Attention, Vintage Classics Guards figure sets at the double!

Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.

For this latest project update, we will hopefully be taking our readers on an enjoyable trip down Airfix memory lane, a nostalgia fuelled focus on two truly classic impending Airfix releases. With mould tools manufactured back in the late 1950s, our Guards Band and Guards Colour Party figure sets will undoubtedly take many Workbench readers back to a time when the Airfix phenomenon was becoming firmly established as a pastime staple and would ultimately go on to become such an enjoyable feature within the formative years of many a young person, something many thousands of us still remember with genuine fondness.

As we once again return to the hobby nostalgia of our Vintage Classics range and some of the cherished toys of our youth, our subject for this week is HO-OO figure sets and the pomp and ceremony which will accompany the impending re-introduction of our Guards Band and Guards Colour Party figure sets, both of which have been absent from any Airfix range for many decades now. With original artwork and images of the current Vintage Classic artwork presentation to share with you, we will also be taking this opportunity to look at the wider Vintage Classics range, kits many of which can trace their introductions to a time when no new tooling idea was a bad idea and Airfix was going from strength to strength.

If you have been waiting all this time to have another go at painting the Guards Colour Party in this scale, that project is about to become a reality, so we’d better source a few extra fine brushes for the job.

Right then, who’s in the mood for opening a box or two full of classic Airfix nostalgia?

Vintage Classic – an unexpected Airfix success story?

The latest impending addition to the Vintage Classics range will see the long-awaited return of the Guards Band and Guards Colour Party figures which haven’t been seen in an Airfix range since the 1960s.

With many years of Workbench blog experience behind us, we think we’ve got a pretty good understanding of what our loyal readers like to hear about when it comes to Airfix, with new tooling projects and the design of new models being at the very top of that list. Regularly returning the highest readership figures in the blog posting success charts of any given year, we know this will come as no surprise to any Workbench reader who has been with us on this journey over the past few years, however, they may be a little surprised to learn that some of the blog posts which have pushed them all the way when viewing readership stats are those which feature Vintage Classics model re-introductions.

When plans were set in motion to establish this range back in 2018, we were a little uncertain as to how these kits would be received, even though we knew that a large part of the enjoyment of Airfix is in the heritage and nostalgia this famous brand possesses. From a modelling enthusiast’s perspective, even though we were not introducing new model tooling project to the latest range, the long overdue re-introduction of some Airfix classics gave them real validity in hobby terms and if we had any initial launch trepidations, these were quickly dispelled following range announcement. Right from that first announcement, Vintage Classics have been seen as a real positive for the range and allowed an enjoyable wave of modelling nostalgia to break out across workstations everywhere.

In essence, the Vintage Classics range is all about the joy of modelling, taking us back to a time when getting hold of the latest Airfix catalogue was just about the most important thing in our lives at that time. Of course, it was of almost equal importance that our parents were in absolutely no doubt whatsoever as to which new kits were required for Christmas and birthdays, an exercise which had to be executed with the highest levels of military precision. As a consequence, all the kits released in this range will no doubt bring back pleasant memories for tens of thousands of modellers the world over, with the visual treat of iconic box artwork and classic kits, transporting us straight back to those enjoyable formative modelling years. 

Some of the best loved Airfix model kits from our youth are finding a new home as part of our popular Vintage Classics range.

Adding to this nostalgia and helping to identify where individual kits in the range appear in the production timeline of Airfix heritage, the box presentation for each ‘Vintage Classics’ release also includes details of the year in which the respective model tooling was produced, along with the year when the style of artwork used to grace the box was first introduced. The Vintage Classics logo identifies these as a modern twist on a classic Airfix kit theme, but make no mistake, these kits are an unashamed celebration of classic Airfix heritage and don’t we just love them for it.

Despite the fact that our Vintage Classics range allows some much-loved Airfix kit classics to have their day in our latest range of model kits once again, some of the re-introductions released over the past few years have required the use of modern design technologies to allow them to be enjoyed once more. Over the passage of time, kit moulds can suffer from damage, or the loss of smaller sections of the tooling and should that turn out to be the case, the model in question is at risk of being ruled out for reintroduction as a Vintage Classic.

