| | Stephen Knight writes: In 1962, the finely balanced finances of the Rosebud organisation finally tipped against Kitmaster and the company was sold outrignt to Airfix. I was too young at that time to remember anything of the brightly coloured Kitmaster boxes which had rapidly established themselves as favourites in model shops throughout the land. I first came across Kitmaster models in box of old locomotives purchased from a jumble sale many years later. Where does the fascination with these models lie? Could it be a yeaming for the brash kitsch of a bygone age, or the wonderfully eccentric planning behind the Kitmaster concept; or perhaps enthusiasm born from a realisation that these were, and still are, some of the finest scale railway kits ever produced. They are certainly varied and interesting, to the point of becoming idiosyncratic. In an attempt to provide something for everyone, we are faced with a range of kits that lines up a diminutive L&Y Pug next to a towering Hudson locomotive; models that are geographically and historically in two different worlds. Here lies the magic: the unanswered questions, the enigmas lost in the mists of time, submerged under a mountain of dusty paper vork. My research over the last eight years has taken me far and wide in search of the answers. I hope you will enjoy the fruits of my labour, for this is truly the story of a remarkable company with a remarkable product. At the time advanced and innovative, Kitmaster and Airfix models are today cherished collectors' pieces in their own right. Wherever they are, Kitmaster models always manage to create a sense of excitement in people. The older ones fondly remember them from their heyday, saving their pocket money to buy the latest model. Younger observers are fascinated by the wealth of detail in these vintage 'toys', which once used to keep their fathers and uncles very creatively occupied on a Saturday evening! For me, they will always hold a certain magic, as through the pages of this book I hope to bring Rosebud Kitmaster to life for a whole new generation of modelmakers. Whilst space constrains the amount of detail it is possible to provide in a work of this nature, you will fmd a series of essays on particular models in the range. I apologise whole-heartedly and in advance for the choice af models. If your particular favourite is not covered, it is oniy because I chose them in no particular order and wrote them over a period of years. I do hope that you will not be too disappointed! Contents:
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- An Introduction to Rosebud Kitmaster
- 1. The Rosebud Kitmaster Story
- 2. The Models in Detail
- 3. Rise and Fall – the Airfix Reintroductions
- 4. Rumours and Postulations
- 5. Collaborations
- 6. Chassis and Motorising Kits
- 7. The Compendium
- Kitmaster and Airfix in Colour
- Appendices
Continent: Europe
Country: UK | | Tag cloud: stick kitmaster airfix knight rosebud outrignt jumble brash kitsch hudson enigmas vork oniy wrote chassis compendium | Tell a friend about this publication  | Last viewed titles |
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