Remember these.? All our yesterdays

[NewcastleFalcon]

Airfix kits. Were they in the pocket money bracket in the 1960's, or a save up a few weeks bracket, don't remember, but Sopwith Camels, Spitfires and Hurricanes and Messerschmitt's were all stuck together and built from the little bits of plastic.

Yesterday was the first time in over 50 years that I attempted to assist with the building of the kit in the picture. Crikey it was degree of difficulty 2 starter kit, but the instructions, diagrams with part numbers with little compatibility to the totally unintelligible numbering on the "sprues" (requiring a magnifying glass to see the numbers in any case) very nearly got a room 101 entry from me!

There was the nostalgic smell of the glue of course, the sticky fingers, and the overlong curing time to secure the tiny parts, and the putting things on the wrong way to correct.

All in all though I enjoyed doing it and at the end of the session, a fully assembled car emerged ready for the paint shop. At the scale the "roll-cage" was dumped in the bin being a collection of tiny thin easily broken plastic, as were the wing mirrors, the aerial and the windscreen wipers.

I give myself a poor 3/10 for the build, but the younger generation was happy with the end result.

Regards Neil

[Hell Razor5543]

Airfix kits. Were they in the pocket money bracket in the 1960's, or a save up a few weeks bracket, don't remember, but Sopwith Camels, Spitfires and Hurricanes and Messerschmitt's were all stuck together and built from the little bits of plastic.

Yesterday was the first time in over 50 years that I attempted to assist with the building of the kit in the picture. Crikey it was degree of difficulty 2 starter kit, but the instructions, diagrams with part numbers with little compatibility to the totally unintelligible numbering on the "spruces" (requiring a magnifying glass to see the numbers in any case) very nearly got a room 101 entry from me!

There was the nostalgic smell of the glue of course, the sticky fingers, and the overlong curing time to secure the tiny parts, and the putting things on the wrong way to correct.

All in all though I enjoyed doing it and at the end of the session, a fully assembled car emerged ready for the paint shop. At the scale the "roll-cage" was dumped in the bin being a collection of tiny thin easily broken plastic, as were the wing mirrors, the aerial and the windscreen wipers.

I give myself a poor 3/10 for the build, but the younger generation was happy with the end result.



Regards Neil

You might want to watch "Hornby - A Model World" on the 'Yesterday' channel. It can be quite interesting.

https://yesterday.uktv.co.uk/shows/horn ... del-world/

[mickthemaverick]

As a 5-8 year old I used to go with Dad on Saturday mornings to our local paper shop, Petrie's, on the corner of Bushey Mill Lane and St Albans road. To "pay the papers". Our number was 353 and Dad would say to Mr Petrie "353" and a treat please. While the chap found our tear out ticket in his paper book I would rifle through the rotating display stand which was adorned with Airfix and later Frog kits. They were in a plastic bag with a foldover cardboard label stapled across the top. They ranged in price from 1s 6d to 2s 11d which was the top end like Lancasters and Flying Boats but I usually had a single engined fighter at the bottom of the price range. That kit plus choice of sweets was my pocket money in those days!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

You might want to watch "Hornby - A Model World" on the 'Yesterday' channel. It can be quite interesting.

https://yesterday.uktv.co.uk/shows/horn ... del-world/

Thanks James, I'll enjoy that.

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Further to my reminiscing above I have discovered these examples of the kits I picked from in those days

Tiger Moth

Swordfish

Spitfire

Seahawk

FW190

Cobra (front view)

Cobra (rear view)

Auster

Albatros

I built all of the ones above and Dad used to string them up and hang them from my bedroom ceiling!! Those were the days!!

I also found this advert from slightly later but I thought it worth adding in!

Airfix advert

[NewcastleFalcon]

Nice bit of nostalgia Mick.

Who can forget the Fokke Wulf! Some take the assembly and painting of the kits to another level, way way in excess of my 3 out of 10. They have airbrushes and 40 different types of paint, tools galore, loads of different glues, grades of "sandpaper" in all shapes and forms. Watched a couple of vids about what I should have done but I think my desired level would be 5/10 with anything above just being too much faf to be enjoyable!

Regards Neil

[myglaren]

Built plenty of Airfix models but we were always amused to spread the glue on our skin and peel it off in front of our parents and give them a fright.


Or fire it out of airguns.

[Peter.N.]

I remember the 'Tiger moths' being used as trainer planes after the war. We didn't live very far from Biggin Hill so used to quite frequently see them overhead.

Peter

[NewcastleFalcon]

I gave Michael Miles a name check on POTD so here he is in action



Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

I remember those days well, Michael Miles and Take Your Pick was competing with Hughie Green and Double Your Money for the top quiz program spot. Hughie Green used to fly in and out of Leavesden Aerodrome for recordings and often stopped into my Father-in-Law's pub, The Hare, for lunch. The pub is long gone, now a block of flats, and the only remaining record of those times is a picture I have somewhere of my then fiancee and Hughie in the garden at the back. Simple times!!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Hughie Green used to fly in and out of Leavesden Aerodrome for recordings and often stopped into my Father-in -Law's pub, The Hare, for lunch. The pub is long gone, now a block of flats, and the only remaining record of those times is a picture I have somewhere of my then fiancee and Hughie in the garden at the back. Simple times!!!

Theres an old image of the Hare on pubwiki here

https://www.pubwiki.co.uk/HertsPubs/Lea ... Hare.shtml



Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

That is a picture of the original Hare in Leavesden Green. Not the same place as the pub built during Ind Coope's rebuilding plan around Watford after the war. They built The Hare, The Badger, The Otter, The Beaver and what was originally intended to be The Squirrel but ended up as The Essex Arms on Cassiobury Estate. All these pubs were built in new residential estates together with schools, shops and GP surgeries when new housing was planned properly unlike nowadays where they just seem to cram in dwellings without a concern for the obvious overloading of local services!!

The Hare which we occupied was a much larger twin fronted building with Public Bar entrance at the left end, Saloon bar at the right end. Off Licence in the centre between the two main bars and then the Lounge bar linked on to the back of the Saloon with a door to the garden. Large car park at the front which held 30+ cars with ease!!

[Peter.N.]

My word, there's a blast from the past, I had forgotten all about him. Do you remember Wilfred Pickles from the radio?

Peter

[mickthemaverick]

I certainly do Peter, not to mention Kenneth Horne and Jimmy Clitheroe!!

[mickthemaverick]

This picture from 2005 shows how the pub was before being converted to residential. The porch you can see over what used to be the off license door was not there in 1970 when my ex wife lived there.

BFTW