In the majority of cases, the main part of the tooling, which is known as a Bolster, is relatively easy to locate, however, many of these kits can also include much smaller mould inserts for components such as the clear parts, inserts which can often be where the problems start. These metal tooling inserts can be as small as a sandwich box and are therefore the most likely parts of a model tooling to either go missing or to suffer damage - if that turns out to be the case, it's now an exercise in time and cost to see if redesigning new parts is feasible and subsequently, if a particular classic kit will ever be released again.

In what is actually a fascinating hobby juxtaposition, in some cases, the very latest design and reverse engineering technologies have to be used in order to allow some of these classic Airfix model kits to take their places within an Airfix range once more, a definite case of a classic needing contemporary assistance.

Figure sets formed part of the initial 25 product range at the launch of the Vintage Classics range.

For many though, just the sight of that classic box artwork has us right back to those days where you could pick an Airfix model up at any number of places in your home town and how at that time, it seemed like you might have to live at least until receiving your telegram from the Queen if you were to work your way through the entire Airfix kit range. For many of us now, we’re going to have to live until at least 150 to stand any chance of working our way through our impressive kit stashes, so come on medical science, you need to get with the model making program! 

When the Vintage Classics range was initially announced, it comprised of a collection of twenty-five proposed releases and included both kits and figure sets, a tentative beginning for a range which has gone on to become such an important feature of any Airfix range launch. It was fitting that scale figure sets featured right at the beginning, because these really did play an important role in our appreciation of the Airfix brand during our early modelling years, not only serving as valuable diorama props, but as play items prior to more serious modelling taking hold, items which truly gave us hours of fun.

The subject of scale with regard to these first figures and why Airfix elected to go with HO/OO scale (1/76th scale) back in the late 1950s continues to stimulate some debate, but was an entirely logical one at the time. Intended to serve as diorama accessories for OO gauge railway modellers, 1/76th scale gave these new figures an instant market and whilst not exactly matching their own existing 1/72nd scale kits, the scale difference was negligible to the naked eye. Certainly, when first released, I think we are correct in saying that initial subject matter didn’t possess any 20th century military links in any case.

Early figure sets included a collection of civilians and zoo animals, but also served to satisfy our insatiable appetite for history, with sets such as Ancient Britons and Romans, Cowboys and American Indians, British and French Horse Artillery and Waterloo Cavalry, all of which required minimal preparation and assembly, but offering maximum play possibilities.

Full of Airfix nostalgia, the emergence of the Vintage Classics range has allowed us to re-visit and restore some of the original Airfix artwork files which form such a significant part of our hobby enjoyment.

Thinking back to those days, I think my first exposure to Airfix products was visiting my cousin’s house and playing with their extensive collection of Airfix figures. The tin box in which they were kept held hundreds of them, not one of them painted and mainly consisting of Cowboys and American Indians, with a couple of Wagon Train sets and the odd Roman chariot thrown in there for good measure. Spreading those all out on the dining room carpet was so exciting back then and even though I was always left with the lame-duck figures, I was already hooked and simply had to amass my own collection.

One thing you knew you could always rely on with Airfix was subject variety and this certainly extended the ever-growing range of figure sets. If Roman chariots were not your thing, you could elect to bring things right up to date with a box of Astronaut figures, or if recreating your favourite TV show was more your style, how about adding a box of Tarzan figures to the collection?

As the modelling bug well and truly took hold of us, the figure sets were still an important part of our modelling enjoyment, but perhaps now playing more of a support role for our latest kit builds, particularly as we had moved into a scale world which had more of a military leaning. Instead of lurking in the pile of the carpet waiting to target an unsuspecting enemy figure, the more dynamically posed figures in each set were mounted on card and painted to embellish our latest tank or military vehicle build. Following the release of RAF and Luftwaffe Personnel figure sets, our aircraft builds could also now be brought to life with the addition of some diorama figure interest.

A British military tradition famous the world over

Guards Band figure set packaging Vintage Classics style, the first time these classic figures have been in an Airfix range since the 1960s.

What makes the re-introduction of the Guards Band and Guards Colour Party figure sets so significant is their place within Airfix heritage, along with the fact that this is the first time they have been moulded since the 1960s. These were amongst the first figure sets to be released by Airfix in the HO & OO scale and represent a time when Airfix simply couldn’t do any wrong – their products were in huge demand and their seemed to be no limit to their ambitions. With regard to their new figure sets, Airfix could barely keep up with demand, but this may have been due to the fact that for every box of figures opened, half would end up in the family vacuum cleaner.

