CHAPTER THREE

The General Mills/Palitoy Years, 1981–1986

1982

SNAPfix Flying Saucer kit, 1982.

Following its acquisition of the Airfix kits division from the receiver, General Mills put Airfix under its British subsidiary, Palitoy. The design office was moved to Palitoy’s UK headquarters in Coalville, Leicester. The moulds were shipped to its Miro-Meccano subsidiary in Calais, France. Humbrol, which had also tried to buy Airfix, went on to buy the French kit company Heller, but would return in 1986.

Once everything was in place, Palitoy concentrated on putting the existing kits back into production. Those that were almost ready were completed and released. The computerized numbering system was retained, but most kit numbers were now prefixed with a ‘9’. A 1982 catalogue was issued which featured a new logo, Type 8. Around forty ‘new’ models were announced: twelve of those were from the 1981 catalogue, the remainder were vehicles from the MPC range, which was also owned by General Mills. A range of Star Wars kits was included.

The models from the 1981 catalogue were as follows:

04024	McDD F-18A Hornet	1:72
04025	F-16A/B Fighting Falcon	1:72
06004	Sikorsky CH-53G/CH-53D	1:72
05100	Junkers Ju 87B Stuka	1:48
06205	HMS King George V	1:600
06206	HMS Repulse	1:600
04800	Brontosaurus	N/A
04832	Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	1:1
51577	Space Warriors	1:32
01758	NATO Ground Crew	1:76
16402	Lamborghini Countach	1:16
07171	Flying Saucer Cosmic Starship	N/A

These completed the models that were at an advanced stage when Airfix went into receivership. The other ‘new’ models were brought-in kits rather than new Airfix moulds. They included:

1:25 Vehicles

9-06431	Wild Breed Mustang	1:25
9-06432	Ford Express	1:25
9-06433	Chevy Cavalier	1:25
9-06444	Dodge Omni Sidewinder	1:25
9-06445	Ford Mark IV	1:25
9-06446	Brute Force Dragster	1:25
9-06447	Squad Rod Nova	1:25
9-06448	Black Belt Firebird FC	1:25
9-06449	Burnout Bird Firebird FC	1:25
9-06450	Night Stalker	1:25
9-06451	Blackbird	1:25

1:25 Off-Road Vehicles

9-06452	Mountain Goat O/R Jeep	1:25
9-06453	Swamp Rat Jeep CJ	1:25
9-06454	Freedom Rider	1:25
9-07407	Chevrolet ‘Rolling Thunder’	1:25
9-07408	Ford Bronco ‘Saddle Tramp’	1:25
9-07409	Chevrolet ‘Ground Shaker’	1:25

1:16 Cars

9-14404

Firebird Turbo Blackbird

1:16

1:25 Super Trucks and Vans

9-07410	Ford Bronco ‘Dust Devil’	1:25
9-07411	Dodge ‘Bad Company’	1:25
9-07413	Dodge ‘Thunders-Truck’	1:25

1:20 Cars

9-08442	McLaren MK-8D	1:20
9-08443	Corvette ‘Sabre Vette’	1:20
9-08444	Corvette ‘Class Act Vette’	1:20

‘Dukes of Hazard’ Vehicles

9-04405	Dukes Digger	1:25
9-04406	Boss Hogg’s Hauler	1:25
9-04407	Cooter’s Cruiser	1:25
9-06430	General Lee Charger	1:25
9-08445	Cooter’s Tow Truck	1:25

Other Vehicles

9-20441	‘The General’ Steam Loco	1:25
9-20442	1911 Christie Fire Engine	1:12

‘The Empire Strikes Back’ – Space

9-10172	Rebel Snow Speeder
9-10173	Battle on Planet Hoth
9-10174	Encounter with Yoda
9-10175	AT-AT
9-12101	Imperial Star Destroyer
9-18101	Millennium Falcon

July 1982 Battle comic advert.

The Airfix releases comprised some of the most exciting kits to come from Airfix. The two jets were the initial versions of the two latest US fighters; both were upgraded over the years, but are currently not available. Now Hornby would be more likely to mould a new kit of the latest version rather than try to convert the old tools. The large Sikorsky helicopter was the second of two kits to come from the same mould; however, it has not been released for some time. The Stuka was based on its larger 1:24 sibling and was an excellent kit; it remains in production today.

The two 1:600 warships were particularly welcome. Having dallied with US and Russian aircraft carriers, Airfix returned to its roots and produced excellent replicas of the battleship King George V and battle-cruiser Repulse, both of which took part in the Bismarck chase. They were produced sporadically in the years after, but were both retired in the 2014 catalogue.

The remaining models were not terribly exciting but all complemented the series for which they were designed. The Brontosaurus made a brief return in a dinosaur set, but the Woodpecker, like the other birds, has not been re-released by Airfix.

Neither the Space Warriors and Flying Saucer were re-released, but the Space Warriors made a brief appearance in a bag in 1995! The Countach is owned by Airfix but I don’t think has been released since.

