I was a teenager in the 60's and, here in the UK, the manufacturer of choice was usually Airfix. Some Revell kits were available but mainly Airfix. The kits I built were usually tanks that were assembled in a matter of hours and then some paint put on but not particularly accurately. The only weathering that they were given was administered using the sun and a magnifying glass to simulate battle damage. Great days! Although the majority of my builds were tanks, my first kit was Airfix HMS Campbeltown. Thanks for the trip down memory lane Andy! Stay safe!
I was 7 in 1965, when I got my 1st kit, a Hawker Hurricane (Airfix 1/72 scale), which I built, leaving gluey fingerprints all over it, and painted it rather badly, using the wrong colours, and probably adding yet more fingerprints, fogged cockpit glass, etc, etc. Modern models are superior in so many ways, but I still look back fondly on those early days...
@@AndysHobbyHeadquarters I remember building some of Revell’s WWII U.S. bombers. Bought the kits at the local drug store. If memory serves correctly, I didn’t paint the body of the plane, but I would paint details. I was about 9 or 10 when I started building. Thanks for the memories.
They taught a lot. In the 50s and early 60s World War II was almost yesterday - everybody's father had been in it and early TV was filled with WWII documentaries - Victory at Sea was the most famous. I was a WWII history nut by sixth grade and the kits played right into it.
Looking back at the old kits its easy to see were currently in the Golden age of modeling with how well most kits are produced and the plethora of products available. Great time to a modeler!
Andy, my very first model was the HAWK "Spirit of St. Louis", Kit # 608 in 1/72 scale. I was 7 years old, in First Grade. I got the bug looking at kits in the local 99 cent store and was begging my parents to let me get one to build. One day, Mom came home from grocery shopping, set the bag on the kitchen counter and called "Johnny, come here, look what I have..." I stared in amazement as Mom slowly pulled up a model airplane kit out of the grocery bag! A model in a bag of food? I was perplexed. I was thrilled beyond description! It was the Spirit of St. Louis! Mom and Dad had recently woke me up late at night (I thought I was in trouble) to watch the Jimmy Stewart movie with them and here she was giving me the model kit! I was over the moon! That was in 1962. What my Mother did and the feeling of accomplishment in mastering the assembly of those 24 parts are memories that will always be with me. I built model planes for 11 years, then other things came along.... In 2011 got back in after going to a local IPMS show and buying some kits that I remembered from those long ago days. I am semi-retired and I will be building for as long as I can. A few years ago, I found a shrink-wrapped Spirit at a local show. It was just sitting on a table, ignored, so I bought it. This was a Blessing from God! I now have a virgin copy of the very first model plane I built! It will not be built, but framed and hung as a keepsake memorial. Going to IPMS shows and joining a local IPMS chapter (Mt. Diablo Chapter, Concord, CA) opened and widened new vistas for modeling enjoyment. If you are in IPMS, you know. If you build, you should look up your local chapter and give them a try. Happy modeling and God Bless you all!
Hi there I really enjoyed looking at those old kits, and the catalog was very interesting too. I started modeling when I was seven years old. My very first model I built on my own was an old Lindberg kit, it was a model of the hindenburg that blew up. That was a awesome kit for being in the sixties it had a lot of detail. There were two others that stuck in my mind , they were both Lindberg kits as well one was a model of the five Blue Angels on a nice stand that had lighting bolts from the plane to the stand to mount them . My dad got that for me he was a lifer in the US air force. The other one was a highly detailed kit of the Titanic. So much detail and it was huge. Model kits have changed a lot over the years. I'm still building at 62 and fully enjoy the hobby. Thank you for a wonderful trip down memory lane. Looking forward to more great videos.
I was born in 1948 and watching this brought back the memories of how excited a little ten-year-old boy could be when he brought that model home the level of joy and excitement
I've got an original Monogram 109E (1962) that I am going to give the Aires cockpit treatment to, also scratch building the wheel well detail to the retracting landing gear.
My first kit was in late '50's - used to go on holiday to an aunty in South Wales, and buy Airfix kits in plastic bags from Woolworth's in Tenby. From memory the first kit was a Massey Ferguson tractor, but I also remember building the Red Baron Fokker. In my current stash my oldest kit is a 1/16 Entex Thomas Flyer from, I think, mid 1980's. I bought two of these kits, the other being a Mercer Raceabout, which I just finished last week!! I loved this episode, Andy - more than once I found myself talking out loud - agreeing with your comments. I had to laugh looking at the glue adverts - those tubes which would leave a line of gooey sticky mess everywhere.
Thank you for the great video . My father built the Porsche as a slot car back in the 60's sometime and i still have it along with a Chevrolet Corvair from the same brand. He and his brothers had a home built track on and old table they built for their youngest brother.. my dad is 83 now and his younger brother is 70. I really appreciate seeing this thank you.
mine was the airfix raf typhoon gr4 from their century raf kit. I also remember trying to build the old monogram flying fortress, and boy was the fit hell.
Wow! Bell X-5. I have fond memories of that kit. I built two of those back in the mid 60's. Thank you very much for bringing that back to share with us.
The monogram kit of the Porsche 904 was actually a static shelf model based on the slot car. Slot car racing in 1/32 scale was very popular in those years.
WOW! this takes me back, First kit was mid 60's Airfix Spitfire, my dad bought me as he was in the Air Force..... ended up after a long time with a firecracker! Simpler kits in those days, I can say that as I'm trudging through a Meng King Tiger with full interior. There's probably more parts on the drivers sat than the entire Fokker D7 kit - happy days!! Thanks for the nostalgia Andy.
My first kit was a Sopwith Camel probably around 1974, I was ten watching my 2 older brothers build. We also started buildind Estes Rocket kits when my Dad built a beautiful Honest John. Dad is now 85 and works on and rides motorcycles, has a room full of RC cars and planes and survived cancer and just keeps on living large!
I, with no knowledge of kit buildin got my first kit in 69' . It was an Airfix saling ship :the Golden Hind' Oh my word did I have trouble, with all the rigging and tiny canons. The main problem was the glue. All it had was that tube you showed in the first kit. It dried almost instantly - ususally on my fingers before I could get the part attached. Years later I wanted to show my son the joy of kit building ( I was aprehensive from all my years of "not quite getting it right" ) But to my amazement I discovered the new ( to me ) ultra thin glue. We just put the parts together, and lightly brushed the almost invisible glue against the join and voila! no mess no misalignment. Pure joy. We both are avid kit builders now and I am making up for that 9 yr old who spent many hours up in my room, frustrated at the finished model compared to what was on the box cover. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
That was awesome! Thanks for sharing, I loved looking at the old kits and catalogue. My first kit was a 1/72 mig-21, I think I was 5 and spray painted it silver, 1975. I have a bunch of old kits I look at from time to time.
I also remember working on the blue devil destroyer, fletcher, with my dad. It was a big kit, can't remember the scale, by lindberg I think, close to 3 feet long?