Looking at each set individually, let’s take a closer look at some of their Airfix heritage details now, but as quite some time has passed since first release, if you do spot any inaccuracies in our text, or have images of original box presentation styles, please do drop us a line and we will update the feature with appropriate accreditation.

Guards Band

On state ceremonial occasions, the impressive sight of the massed ranks of the Foot Guards of the Household Division is made all the more emotive by the Guards Bands blasting out a succession of rousing military marches and popular tunes, filling onlookers with an immense sense of pride, and always performed with exceptional military precision. 

The mould tools for this set were produced in 1959, however, the beautiful artwork created by Brian Knight would not adorn the box of this figure set until they were re-issued in 1968.

Right from the off, there is something of a discrepancy with this set, as it has historically always indicated that it includes 44 unpainted figures within, leading us all to believe that this is the part count for the set, but that isn’t the case – there are actually 52 parts, because they didn’t include the separate drums. You really must have drums for your Guards Band! 

A visual journey back through Airfix product heritage. Original box presentation of the Brian Knight artwork inspired 1968 release of this figure set, front and rear.

Figure set as represented on the new Vintage Classics incarnation of this famous set.

Quality is ageless – Original Brian Knight artwork following the completion of the digital restoration program.

This figure set is based on the bands of the regiments of the brigade of British Foot Guards, wearing their full ceremonial No.1 Dress as worn throughout the 1950s and 60s. Although leaving the actual representation of the individual unit to the modeller, it’s intended that the figures be painted with black bearskin hat, No.1 Dress scarlet tunic, black trousers with red seam piping, ankle ‘Ammo’ boots and webbing waist belt. 

In actual fact, the modeller could paint their set to represent any one of the five Foot Guard Regimental Bands, the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish or Welsh Guards if they so wished, obviously having first done their research. If you were really of a mind to do so, you could even replicate a full state ceremonial turn out for the Massed Bands of the Brigade of Guards, a spectacle which can be seen at such occasions as the Trooping of the Colour.

Figures included in this set are a single Drum Major, 7 side drummers, 5 saxophonists, 1 bass drummer, 2 cymbalists, 7 tubists, 10 flautists, 4 trombonists and 7 trumpeters.

Unfortunately, due to the passage of time and the different ownership of original artwork files over the years, we’re unable to show you actual images of the different box presentation of these sets over the past 65 years or so, which is a shame, because they are so distinctive and tell an interesting Airfix story. When first released in 1959, these figures were released in very distinctively decorated cardboard box packaging, with a front window allowing the purchaser to see the figures and the moulding colour of the plastic behind an acetate sheet.

The box style was retained for a later refresh of the set, even though it did feature an update of the general artwork presentation and it wasn’t until the end of the 1960s that the box presentation was changed to a more artistic and engaging style. This featured the artistic talents of Mr Brian Knight and also features on this latest Vintage Classics representation of the Guards Band figure set.

Guards Colour Party

Vintage, but 100% Airfix. This figure set is about to join the Vintage Classics range.

When it comes to the pageantry of ceremonial occasions, nobody does it quite like the British military, and whilst familiar to millions of people the world over, this display of formal excellence is steeped in military tradition. Elite troops were assigned to protect their flag, or colours, as they represented the honour and traditions of those serving past and present.

At the time these figures were sculpted, anything to do with the Royal Family, Buckingham Palace and London held state occasions were not only of interest to the vast majority of the UK population, but also right across the globe. As a consequence, the smartly turned out soldiers of the Regiments of the Household Division were seen at some of the most watch televised occasions ever broadcast across the world and therefore became arguably the most famous military personnel in history.

As these state occasions were incredibly popular the world over, the Airfix release of their Guards Colour Party figure set in 1959 marked the introduction of yet another scale winner into a range which simply could do no wrong at that time.

Historically, the Household Division are given the responsibility of guarding important sites around Britain’s capital and whilst now almost exclusively linked with the Royal Family, were originally charged with guarding several institutions across the City of London. During the 19th century, the Household Division maintained ten separate guard mountings, which incorporated 89 sentry posts across the city.

