Kit(s) of the Day - The MPC Profile Series

In the early 1970's, there were some indications that interest plastic model aircraft was waining on the western side of the Atlantic. This was probably for a variety of reasons, though the biggest was that many of those youngsters that had started building these kits in the 50's and 60's had now aged, and many of the gimmicks that were used to sell the kits back then were failing. In the UK, of course, it was a slightly different story, with both Airfix and Frog booming along.

MPC was known stateside mainly for model cars in 1/24 scale. In the mid-1960's, they began to import, and later produce, Airfix kits. They used some unusual methods to get people to buy their kits, such as including chromed parts and wild custom decals for a while.

Obviously, that didn't work.

So, they took what can only be described as a more English approach. In the UK, a series of booklets had been published for a while known simply as "Profile Publications". Each of these booklets contained information on a single aircraft or variant, complete with, you guessed it, full colour profiles. When I was young, I would stand, mesmerised, at the book rack in Art's Hobby Shop, staring at the vast number of them he carried.

Anyway, MPC decided to use the Profile booklets as a starting point for a new line of Airfix kits. Each kit would come with decals for three different aircraft, allowing the modeller to choose which aircraft he wanted. In a way, it was akin to the customising that American car modellers had enjoyed for a few years at that time. Some kits even came with parts to allow different variants to be built, though this could be traced back to the dies that Airfix had tooled originally.

Suffice to say, the new line of MPC kits were a hit.

They weren't perfect, however.

Take the Wildcat, for instance.

When this model was being sold by Airfix, it contained markings for two aircraft; one Fleet Air Arm, the other US Navy. The plane itself represents an FM-2, the very last Wildcat variant built (and made by General Motors, not Grumman). This plane was a bit different than the original F4F-3 or -4. That didn't stop MPC from including decals not only for an F4F-3, but for an even rarer G-36, Grumman's early export model that the British ended up with.

This wasn't the only time they dropped the ball where that was concerned.

Then, there were the decals. My biggest complaint for years was how light the blues tended to be. Other decals, namely from later kits, were printed on material that was very thick and refused to adhere to anything but a perfectly smooth, flat and very glossy surface.

Still, the Profile Series from MPC introduced many people to the hobby. They were usually sold very inexpensively at outlets ranging from convenience stores to department stores. The line finally faded from public view around the mid-1970's, with the author seeing the last few kits vanish from our local Woolco's around 1978.

For the collector, the boxes are pretty nice, with information lifted directly from the Profile booklets. Sometimes, the colour information on the instruction sheets left something to be desired. The models themselves were almost always moulded in white, though I have heard reports of other shades such as silver and light blue being used. Beyond that, they were still Airfix kits, though under cover.

MPC would once again become involved with Airfix in the early 1980's, when they produced a number of kits as Airfix was going through some difficulties. These were a far cry from the old Profile series, basically being American reboxing's only. This would be MPC's last foray into military models. By the end of the century, MPC itself would be gone, to emerge later as simply a brand name only.

Building the Classic Airfix Hurricane Mk.IV

I decided that it was time to put together the Airfix Hurricane Mk.IV, and to treat the model with respect. In doing so, I decided to use techniques and materials that a model builder in the early 1960's would have had access to. I chronicled the build at the Unofficial Airfix Modellers Forum, and the images are up at Picasa. To say the least, I am very happy with how this has turned out. In fact, this model looks better (to me) than many of my more modern kits.

Pleased I am!

