Sad news from Airfix
Discussion
Legendary Airfix artist Roy Cross recently passed away......his artwork many decades ago, no doubt had a significant impact on many of us old gits on here.
https://twitter.com/Airfix/status/1787062040898453...
https://twitter.com/Airfix/status/1787062040898453...
I remember having the B-17G as a kid. All was going well with assembly until I realised I had forgotten to put in the cockpit section (floor, seats, crew). After much swearing, I prised open the fuselage with stringy glue going everywhere and fitted the missing section, before re-assembling the two halves of the fuselage. Needless to say, it looked sh!t.
Simpo Two said:
Is it true that current box art has been made less 'warlike' because Gen Z finds it upsetting?
There was a period where the action was airbrushed out, and they even went as far as putting dreary photos of models on the box but today’s box art is back to showing as much action as before. Where possible it is based on real events. Really sad news about Roy, I was lucky enough to meet him about 10 years ago, lovely guy and really interested in how new Airfix kits were designed. We sent him a birthday card from the team via his grand children which was well received.
Sad news - Mr Cross was an absolute legend. Guys in their 50's and 60's will recall many of his fantastic paintings that adorned Airfix kit boxes in the 60's and 70's.
The B-29, Spitfire Mk.1 (1/24 scale) and the Lancaster were my favourites. Now I paint the full size aircraft I can see how much understanding and empathy he had for his subject matter - not to mention excellent research.
Rest in Peace Sir!
The B-29, Spitfire Mk.1 (1/24 scale) and the Lancaster were my favourites. Now I paint the full size aircraft I can see how much understanding and empathy he had for his subject matter - not to mention excellent research.
Rest in Peace Sir!
andyA700 said:
Someone on the Twitter feed, said that his art was the reason you bought the model. I will go further and say, it was his art which made me take up model making.
I think that's true for me as well. In toy shops you had the Dinky toys, with their dull pictures of a digger on a box – that I was allowed to have – and then you had the Airfix kits with their action and adventure, that I was not allowed to have – "when you're older etc".So quite a bit like magazines, on reflection.
Anyway, my faves (apart from the Lancaster and the B17)
and
Simpo Two said:
Is it true that current box art has been made less 'warlike' because Gen Z finds it upsetting?
Nothing to do with "Gen Z".The "neutralising" of the older artwork actually happened around the 1977 to 1987 era - and it affected may manufacturers besides Airfix.
In some cases, the original artwork was "tidied up", with obvious signs of explosions, fires and general warfare omitted from the original artwork.
The use of photographs of built models (not always well built either) was less to do with concern about violence and more to do with tighter regulations regarding product description - especially in the US. It was thought that, for example, if a box showed a lovely depiction of a B-17 being attacked by Focke Wulf 190s, that wasn't exactly what was in the box. It therefore could fall foul of any "misleading depiction of contents" rule.
As a result, rather than just showing a picture of grey plastic parts, the compromise was to show a photo of an assembled and painted model.
That made for extremely dull boxes and I am sure it didn't help sales of kits in that era.
By the early 1990s, painted artwork started making a comeback and is now the norm again.
Eric Mc said:
Simpo Two said:
Is it true that current box art has been made less 'warlike' because Gen Z finds it upsetting?
Nothing to do with "Gen Z".I was mindful of war documentaries you see on TV where they feel obliged to add a disclaimer that it 'contains scenes of war'.
Eric Mc said:
Nothing to do with "Gen Z".
The "neutralising" of the older artwork actually happened around the 1977 to 1987 era - and it affected may manufacturers besides Airfix.
In some cases, the original artwork was "tidied up", with obvious signs of explosions, fires and general warfare omitted from the original artwork.
The use of photographs of built models (not always well built either) was less to do with concern about violence and more to do with tighter regulations regarding product description - especially in the US. It was thought that, for example, if a box showed a lovely depiction of a B-17 being attacked by Focke Wulf 190s, that wasn't exactly what was in the box. It therefore could fall foul of any "misleading depiction of contents" rule.
As a result, rather than just showing a picture of grey plastic parts, the compromise was to show a photo of an assembled and painted model.
That made for extremely dull boxes and I am sure it didn't help sales of kits in that era.
By the early 1990s, painted artwork started making a comeback and is now the norm again.
Funny thing is, because I grew up with these I feel really nostalgic about them.The "neutralising" of the older artwork actually happened around the 1977 to 1987 era - and it affected may manufacturers besides Airfix.
In some cases, the original artwork was "tidied up", with obvious signs of explosions, fires and general warfare omitted from the original artwork.
The use of photographs of built models (not always well built either) was less to do with concern about violence and more to do with tighter regulations regarding product description - especially in the US. It was thought that, for example, if a box showed a lovely depiction of a B-17 being attacked by Focke Wulf 190s, that wasn't exactly what was in the box. It therefore could fall foul of any "misleading depiction of contents" rule.
As a result, rather than just showing a picture of grey plastic parts, the compromise was to show a photo of an assembled and painted model.
That made for extremely dull boxes and I am sure it didn't help sales of kits in that era.
By the early 1990s, painted artwork started making a comeback and is now the norm again.
Nice review of the art of Roy Cross by Peter Oxley -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4VjjcoZENI&t=...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4VjjcoZENI&t=...
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