The NATO Ground Crew was sold in a Modern Jet Airfield Set in the early 2000s, and in 2013 was released separately to complement the three earlier World War II Airfield Personnel figure sets, but it was not in the 2014 range.

The MPC kits and the Star Wars kits were all, I think, released, but returned to the US after Humbrol bought Airfix. Many are available today in their US boxings. The emphasis on American vehicles and Star Wars did change the feel of the Airfix range. If nothing else, the release of a lot of cars and trucks showed that Airfix was back!

1983

For 1983, Palitoy issued a new style of catalogue and announced thirty-nine new kits. A new type of packaging was introduced, Type 8, with photographs of the completed models on the box tops:

9-02073	Hawker Hunter FGA.9	1:72
9-02074	NA OV-10D Bronco	1:72
9-03040	Northrop F-5E Tiger II	1:72
9-03041	Kaman SH-2F Seasprite	1:72
9-03042	Kamov Ka-25 Hormone A/C	1:72
9-04026	BACVC10 K.1 Refuelling	1:144
9-04027	Panavia Tornado GR.1	1:72
9-04028	Lockheed U-2 B/C/D	1:72
9-05016	Republic F-105F Thunderchief	1:72
9-05017	Mil-24 Hind	1:72
9-06005	Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II	1:72
9-09002	Avro Vulcan B.2	1:72
9-12003	Rockwell B-1B Bomber	1:72
9-03180	Boeing 727-200	1:144
9-05101	HS Sea Harrier FRS.1	1:48
9-07101	Hughes AH-64 Apache	1:48
9-08176	Grumman EA-6B Prowler	1:48
9-01759	Modern US NATO Infantry	1:76
9-01760	Modern Russian Infantry	1:76
9-51578	SAS Figures	1:32
9-51579	Modern US NATO Infantry	1:32
9-51580	Modern Russian Infantry	1:32

Star Wars Kits

9-10176	Rebel Base
9-10177	X-Wing Fighter
9-10178	Bobba Fett’s Slave 1
9-10179	Jabba the Hutt’s Throne Room
9-10180	Speeder Bike
9-12102	Imperial Shuttle Tydirium

Car and Truck Kits

9-03413	Porsche 935 (SNAPfix)	1:32
9-03414	Ford Escort (SNAPfix)	1:32
9-03415	Supercharged Dragster (SNAPfix)	1:32?
9-06436	Indy Pace Car Camaro	1:25
9-06446	Brute Force Dragster	1:25
9-06449	Burnout Bird Firebird FC	1:20
9-06457	1983 Corvette	1:25
9-06458	Toyota Supra	1:25
9-07414	‘Fall Guy’ Camaro	1:25
9-08446	‘Fall Guy’ Truck	1:25
9-06434	Rosco’s Police Car	1:25

From the United States came a new range of kits of Star Wars licensed space machines. Also a further ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ vehicle, and two vehicles from the new Fall Guy television series. Several cars were added. Following the sale to Humbrol in 1986, the US imports all returned Stateside. Many are still available today, and Airfix-badged examples are quite popular with collectors.

The most interesting releases and the longest lasting were the Airfix-originated kits. They consisted of five kits that were modifications or updates of existing kits. The Hunter, Bronco and Tornado were modified from the earlier 1:72 kits. The Boeing 727 received a new fuselage to make the much more successful 200 Series aircraft. To extend the life of the VC10 kit the mould was modified into the tanker variant, which unfortunately meant it could no longer be sold as the airliner. These kits have all been available at various times over the last thirty years.

SAS 1:32 figures from 1983. AIRFIX

Avro Vulcan model from 1983.

Rockwell OV-10 D Bronco, 1983.

The remaining eight aircraft had all either been started by the original Airfix team, or had been cancelled shortly before Airfix went under and were revived by Palitoy. Since the core of the new design team was the old Airfix team, this was a logical action.

Currently only the Vulcan, Boeing 727-200 and Sea Harrier are in the 2014 range. The Vulcan was a surprise release since the production of one by Airfix had always been vetoed by John Gray. Shortly after General Mills took over it was suggested that Airfix tool a Rockwell B-1B Bomber for MPC in the States and as quid-pro-quo, Airfix was allowed to tool the Vulcan for Airfix. At the Toy Fair, a visiting John Gray remarked to the sales team that they had finally got it past him!

Many of the other ranges were culled, with a number of kits disappearing for good or at least a very long time. The figure sets were expanded, however. The SAS figures were released in 1:32 scale, and Palitoy announced it was to concentrate on modern military figures; therefore sets of modern US and Russian Infantry were moulded. In both cases a common set of masters or ‘patterns’ was made, from which the sets could be pantographed down to either scale. Sadly, the patterns for all the figure sets appear to have been ‘lost’ following the sale to Humbrol, which makes any modification to those sets very difficult.

The SAS figures have returned to the 2014 range, but the others are presumably not ‘modern’ enough to come back.

1984

The Model World of Airfix, published in 1984.

