Airfix/Dapol Kits - real life inspiration

[Marvin]

I know that the Village Church is from Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight and the Signal Box kit is that of Oakham but I was wondering about real life examples of other kits to see whether they were specifically applicable to certain locations rather than generic items and whether they are prototypically correct?

 

Windmill

Girder Bridge

Engine Shed

Booking Hall

Water Tower

Turntable

Platform Canopy

Platform/trackside footbridge

Travelling dockside crane

 

 

[petethemole]

The windmill appears to be based on the one at Rolvenden  https://www.flickr.com/photos/visitkent/8969177128. 

 

Pistone is similar but was derelict at the time the kit came out, since restored  http://windmills.org.uk/pitstone-windmill/, https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/pitstone-windmill.

[Steamport Southport]

We worked out in the Wright Writes thread that the Girder Bridge is very similar to the Midland Railway (M&GN) one at Little Bytham.

 

The turntable is a GWR design.

 

 

 

Jason

[hayfield]

Was the station not Oakhampton or was that a name they just added to it ?

 

I think that if you look at the windows and doors, most are representations rather than scale models. Most small churches for instance are much larger, as would be the shop and probably others 

 

Still were great for their time and I guess can easily be improved/kit bashed

[Steamport Southport]

I believe they are all pretty accurate. 

 

St Boniface Church in Bonchurch really is that small.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St_Boniface_Church,_Bonchurch

 

http://www.airfixrailways.co.uk/Church.htm

 

 

 

Jason

Edited June 14, 2018 by Steamport Southport

[MarkC]

I saw the name "Braintree and Bocking" the other day, and I'm pretty sure, having awoken some long-forgotten memories, that this appeared in connection with some model railway accessories at some time in the past - was that Airfix too?

[gismorail]

Considering how old these kits are they are truly brilliant value for money and an excellent source for scratch building other buildings. I have always got a box with loads of Dapol / airfix parts for just this reason. 

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...Most small churches for instance are much larger...

 And how! At one time I occasionally helped an architect specialising in church works by making her models of the building; often in 'as standing' and 'with proposed works' forms, to help the congregations visualise how the proposed works might look and perform. I usually did them 'drawing scale' either 1:100 or 1:50. The smallest model I ever did for her was a 1:50 of a modest church able to seat just over 100, (120 was a crush) and it was two feet long and over a foot high on the ridge (16 inches long, nine inches to ridge in 4mm/ft.) This ' they are bigger than you think' factor applies to every building larger than a fogman's shelter...

Edited June 14, 2018 by 34theletterbetweenB&D

[Andy W]

I saw the name "Braintree and Bocking" the other day, and I'm pretty sure, having awoken some long-forgotten memories, that this appeared in connection with some model railway accessories at some time in the past - was that Airfix too?

Yes, it was one of the pre-printed names you could stick onto the station nameboards that were/are part of the Platform Fittings kit. I think Dapol have changed the selection of names.

[Campaman]

The turntable is the same/similar design to the one at Minehead

[tomparryharry]

Slightly off-topic, but the good old 16 ton mineral wagon kit is still going strong. There are quite a lot still available via e-bah-gum, and as an alternative to the pricier Baccy model, a good bet. They can be worked up accurately, especially if you use things like the Gibson wheels, and Romford top-hat bearings. Some of the stock is quite old, going back from kitmaster to Dapol in the present day. If I had one very minor critism, (no, observation) would change the headstock slot from horizontal, to vertical. That allows you to use a proper 3-link coupling, such as the Brassmasters etch. Still a good quality model pricewise as well.

I'd guess that if Dapol made a ventilated van kit, it would be a sure-fire winner.

The water tank can be well bashed to make a typical structure. The tank itself is the normal conventional size & shape, with only the uprights scratch built to suit the location. I'd love to chop about the turntable, but I haven't had the heart to open the packet first.

Cheers,

Ian.

Edited June 14, 2018 by tomparryharry

[Steamport Southport]

Slightly off-topic, but the good old 16 ton mineral wagon kit is still going strong. There are quite a lot still available via e-bah-gum, and as an alternative to the pricier Baccy model, a good bet. They can be worked up accurately, especially if you use things like the Gibson wheels, and Romford top-hat bearings. Some of the stock is quite old, going back to kitmaster to Dapol in the present day. If I had one very minor critism, (no, observation) would change the headstock from horizontal, to vertical. That allows you to use a proper 3-link coupling, such as the Brassmasters etch. Still a good quality model pricewise as well.

 

I'd guess that if Dapol made a ventilated van kit, it would be a sure-fire winner.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Ian.

 

No need to. Parkside already make quite a few perfectly good ones including plywood and shock versions.

 

 

 

Jason

[kevinlms]

I know that the Village Church is from Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight and the Signal Box kit is that of Oakham but I was wondering about real life examples of other kits to see whether they were specifically applicable to certain locations rather than generic items and whether they are prototypically correct?

 

Windmill

Girder Bridge

Engine Shed

Booking Hall

Water Tower

Turntable

Platform Canopy

Platform/trackside footbridge

Travelling dockside crane

Almost certainly, its easier to start with a 'typical' structure by basing it on something that actually exists. It doesn't have to be an exact scale model, when you think about is intended market.

[rovex]

Almost certainly, its easier to start with a 'typical' structure by basing it on something that actually exists. It doesn't have to be an exact scale model, when you think about is intended market.

 

This is so true, as I have found when I've tried to make up buildings.

 

I suspect that the residential dwellings and station building are "inspired by" rather than based on anything in particular, as they seem to me to be too small to be practical. 

