerned. They also had terrific pilot figures like Airfix. The Matchbox 1/72 Stranraer British seaplane was fantastic and my favorite. Revell Germany grabbed the molds and occasionally re-releases it.
Their Tornado F mk 3 was carved out of a Mills Bomb!!!
I built the Strikemaster kit when I kid in the RNZAF colours during 1970's. Later in life, I fortunate enough to fly the same Jet NZ6361 for a living.
@Tom Sanders Lol! This is a video from a while ago of a flight in it.
ruclips.net/video/MuGpspiC9Kw/видео.html
OK, as a pilot, I have to ask: How does one get to fly a retired military jet trainer for a living, If this is the one in the UK that still does training for civilians then I may have seen some of your videos.
Never-mind, I saw the link. It IS you!
@@maxsmodels Hi Max. First of all, love your videos.
I'm in Australia and yes, that is me in the video. I used to work for a company that took the general public in what are called Adventure Flights in the Strikemaster and a Yak 52. I also used the Yak to teach aerobatics and formation flying as at one stage we had 3 of them. We were very busy doing adventure flights on the weekends and flying instructing during the week. My type endorsement training for the jet was completed by a RAAF fighter Combat instructor who had civilian instructor qualifications. I flew the jet for 5 wonderful years and I believe it was the best flying job in country back then.
My favorite 1/76 scale military figures.
They were noticeably better then the Airfix ones of the same scale.
perfect for an OO model train layout
Always loved Matchbox kits, I'm from the Scottish port of Stranraer and Matchbox were the only model kit maker to have the Supermarine Stranraer flying boat, which were actually based at Stranraer in the early years of WW2. Revell relaunched the kit with updated features.
I built that one, nice kit!
From Edinburgh myself. Matchbox was a great brand.
I have the Revell re-release in my stash. I'm originally from Greenock and if I see a kit that has a Scottish connection I buy it, regardless of whether it's a plane/ship/truck etc.
@Baz Bazdad so It's true!
The fabled tale of the Stranraer stash!
A tale passed down in whispers through the ages!
The Shanghai, the Cortez's gold of the modeller!
It EXISTS!
I never built many of Matchbox's aeroplanes but I did build nearly all of the 1/76th tanks, I was into wargaming by then.
I have fond memories of building the Puma armoured car, I always remember the box art ..loved the little diorama base with the lampost.. and I did the Kiowa a few times.. but all told i liked Matchbox kits.. esp the tanks.. you seem to get more for your money with them...
I have the same kit in the Revell box in my stash. Yes, the diorama base is a nice little extra.
The 1/32 scale cars were all Matchbox original molds. The five I have so far built are absolutely excellent. The multi color parts are mostly correct, but I paint everything, so when they are not I am OK. Black mechanicals with body color separate can work well for a beginner. Several more are in my stash awaiting the right moment to build. Very good details, the best I have found in inexpensive 1/32 scale.
I sort of started my plastic modeling career in the 1970s with Matchbox. Mostly 1/72 kits of airplanes and armoured vehicles. The thing I liked about them in those days was the fact you didn't really need to paint them, the 2 sometimes 3 colours were good enough for me. Only slowly did I start painting them. I had to, I also started building kits by other companies.
Great summary thanks. I really enjoy this series you have been making very informative and surprisingly detailed. Thanks bud!
I built lots of these in the 1970s, for some reason the Dornier Skyservant sticks in my mind best. They did go together well.
I've still got the unpainted A7 corsair in the attic, badly built by my son 20 years ago, now he's a navy helicopter pilot.
I miss matchbox kits so badly. How I wished they had 1 company that bought them over and do all their kits again.
Revell still puts out their biggest hits.
@@maxsmodels Thanks but sadly they don't produce 1/32 figurines
@@ualuuanie You can buy a lot of original Matchbox kits on ebay - I have several including the Lysander and Dauntless!
@Shield Liger Yes but sadly I am a collector of 1/32 figurines and its not on Revel production list :(
@@alanmoss3603 Thanks but those that I am looking for is not there or not in good condition
I built that 1/32 Spitfire Mk. 22/24 in the mid 80s. It was an ambitious and as I recall, well detailed kit - but boy, did that thing have fit issues. The fit around the engine cowling and canopy in particular were a real problem.
I ultimately managed to get it all together, but it was fragile, and never quite right. I don't think it made it far into the 1990s, if at all, before it was cannibalized for other projects.
I believe it's the only Matchbox kit I've ever assembled, but despite the problems and somewhat disappointing outcome, I still overall have fond memories associated with that kit. Maybe not so much for the kit itself, but more for the fact that the difficulties made it memorable, and that makes it easier to reconnect with my earlier years and my life at that time.
