Latest issue of Constant Scale Gerry Anderson Airfix model rarities

By John Freeman on January 25, 2021

Airfix Collectors Club’s Constant Scale Issue 77 - Cover

The reaches its 20th year of (constant) publication with Issue 77.

The latest issue of The Airfix Collectors Club’s journal Constant Scale – Issue 77, which marks the start of 20 years of publication – features Jeremy Briggs article on the advertising for the various Airfix Gerry Anderson kits through the decades.

This feature enabled him to cover the Lyons Maid Fireball XL5 and Stingray kits in a lot more detail than the magazine had in previous issues.

The Lyons Maid Fireball XL5 kit originated from Rosebud Kitmaster, but by the time it was released Rosebud had sold Kitmaster, and its mainly railway kits, to Airfix which is why it can be classed as an Airfix kit. Airfix later sold the vast majority of the Kitmaster kit moulds to Dapol – but the metal moulds for Fireball XL5 and Stingray are lost.

A painted Airfix Gerry Anderson Stingray Lyons Maid Sea Jet plastic kit, only available through Lyons Maid as an ice-cream promotion in 1965. The kit originally sold for 6/- plus the redemption of three Lyons Maid Sea Jet wrappers. Image: Vectis

Also covered are the Space:1999 Eagle and Hawk, which are really MPC kits, as they owned the moulds.

The Lyons Maid Kitmaster Fireball Xl5, as advertised in a 1963 issue of Airfix magazine — *The Lyons Maid Kitmaster Fireball Xl5, as advertised in the July 1963 issue of Airfix magazine*

The issue has something of a Gerry Anderson theme, with other articles on the real Tiger Moth that was flown as Thunderbird 6 in the second Thunderbirds film, as well as the newly re-released Jetstream kit that is the cancelled USAF version of the plane, the only built example of which was featured in the first episode of UFO in the paint scheme that the Airfix kit is available in.

Jeremy also covers the kit review column that Dick Emery, the president of Airfix Modellers Club that appeared in the weekly comics Battle and Buster, amongst others, wrote for Meccano Magazine in 1971, comic artist John Cooper’s Johnny Red homage to Roy Cross’ Airfix box art of the Short Stirling in Battle, and Revell UK’s short-lived 1972 advertising comic, “Pete Revell – Venturer“.

• Constant Scale Issue 77 is available to members of the Airfix Collectors’ Club. Details on how to join are available on the club’s website

• There’s an online article on the Kitmaster Fireball XL5 model on this Kitmaster-dedicated web site

• Richard Sheaf has an item on the advertising comic, “Pete Revell – Venturer” here on his Boys Adventure Comics Blog

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.