Was/is there a USAirfix?
MANDO VILLARREAL
Krogers grocery store for about a $1 a piece. My memory seems off, but
I swear the box had the name USAirfix on it instead of plain 'ol Airfix.
Does anyone remember this brand?
PS My 1st kit was a (US?)Airfix P40 in 1/48 scale. Finished it in one
night using only a tube of yellow contact cement and a toothpick.
William H. Shuey
I believe the Airfix company had a U.S. subsidiary for a couple of
years either before or after their mold leasing deal with MPC. Since
free trade became fashionable they no longer bother.
Bill Shuey
Maiesm72
>Does anyone remember this brand?
Airfix kits were distributed in the US under a lot of labels:AHM, Airfix
Corporation of America, Airfix Craftmaster, AVA International, Continental
Models, MPC, Revell and USAirfix.
From 1981 to 1986 General Mills owned Airfix, followed by Borden, who held the
company until 1994.
AVA International was the American distributor for Airfix in 1979. The USAirfix
label was used by them from 1980-81.
>My 1st kit was a (US?)Airfix P40 in 1/48 scale.
Um, Airfix never made a 1/48 P-40. The USAirfix kit #10060 is a 1/72 scale
P-40E Kittyhawk. The only 1/48 kits that they packaged were the Spitfire Vb, Me
109F-4, Hurricane I, Ju 87B-2 and F-15.
My favorite USAirfix kit is the C-130 in Blue Angels "Fat Albert" markings and
the Gosling/Widgeon in USCG markings.
Hope this helps a bit.
Tom
Tom Hiett
> Um, Airfix never made a 1/48 P-40.
They apparently repopped the Otaki 1/48 P-40E.
http://modelstories.free.fr/analyses/avions/MS2001_5P/ARFX_P40E_48/
Tom
Maiesm72
Thanks. I'm not up on the Dark Side scale :-)
The photo of the captured P-40 is a treasure!
Tom
Rob van Riel
> As a kid 0f 10 years old I remember buying a kit a week from my local
> Krogers grocery store for about a $1 a piece. My memory seems off, but
> I swear the box had the name USAirfix on it instead of plain 'ol Airfix.
> Does anyone remember this brand?
'Remember' is not the correct word (only normal Airfix here in The
Netherlands), but yes, they definately existed. If you search eBay for
item 3148954700 you'll find one of their kits that I recently won.
Maybe the box will ring a bell. Airfix kits were also sold under the
MPC label in the US.
Rob
Tom Hiett
They are suppose to be raising an original AVG P40 this month from a lake
in China but I think its been delayed. Thought I had a web page with
status reports but the only one I find is months behind.
Tom
Greg Heilers
Yep...they were located just north of Austin, TX...in Waco (You know...
the Branch Davidians.....THAT Waco....lol).
I have a friend who worked for them back then, doing the models for the
box-art. He said they paid him in "whatever he could carry out in his
arms, from the warehouse"...lol.
If you have the 1/72nd Banshee.....take a close look at the photo on the
box. He explained to me how they left his model under the lights WAY too
long. Check out the trailing edges of the wings!!
:o)
--
Greg Heilers
SlackWare Linux user
Registered Linux User #328317
Martin
> I swear the box had the name USAirfix on it instead of plain 'ol Airfix.
> Does anyone remember this brand?
USAirfix operated out of Waco, Texas in the late '70s and early '80s.
My impression is that they were importers of Airfix kits and packaged
them in the USA. It seems that USAirfix ended operations around 1982
when MPC picked up the reboxing of Airfix kits.
To quote "Sir" Charles Barkley: "I could be wrong, but I doubt it"
Martin
Milton Bell
centennia...@yahoo.com wrote on 11/13/03 5:23 PM:
> USAirfix operated out of Waco, Texas in the late '70s and early '80s.
> My impression is that they were importers of Airfix kits and packaged
> them in the USA. It seems that USAirfix ended operations around 1982
> when MPC picked up the reboxing of Airfix kits.