Thanks again Max for another great video!
Yeah they had a nice selection, of various items, including some unique models.
I remember building the 1/76 scale, M16 Half-track.
I like unique diorama bases too.
I have built lots of Matchbox kits in my time. I always thought they were a joy to build. Very easy kits. Especially the tanks with the dioramas, those were fun. ^^
Love it thank you. 1/32 spitfire I've built two of the cool model
Matchbox was my favourite since forever. I loved the toy cars and the plastic kits. I thought they were good quality but I will concede that as a kid I doubt I would have known what good or bad was. LOVED the box art by Roy Huxley!
Interesting tale about Matchbox. Childhood friend’s father would buy him the cars as a present on business trips. I never got into collecting them nor did I get into their model kits either. BTW that wing man song was funny as hell. Well till the next episode.
Great. Very interesting. Revell regularly release the matchbox military vehicles. They're easy to find as all the 1/76 vehicles (and figures) revell do are matchbox. I preferred them to Airfix when I was a kid so it's great to be able to do them again.
Now this is the one I've been waiting on, had me a matchbox Graf Spee back in the day my first ship model.
Built a lot of their 1/72 kits as a kid. As somebody wrote: they were fairly cheap, their fit was better than the old Airfix kits of that time for the same price and they had juicy boxarts. That was also unique to Matchbox: the first series of boxarts contained information about what exactly it depicts, not just a general background of the plane.
A little later (knowing kits from Tamiya, Fujimi, Hasagawa) the trench-like panel lines and often the very simplified details were more bothering, but I liked them nevertheless. And "simplified" has to be considered in context of the era. On the collection display at 6:16 there are the Jet Provost and an early MiG-21. I had both these and the Airfix kits of them and building the Matchbox ones were much more fun and the result was "cleaner" than the Airfix planes.
The Matchbox story has one little post scriptum. The original mould makers who worked at Matchbox set up their own company called Renedra who now manufactures mostly wargaming models, they also produce sprues for companies like Perry Miniatures and Warlord.
Thanks, I am going to add that to the description page.
Not sure the tune is kid friendly. But as an adult, I’d say it’s perfect. Thank you for posting.
my videos are definitely checked as not for kids.
maxsmodels, I looked up that tune and shared it with some of my coworkers. It is perfect for those times when you work with someone who is.........say,, Less than average.
Their cars were fantastic. Me and my brothers built several duplicates of Jaguars and Bentleys and others I can't remember just because they were such a joy to build. The fit of the parts was at the time just unbelievable. With no effort at all you got a build you could be proud of. Do some painting and... The time I thinking of is when Airfix, Heller, Italieri and others really was a meeeh, and Tamiya was just coming. I remember Matchbox models as the best most effortless kits ever built. It was all up to you to finish the painting - or not. The result was fine anyway. Thanx Matchbox. It's a fond memory.
Thank you, Max! As a kid, I built the Matchbox A-7 Corsair, the Stuka with the big anti-tank cannons under the wings and the SEPECAT Jaguar. Loved the box art.
I am from a small vilage in France and the local shop has a few revel models (expenseive and big scales) and some matchbox ones with soldiers that where quite cheap in price (arouns 1$ in 1980).
So it became my main brand of my youth. I used them as toy a lot, they where very solid to play with.
My dream goes to hasegawa, far more better but at the time count the price of 10$ per model compare to the 1$ of the matchbox.
The global quality of Matchbox is good, scale is consistand in the oposite of airfix and the 2 coulors set is nice when you are a child that does not know how to paint it yet.
It is far from being high quality model but not bad ones either. The plastic is not as fine as other brand but the bult quality is very well done and I never see problems.
pilots where nicely detailed and figures of tanker where fine. THe tanks has heavy track in plastic, not a lot realistic but easy to put, in that Hasegawa or fujimi do it better.
Planes where 1/72 and tanks 1/76 but I still think it should be considered as "toy to build" even if model where nice and seems quite authentic in shape.
thanks for this overview of the brand, I love your chanel.
Another fine one sir!
Built a 1/72 zero, folk wolf. Have the 1/72 t34, quad 50 half track, honomag half track and m24 Chaffee. Love detailing . Good challenge. Get a lot of kit at toy fairs. Great for small dioramas .
i remember having a lot of Matchbox models back when I was a kid. Actually, one of the first models I had was one of the bombers (I forgot what it was) when I was six. My dad built it for me though. When I started to build models seriously at around 13, I many of them were the 1/76 armor kits. I loved the diorama bases that came with them. The best part was the larger kits had more than one vehicle. I remember having the Stuart Tank, M16, and Sd.Kfz 11 with BMW motorcycle/sidecar. I had great memories with these kits. I recently built the 1/72 Curtiss SBC-4 and it a nice model but I had to add a few details to the landing gears. Great job, Max.