Airfix Hurricane Mk. IV

The Great Spitfire Mk.I/II Quad Build of 2010

There are just some models that have to be built. You know the ones; they have been sitting in your collection for years. For me, it was my two Hasegawa Spitfire Mk. I's. I had planned on building one up as the Spitfire prototype, but there were too many issues.
The fact is, while these models look nice enough, they have numerous issues, the most noticeable being the lack of the "gull wing" underside.
Then in April of 2010 I located a Heller Mk.I.
With the purchase of the Heller kit, I decided to compare the different early Spitfire kits, which I of course had to blog about.
A couple of weeks later, I managed to obtain the Revell Spitfire Mk.II (really a Mk.I), primarily for its decals. Aside from the Frog kit (which is the oldest Mk.I Spitfire), I now had four classic birds.
That's when I decided to build them all simultaneously.
I chronicled the build at the Unofficial Airfix Tribute Forum and also posted the images on Picasa (link below).
Was it fun? Certainly. For a couple of weeks, I was fifteen again. Like all my builds, I build for myself and not for contests. This build may not have produced prize winning models, but it sure was nice to just build for the sake of the build.

Rob's Four Way 1/72 Spitfire Mk. I Build

Spitfire Quad Build

Modelology

If someone were just getting into plastic model aircraft today, they would be startled at the sheer abundance of kits. This was not always the case; when I built my first model airplane in 1970, there were mostly injection molded and vacuformed kits and conversions. Resin parts were still some time off, and while there were some metal components available, photo-etch was nascent.
For us, it was styrene stock, plasticard and what we could salvage from other sources. Decals were just coming into their own. We relied upon the manufacturers to provide us with usable kits.
Not that the manufacturers made it easier.
Often times, they had kits that were not carefully researched. Take for instance the classic Hawk SBD Dauntless. The kit came with markings for an SBD-3, circa 1942. The model also came with national markings molded into the model, by the way; I suppose one could go back and simply paint the roundels on. The problem is that, aside from being quite simple, the kit is actually an SBD-5 (which later Hawk kits actually claimed on the box art). The navy markings are simply wrong for that make. Converting it to an SBD-3 involved a little work, most notably adding that scoop to the top of the cowling.
Airfix, to their credit, did a better job than most for us 1/72 modellers. Many kits had optional parts (their original Hurricane Mk. II is literally a spares factory, with parts that they never bothered to provide markings for!). Their SBD kit contained parts for both a -3 and -5. If one wanted to model both aircraft accurately, you now had the ability to do so, perhaps even swapping the Airfix -3 cowling for the -5 cowling on the Hawk model (it boggles).
A few other companies jumped on the bandwagon, but the good folks at Airfix made it an art.
But, before I go off and make this an article about the thrill of collecting spare parts for the bin, let me get back to my main point. The parts article will be another time.
Many of these early manufacturers have to be forgiven for their occasional poor choices. Frequently, the access they had to information was scant and often plain wrong. Perhaps they had drawings for one aircraft variant but wanted to produce another. Then came the task of marketing the subject; they needed to make it popular. Hence the wrong markings on the Hawk Dauntless. The SBD-3 from the Battle of Midway was far more interesting than a later SBD-5, certainly braver. Hawk also did this again with their Spitfire F.Mk.22. The model represents an early Mk.22, probably a prototype based upon the fin, yet the markings seem to depict... nothing. The later Testors release of this kit repeats that sin; this is a plane that did not exist. But it is still an important variant and for many of us filled a void.
Frog was another company that made these faux pas quite often. They sold their first Spitfire (originally labeled a Mk.II) as a Mk.Ia/Va. There are minor differences between those variants, yet it allowed Frog to model two very important aircraft; a Mk.I from 19 Squadron and Douglas Bader's Mk.Va.
Lest we think that the trail ends there, that these older companies have been shuttered and their products relegated to the waste bin of history, they still live on, and not only in their influence. The Frog dies, for instance, were divided between Revell-Germany and Novo, a Russian company that has long since bellied up and given us Eastern Express. Not only that, but Frog's Spitfire Mk.I/Va seems to have influenced (if not, almost been copied by) PM Models Spitfire tropical Mk.Vb/Vc and all of its variations. While I've not seen it, I also suspect that the same might hold true for their Sea Fury. Academy of Korea has also copied a number of Frog kits, notably the Wildcat, P-40B, TBF and Lockheed Ventura. Many of the older Airfix dies have been acquired by Bilek, an eastern European concern. And, of course, many of Hawk's models live on through Testors, and lately Lindberg (which is a whole other subject).
That is what we had to work with back then.
This searching for the roots of these models and model building can be best described as "modelology", the science of styrene divination, the archaeology of the plastic model. This goes beyond simply collecting and comparing the kits to drawings and newer offerings. This also involves the building of the kits, using the techniques that would have been available to the average modeller of a given period, to see if, indeed, better models could be created. The period I've chosen is the mid-1970's to 1980. A model made after that point is subject to newer techniques, and indeed there are probably better models available. There may occasionally be better research and decals, as well as correcting the issues with colours (namely those pesky Luftwaffe aircraft), but if the model dates or was available during a given period, it should be built as if I were in that period.
There are a few compromises, though. I discovered acrylic based wood fillers in the 1980's, and they have been my filler of choice since, but otherwise work, for me, as well as the putties available in my youth. I also have to use non-toxic cement (the citrus smelling stuff) due to chemical sensitivities, but this has been available for a few decades now and indeed was used when I was a lad.
So, welcome to modelology, and enjoy modelling the way we used to. Feel free to set the resin and the photo-etch down now.