Glad I found this, it was fun looking back at these old model kits. I never got into the cars or sea craft. Anything that was air or space related is what interested me. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I saw the first Star Trek models hit the stores! A long time ago....
Awesome. Brings back memories from about 12 years old. Early 70's. First model was probably B-58 Hustler or Starfighter. Ended up stuffing them with firecrackers, hanging them from a tree and lighting them on fire
Lot of fun watching these old kits and catalogue :O) I built my first kit with my uncle in 1961. A 1:72 Starfighter from Airfix. Came in a plastic bag with stapled on 'bag art'. Hooked since then and still am today at age 58.
It must have been in the early 1970's I had built the Revell 1/32 JU. 87 Stuka with the snake on the fuselage. It sat on my desk as my pride and joy. Then one day my father who fancied himself as a DIY type of guy, assembled a shelf above it to hold a set of 26 hard bound encyclopedias. Sometime later the shelf collapsed and shattered my Stuka to pieces! I boxed it up and buried it the backyard.
Wow!!! Sure brings back some memories. I remember Aurora had their kits in different color plastic. Purple, yellow, and green to name a few. Great video Andy.
Hi Andy, first if all, thank you for all the videos 🙏 My first model was an Airfix Red Arrow, I was 6 and that was 1980. I made an awful mess of it but it was enough to hook me. When I got to about 15/16 I stopped making models, 30 years later I'm back at it and your channel has been a huge part of my return. Keep up the great work and best of luck with the channel in the future. Adrian.
Started building models about 1957 or 58 and continued through to about 1967. It wasn't a steady stream of building but I did have a decent collection. Picked up the hobby again in the early eighties and still continue on to this day. I loved my old models when I was a kid, glued fingerptints, crooked decals and all. The passion for the hobby is as strong now as was back then.
Great episode. My first kit was a Monogram “Demon” that I built when I was probably 6 or 7 years old in 1968. I still have it. My father thought I was too young to be building models, so my grandmother clandestinely bought it for me. I showed him. Ha.
Wow I believe that the Porsche 904 GTS kit that you featured in this video was one if not the first model kit my dad built with me. It was the early 60s and I remember the figure molded into the interior, the model came in silver plastic and the big 50 on the hood. Thank you Andy.
Take the different bodies to the slot car track and swap em out if anyone had the car car. I ran the HO scale cars as the 1/32 were the "big boys" and their cars cost big money ( about 5 bucks)
@@AndysHobbyHeadquarters Thats what behind the chassis "tub" with the two seats and the driver molded "insert." You use the driver part when its going to be used on a slot car. Thats why there is only part of the driver molded... to allow room for the slot car components.
my very first model was of a Viking ship. I remember it had little figures that sat holding the oars to row . it was about 1956 when i was 6 years old . A family friend brought it over one evening to build while my parents played card games . . such good memories .
Andy, I really enjoyed the video! I still have several of those Revell ship models: A USS Pittsburgh and USS Arizona that I attempted to make watertight to float at the beach [they both sank slowly!], the Missouri and New Jersey, the Coral Sea [same as the FDR] and the Boston. Spend several months working on a 1/700 warship, and putting one of those old kits together is actually quite a welcome relief! First model - Graf Spee, possibly Aurora late 60s. My brothers, friends, and I built lots of 1/32 Monogram and 1/35 Tamiya armor in the 70s. Loved -and still have several of - those Sheperd Paine color inserts on building dioramas that came with Monogram models, making interiors and details out of anything! [You carry on his legacy with your talent very well, Andy!] My oldest German tank model is my early 70s Tamiya motorized Tiger 1, a survivor of many backyard battles! My son has enthusiastically taken up this hobby, and is much better at it than I was at his age! I read through the other posts, and I can't believe how many times I kept saying I remember or had that kit! Thanks, everyone!
Hello Andy, I too built the Monogram P-61 . . . about half a century ago! The model is long gone but I still have the full-color insert that showed Shepherd Paine building a SW Pacific P-61 diorama. You are correct in remembering how kits of that time had moving parts. Sliding canopies, rolling wheels, turning propellers/rotors were very attractive to this young modeler. My favorite was a F-14 Tomcat which had moveable swing wings, with internal gearing that ensured both wings moved in unison. I really enjoyed this video. Thanks a lot. Best Regards from Gerald MO Bill
My Grandad had the old Revell kit of the Apollo Module and Lunar Lander, back when they came as one set, with a big crater base and a plastic arm to hold the Module in orbit over the landing site. He never built it, I was way too young, BUT there was something very satisfying about those old silver-grey plastic parts and I enjoyed just looking at it and dry-fitting bits that were rattling around in the box... after he rescued it from on top of a wardrobe where it had probably been for at least a decade.
Although I built a few kits earlier the first one I remember was an Airfix or Frog C-130 that I built on Christmas morning about 1975. Built it with no paint job and in about an hour. The best memory I have as a kid building kits. I think I blew it up with fire-crackers the same day as you do :) Apart from that I loved building the Matchbox 1:76 armor kits with the little diorama bases - so cool. Thanks for the memories Andy.
God, the flash on that Aurora kit! Made me flash (no pun intended) back to some of the cheap kits I built as a kid, especially the old AMT-Ertl and MPC kits. The very first model kit I remember (helping) to build was the old ST-TOS Enterprise kit from AMT that my brother built back in 1972. The first model kit I got to build myself was an old 1/72 Monogram Junkers Ju-87 Stuka while i was laid up in the hospital when I was 9. The flash on THAT kit.... Good times, and good memories.
Thanks for this video, I am 73 and started building kits in the early 50's/ early 60's here in the UK. My first kit was probably one of the small Airfix aeroplane kits they sold in the uk at the time, I think they were 1/72 and probably a Spitfire or Hurricane. I remember have a Lancastor bomber hung from the ceiling and shooting it down at one time. I still have a couple of kits from the time upstairs in a box, I think two are Revell ww1 aeroplanes and a unbuilt Airfix ship HMS Victory. I keep thinking I will build them some time, I am just updating my airbrush and compressor etc. That is how I found your channel, while I was searching for airbrush tips, my Badger 150 L is about 40 years old its getting on a bit. I have subscribed so have some catching up to do, thanks again. Chris
Lots of happy memories of Aurora, Monogram, Airfix (of course), Frog, Revell, Tamiya (most expensive) and Matchbox. A lot of those kits were pretty well detailed for their time, its in the huge range of accessories that shows how much the hobby has changed. Back when I was a starter we had Humbrol or Airfix enamel paints and that was it, no such thing as acrylics and if you were building a diorama - look for your 'woodland scenics' in the garden! Its also interesting how pronunciations vary around the world - you say Ruh-VELL and DEE-Kals, I've always said Revel (as in to revel at) and Deck-al! Great video!
I saw my first airplane kit as you went through the catalog...a Convair B-58 Hustler, myfirst car was a 1959 Pontiac.. I left it white and it was covered with glue from my fingers because I attached every chrome accessory and fender skirt that came with it!!