Hi Max, another great video :D The Flower class corvette kit was releasd in 1979 by Matchbox and after bankruptcy later re-boxed by Revell Germany. Every clue it was a Matchbox original was scraped off the sprues. Revell later made a premium edition with a lot of PE and in 2017 a Technic version with working LED lights and a motorized radar. I'm building the Technic version since last month. A very demanding kit with some, minor, fit issues.The details are good for a 1979 kit, some flash on parts, a number of holes to be drilled and some other things. But I love working on it, and the result is looking great so far. Great kit for all who love large ship models and/or challenging older kits.
Thanks for the video! I loved those Matchbox kits! The box art was irresistible to 7 year old who had recently seen " Tora, Tora, Tora," " The Battle of Britain" and I think, " Kelly's Heroes" on t.v. I think I paid 2$ for my first kit, the Matchbox Hurricane llc, with a particularly exiting and colorful box painting. I also loved their 1/76 th scale armour and built dozens. Matchbox kits fit well usually but are in most cases a little bare on detail. Still, if you can get them reasonably priced, they are good for beginners and for veterans wanting a " low-impact/stress" stroll down memory lane. And for people who like a challenge, you can attempt to enhance or improve these kits as they are sometimes the only model available of that particular vehicle/aircraft in that scale. Admittedly, these days that may no longer hold true!
Anyways,great video about this fantastic hobby that I have enjoyed so much, the last 46 years!
Most of the Matchbox kits were models no one else produced. For example the 1/72 Corvette ship kit. Do you have any idea how big that thing was? Revell kept it in production until a couple of years ago. They were generally good kits, not great, but are much missed.
Now I want one
@@maxsmodels once MI is open I think I saw one in my favorite HS. Let me know if UR serious.
My last build of the youth phase in the hobby was the match box F-4m phantom. It hung from my ceiling for years and was the apex of my modelling during that time. I actually painted it properly. It was likely that it was my first scribed kit that I had built that made it stand out. There are still a few Matchbox kits in my stash. The Twin Otter being the crown jewel of them.
Just restored a 1/32 scale model of the Aston Martin Ulster that was given to be back in 1976? It was in storage along with some old Airfix vintage car models since 1981. I found the Matchbox models of the cars were far better than the Airfix ones due to the 'chrome' parts, engine detail and 'rubber' tyres. Now displayed in cupboard of delights. (A collection of oddities including some MoY/Days Gone By models and a couple weird Tri-ang clock-work models of 1/43 Morris Minor MM (excellent detail) and Standard Vanguard Phase 1 (poor molding). Happy days! So that's what happened to the model kits. Mattel strikes again!
I used to buy Matchbox 1/72 scale aircraft models back in the 70s and into the 80s as a youngster, alongside Airfix. In my recollection buying Matchbox was quite difficult, at least where I grew up, as they had quite limited distribution locally. I clearly remember the multi-coloured plastic, but I don't recall that they were much better or worse than airfix.
I have a few hundred unbuilt kits from the sixties, seventies and eighties and the one brand I wont be building in retirement are my Matchbox models. I may buy a second example of each to build but I just like the subjects, the packaging, the quirky multi colour sprues and the clever little window on the box. Who else gave you Omani decals and Siskin fighters?
I built their 1/700 scale USS Indianapolis kit in the 90's. Good quality, rare subject.
I think that this series is a hugely useful catalogue of all the model company’s that most modellers at one time or another has made, well perhaps not but tried to make. I thank you for taking the time to research and compose the videos. The small errors that others highlight is mere chaff for me as you are touching the core of the issue. Most of these companies were founded with the spirit of the hobby as the key ingredient. Ok commercial reality had to play a part but the essential ‘can I build something from this pile of bits?’ still stands. Great series and a credit to you for taking the time to curate.
I remember buying the 1/32 Me109 and SBD Dauntless on sale for cheap in a shopping mall toy store (Kaybee?) back in the 80's. As you commented, their overall shapes were good, but they really lacked detail (SBD's .30 cals looked like broomsticks stuck in cereal boxes). Sold them off when Hasegawa and Trumpeter kits of the same aircraft came along. Really wish I'd bought the Flower Corvette though.