Now a popular and enduring tourist attraction, the men of the King’s Guard are stationed outside both Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace, and whilst the number of sentry boxes has reduced from years past, they are still an iconic feature of London and its famous military pageantry.

The colours themselves are steeped in military history and whilst most associate them with state occasions and the pride of being British, they actually take their heritage from battlefields across the world, serving as a rallying point for troops involved in combat. For the military, the colours are sacrosanct, the very embodiment of the honour, spirit and heritage of the regiments which are currently charged with protecting them.

Following the same format as the Guards Band figures above, this series of images show original 1968 box presentation, followed by the 2024 Vintage Classics release of the same imagery.

With regard to this Guards Colour Party figure set, the same opportunity exists regarding the modeller’s choice of regiment to represent, having first done your research, with the set including the following figures – 1 Ensign with Standard, 1 officer with sword, 36 other ranks with rifles to slope, 2 other ranks with rifles at present and two sentry boxes. 

Exactly the same applies when it comes to the box presentation of this figure set, as they were always released along with the Guards Band set, so follow the same path regarding box styles and range inclusion. Again, the artistic talents of Mr Brian Knight transformed the presentation of this set in 1968, with this fantastic artwork also featuring as the Guards Colour Party figure set takes its place amongst the ranks of Vintage Classics releases.

A truly historic addition to the Vintage Classics range, these linked sets were produced in vast quantities following their introduction back in 1959 and even though tens of thousands of households would have been familiar with these soldier figures over the years, the fact that they have not been part of an Airfix range since the 1960s makes their reintroduction all the more noteworthy. 

Both of these figure sets are scheduled for imminent release and if any Workbench reader is intending to recreate a Trooping of the Colour diorama scene, please do send is details, because we would love to share pictures of such a feat with our worldwide blog audience.

Auster Antarctic revisited – Save it from the stash!

Before we leave the subject of Vintage Classics kits for this edition, we wanted to re-visit a project we initially covered to mark the introduction of the Auster Antarctic kit around this time last year, one where we looked at how Design Manager Matt Whiting had to expertly reverse engineer parts of this kit, in order to allow it to take its place within this popular range. Although we won’t be covering that particular edition in its entirety here now, Workbench edition 246 can be accessed via this link if you want to see how Matt managed to save the Auster.

In an attempt to bring this kit project to a logical conclusion and perhaps to serve as encouragement to take it out of your stash on onto your own workstation as a build project for the summer months, we wanted to revisit the details behind the actual aircraft depicted, as we have recently received a beautifully built model example of the kit. Even though the kit has now sold out, it may well still be available out in the modelling world and will certainly be forming part of many a model stash, so a re-visit is perfectly valid. In any case, it really is a shame not to show built model examples of projects covered here on Workbench, just because they weren’t available at the time of publishing.

A little aeroplane which built a big reputation

This rather famous little aeroplane was built by the Auster Aircraft Company at their Rearsby facility in early 1951 as a T.7 dual control variant for service with the Royal Air Force and allocated the serial WE600. Collected and flown to No.20 Maintenance Unit at RAF Aston Down wearing a smart all-over silver training scheme, with yellow bands around her wings and fuselage, she would later be displayed at RAF Hendon as part of the Daily Express 50 years of flying exhibition.

Although these build images were not available at the time of posting our Auster Antarctic review, they definitely deserve to have a blog airing. 

Allocated to No.663 Air Observation Post Squadron at Hooton Park on the Wirral Peninsula, she joined the unit's standard Auster AOP6 aircraft in their Territorial Army role, training Royal Artillery personnel in target spotting and range finding exercises at weekends. During this time, it's thought that the aircraft became the personal machine of the senior unit commander and whilst the other aircraft wore their usual Army Cooperation camouflage schemes, WE600 retained her distinctive silver training scheme, even though she was still used regularly across all the unit's training activities.

In 1953, she was transferred to No.1964 AOP Flight RAuxAF at Yeadon, but later the following was sent back to the Auster Company for repairs following a nose-over incident, where the pilot ran into boggy ground when taxiing. Following completion of the repairs, the aircraft was on the move again, this time to No.9 Maintenance Unit at RAF Cosford for storage, a location which would become quite significant in her later history.