Hi Andy, great video, lots of memories. I can't remember my first kit, but it was probably a bag kit in the mid 60's. I really got into the Tom Daniels stuff from Monogram in the early 70's. I built the Red Barron car, Beer Wagon, Tijuana Taxi, and many many more. They set on a shelf in my room until I left for college. First trip home at Christmas, my mother had thrown them all away and redecorated the room. 40 years later an I am just getting back into the hobby. I am amazed at the detail in the newer kits.
Born in '54, my father in the Dutch airforce, my first kit was an Airfix Spitfire. Through the years I've build lots of kits, some very good kits with the later Japanese kits, some very bad (some Heller and Italeri kits). Being a pensioner now, I'v got a few projects on the bench, most important the DeLorean from BTTF by Eaglemoss in 1/8, 1/24 VW Samba (hippie) T1 bus by Revell and the Revell 1/72 scale Flower class corvette. Love this great hobby in all its forms.
1960 my first kit was a tank of some sort and then I went into the space building , but armor is still my first love in modeling , thank you for the memory smile
My first kit i built with my father was in the early-mid 1980s, of a 1/48 F-4E Phantom II from Revell. Dated 1977. Later we would also build the same version of the 1/48 P-61 Black Widow, pictured in the video. Great memories.
The first kit I remember building with my Dad's help was the Revell Mickey Thompson Challenger 1 . This was about 1963 or 4 . I'm 65 now and still build model cars .
This is super cool! I am 23, and I know a lot of these kits are still available, but it is good to know where this hobby came from and where it is going! Thank you very much! Edit: Also, my first kit was a Pegasus Bf-109G from Walmart! I still have it too...I didn't understand the concept of decals, so I cut them out and glued them onto the model! Backing paper and all! This video made me nostalgic for something I've really never even experienced firsthand...or at least was not around for!
First kit was a 1/72 Northrop F5. Can't remember the manufacturer, but the plastic was white. Around 1976.I remember building Matchbox 1/76 tanks complete with the little dioramas.Then this kid moved in to my street around 1979 and his dad bought him loads of kits including a 1/24 Airfix Harrier and a 1/72 Monogram B36 !!.Had many a great school holiday building kits in his veranda, listening to Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds and sometimes ELO - great times - thanks Alan Webb, wherever you are ! We had a model shop near us, Alton Models, Scott Arms. Sometimes we'd go there when Alan wanted some paints or a new kit, and when the shop keeper (Tony) was distracted, one of us might steal a kit ! Years later, in my 20's, I still visited Alton Models and got to know the owner by name. Shame he had to close. But I hope he had a long and happy retirement. Now I'm middle aged, 99% of my modelling stuff is bought on line. Although, anyone who's visiting Birmingham (UK) should check out Parabellum on Vyse Street in the Jewellry Quarter. Quite an Alladin's cave of virtually any type of genre and scale kits.
Great nostalgia video 👍. I was born in 1958 in Brooklyn (Borough Park) and lived in Beach Haven, and the very first kit that I can remember building was Monograms M3 Half-track, which I totally butchered, marring it with glue fingerprints. I later tossed it in the trash can, opting for an F-4 Phantom. I also remember building the Aurora Patton tank in the 60's when I saw those flame-throwing Patton's in the movie Caltiki, the Immortal Monster. Oh the memories. 🤔
I was a 1970's Monogram addict of cars and WWII planes... Lots of "Kustom" cars, van. police car, pickups, etc... I remember using H-O train grass for green carpet inside a custom van!
Received Revell's USS Forrestal aircraft carrier as a birthday present in 1959. Next year it was Aurora's C-119 "Flying Boxcar". Back then I treated models more as toys than as "scale" display pieces. Had a lot of fun playing with those two kits!
C-119's flexible hinged rear doors gave it great play value, at lot of Airfix partroopers were deposited by mine. The landing gear didn't survive 25 missions but almost all of the paratroopers did.
Model kits were magic to me in 1960s. My Dad took me to a store called Hobby Center that was owned by 2 brothers. First kit that I got from there was a Aurora Frankenstein. Years later it was cars & WW2 tanks & aircraft.. Best part was going there around Christmas.
Hi mate, great video of very old kits. The first kit i can remember building was the Revell ME - 109 E3 in 1/72. Can't remember my age, think i was 7 at the time. My favourite aircraft.
I built that exact Black Widow model, in 1977 or 1978. My older brother had built one earlier, and I had to do it too. My first glue together model. Glue EVERYWHERE until I was ready to cry. My brother was nice enough to help me sand it and paint it (yes, I put a fingerprint in it).
I believe mine was a Revel USS New Jersey. Cool kits and catalog,Andy! Do show us more of these in the future. I remember I also had some Lindberg fighter bomber and also a Revel Phantom jet.
My first model kit was the A-4 Skyhawk in 1/4"scale. I was 6 years old in 1960 and built it on a TV tray in front of our TV before school in the morning. My Dad started me building. I, still, build at 66 years of age.
My very first kit was the Airfix 1/32nd scale Sunbeam Rapier which I built in 1960 when I was nine years old. It took many years before I started painting my models!
My first kit was a Tamiya A6M5 Zero, with the full engine and cockpit detail. Probably a bit advanced for an 11 y/o, and that was evident in the build quality, but I had such a blast putting it together and painting it (horribly) that it hung from my ceiling alongside later models for years. Still one of my favorite experiences modeling.
One of my first kits I built was Revell's Supermarine Spitfire. I just painted the tires and props black and slapped everything together. I even got some glue finger prints on it. It was the ugliest model I ever built, but it was my first. This was back in 1968 and I was 8 years old.
God, glue fingerprints on the model were a rite of passage from watching or assisting in a build to actually building one yourself. For myself, at least....😂
Wow. The Revell Forrestal was the first kit I "built". Actually it was my Dad who did most of the work. Had it on a shelf over my bed for years afterwards. Great memory. Thanks for sharing.
Great Video , Andy ! Brings back fond memories. My first kits , Ringo's USN Blimp , afterwards SM.55 Seaplane and USNS Savannah . Remember my brother and I getting some of the Aurora kits after church on Sundays for 49 cents and by 6 pm we were dogfighting. He was a monster guy , I was the planes. Hope you and your loved ones are well ! Tony
Thanks for posting this. Great memories. The first kit I remember building was a Revell Lights Action Sound Coast Guard Helicopter. Probably aound 1978. Wish I could find another one. I've seen a couple pop up on eBay but they've been in really bad shape and missing parts. Saw the Black Widow at my local Hobby Lobby last weekend.
Hi Andy, my first kit was a 1/72 scale Airfix Spitfire in about 1963, I’d have been 7 then. Here in England the series 1 Airfix kits were packaged in a clear polythene bag with cardboard identifying artwork and retailed for around 1 shilling and sixpence (old currency in the UK) (about 7 1/2 new pence today). Today the same improved kit costs around £7.00 GB. Back in the day the kit was moulded in pale blue plastic and along with the 1/72 Hurricane was the start of a life long hobby for me, although now my interest is mainly ww2 armour. Enjoy all your vids, keep it going 👍
Revell X-15. And I built it in 1960 (I was 8). I was hooked and was building kits as fast as I could get them, which really wasn’t very fast at all. Airplanes, space, and sci-fi with an occasional naval or auto were my subjects. I guess I built just about anything except armor. I didn’t build a tank until 4 years ago. I’ve loved building kits ever since with a long hiatus while raising daughters (I tried, but I couldn’t even get them to build 0.99 glider in a bag). Retired now, I love it still. Nice to see us old pioneers remembered. Thanks.
