Constant Scale Issue 93, the magazine of the Airfix Collectors’ Club, was released last month, offering a wide range of features about the model range, including an item by Jeremy Briggs on the rare “Ginger Nutt” push along toy produced by Airfix in 1949.
The toy – today, a sought-after collectible – was a tie-in with GB-Animation’s “Animaland” shorts, Ginger Nutt the star of four “shorts” directed by the renowned Disney artist, David Hand. The character became a bit of a hit, prompting the release of small amount tie-in merchandise that included the Airfix toy, a Ginger Nutt Gift Book and one of several figurines based on characters from the cartoons produced by Beswick.
In all, just nine “Animaland” shorts were made by GB-Animation, also known as Gaumont British Animation, which aimed to challenge Disney’s supremacy, founded by Arthur Rank, who genuinely wanted to provide much needed employment for ex-servicemen and women after World War Two and persuaded Disney director David Hand to head up the ambitious project.
“Animaland” introduced Ginger Nutt the Squirrel, Loopy Hare, Dusty Mole, Corny Crow and Harry Hawk and, later in their run Ginger Nutt’s girlfriend, Hazel. Contemporary critics commented the characters were better than the plots to the cartoons.
Longtime British comic artist Reg Parlett, perhaps best known for his work on Film Fun and Buster, abandoned drawing “Billy Bunter” for Valiant, was involved in creating the look of the animals. (Other GB Animation staff with a comic connection include Eric Bradbury, Ron Clark, Norman Herod, Bill Mevin, and Mike Western).
In Constant Scale 93…
Behind a Westland Puma cover, with art by legendary Roy Cross, this issue includes…
Airfix CAD Images: Straight from Airfix, these show the new Artemis SLS rocket launcher, Stalwart, two-seater Spitfire, and SEPECAT Jaguar (the latter the work of Airfix designer Paramjit Sembhi)
70 Years of Plastic Modelling: David Welsh looks back on his life-long hobby along with a selection of box images
2025 New Releases and Deletions: Jeremy Brook takes Airfix fans through the updated 2006 catalogue, with comments on the new kits and Vintage Classic rereleases
Roy Cross Master Tracing: The pencils for Roy’s box art painting of the Lockheed Hudson
New Kit Images: 1:72 Wessex HC2 and 1:48 Spitfire Mk IXe images, straight from Airfix plus images of the kit frames for the new 1:48 Lysander kit
New Airfix Logo: Jeremy Brook welcomes the new Type 17 logo, which echoes the Palitoy era Type 8 circular logo
Vintage Classics Box Art: from the club’s 2025 calendar, colour box art from Roy Cross, Geoff Hunt and Ken McDonough
Ginger Nutt Esq Toy: Jeremy Briggs researches Airfix’s 1949 toy from G-B Animation’s Animaland cartoon shorts
Why Airfix Was And Still Is No.1: Jeremy Brook takes a nostalgic look back on what he admits is his “favourite obsession”
Plus Jeremy Brook provides his ongoing selection of new release kit reviews.
Constant Scale issue 93 is only available from the Airfix Collectors’ Club. Back issues, both print and e-copies, are also available. The club subscription for 2025 has not changed from 2024 and is £20 UK, £30 Europe, and £35 ROW. More details about the club and how to join are available on its website.
• More details about the Airfix Collectors’ Club and how to join are available on its website – airfixcollectorsclub.co.uk, where you will also find a number of articles taken from the magazine
Further Reading – and Watching
• Animator: Gaumont British Animation – A Great British Achievement
Ken Clark takes a detailed look at the animation studio where many top British animators got their start – a three-part feature
• Moor Hall Index – Memories of David Hand, An Animation Great – Make Mine British: A contemporary article, believed to be from The Screen, written and published when David Hand’s GB-Animation was in its infancy, and before the famous Animaland and Musical Paintbox films were even in production
• The Great Cartoon Stars: A Who’s Who! by Dennis Gifford (AmazonUK Affiliate Link), published in 1979, lists several individual Animaland characters: Chester Cat, Corny Crow, Cuckoo, Dinkum, Ginger & Hazel, Loopy Hare, and Zimmy the Lion
• World Collectors Net: The Beswick Characters of David Hand’s Animaland
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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.
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