During the summer of 1955, WE600 was back at Rearsby once more, this time to undergo conversion for a significant deployment as part of the 1956 Joint Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. The expedition was attempting to make the first overland crossing of Antarctica via the South Pole and would eventually be only the third expedition to reach the South Pole and the first in 46 years. Although the expedition was to be an overland endeavour, it was to be supported by aviation throughout, with aircraft such as Auster WE600 providing reconnaissance, supply and emergency support to expedition personnel. 

WE600 would be one of two such aircraft converted in support of the expedition, the other being WE563 of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (NZ1707), with the British Auster assigned to provide reconnaissance support and other duties for the Shackleton Base team. Due to the additional weight carrying capability this role required, the aircraft was stripped of anything deemed unnecessary and fitted with new radio equipment, additional fuel carrying capability in a belly tank and the fitting of a SARAH air-sea rescue beacon.

The aircraft was loaded aboard the Canadian seal catcher ship MV Theron which set sail for the Shackleton Base via the South Atlantic in November 1955. Interestingly, the ship would suffer quite considerable damage when it became stuck in sea ice, however, disaster was averted when its Auster was launched and managed to chart a course for the ship out of the crushing ice field.

Amongst the most role specific modifications made to the two expedition Austers was the ability to easily change the aircraft's main undercarriage, with skis and floats both destined to see heavy use during the attempt. With its impressive reputation as an exceptional air observation post aircraft and with it possessing great short field performance, expedition leaders knew that if they could get their Austers into the air, they would be crucial to the success of their attempt, something which was clearly evident when an aircraft charted the stricken Theron to safety.

Used extensively throughout the duration of this high-profile expedition, WE600 eventually arrived back in British waters aboard the Norwegian Antarctic ship MV Tottan and in March 1958, arrived at No.19 Maintenance Unit at RAF St Athan, where she was allocated the instructional serial 7602M and designated as a future exhibition artefact.

In 1968, she was repainted in 'trainer yellow' replacing the Antarctic Expedition high visibility orange previously worn and would spend the next few years appearing at events, open days and Air Force review events the length and breadth of the country, spending lengthy periods in the care of the RAF stations at Gaydon, Finningley and St Athan. She eventually arrived into the care of the RAF Museum at Cosford in February 1989, where she would undergo a significant period of renovation and refurbishment, during which time she was returned to her original yellow paint scheme, evidence of which was discovered during the renovation works themselves.

If you have the Vintage Classics Auster Antarctic in your model stash, maybe the sight of these build images will encourage some readers to promote it to the status of 2024 build project potential.

This historic aircraft can still be found on display at Cosford (RAF Museum Midlands), where she is lovingly cared for by museum staff who are only too aware of her fascinating and historic past. Her sister aircraft from the Joint Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1956 is also preserved, but on the other side of the world as part of the Air Force Museum of New Zealand's collection at Wigram, Christchurch.

Please Note - Since this Auster Antarctic feature was originally posted, the aircraft has moved from its previous RAF Museum Midlands home and is now under the care of the Midland Air Museum at Coventry. Thought to currently be in storage, if anyone has visited the museum and confirm the aircraft is on public display, we would be grateful.

With such aviation heritage as this, the little Auster Antarctic definitely punches way above its diminutive stature in aviation terms and really is deserving of being rescued from your kit stash immediately. As with all the Vintage Classics kit range, not only will you be turning your hand to building a model of an interesting aeroplane or military vehicle, but you will also be venturing into the nostalgic world of Airfix modelling and a range of kits which mean so much to so many people.

We would like to sincerely thank Jeremy Brook for his invaluable assistance in helping assemble the details included in this latest edition of Workbench.

We are afraid that's all we have for you in this latest edition, but we will be back next Friday with more project development updates and the very latest Airfix kit exclusives. In the meantime, we are always keen to hear your views on all things Airfix and in particular, any thoughts and opinions you may have regarding our Workbench blog. If you would like to drop us a quick line, could we please ask that you use our workbench@airfix.com email for all correspondence. 

To re-visit any of the Airfix blogs we have produced over the past seven years or so, please head to our main Workbench hub, where you will find our entire blog back catalogue and all the Airfix design projects we have already covered.
 
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Airfix Workbench Team