While in school (in the UK)aged eight in 1966 our teacher Mrs Booth bought all the boys in the class an Airfix bagged kit (priced then two shillings)as a Christmas present, I had the Messerschmitt Bf 109. I hate to think how much I have spent since then on kits and modelling products but I will always thank Mrs Booth for getting me into one of the most satisfying hobbies
My first kit was some kind of car, I think it was a kit bash because I probably could not follow directions, I was maybe 5 years old (1968). But then I got some kits for my birthday a couple years later maybe. The first one I remember building was the Monogram 1/48 P-40 Tigershark. I didn't paint it. I did put decals on it. Later I painted the propeller blades black, as well as the tires. That was around 1970. I still have that kit in my display case. It came out very well. Minimal glue messes or finger prints. It's a little beat up now, 50 years later. My 3 year old grandson likes it. "Tigershark Grandpa!". I hope he will become a model building buddy for me. I have a large stash I need help with ☺️ Great video Andy, keep them coming!
My first kit was a birthday gift for a buddy of mind. I was 5 or 7? The kit was a 49 or 50 ford or chevy pickup. All white plastic and vinyl tires.I had model glue or paint. I put it together one night in my bed with elmer's glue. I just looked at the photos didn't read anything. I'm 62 now still building.😁
We are just about the same age Andy, have fond memories of setting old kits on fire and throwing them too! I still love these oldies over the over engineered kits around today from.some manufacturers. Always scope for some nice scratch built interiors ect
Mine was the Revell B-24D in 1956. My favorite companies were Revell and Monogram, I've. built just about every Revell and Monogram kit of WWII made. My dad and I had some good times building them.
I remember building planes that had working control surfaces. You could move the ailerons, flaps, and rudder. Some even had working bomb or torpedo drops! Glue some lead sinkers in the nose of the bomb or torpedo and voila! The terror of the household pets 😂😂😂😂😂
@@opalprestonshirley1700 No, I never did. I DO remember pestering my parents for months until I got the Visible V-8 for Christmas one year. At the time that was a 35 dollar model, and I loved every second of putting it together.
I was born in 1966, so probably started building models in the early/mid-1970s. In the UK the models in toy shops were almost always Airfix ones. I remember the 'Series 1' kits in plastic blister packs with the instructions printed on the back, one of them will have been the first. I had a go at everything - 1/72 aircraft, 1/72 tanks, 1/600 ships, 'multipose' 1/32 figures, a Saturn V. a human skeleton, some odd dinosaur kits with about 5 parts - but it was always Airfix, (other than some Matchbox two-colour plastic 1/72 aircraft when I was on holiday). I eventually found my way to a proper model shop and was just amazed at the Tamiya models compared to the Airfix ones. A SdKfz 222 armoured car was definitely my first Tamiya kit. Then I discovered beer and girls and that was it for almost 40 years. Earlier this year I bought another SdKfz 222, and something that I had dreamed of all those years ago - an airbrush :)
Nice look down memory lane. My first kit was probably around 1967, I was 7, and it was the Hawk Vanguard satellite as I was big into space. That model is long gone, but some co. repoped it fairly recently and I course I bought it again.
Thanks for bringing back many fond memories Andy. I built several of those Revell kits back in the day beginning around 1955. I used to save up empty soda bottles then take them in my wagon to the corner store to collect the deposits on them, 2¢ for the small bottles, and 5¢ for the quart size. I'd get enough to buy one of those Revell kits. Even when I was 10 years old, I wanted to join the Navy, which I ultimately did, so I loved building Navy airplanes and ships.
I think my first kit was as a teenager in the early 1970's and probably the 1:600 scale HMS Ajax from Airfix. Most likely painted a few years later it survived till 3 years ago. After 25 years in the lockdown I started again with a 1:72 F4 Corsair Revell starter kit (included some paint, glue and a brush). Fun enough to continue.
Great video, I've never seen such old kits before so thanks for the history lesson! I think my first kit was a 1/72 scale B-25G by Italeri my grandmother bought me, somewhere around 1983.
Sometime in the middle 70's a Matchbox 1/76 scale Sherman Tank on a broken bridge diorama base. Obviously as a kid I didn't really do it justice, so have decided i'm going to try and find another one and build & paint it properly now. Love the content Andy, keep it up !
I was a teenager in the 60's and, here in the UK, the manufacturer of choice was usually Airfix. Some Revell kits were available but mainly Airfix. The kits I built were usually tanks that were assembled in a matter of hours and then some paint put on but not particularly accurately. The only weathering that they were given was administered using the sun and a magnifying glass to simulate battle damage. Great days!
Although the majority of my builds were tanks, my first kit was Airfix HMS Campbeltown.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane Andy! Stay safe!
I was 7 in 1965, when I got my 1st kit, a Hawker Hurricane (Airfix 1/72 scale), which I built, leaving gluey fingerprints all over it, and painted it rather badly, using the wrong colours, and probably adding yet more fingerprints, fogged cockpit glass, etc, etc. Modern models are superior in so many ways, but I still look back fondly on those early days...
Used to get an Air fix model when my Nan would visit, still got a soft spot for them.
@@justinchetham-strode5234 It is those memories that got me back into modelling now in my retirement. Happy days are here again!
@@ferbieticklater7429 I'm not retired yet (57 years old), but I'm getting back into modelling, too.
Airfix Spitfire 1962 2 shillings (10p) pocket money, from Woolworths.
I love working with the older kits. Aurora and Airfix. Simple times and relaxing!
Simpler kits, simpler times, nice memories, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
@@AndysHobbyHeadquarters
I remember building some of Revell’s WWII U.S. bombers. Bought the kits at the local drug store. If memory serves correctly, I didn’t paint the body of the plane, but I would paint details. I was about 9 or 10 when I started building. Thanks for the memories.
They taught a lot. In the 50s and early 60s World War II was almost yesterday - everybody's father had been in it and early TV was filled with WWII documentaries - Victory at Sea was the most famous. I was a WWII history nut by sixth grade and the kits played right into it.
Air fix kits in the U.K. and Aurora glow in the dark lost prisoner
Looking back at the old kits its easy to see were currently in the Golden age of modeling with how well most kits are produced and the plethora of products available. Great time to a modeler!
Thanks Andy for the walk down memory lane .