To be fair most 30cals and MG's didn't look right back then. It's one detail that's still hard for smaller scales to get right.
Still: better than the standard guns on many vintage model warships though, which Matchbox's were quite decent.
Revell do the corvette nowadays.
@@decam5329 You are correct. I could have bought one in the 80's for much less than they're going for now, but only became interested in that kit much later, after I got a Revell Type VII U-boot. Missed opportunity!
Despite being a Brit I never assembled a Matchbox kit . I think they were just a little after my time . Didn’t realise the range was as big as that , particularly the ships . They missed a trick as if they’d made them to 1/600 they would have been compatible with Airfix . Great vid again Max . Thanks for that
I think you are right about the wrong choice for ship scale. At 1/700 they matched the Japanese waterline series, but even the best of them was far cruder and less builder friendly than the Japanese competition. But at 1/600 they would have compared well with Airfix.
My 1st build .. 1/72 P-47 "razor back" - followed by so many others, He-111, Lancaster, even got painted. Fit was better than the occasional Airfix "vintage" kits like the "Bit O'Lace" B17, Mosquito kits I built. Later appreciated that panel lines were more easily filled than sanded 😁
As of now, as far as I know, the Matchbox Mosquito is still the only 1/72 kit of that aircraft fitted with the later two stage Merlins.
I think the two-colour thing was a toy angle which Matchbox would have been very alert to. A kid who did not paint kits (yes, there were many back then) could put them together and they would I think make a more attractive toy/model to play with or not as they preferred. Most Uk buyers were children then and It is generally overlooked today that many kids who bought kits back then did not paint them or only painted a select few of their collection, and many did play with their models often complementing their boxes of scale soldiers.
Another point I would make is I thought those diorama bases that came with th Matchbox military vehicles kits were fantastic; a great idea. Not only were they a super addition to the kit, I was always aware of the value delivered in them as there was a fair bit of plastic invested there. Figures too were often included.
If I remember correctly, the advertising at the time claimed that, because of the two colour plastics, you could leave the models unpainted if you wanted to.
Ditto - the "cool to look at unpainted" was the reason.. pretty sure it mentioned it somewhere on the box or in the instructions.
When all you had to paint with was kludgy Airfix enamel paints with no thinners and a stink that would cause parents to complain , to a 12 y.o. kid, these were the duck's nuts. Pretty sure I never painted the Gladiator, the Firefly, or the Panther initially but I did try to pretty them up a couple of years later.
It might be rose-coloured glasses but I remember also as a kid thinking that they were better detailed and better fitting than Airfix kits at the same price point, which for some models, such as the ubiquitous Series 1 "Johnny" Johnson Spitfire, seemed like they were being pumped out well past the mould's useful life in terms of lost detail, bowed plastic and a respectively crappier fit.
@@alexbaumans6493 Ahhh. There y' go.
@@TheMightyHellfish They did hit the ground running so to speak. I felt that the quality was in some ways better than Airfix eg. being all new they were very clean and the plastic seemed _better_ . Tanks had better tracks.
I remember the slogan, “No painting needed!” being used. Which was OK for tanks that were moulded in brown and green, but I never understood why my silver P-51D was moulded in pink and pale blue. I still remember my dad coming home one day with a 1:72 Hellcat from this new manufacturer. Their tank kits were much better than Airfix.
i assembled a lot of matchbox 1/72 kits and 2 1/32 planes. I didn't go for accuracy , just the fun of building them because they where cheap and easy . I really dig those plastic stands.
the Matchbox Kit Display Stands where you could alter the position of the model , have STILL never been bettered to this day
I remember them fondly. Their F4U Corsair (in light blue and dark blue) was my first of many Matchbox kits I built. They produced subjects no one would touch and some that no one else did still, after 30 years. Siskin, Percival Provost, Fairey Seafox, Supermarine Stranraer, De Havilland Twin Otter, Dornier Skyservant, Messerschmidt ME 410 in 1/72 scale; In 1/48 scale their Sky Raider (though Revell does re-issue this occasionaly) and Kaman effing Seasprite!!!, and in 1/32 their Lysander, Tiger Moth and Sea Venom kits.. (yes Trumpetter does a Dauntless in that scale now) are all unique to Matchbox. Not to mention their 1/32 car kits (Auto Union Type D anyone? still not available as a kit in any other scale!)
The Auto Union is a terrific kit. I built it son after it came out and it still displays well.
