Thursday 9 January 2014

A history of Airfix HO/OO AFV kits - part 15 - 1973

Another three-kit year!  And what a trio.  First up is the RAF Recovery Set.  This contains two vehicles - a lengthy 'Queen Mary' trailer hauled by a (rather underscale) Bedford tractor....
...and a Coles crane mounted on a Thornycroft chassis.  Both are candidates for many conversions and bodges.
Speaking of bodges, here are some Soviet Komintern artillery tractors.  These use the Thornycroft cab (except the one on the left which is from a Roco Faun lorry) and Roco Panzer IV running gear
It may not be 100% accurate but these comrades seem happy enough!


Next - the Matilda infantry tank.  Really rather a nice kit - though the (largely unseen) wheels are a bit fiddly.
This pair were completed a couple of years ago.  Bendy gun barrels aside they are very solid little models.

And finally - the SA-2 'Guideline' missile kit.  One of many kits I made a real mess of back when it was (as the box claims) 'new' (well around 1978...).  The kit contained a ZIL tractor unit the missile and a semi trailer for the latter, as well as a launcher unit.
I don't have this kit built as god and Airfix intended, but a pair of modified ZILs lurk in my boxfiles.
This one has been adapted to mount the Katyusha rails from another (truly horrid) kit.  Behind can just be glimpsed it's ammo-carrying comrade.  And yes, I know the ZIL is a postwar vehicle but it was based on and bears a striking resemblance to the lend-lease Studebaker.  And that's good enough for me.

15 comments:

Don M said...

Can you still get RAF Recovery Set
and SA-2 'Guideline' missile kit?
I see some possibilities with those
two myself....and God and Airfix
will just have to understand I can't
build things stock....)

Don M said...

Found the RAF Recovery Set on the
Airfix web site, the SA-2 must
have been a bear as they no longer make it !

Tim Gow said...

Don M
The Recovery Set comes and goes from the Airfix lineup. I think they lost the SA-2 mould as it's never been re-released. Shame.

Mike Whitaker said...

Really enjoying this series, BTW.

Tim Gow said...

Mike Whitaker
Thanks Mike - that's good to hear!

Paul Foster said...

Good to see some bodging creeping in to these 'must see' posts.

Great conversions Tim.

David Crook said...

Hi Tim,

I seem to recall that Airfix released a Bloodhound missile kit - did I miss this or is it yet to come?

All the best,

DC

Tim Gow said...

Paul Foster
Were you worried about a lack of bodging?

Tim Gow said...

David Crook
Where have you been? http://megablitzandmore.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/history-of-airfix-hooo-afv-kits-part-2.html

Martin Rapier said...

I am the proud owner of none of these kits, I think at the time the spending my pocket money on wheeled softskins and 2pdr armed tanks didn't seem like a good investment.

I have subsequently acquired a turretless Matilda 1, which I'll turn into a Baron at some point.

Tim Gow said...

Martin Rapier
You always were power crazed!

Martin Rapier said...

Indeed. Tomorrow the world.

Al said...

The Matildas look very good, and that kitset is still going strong. I like the bodging too :)

Tim Gow said...

Al
They're all getting on a bit (aren't we all?) but these kits still make useful wargame models.

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Damn it I remember the SAM 2 now, never had it so I am dependant on an Airfix re-release