As my mom liked to say, “Those are gonna be worth something some day”. ☺️
Andy, my very first model was the HAWK "Spirit of St. Louis", Kit # 608 in 1/72 scale. I was 7 years old, in First Grade. I got the bug looking at kits in the local 99 cent store and was begging my parents to let me get one to build. One day, Mom came home from grocery shopping, set the bag on the kitchen counter and called "Johnny, come here, look what I have..." I stared in amazement as Mom slowly pulled up a model airplane kit out of the grocery bag! A model in a bag of food? I was perplexed. I was thrilled beyond description! It was the Spirit of St. Louis! Mom and Dad had recently woke me up late at night (I thought I was in trouble) to watch the Jimmy Stewart movie with them and here she was giving me the model kit! I was over the moon!
That was in 1962. What my Mother did and the feeling of accomplishment in mastering the assembly of those 24 parts are memories that will always be with me. I built model planes for 11 years, then other things came along....
In 2011 got back in after going to a local IPMS show and buying some kits that I remembered from those long ago days. I am semi-retired and I will be building for as long as I can.
A few years ago, I found a shrink-wrapped Spirit at a local show. It was just sitting on a table, ignored, so I bought it. This was a Blessing from God! I now have a virgin copy of the very first model plane I built! It will not be built, but framed and hung as a keepsake memorial.
Going to IPMS shows and joining a local IPMS chapter (Mt. Diablo Chapter, Concord, CA) opened and widened new vistas for modeling enjoyment. If you are in IPMS, you know. If you build, you should look up your local chapter and give them a try. Happy modeling and God Bless you all!
I remember building Mongram, Aurora and Revell kits back in the 60's
Im 17 years old and building models kits for 4 years, i really like this vid! nice too see all that old kits!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@AndysHobbyHeadquarters the kits are looking mutch better now ;)
Thanks for your sharing.. very precious indeed, they recalls the development of plastic modeling since 1950s. Interesting and wonderful to see this !
Very enjoyable video Andy great to see these old kits and just how all kit makers have moved forward Steve 🇬🇧
Hi there I really enjoyed looking at those old kits, and the catalog was very interesting too. I started modeling when I was seven years old. My very first model I built on my own was an old Lindberg kit, it was a model of the hindenburg that blew up. That was a awesome kit for being in the sixties it had a lot of detail. There were two others that stuck in my mind , they were both Lindberg kits as well one was a model of the five Blue Angels on a nice stand that had lighting bolts from the plane to the stand to mount them . My dad got that for me he was a lifer in the US air force. The other one was a highly detailed kit of the Titanic. So much detail and it was huge. Model kits have changed a lot over the years. I'm still building at 62 and fully enjoy the hobby. Thank you for a wonderful trip down memory lane. Looking forward to more great videos.
I was born in 1948 and watching this brought back the memories of how excited a little ten-year-old boy could be when he brought that model home the level of joy and excitement
I'd like to see you build one. A vintage model with modern building techniques and supplies. Could be fun.
I agree, I'd love to see Andy build an old kit just for fun.
I've got an original Monogram 109E (1962) that I am going to give the Aires cockpit treatment to, also scratch building the wheel well detail to the retracting landing gear.
My first model was Tamiya’s 1/35 pak 40 anti-tank gun that I built about six years ago! Been hooked since then!
My first kit was in late '50's - used to go on holiday to an aunty in South Wales, and buy Airfix kits in plastic bags from Woolworth's in Tenby.
From memory the first kit was a Massey Ferguson tractor, but I also remember building the Red Baron Fokker.
In my current stash my oldest kit is a 1/16 Entex Thomas Flyer from, I think, mid 1980's. I bought two of these kits, the other being a Mercer Raceabout, which I just finished last week!!
I loved this episode, Andy - more than once I found myself talking out loud - agreeing with your comments.
I had to laugh looking at the glue adverts - those tubes which would leave a line of gooey sticky mess everywhere.
My first kit was aurora's Batman in 1967. I was 6 yrs old.
Thank you for the great video .
My father built the Porsche as a slot car back in the 60's sometime and i still have it along with a Chevrolet Corvair from the same brand.
He and his brothers had a home built track on and old table they built for their youngest brother.. my dad is 83 now and his younger brother is 70.
I really appreciate seeing this thank you.
mine was the airfix raf typhoon gr4 from their century raf kit. I also remember trying to build the old monogram flying fortress, and boy was the fit hell.
I remember these kits I start building models in 1961, I use to paint these with a brush with pactra paints. Thanks Andy to bring these memories.
Reminds of good days..first model revell spitfire and a candy! Good memories! Thanks Nick p.
Wow! Bell X-5. I have fond memories of that kit. I built two of those back in the mid 60's. Thank you very much for bringing that back to share with us.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the look back. 1958-59, I was 8 yrs old.
I started building kits in the 60s and I've never stopped. For me it's all about the smell of those old instructions in the artwork man do I love it!
The monogram kit of the Porsche 904 was actually a static shelf model based on the slot car. Slot car racing in 1/32 scale was very popular in those years.
WOW! this takes me back, First kit was mid 60's Airfix Spitfire, my dad bought me as he was in the Air Force..... ended up after a long time with a firecracker!
Simpler kits in those days, I can say that as I'm trudging through a Meng King Tiger with full interior. There's probably more parts on the drivers sat than the entire Fokker D7 kit - happy days!! Thanks for the nostalgia Andy.
My first kit was a Sopwith Camel probably around 1974, I was ten watching my 2 older brothers build. We also started buildind Estes Rocket kits when my Dad built a beautiful Honest John. Dad is now 85 and works on and rides motorcycles, has a room full of RC cars and planes and survived cancer and just keeps on living large!
My first kit was a F-102 Delta. It was pretty small and had maybe a dozen pieces. I loved that plane to literal "pieces". So cool!
I, with no knowledge of kit buildin got my first kit in 69' . It was an Airfix saling ship :the Golden Hind' Oh my word did I have trouble, with all the rigging and tiny canons. The main problem was the glue. All it had was that tube you showed in the first kit. It dried almost instantly - ususally on my fingers before I could get the part attached. Years later I wanted to show my son the joy of kit building ( I was aprehensive from all my years of "not quite getting it right" ) But to my amazement I discovered the new ( to me ) ultra thin glue. We just put the parts together, and lightly brushed the almost invisible glue against the join and voila! no mess no misalignment. Pure joy. We both are avid kit builders now and I am making up for that 9 yr old who spent many hours up in my room, frustrated at the finished model compared to what was on the box cover. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
That was awesome! Thanks for sharing, I loved looking at the old kits and catalogue. My first kit was a 1/72 mig-21, I think I was 5 and spray painted it silver, 1975. I have a bunch of old kits I look at from time to time.
I also remember working on the blue devil destroyer, fletcher, with my dad. It was a big kit, can't remember the scale, by lindberg I think, close to 3 feet long?
Great vid. My 9 yr.old has discovered model making and loves your channel.
First kit: AMT 1959 Buick convertible when I was 13. Built a 1/25 version of the Porch 904 in 1967.... Beautiful kit. Thanks for the memories.
I might add that I was Revell Master Modeler. I knew this because I had a certificate on my wall from them saying so. LOL
Ah yes, the Revell Master Modeler club. I seem to recall they had a monthly magazine with model building tips. Good times and good memories.