I loved the Matchbox 1/72nd scale kits. I had a goal to build every aircrafts used in WWII, and they had a great selection at very good prices. Airfix kits were not really available in my little remote AZ own. But I would save my lunch money and buy a Matchbox model with it - at least weekly during my Jr High school period. I was pretty close to their whole inventory. They were typically solid builders (the parts fit well) and seemed accurate to me. I found Aitfix, and some of the other brands would get a bit dicey on fit and required a lot more putty to loook good.
Built a few... what I noticed as unique was the multi-colored sprues...which still had to be painted to be accurate.
Max, like you I find Scalemates more addictive than bacon.
BACON!!!!!!!!
I have a Matchbox Supermarine Stranraer and Handley Page Heyford, and they are both very nice.
Their biplane kits were very good.
Great channel, thanks very much!
I built one or two of their AFV kits back in the day and probably some of the aircraft too. As far as I can remember they were nice little kits...
I've only found Matchbox kits for cheap in small model stores, grabbed around 6 or 7. Don't have any nostalgia for them particularly, or any model company at all for that matter, but the kits are decent.
This is great. thanks for putting these videos together. I have loved Matchbox kits all my life and built most of the aircraft in their range as a kid...awesome memories! Roy Huxley was the best box top artist ever in my opinion. Matchbox kits forever!!!
Great video again, many thanks!
Brought back memories of me and my younger brother building their Spifire IX, Ju 188, Alpha jet, Hawker Tempests etc, and the tank models with their diorama base.
And the box artwork was just superb too.
I have a memory of them being good kits for fitment...can't remember which ones though. I built SO many models.....I sucked donkey balls...but built a lot of them lol....
I loved the Matchbox kits - as a tabletop wargamer in the late '70s , their rare AFVs were invaluable. The Comet, Sherman Firefly and Jagdpanzer IV were excellent and saved me uncounted hours in conversions (and resulted in models well beyond my skill to scratchbuild).
I still have a few including a Humber, M3 Stuart "Honey" and a couple of Jagdpanzer IV's, which I 'resurrected' a few years back by airbrushing them.
I used to buy a Matchbox kit every week with my pocket money from a garage along the road, I always thought the multi colour plastic was designed to appeal to children who didn't want to paint them, just play with them as toys.
The colours were always a very rough approximation of the real thing.
Not painting models was quite common. A single tin of Humbrol enamel was the same price as a bagged kit, and you might require a few to complete the job. So they were built naked for play value. Having coloured plastic was quite innovative for that market.
Another great video, Max. The "wingman" song at the end is Great!!!!
The famous PK-### series still likes me.
I WAS F*****N DELIGHTED WITH THIS SONG!!!
Love your work, very interesting mate, no matter what anyone says i always look forward to your music at the end, keep up the great work.
Although a dedicated Airfix junkie, I LOVED Matchbox kits when they came out. They had new ideas, new moulds, and came out with some models we'd not seen before.
Had a few matchbox kits. Built the 1/32 Lysander and dauntless. They were actually quite well detailed. The 1/72 victor built into a nice model. Their tanks and dioramas were cool. They also did a tank transporter which I built and put a matchbox Matilda on.
I do have the Lysander and the Dauntless . They are quite spectacular kits .
I had the pb4y1 liberator and like everyone else the colors almost blinded me but l loved the kit I would have painted it anyway.Its still in my collection!👍
Model where cheap, quite solid to play with and yes more toys than models kits for exposition but so nice to play with. plastic is thick and parts are mobile, tracks are easy to set and solid. A good brand to play with little soldiers at this time.
The dioramas bases with the tanks was a fantastic thing back in the day.
Thanks for the video! I have fond memories of making some of these with my brothers around the kitchen table. They lacked detail but they weren't expensive either.
Chunky and clunky Matchbox might have been with detail and accuracy very much 'of the era' but - broadly speaking - they were better fitting than Airfix. That alone made them easier to build than many kits of the time.
They were moulded in different colours which made them a good choice for children who couldn't, or didn't want to, paint their kits, but for a more serious modeller it made little difference since they would have painted the kit anyway.
Criticised - not unfairly - for the depth of their panel lines, Matchbox were actually ahead of the game at a time when Airfix (and others) were being criticised for producing new moulds with raised panel lines. Their Wellington though had beautiful surface texture which even if some regarded as clumsy, went some way to giving a good representation of the geodetic construction of the actual aeroplane.
What also set Matchbox apart was their choice of subjects and scales they were in. 1/32 Venom/Lysander/Puma? 1/72 Corvette? Supermarine Stranraer? The cars and motorbikes (pre-AMT)? Also their armour/military subjects that had a diorama included, which my brother loved, giving so much play value and still within 'pocket money' range.
I built the Puma armored car in 70s