By 1984, Palitoy was well into its stride and less dependent on US imports to fill the catalogue, but the new releases showed very few new kits. Those kits listed as new were as follows:

9-01761	SAS Figures	1:76
9-03181	Sikorsky Sea King	1:72
9-03182	Hawker Hurricane IIB	1:72
9-03183	NA P-51D Mustang	1:72
9-05017	Mil 24 Hind	1:72
9-05018	Martin B-57B Canberra	1:72
9-06006	Boeing Chinook	1:72
9-06821	Handley Page 0/400	1:72
9-09003	Lockheed AC-130H Gunship	1:72
9-07101	Hughes AH-64 Apache	1:48
9-07102	Panavia Tornado F.2	1:48

Day One Kits

9-60264	Agile Combat Aircraft (ACA)	1:72
9-60265	Nautilus	N/A

Star Wars Kits (SNAPfix)

9-06900	X-Wing Fighter
9-06901	A-Wing Fighter
9-06902	TIE Interceptor
9-06903	B-Wing Fighter

Car and Truck Kits

9-06459	Hardcastle and McCormick Car	N/A
9-06460	Knight Rider 2000	1:25
9-06461	Jody’s Firebird	N/A
9-06462	‘New Car’	N/A

The Star Wars and car kits were all from the States, and I don’t think all the car kits were released through Airfix; they all returned to their originators in 1986. Many of the 1982 and 1983 cars were dropped from the range.

The remaining kits were largely re-releases, and only seven could be classed as new; the others were either announced in 1983 or were proposed re-releases.

The SAS figures were based on the 1:32 figures but were never moulded and released. Neither was the Chinook moulded. Recently Airfix has relied on releasing an Italeri mould. Similarly the ACA and Jules Verne’s Nautilus were never released; the Nautilus was tooled but was only ever available as a resin kit made from a test shot. The Agile Combat Aircraft was the UK’s forerunner of the Eurofighter, later to be renamed Typhoon, which was later tooled by Airfix.

Three racing cars and three aircraft were to be released in sets of two under the ‘Day One’ label, but like the ACA and Nautilus, they were in fact never issued. Three compendium sets, including three kits and paints, were issued and are quite highly sought after today.

The Hind and Apache were both announced in 1983 and are not currently available. The 0/400 does feature in the 2014 range and will probably be there until at least 2018!

The Tornado F.2 was a new mould and would later spawn other variants. The Martin B-57B was a drastic modification to the existing Canberra kit, and whilst it solved the problem of the ‘dodgy’ nose on that kit, it also meant that Airfix no longer had a BAC Canberra in its range. This was largely rectified in 2009 when Hornby released two new Canberra kits in 1:72 scale.

The Hercules Gunship was, like the VC10 and Canberra models, a major revision of the earlier kit: it was hoped that by modifying a slow-selling kit it would revitalize sales. In recent years the earlier kits have become more popular, but they are no longer available. Recently Airfix has had to borrow a kit from another manufacturer to have a standard Hercules in its range.

The three remaining ‘new’ kits were not released until Humbrol took over.

Back in the USA, General Mills was looking at withdrawing from the toy market in Europe. Arthur Ward wrote in The Boys’ Book of Airfix that in 1984 Airfix’s research and design department was closed and the staff made redundant, which of course explains the lack of new models for 1986 and 1987. Humbrol would have to start from scratch.

1984’s A-7D Corsair II.

1985

By 1985, General Mills had decided to withdraw from the toy market in Europe and so its Palitoy subsidiary was put up for sale. A very simple catalogue running to sixteen pages was issued for 1985, which was first available in the February 1985 issue of Airfix Magazine. It listed several ‘new’ releases, but mostly they were all re-issues of existing kits, or kits that had been announced in the 1984 catalogue. I did not see any of the separate issue catalogues until many years later.

The only new models announced – and they were all ex-American tools – were as follows:

Star Wars ‘Structors’ Kits:

9-06501	C3-PO
9-06502	AT-AT
9-06503	Scout Walker
9-06504	R2-D2

Star Wars Kits:

9-60276	AT-ST Scout Walker
9-60277	Y-Wing Fighter

Cars and Trucks:

9-60134	Hardcastle and McCormick ‘Pick-up’
9-60135	Streethawk Car
9-60136	Streethawk Motorcycle

I believe only the two Star Wars kits were actually released. Airfix kits were becoming harder to find as Palitoy was winding down kit production as the operation was put up for sale again.

We had had high hopes for the development of the Airfix range under General Mills, and for a short while we had received some exciting new kits. Now it seemed we were in for another period of stagnation whilst the ownership of Airfix was sorted out. Certainly in the shops, Airfix kits were hard to come by and it did look as if Airfix was finally going to disappear.

Whereas Palitoy had inherited a lot of Airfix kits in development to initiate its new range, all new development work had ceased, and so any new buyer would find itself starting from scratch as regards new models. Effectively, the modeller would be in for at least three years with little or no production of new kits from 1985. Whoever bought Airfix would have its work cut out for the first couple of years.