@@andyb1368 that is right Andy. I even still have a few of them still.
Glad I found this, it was fun looking back at these old model kits. I never got into the cars or sea craft. Anything that was air or space related is what interested me. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I saw the first Star Trek models hit the stores! A long time ago....
Awesome. Brings back memories from about 12 years old. Early 70's. First model was probably B-58 Hustler or Starfighter. Ended up stuffing them with firecrackers, hanging them from a tree and lighting them on fire
very interesting video ... thanks for posting. First kit I remember buying and building was the Aurora X-15 rocket powered airplane.
Lot of fun watching these old kits and catalogue :O)
I built my first kit with my uncle in 1961. A 1:72 Starfighter from Airfix. Came in a plastic bag with stapled on 'bag art'.
Hooked since then and still am today at age 58.
Seeing all that flash brings back memories. That's why I laugh at the complaints of "flash" on modern kits. Thanks, Andy, I needed that!
It must have been in the early 1970's I had built the Revell 1/32 JU. 87 Stuka with the snake on the fuselage. It sat on my desk as my pride and joy. Then one day my father who fancied himself as a DIY type of guy, assembled a shelf above it to hold a set of 26 hard bound encyclopedias. Sometime later the shelf collapsed and shattered my Stuka to pieces!
I boxed it up and buried it the backyard.
Its now a model shrine . Do you place flowers on it ,LOL
R.I.P.
Awesome lmao
I love taking old/cheap 1/72 kits and bashing, upgrading and changing them into better builds than back then.
Wow!!! Sure brings back some memories. I remember Aurora had their kits in different color plastic. Purple, yellow, and green to name a few. Great video Andy.
and the glow in the dark parts monsters
My childhood in the 60s show more kits I love it
Hi Andy, first if all, thank you for all the videos 🙏
My first model was an Airfix Red Arrow, I was 6 and that was 1980. I made an awful mess of it but it was enough to hook me.
When I got to about 15/16 I stopped making models, 30 years later I'm back at it and your channel has been a huge part of my return.
Keep up the great work and best of luck with the channel in the future.
Adrian.
Started building models about 1957 or 58 and continued through to about 1967. It wasn't a steady stream of building but I did have a decent collection. Picked up the hobby again in the early eighties and still continue on to this day. I loved my old models when I was a kid, glued fingerptints, crooked decals and all. The passion for the hobby is as strong now as was back then.
Great episode. My first kit was a Monogram “Demon” that I built when I was probably 6 or 7 years old in 1968. I still have it. My father thought I was too young to be building models, so my grandmother clandestinely bought it for me. I showed him. Ha.
I can't quite remember my very first kit but those Aurora WW1 series fighter planes bring back a lot of fond memories. Thanks.
Thanks for the exciting video! I am the dude from japan. my first kit is BANDAI 1/48 scale Panther3. it was nice kit
Wow I believe that the Porsche 904 GTS kit that you featured in this video was one if not the first model kit my dad built with me. It was the early 60s and I remember the figure molded into the interior, the model came in silver plastic and the big 50 on the hood. Thank you Andy.
If I remember correctly the 1/32 car models some would allow you to add a slot car chassis and run then as slot cars...
I think your right
That was me in the 80"s. I had some cool cars and always grew a crowd.
Take the different bodies to the slot car track and swap em out if anyone had the car car. I ran the HO scale cars as the 1/32 were the "big boys" and their cars cost big money ( about 5 bucks)
@@AndysHobbyHeadquarters Thats what behind the chassis "tub" with the two seats and the driver molded "insert." You use the driver part when its going to be used on a slot car. Thats why there is only part of the driver molded... to allow room for the slot car components.
Yes, many in the early and mid 1960s included instructions on conversion to a slot car.
my very first model was of a Viking ship. I remember it had little figures that sat holding the oars to row . it was about 1956 when i was 6 years old . A family friend brought it over one evening to build while my parents played card games . . such good memories .
Andy, I really enjoyed the video! I still have several of those Revell ship models: A USS Pittsburgh and USS Arizona that I attempted to make watertight to float at the beach [they both sank slowly!], the Missouri and New Jersey, the Coral Sea [same as the FDR] and the Boston. Spend several months working on a 1/700 warship, and putting one of those old kits together is actually quite a welcome relief! First model - Graf Spee, possibly Aurora late 60s. My brothers, friends, and I built lots of 1/32 Monogram and 1/35 Tamiya armor in the 70s. Loved -and still have several of - those Sheperd Paine color inserts on building dioramas that came with Monogram models, making interiors and details out of anything! [You carry on his legacy with your talent very well, Andy!] My oldest German tank model is my early 70s Tamiya motorized Tiger 1, a survivor of many backyard battles! My son has enthusiastically taken up this hobby, and is much better at it than I was at his age! I read through the other posts, and I can't believe how many times I kept saying I remember or had that kit! Thanks, everyone!
Hello Andy,
I too built the Monogram P-61 . . . about half a century ago! The model is long gone but I still have the full-color insert that showed Shepherd Paine building a SW Pacific P-61 diorama.
You are correct in remembering how kits of that time had moving parts. Sliding canopies, rolling wheels, turning propellers/rotors were very attractive to this young modeler. My favorite was a F-14 Tomcat which had moveable swing wings, with internal gearing that ensured both wings moved in unison.
I really enjoyed this video.
Thanks a lot.
Best Regards from Gerald MO
Bill
My Grandad had the old Revell kit of the Apollo Module and Lunar Lander, back when they came as one set, with a big crater base and a plastic arm to hold the Module in orbit over the landing site. He never built it, I was way too young, BUT there was something very satisfying about those old silver-grey plastic parts and I enjoyed just looking at it and dry-fitting bits that were rattling around in the box... after he rescued it from on top of a wardrobe where it had probably been for at least a decade.
Although I built a few kits earlier the first one I remember was an Airfix or Frog C-130 that I built on Christmas morning about 1975. Built it with no paint job and in about an hour. The best memory I have as a kid building kits. I think I blew it up with fire-crackers the same day as you do :) Apart from that I loved building the Matchbox 1:76 armor kits with the little diorama bases - so cool. Thanks for the memories Andy.
I remember building the old Aurora kits (XB-70, Ragnarok, the ships), and the Revell kits in the early 70s. Lots of fun.
God, the flash on that Aurora kit! Made me flash (no pun intended) back to some of the cheap kits I built as a kid, especially the old AMT-Ertl and MPC kits. The very first model kit I remember (helping) to build was the old ST-TOS Enterprise kit from AMT that my brother built back in 1972. The first model kit I got to build myself was an old 1/72 Monogram Junkers Ju-87 Stuka while i was laid up in the hospital when I was 9. The flash on THAT kit....
Good times, and good memories.