Revell Goes True (1/72) Scale!

Imagine it's the early 1960's. Plastic model building is really starting to take off, especially here in the States. All variety of plastic models are available; ships, cars, space, aircraft. The latter, model airplanes, were usually the most inexpensive of the lot, and many model builders got their start with them.
The US, though, was slow to jump on the scale bandwagon. While model cars were being turned out in scales that were either 1/24 or 1/25, it took longer for model companies to care about them. Well, perhaps that isn't quite true; Monogram and Hawk were certainly turning out kits in 1/72 and 1/48, especially the larger of those two scales, and Lindberg was producing a few kits in 1/64 as well.
It was the plastic powerhouse Revell of Venice, California that lagged a little behind. Keep in mind that by the early 1960's, both Frog and Airfix already had extensive lines in 1/72. Most of Revell's kits were "box-scale", designed to fit a box, not a regular scale. You had aircraft as large as 1/45 sharing a common box size that also held models down to 1/180. The scales were all over the place.
When Revell decided to go to a true scale, they chose 1/72 for their aircraft kits. By the mid-1960's, they had a large number of World War II fighters and bombers, behind only Airfix in their offerings.
But these weren't Airfix quality.
While they were fairly good at capturing the appearance of many of the aircraft, most of the kits lacked good detail. Some parts were just wrong (quite often the landing gear), while others were stretched (their Spitfire Mk. II's fuselage) or squashed (canopies on the Spitfire, P-47D and F4U-1D). Some kits were surprisingly good (their Wildcat and Hurricane), others not. The kits also felt thin and somewhat flimsy. This is something I always felt about Revell's kits from this era; the plastic parts always felt thin. As the dies aged, this thinness presented further problems, namely flash and quite often short-shot parts.
For us here in the States, though, the presence of scale kits meant that we could now build accurate collections. Want to see how small a Bf-109E was next to a B-17F? All you needed was the money for the kits. The American molded Revell kits were inexpensive to boot, always lower in cost than imports, so you could build a collection relatively inexpensively.
The photo I've posted is of three of the fighter aircraft in various boxing, from 1963 (the P-47D), 1974 (the F4U-1) to 1988 (the Spitfire). For many of us, this was the only way to have some of these models in our collection, so we learned to either live with the shortcomings or honed skills to correct them.
For the average builder today, these kits have long been supplanted; there is not a kit from this series that hasn't been replaced. Those of us who love nostalgia, however, look upon them with most assuredly rose coloured glasses.

