Sherman Firefly - Revell (ex Matchbox 1/76)

[Eric Mc]

After months of modelling inactivity, I finally managed to get some model building done over the summer. First completion was this nice and simple kit from Revell. It's actually an old Matchbox mould but a nice little kit.

[Brigand]

Classic kit, did it come with the small plastic base that a lot of those Matchbox ones used to have? I recall a Stug III (I think) crashing through a wall, the 'Monty's Caravan' in the desert and the LRDG truck and jeep in the desert too.

[Eric Mc]

It came with a section of stone bridge.

[Jader1973]

That looks good.

I got the Airfix Sherman a while ago as something quick and easy. It isn't a great kit, and ended up in the bin.

[Eric Mc]

The Airfix kit is around 13 years older than the Matchbox one (1961 v' 1974).

[r159]

If I’m right the current revell 1/76 are old matchbox moulds with the bits of scenery.

[warch]

I loved those Matchbox kits with the scenery, like Monty's Caravan. Very nice work Eric.

My first ever model kit was the Matchbox Spitfire mk 16/10 iirc. It had options to build two versions with variations in the canopy and wing shape. I have an unbuilt one that I bought for a song of ebay a few years ago.

[gruffgriff]

r159 said:

If I’m right the current revell 1/76 are old matchbox moulds with the bits of scenery.

You are indeed! Tooling standing up really well looking at the more recent Revell mouldings I've built.

[Eric Mc]

The scenery/diorama parts were also included in the original Matchbox versions.

As for Matchbox’s 1/72 Spitfire, it was their 2nd kit issued (after the Hawker Fury). The Spitfire was originally issued as a high backed Mk. IX. It came with the larger fin and rudder fitted to later Mk IXs which was nice although the kit had some shape issues.
Later, the tool was revised to depict a low back/bubble canopy Mk IX or XVI. The IX and XVI were essentially the same except that the XVI was fitted with an American built Packard Merlin.

[warch]

Eric Mc said:

As for Matchbox’s 1/72 Spitfire, it was their 2nd kit issued (after the Hawker Fury). The Spitfire was originally issued as a high backed Mk. IX. It came with the larger fin and rudder fitted to later Mk IXs which was nice although the kit had some shape issues.
Later, the tool was revised to depict a low back/bubble canopy Mk IX or XVI. The IX and XVI were essentially the same except that the XVI was fitted with an American built Packard Merlin.

Mine is the kit you can build either model from, with colour coded bits for the Mk IX, which had the characteristic rounded wings, unlike the XVI which had the clipped wings and as you say a bubble type canopy and Packard engine.

Probably fairly poor by modern standards but 9 year old me loved this in the mid-80s, and I couldn't resist buying another when I saw it. Will build and paint it now my skills are up to the job

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

As for Matchbox’s 1/72 Spitfire, it was their 2nd kit issued (after the Hawker Fury). The Spitfire was originally issued as a high backed Mk. IX. It came with the larger fin and rudder fitted to later Mk IXs which was nice although the kit had some shape issues.
Later, the tool was revised to depict a low back/bubble canopy Mk IX or XVI. The IX and XVI were essentially the same except that the XVI was fitted with an American built Packard Merlin.

Not quite. The PK-2 designation doesn’t relate to release sequence. In 1973, Matchbox released 10 brand new kits simultaneously (PK-1 to PK-10). The PK-1 Hawker Fury was the first to appear in marketing material, but the other 9 kits in the initial range were also listed in the advert.

Also, the original PK-2 Spitfire IX was revised in 1989 with extra parts to include options for *either* the early or late canopies (PK-50), not just the bubble canopy. As Warch mentioned, the wing sprue on the revised tooling was also modified to give options for clipped tips.