Thanks for this video, I am 73 and started building kits in the early 50's/ early 60's here in the UK. My first kit was probably one of the small Airfix aeroplane kits they sold in the uk at the time, I think they were 1/72 and probably a Spitfire or Hurricane. I remember have a Lancastor bomber hung from the ceiling and shooting it down at one time. I still have a couple of kits from the time upstairs in a box, I think two are Revell ww1 aeroplanes and a unbuilt Airfix ship HMS Victory. I keep thinking I will build them some time, I am just updating my airbrush and compressor etc. That is how I found your channel, while I was searching for airbrush tips, my Badger 150 L is about 40 years old its getting on a bit. I have subscribed so have some catching up to do, thanks again. Chris
Lots of happy memories of Aurora, Monogram, Airfix (of course), Frog, Revell, Tamiya (most expensive) and Matchbox. A lot of those kits were pretty well detailed for their time, its in the huge range of accessories that shows how much the hobby has changed. Back when I was a starter we had Humbrol or Airfix enamel paints and that was it, no such thing as acrylics and if you were building a diorama - look for your 'woodland scenics' in the garden! Its also interesting how pronunciations vary around the world - you say Ruh-VELL and DEE-Kals, I've always said Revel (as in to revel at) and Deck-al! Great video!
I saw my first airplane kit as you went through the catalog...a Convair B-58 Hustler, myfirst car was a 1959 Pontiac.. I left it white and it was covered with glue from my fingers because I attached every chrome accessory and fender skirt that came with it!!
Hi Andy, great video, lots of memories. I can't remember my first kit, but it was probably a bag kit in the mid 60's. I really got into the Tom Daniels stuff from Monogram in the early 70's. I built the Red Barron car, Beer Wagon, Tijuana Taxi, and many many more. They set on a shelf in my room until I left for college. First trip home at Christmas, my mother had thrown them all away and redecorated the room. 40 years later an I am just getting back into the hobby. I am amazed at the detail in the newer kits.
Born in '54, my father in the Dutch airforce, my first kit was an Airfix Spitfire. Through the years I've build lots of kits, some very good kits with the later Japanese kits, some very bad (some Heller and Italeri kits). Being a pensioner now, I'v got a few projects on the bench, most important the DeLorean from BTTF by Eaglemoss in 1/8, 1/24 VW Samba (hippie) T1 bus by Revell and the Revell 1/72 scale Flower class corvette. Love this great hobby in all its forms.
1960 my first kit was a tank of some sort and then I went into the space building , but armor is still my first love in modeling , thank you for the memory smile
My first kit i built with my father was in the early-mid 1980s, of a 1/48 F-4E Phantom II from Revell. Dated 1977. Later we would also build the same version of the 1/48 P-61 Black Widow, pictured in the video. Great memories.
The first kit I remember building with my Dad's help was the Revell Mickey Thompson Challenger 1 . This was about 1963 or 4 . I'm 65 now and still build model cars .
This is super cool! I am 23, and I know a lot of these kits are still available, but it is good to know where this hobby came from and where it is going! Thank you very much!
Edit: Also, my first kit was a Pegasus Bf-109G from Walmart! I still have it too...I didn't understand the concept of decals, so I cut them out and glued them onto the model! Backing paper and all! This video made me nostalgic for something I've really never even experienced firsthand...or at least was not around for!
First kit was a 1/72 Northrop F5. Can't remember the manufacturer, but the plastic was white. Around 1976.I remember building Matchbox 1/76 tanks complete with the little dioramas.Then this kid moved in to my street around 1979 and his dad bought him loads of kits including a 1/24 Airfix Harrier and a 1/72 Monogram B36 !!.Had many a great school holiday building kits in his veranda, listening to Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds and sometimes ELO - great times - thanks Alan Webb, wherever you are ! We had a model shop near us, Alton Models, Scott Arms. Sometimes we'd go there when Alan wanted some paints or a new kit, and when the shop keeper (Tony) was distracted, one of us might steal a kit ! Years later, in my 20's, I still visited Alton Models and got to know the owner by name. Shame he had to close. But I hope he had a long and happy retirement. Now I'm middle aged, 99% of my modelling stuff is bought on line. Although, anyone who's visiting Birmingham (UK) should check out Parabellum on Vyse Street in the Jewellry Quarter. Quite an Alladin's cave of virtually any type of genre and scale kits.
Thanks for sharing your Unboxing a friend from Canada Rob ✌
Great nostalgia video 👍. I was born in 1958 in Brooklyn (Borough Park) and lived in Beach Haven, and the very first kit that I can remember building was Monograms M3 Half-track, which I totally butchered, marring it with glue fingerprints. I later tossed it in the trash can, opting for an F-4 Phantom. I also remember building the Aurora Patton tank in the 60's when I saw those flame-throwing Patton's in the movie Caltiki, the Immortal Monster. Oh the memories. 🤔
I was a 1970's Monogram addict of cars and WWII planes... Lots of "Kustom" cars, van. police car, pickups, etc... I remember using H-O train grass for green carpet inside a custom van!
Nostalgia time!!! Thanks Max.
Received Revell's USS Forrestal aircraft carrier as a birthday present in 1959. Next year it was Aurora's C-119 "Flying Boxcar". Back then I treated models more as toys than as "scale" display pieces. Had a lot of fun playing with those two kits!
C-119's flexible hinged rear doors gave it great play value, at lot of Airfix partroopers were deposited by mine. The landing gear didn't survive 25 missions but almost all of the paratroopers did.
Model kits were magic to me in 1960s. My Dad took me to a store called Hobby Center that was owned by 2 brothers. First kit that I got from there was a Aurora Frankenstein. Years later it was cars & WW2 tanks & aircraft.. Best part was going there around Christmas.
Started building in the 60's. Wish I had some of those old kits today
eBay my friend. That's how I've been able to grow my collection and of course Model shows whenever they are allowed again.
Hi mate, great video of very old kits. The first kit i can remember building was the Revell ME - 109 E3 in 1/72. Can't remember my age, think i was 7 at the time. My favourite aircraft.
I built that exact Black Widow model, in 1977 or 1978. My older brother had built one earlier, and I had to do it too. My first glue together model. Glue EVERYWHERE until I was ready to cry. My brother was nice enough to help me sand it and paint it (yes, I put a fingerprint in it).
I believe mine was a Revel USS New Jersey. Cool kits and catalog,Andy! Do show us more of these in the future. I remember I also had some Lindberg fighter bomber and also a Revel Phantom jet.
My first model kit was the A-4 Skyhawk in 1/4"scale. I was 6 years old in 1960 and built it on a TV tray in front of our TV before school in the morning. My Dad started me building. I, still, build at 66 years of age.
My very first kit was the Airfix 1/32nd scale Sunbeam Rapier which I built in 1960 when I was nine years old. It took many years before I started painting my models!
First kit I ever did was a BSG Cylon Raider, 1979. I was about 10 ish. Had no clue what I was doing. Started a life long hobby, tho.
My first kit was a Tamiya A6M5 Zero, with the full engine and cockpit detail. Probably a bit advanced for an 11 y/o, and that was evident in the build quality, but I had such a blast putting it together and painting it (horribly) that it hung from my ceiling alongside later models for years. Still one of my favorite experiences modeling.
