The art of the Airfix kit box lid

                                    Airfix Box art for the 1:24th scale P-51 Mustang

                                            flown by  Lt. Col. Dave L. Mason

Part of the joy of going to the model shop or to the Woolworths stores when they were alive, was to have a shuffle along where the Airfix kits were displayed.

The fortunes of the Airfix brand have waxed and waned over the years but the one constant was the artwork on the box lids.

The paintings by a variety of artists over the years really did sell the plastic kits and plastic figures. I did have this P-51 which displayed the alternative colour scheme of another P-51 Mustang called Ridge Runner 3 as flown by Major Pierce W. McKennon of the 335th Chiefs fighter Squadron of the 4th Fighter Group.

McKennon was rescued from German soil when he was forced to land, a fellow pilot landed on a field and McKennon climbed in on the pilot's lap and the aircraft was flown as a combined effort by McKennon and the other pilot and they got to safe territory.

But going back to those famous box lids, whether it was lineside equipment for your model railway, a car, sets of plastic figures, a ship, aeroplane or military vehicle, you were assured of a great piece of artwork to refer to when you did the painting of your items.