>
> To quote "Sir" Charles Barkley: "I could be wrong, but I doubt it"
>
> Martin
Sort of. I visited the the operation with a friend who did models for their
box art. They had imported the tools and sent them to a facility in Dallas
where the actual injection/molding was done. I remember they did a lot of
cars but also had a number of aircraft. It looked like a gigantic warehouse
operation at first with bins and barrels of parts. At the time I visited
they were working with the runners for a B-29, trying to get it to a size to
fit a new box. The only kit I have left of USAirfix is a Mossie.
Milton
Rob Gronovius
page advertises the following kits:
50030 B-24 Liberator
50040 PBY Catalina
40010 Mitchell B-25
50010 AC-47 Gunship
20010 P-38 Lightning
50020 Lancaster
I also seem to recall building an IL-(?) twin engine bomber called the
"Beagel".
There's also a coupon to send for a USAirfix or Airfix catalog. The
instructions are dated 1979. The address is AVA International, Inc., Hewitt,
Texas.
Rob Gronovius
Visit my motor pool in the www.armorama.com gallery
Patrick
Yes it's around.I have 2 or 3 in the basement including an alphajet 1/72.
Patrick
Eyeball2002308
an Me262 in usairfix boxes.
Bill Banaszak
Add the Douglas F4D, 1/144 DC-9 and the AlphaJet. I thought this
USAirfix deal was in some way connected to Squadron?
Bill Banaszak, MFE
Ron
EmilA1944
paint-by-number kits of famed masterpieces) imported Airfix kits in the
early-mid 1960's (remember the co-branding well from my days working in a hobby
shop through my college years). Craftmaster acquired MPC sometime about
1967-68, followed by Craftmaster's being swallowed up by one of the
quintiscential 60's "conglomerate corporations", General Mills of cereal fame.
After this series of mergers, MPC offered numerous Airfix 1:72 scale aircraft
kits complete with "customizing parts" (nothing like a Helldiver with optional
chrome-plated prop and bombs!), which continued to the middle 1970's.
In reverse, Airfix packaged MPC kits for sale in England and I believe Europe,
which arrangement I think went on until the early 1980's.
USAirfix, as others mentioned, packaged Airfix kits for sale in the US, in
addition to having some of their own made (the Camaro Kammback station wagon,
for example), which I don't think came from any other source.
AA
MANDO VILLARREAL
One thing though...I wonder if my 1st USAirfix P40 *WAS* in fact 1/72
instead of 1/48. In my mind's eye I picture myself as a 10 year old boy
holding that Warhawk. 1/72 would've looked bigger in those smalll
hands.
allenx3
airways decals. The kits are airfix made in USA .The side of the box shows
artwork for air force 1 taking off , i wonder if that kit ever happened
Ken
famv...@webtv.net
or so) kit I got had at least 1 missing part. They were good about
replacing the parts, tho, but it got old. I think the last kit I got was
the Il-28 missing an aileron half. I sent them a nasty letter & that was
also the last USAirfix kit I ever got. I still don't even go for
second-hand ones on eBay.
Bill Banaszak
It probably was the same old Boeing 707-420 that Craftmaster/Airfix used
to peddle as Air Force 1 but I'll bet the decals were better.
Bill Banaszak, MFE
Al Superczynski
VILLARREAL) wrote:
>...I wonder if my 1st USAirfix P40 *WAS* in fact 1/72
>instead of 1/48.
It was definitely 1/72. The Airfix reboxing of the Otaki/ARII
1/48 P-40E came *long* after the demise of USAirfix.
--
Al Superczynski, MFE, IPMS/USA #3795, continuous since 1968
My "From" address is munged - click "Reply To" to respond via email.
Check out my want and disposal lists at "Al's Place":
http://www.network54.com/realm/modeleral/
"Build what YOU like, the way YOU want to,
and the critics will flame you every time."
Martin
> The side of the box shows
> artwork for air force 1 taking off , i wonder if that kit ever happened
Yes Ken, this kit was issued in the US in the very early '70s. Saw it
on the hobby shop shelves but never have seen the contents. I assume
it was the Conway-powered 707 with AF1 decals.
Martin
R. Vick
--
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