Did you know? #22

Please note: MoDiP will be closed for the whole of June due to refurbishments in the library.

Did you know that Airfix have been producing model kits since 1952?

The company was founded in 1939 by Nicholas Kove.  At this time he was manufacturing air filled rubber toys.  He switched to producing plastic combs after the Second World War. He was the fist manufacturer in the UK to introduce an injection moulding machine.

The first toy was a tractor, it was sold as a complete model, but over time the company realised that they could sell more toys and a cheaper price if they were sold in kit form with self-assembly instructions.

The famous Spitfire model was first introduced in 1953 and is still popular today.

This example in the MoDiP collection is from 2014.

Louise Dennis (Assistant Curator)