One of my first kits I built was Revell's Supermarine Spitfire. I just painted the tires and props black and slapped everything together. I even got some glue finger prints on it. It was the ugliest model I ever built, but it was my first. This was back in 1968 and I was 8 years old.
God, glue fingerprints on the model were a rite of passage from watching or assisting in a build to actually building one yourself. For myself, at least....😂
Wow. The Revell Forrestal was the first kit I "built". Actually it was my Dad who did most of the work. Had it on a shelf over my bed for years afterwards. Great memory. Thanks for sharing.
Great Video , Andy ! Brings back fond memories. My first kits , Ringo's USN Blimp , afterwards SM.55 Seaplane and USNS Savannah . Remember my brother and I getting some of the Aurora kits after church on Sundays for 49 cents and by 6 pm we were dogfighting. He was a monster guy , I was the planes. Hope you and your loved ones are well ! Tony
love the flashback. thanks
Thanks for posting this. Great memories. The first kit I remember building was a Revell Lights Action Sound Coast Guard Helicopter. Probably aound 1978. Wish I could find another one. I've seen a couple pop up on eBay but they've been in really bad shape and missing parts. Saw the Black Widow at my local Hobby Lobby last weekend.
Hi Andy, my first kit was a 1/72 scale Airfix Spitfire in about 1963, I’d have been 7 then. Here in England the series 1 Airfix kits were packaged in a clear polythene bag with cardboard identifying artwork and retailed for around 1 shilling and sixpence (old currency in the UK) (about 7 1/2 new pence today). Today the same improved kit costs around £7.00 GB.
Back in the day the kit was moulded in pale blue plastic and along with the 1/72 Hurricane was the start of a life long hobby for me, although now my interest is mainly ww2 armour.
Enjoy all your vids, keep it going 👍
Revell X-15. And I built it in 1960 (I was 8). I was hooked and was building kits as fast as I could get them, which really wasn’t very fast at all. Airplanes, space, and sci-fi with an occasional naval or auto were my subjects. I guess I built just about anything except armor. I didn’t build a tank until 4 years ago. I’ve loved building kits ever since with a long hiatus while raising daughters (I tried, but I couldn’t even get them to build 0.99 glider in a bag). Retired now, I love it still. Nice to see us old pioneers remembered. Thanks.
While in school (in the UK)aged eight in 1966 our teacher Mrs Booth bought all the boys in the class an Airfix bagged kit (priced then two shillings)as a Christmas present, I had the Messerschmitt Bf 109. I hate to think how much I have spent since then on kits and modelling products but I will always thank Mrs Booth for getting me into one of the most satisfying hobbies
My first kit was some kind of car, I think it was a kit bash because I probably could not follow directions, I was maybe 5 years old (1968). But then I got some kits for my birthday a couple years later maybe. The first one I remember building was the Monogram 1/48 P-40 Tigershark. I didn't paint it. I did put decals on it. Later I painted the propeller blades black, as well as the tires. That was around 1970. I still have that kit in my display case. It came out very well. Minimal glue messes or finger prints. It's a little beat up now, 50 years later. My 3 year old grandson likes it. "Tigershark Grandpa!". I hope he will become a model building buddy for me. I have a large stash I need help with ☺️ Great video Andy, keep them coming!
My first kit was a birthday gift for a buddy of mind. I was 5 or 7? The kit was a 49 or 50 ford or chevy pickup. All white plastic and vinyl tires.I had model glue or paint. I put it together one night in my bed with elmer's glue. I just looked at the photos didn't read anything. I'm 62 now still building.😁
My first model was a Revell 1/72 Fokker D-VII. I was around 7. There it all began. Now I am 60 and still building models.
We are just about the same age Andy, have fond memories of setting old kits on fire and throwing them too! I still love these oldies over the over engineered kits around today from.some manufacturers. Always scope for some nice scratch built interiors ect
Mine was the Revell B-24D in 1956. My favorite companies were Revell and Monogram, I've. built just about every Revell and Monogram kit of WWII made. My dad and I had some good times building them.
I remember building planes that had working control surfaces. You could move the ailerons, flaps, and rudder. Some even had working bomb or torpedo drops! Glue some lead sinkers in the nose of the bomb or torpedo and voila! The terror of the household pets 😂😂😂😂😂
@@GRAYR189 Have you ever built the Visible Mustang? That was a fun kit.
@@opalprestonshirley1700 No, I never did. I DO remember pestering my parents for months until I got the Visible V-8 for Christmas one year. At the time that was a 35 dollar model, and I loved every second of putting it together.
@@GRAYR189 My brother built the Visible V-8 he loved anything dealing with cars.
I was born in 1966, so probably started building models in the early/mid-1970s. In the UK the models in toy shops were almost always Airfix ones. I remember the 'Series 1' kits in plastic blister packs with the instructions printed on the back, one of them will have been the first. I had a go at everything - 1/72 aircraft, 1/72 tanks, 1/600 ships, 'multipose' 1/32 figures, a Saturn V. a human skeleton, some odd dinosaur kits with about 5 parts - but it was always Airfix, (other than some Matchbox two-colour plastic 1/72 aircraft when I was on holiday). I eventually found my way to a proper model shop and was just amazed at the Tamiya models compared to the Airfix ones. A SdKfz 222 armoured car was definitely my first Tamiya kit. Then I discovered beer and girls and that was it for almost 40 years. Earlier this year I bought another SdKfz 222, and something that I had dreamed of all those years ago - an airbrush :)
Nice look down memory lane. My first kit was probably around 1967, I was 7, and it was the Hawk Vanguard satellite as I was big into space. That model is long gone, but some co. repoped it fairly recently and I course I bought it again.
I recently came across an old monogram HO scale Big Boy kit from my late uncle. pretty neat stuff. late 1960's, early 70's if I recall.
Thanks for bringing back many fond memories Andy. I built several of those Revell kits back in the day beginning around 1955. I used to save up empty soda bottles then take them in my wagon to the corner store to collect the deposits on them, 2¢ for the small bottles, and 5¢ for the quart size. I'd get enough to buy one of those Revell kits. Even when I was 10 years old, I wanted to join the Navy, which I ultimately did, so I loved building Navy airplanes and ships.
I think my first kit was as a teenager in the early 1970's and probably the 1:600 scale HMS Ajax from Airfix. Most likely painted a few years later it survived till 3 years ago. After 25 years in the lockdown I started again with a 1:72 F4 Corsair Revell starter kit (included some paint, glue and a brush). Fun enough to continue.
My first kit was back in 72 when I was 7yrs old and my Dad got me a 1/72 scale airfix Spitfire, and here we are in 2020 and I'm still building kits.
Great video, I've never seen such old kits before so thanks for the history lesson! I think my first kit was a 1/72 scale B-25G by Italeri my grandmother bought me, somewhere around 1983.
Sometime in the middle 70's a Matchbox 1/76 scale Sherman Tank on a broken bridge diorama base. Obviously as a kid I didn't really do it justice, so have decided i'm going to try and find another one and build & paint it properly now. Love the content Andy, keep it up !