[Steamport Southport]

I think they are all prototypical. It's just finding the original.

 

Don't forget they were a major manufacturer with professional modelmakers, engineers and draughtsman. They even had the tagline "Just like the real thing" years before somebody else used it.

 

 

 

Jason

[Dunsignalling]

No need to. Parkside already make quite a few perfectly good ones including plywood and shock versions.

 

 

 

Jason

As do Ratio and Cambrian.

 

John.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...I'd guess that if Dapol made a ventilated van kit, it would be a sure-fire winner...

 

 Not a kit as such, but they do produce the old Airfix/GMR representation of an LMS general merchandise ventilated van body. At £1.50 a throw I rate it their best product. Add underframe of choice, and there's a cheap and essential Big4/BR steam period model.

[Dunsignalling]

 Not a kit as such, but they do produce the old Airfix/GMR representation of an LMS general merchandise ventilated van body. At £1.50 a throw I rate it their best product. Add underframe of choice, and there's a cheap and essential Big4/BR steam period model.

Plus some nice cast whitemetal torpedo vents...…….

[Fat Controller]

 Not a kit as such, but they do produce the old Airfix/GMR representation of an LMS general merchandise ventilated van body. At £1.50 a throw I rate it their best product. Add underframe of choice, and there's a cheap and essential Big4/BR steam period model.

If you buy Parkside's PA16 underframe, this'll give you the underframe for the ones built as fitted stock. PA36 will give you that for the ones converted to VB by BR. Not only steam period, either, as some lasted into the 1970s.

[JimC]

The windmill appears to be based on the one at Rolvenden

I believe its Outwood, Surrey. The shuttered sails are correct for Outwood, whereas many similar ones had cloth sails as does that one at Rolvenden. To an extent of course how they are now is not how they were when the kit was designed, but Outwood was noteworthy as being for a long time the oldest working windmill and a very early adoptee of the SPAB.

[Torper]

I've just built some 16T minerals from Airfix, Parkside and Cambrian kits.  The Airfix ones were by far the best to build; every part fitted properly and it was quite easy to build them for P4.  The Parkside was a bit disappointing and i felt the kit was a bit tired and some parts didn't fit at all well.  Previous experience of Cambrian kits suggestes that I shouldn't expect too much and it was largely as I'd expected, needing quite a bit of extra work.  As to which was best for prototypical accuracy I don't know but they all look fine now they're built.  If I was to do siome more I'd go for the Airfix ones every time.

 

DT

[andyman7]

Was the station not Oakhampton or was that a name they just added to it ?

 

I think that if you look at the windows and doors, most are representations rather than scale models. Most small churches for instance are much larger, as would be the shop and probably others 

 

Still were great for their time and I guess can easily be improved/kit bashed

Oakham or Braintree and Bocking were the alternative names for the platform fittings. The Station Building did not come with any designated name and appears to be generic. A few years back I tried to figure out an internal layout - to make it work I ended up filling a couple of the windows.

Edited June 14, 2018 by andyman7

[Il Grifone]

Slightly off-topic, but the good old 16 ton mineral wagon kit is still going strong. There are quite a lot still available via e-bah-gum, and as an alternative to the pricier Baccy model, a good bet. They can be worked up accurately, especially if you use things like the Gibson wheels, and Romford top-hat bearings. Some of the stock is quite old, going back to kitmaster to Dapol in the present day. If I had one very minor critism, (no, observation) would change the headstock from horizontal, to vertical. That allows you to use a proper 3-link coupling, such as the Brassmasters etch. Still a good quality model pricewise as well.

 

I'd guess that if Dapol made a ventilated van kit, it would be a sure-fire winner.

 

The water tank can be well bashed to make a typical structure. The tank itself is the normal conventional size & shape, with only the uprights scratch built to suit the location. I'd love to chop about the turntable, but I haven't had the heart to open the packet first.

 

Cheers,

 

Ian.

 

If you buy the R-T-R van body unpainted along with the meat van kit, there's your kit. The body needs the panel for the number (left over from its Dublo origins) removing, but is very good considering its age and you don't have problems assembling the body square. The underframe falls together....

[RJS1977]

 And how! At one time I occasionally helped an architect specialising in church works by making her models of the building; often in 'as standing' and 'with proposed works' forms, to help the congregations visualise how the proposed works might look and perform. I usually did them 'drawing scale' either 1:100 or 1:50. The smallest model I ever did for her was a 1:50 of a modest church able to seat just over 100, (120 was a crush) and it was two feet long and over a foot high on the ridge (16 inches long, nine inches to ridge in 4mm/ft.) This ' they are bigger than you think' factor applies to every building larger than a fogman's shelter...

 

I remember visiting St Andrew's church in Sonning a few years ago and being informed by the vicar that if someone wants a wedding on Saturday, the heating has to be turned on on the previous Wednesday! (And we thought steam locos took a long time to warm up....).

 

As to prototypes of kits, I was looking at the "NX611 Just Jane" facebook page a couple of days ago (for those who don't know, they're a group who own part of the old RAF East Kirkby airfield and are slowly restoring a Lancaster to flying condition). Their page showed several photos from a recent event of the Lancaster surrounded by various RAF vehicles (tanker, recovery lorry etc) - some of those photos could have come off the lid of an Airfix kit!

[CKPR]

The 'booking hall' looks like it is based on a GWR 'Standard' station building, which were quite small buildings but it's certainly under-scale, much like the contemporary Tri-ang railway buildings.