My First Hurricane

It was back around January 1977. I had just had my heart broken when my crush Cindy Brookes abruptly exited my fourteen year old life (she changed schools), so therefore I sought solace in plastic.
The plastic I chose that week was the Airfix Series I Hurricane Mk. IV.
This kit is ancient, dating back to the late 1950's. Aside from the packaging, little had changed about the model in all that time. When I bought it, it was in the later blister pack, and was soon to be relegated to history (though I can't say for certain when Airfix discontinued the model; before 1980 seems the likeliest answer). The model went together with relatively great speed. It was poorly camouflaged, using Testors Dark Gray and Pactra Forest Green over Pactra Confederate Gray. It also didn't last long, being traded away shortly thereafter once I discovered that the MPC Hurricane Mk. II was the newer Airfix Mk. II.
I did manage to get the model back some years later and tried to convert it into the Iranian Air Force Hurricane trainer. Suffice to say, that too was a disaster.
There are a lot of problems with this kit, make no mistake. While it does capture the overall shape of the prototype fairly well, the landing gear covers are the wrong shape. The same could be said for the horizontal stabilizers, being a little awkward as well.


There is no interior. In fact, there isn't even a seat. The pilot is simply glued into place on pins.

However, this model represents an important step in the development of the close support aircraft and an important Hurricane variant.
Can it be salvaged?
Of course it can!
There are a few things that can be corrected right off. First is the interior... or lack thereof. Some plasticard (sheet styrene) and odd bits from the spares box could certainly be used. New landing gear could easily be assembled from steel wire, with new gear covers from more plasticard. The wheels, whilst not perfect, are adequate. The problems arise in reshaping the landing gear wells; they match the landing gear themselves. There will need to be quite a bit of reshaping needed.
Will the end result be worth it? It depends upon ones point of view. While there are certainly better models out there, the challenge of taking an old dog and teaching it new tricks has its own rewards. For me, that is what this hobby is all about.

Battle of Britain Indecision

Decisions, decisions.
One of the things I've set out to do this summer is to model the aircraft of the Battle of Britain, with a particular slant towards the RAF and their brave effort. To that end, I have managed to secure a few aircraft models, though, admittedly, I am top heavy with Spitfires (what can I say, I'm a Spitfirephile). Of the Luftwaffe aircraft, I only have three; the Airfix Ju-87B, the MPC/Airfix Ju-88A4 and a bagged Airfix Bf-109E.
Here's where the trouble occurs.
You see, the Bf-109E kit was purchased for $1 in a Heller T-28 box with parts from other Bf-109's, an F and a K. Nothing was guaranteed at the time of purchase, and let's face it, $1 is very little money even for a bag of parts. In the latest analysis of the box, here's what I have -

-a nearly complete Heller Bf-109F, sans canopy
-an Airfix Bf-109E... missing many parts
-the wheels and cannon from the old Airfix Bf-109G
-a single sprue of Bf-109K parts
-three Bf-109E canopies; two Hasegawa, one Airfix

It was the Bf-109E I really wanted to build first, since it was on strength with the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. It is very far from complete (horizontal stabilizers, braces, landing gear covers, tailwheel, seat, scoops). I could use the Heller Bf-109F kit to complete the Airfix model, but some parts won't work right; besides, I don't want to wreck a classic model like that (anyway, one of those "E" canopies can easily be modified to work with the model).
I could scratchbuild the missing parts, or hit the spares box.
Or I could just wait and buy another model.
If the Airfix Bf-109E is to be written off, then what kit next? An early combatant, perhaps? That'd be one of my Hurricane Mk.I's.
I have two of the wonderful Airfix Hurricane Mk. I's, plus the older Mk. I/IIB kit (not as wonderful, but okay). One of the Airfix kits is actually the Heller issue and comes with markings for a ship from the 306th (Polish) Squadron during the Battle of Britain, but there are questions about the propeller used, and some minor details that need to be corrected (the anti-dazzle plates ahead of the cockpit). The right proper Airfix kit is for Robert Stanford Tuck's "DT-A" and appears to be close to 100% accurate; this will probably be the first of the Hurricanes built.
If I go that way.
Still, the challenge of scratchbuilding the missing pieces for the Bf-109E has a strange allure to it. Now, if I can just make up my mind.