Matchbox 1/76

Matchbox and Revell 1/76 military afv modelling and cat food

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Yay hay hay and we finally got the static grass that we had ordered, thank you again Mr Postman, all done for now - enjoy!

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Hello there,

you appreciate cat food or plastic military modelling you may like what you find....

have any questions or would like to donate kits mail me - address in the readmore below

catinamatchbox   ( and you type in “at mark”) gmail (and you type in ‘dot’) com

see you soon

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Listen in lads

Part one

Plastic or styrene kittys are defined by type, i.e.military (afv, armoured fighting vehicule), scale, e.g.1/76 ( that it is 76 times smaller than the real object,  a person is scale 1/1 unless you shrunk in the wash ).

Cat food, afv's and a dose of my very limited humour ;)  If you enjoy the models you may survive.

Plastic Kittys come in bags or boxes with box art.  I am a fan of Tamiya box art and the Hasegawa MiniBox boxes.

Injection moulded parts are on sprues that you remove, tidy up, clean and even modify as well as fit, glue and paint.

Most boxes have a lift off type lid, though Matchbox (Lesney company) and Revell boxes open from the side – not my favourite but lighter I guess and less strong too.

There are often marking decals or stickers and there are usually instructions. In my Tamiya Schwerer Panzerspahwagen (8Rad) Sdkfz232 it says “Read before assembly” and “Read carefully and fully understand the instructions before commencing assembly.”

Now many people don't.  Just in passing, here's a good opportunity for me to mention something as it's central to my life.  We too came into the world on a kind of sprue from a kind of box and with a set of instructions,  B.I.B.L.E. The Book I should read Before Leaving Earth.

So grab some cat food and with a shake of the tail let's take a look at where we begin.

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 Part two

We want pictures.  And tips and how too's.  Ok, we are trying.

A Revell kit.

It's 1/72 you say.  Yes.  Matchbox Lesney unfortunately ceased activity. However the German company Revell bought the moulds and reissued many 1/76 original Matchbox kits.

They also combined some Matchbox 1/76 kits with 1/72 scale soldiers. Hence the 1/72 Revell label.  You doubt me.  If you look on the back of the tank parts and diorama base you will see Matchbox Lesney printed.  If you cannot get an original Matchbox you can still build the re issued kit from Revell.

Walking past a second hand store and found this, so it'sa good place to start.  British, rare and a late comer to WWII (I add here I do not support violence in any way).  One of my grandfathers was in the Military as was my father. I grew up with uniforms and the terrific noise of military vehicules. I profoundly believe that violence is not the way to solve differences.  (If you are interested in peace you may want to take a look at the life of European character Menno Simons).

I am very interested in the engineering and design of afv's and cat food tins and I just really enjoy collecting them and making them.

Cats like them too, particulary antennas, moving stuff like RC tanks and also eating instructions, playing with brushes, knocking things over. Generally causing mayehem and hilarity.

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Part three

The box shots

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Part four

Revell kits have a skill level indicator depending mostly on the number of parts. 1/76 kits generally have few parts. But can still be extremely demanding to build well.  And there is the beauty of the challenge that lies ahead. 

Technical info the kit gives:

Comet and British Paratroopers

kit number 03162

length of model 10,1cms

contains 50 figures

contains 63 parts

Recommended paint colours are: anthracite, flesh, light olive, Nato olive, lake green, khaki brown

Revolving tank turret, flexible tracks, detailed drive wheels and road wheels, diorama base plate, decals for 2 versions

skill level 3 = more demanding models with up to 100 parts

more info available at manufacturers site http://www.revell.de

The kit is suitable for age 10 to adult so I just qualify ;) Instructions and box printed in Germany, kit made in Poland

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Part five

Instructions

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Part six

Hey there,

if you are having trouble learning French or German check out these kits.  The instructions are multilanguage so you can pick up all kinds of terms.  ‘fallschirmjager’ is German for a ‘paratrooper’.

A-34 Comet and British Paratroopers

The A-34 Comet an improved version of the light Cromwell tank, is reputed to be the best British tank of WWII.  Finally a British tank design was to rival the new German Panther and Tiger tanks.  Armed with the 77mm tank gun, more heavily armoured and equiped with more powerful tracks and suspension, this long awaited tank came in use towards the end of the war in the Battle of the Ardennes in 1944 and the occupation of North West Germany in 1945.  The figures contained in the set represent British Paratroopers from the war years 1943-1945.  Without heavy weapons, these elite units had to hold their own in combat behind enemy lines involving heavy losses.  The camouflage jackets with many pockets, new helmet and high parachutist boots are typical of these specialist units.

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Part seven

Link to a short clip of my Russian armour T-34/85 ( 85 because the main cannon gun barrel is diameter 85mm, a little smaller than the 88mm of Tiger II)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2XE5bnbjlc

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Part eight

Matchbox kits from the 70′s are so much fun.  I like the scale.  Modellers choose a scale that they enjoy (popular are 1/35, 1/48, 1/16, 1/144 as well as 1/72 and 1/76). 

Sites are dedicated to a particular scale, like this AMAZING site here

http://www.onefortyeight.com/index.html

Also the detail, quality and fit of the diverse parts.  The instructions and box art.  A scale model is just that.  A scale representation of something that exists or has existed.  It is supposed to be realistic.  The more realistic it is the better.  People who look for really high realism in model kits are know as ‘rivet counters’ and some produce the most faithful models.

In real life the tanks that we are making were modified as model types progressed, depending on which front they were deployed in, on repairs, on in-the-field modifications.  On which battalion or regiment they served in.  So often a modeller will research a particular machine and do his or her best to faithfully reproduce that.  One such famous machine is the German Tiger 1 numbered 007.

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Part nine

Matchbox Lesney kittys come with a tank or afv model and a DIORAMA BASE.  I dig these diorama bases and I think they add so much depth.  It’s part of the attraction and why I would like to build every single one of the 1/76 afv’s.

Finally the tank parts, 2 sprues in different colour plastic (another hallmark of Matchbox), ‘rubber band’ tracks and a set of decals (decals can often fade with age but replacements are available.

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Part ten

Link to superb Radio Controlled (RC) Comet tank 1/16 - someone who knows how to make 2 minutes feel exciting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir7rPAOdfIM&list=PLWWibfw1KTYmthmhTdaHFhFD4fyJ1Apam&index=10

link to one of, if not the best Matchbox, Revell, 1/72, 1/76 military model websites from our friend Henk of Holland, with his kind persmission, please enjoy it:

http://henk.fox3000.com/Matchbox.htm

Before looking closely at the plastic and beginning our own personal interpretation of this kit here are the box art shots of the original Matchbox “purple” series kit and the Revell re issue.  Interesting to see how box art can influence your purchase, especially for the first time.

A little trivia: Matchbox to standout from their biggest competitor Airfix, added  a little plastic see-through window to the back of the box - you could peek through (fun to look back at it now, but really just a cost escalating gimmick)