Besides browsing the pictured information of each of the kits you may also find it useful to look through the original catalogues which Home › downthetubes News › Other Worlds › Art and Illustration › Roy Huxley’s Matchbox Model Kit art, and more, offered for sale The better the condition of the model, the higher its value. Model conditions are usually expressed in a simple, somewhat subjective manner, in categories such as: mint, excellent, very good, good, fair, poor. Simply put, a "mint" model, i.e. one in factory-fresh condition, is worth far more than a sandbox-quality model with chipped paint, rusty axles, and broken parts. However, to be valuable, the condition must be original; repainting or repairing a model reduces its value greatly, even if the final result can be impressive. Those days, it was almost unthinkable for a Hong Kong based manufacturer in a British colony to take over a star enterprise in the UK. Also in the late 1970s, Matchbox produced a small range of 1:32 and 1:76 Second World War toy soldiers in direct competition to Airfix. These sets included British, German and American infantry, the British 8th Army and the German Afrika Korps and British Commandos. Though Matchbox's sets featured fewer figures than comparable Airfix sets (15 vs. 29 in 1:32), they included weapons that Airfix did not model (flame-throwers, heavy machine guns), and Montgomery and Rommel figures in the Desert War sets. The figures were popular for their high-quality molding and their different extra weapons and poses as compared to the more common Airfix sets.

After the demise of Matchbox, he worked for several leading companies such as British Airways, Marconi, The Bradford Exchange and Rothmans. It is dedicated to the memory of the founders, engineers and illustrators who made these wonderful kits come to life. The vast majority of kits from the Lesney and Matchbox International era now contain unambiguous references. His work is renowned for its detail and accuracy, especially his aviation subjects, which has resulted in him being the three times winner of the coveted Guild of Aviation Artists “Aviation Painting of the Year” award. Roy and his wife Sue have always been keen sailors and would go to their sailing yacht in France to unwind whenever time allowed. Although their sailing days are now over, they still travel extensively from their home in a quiet Kent village.The guided tour section had a new wing built to our museum in which we show some of the work of Roy Huxley from new angles. The popularity of the model affects its value both directly and indirectly. For example, if two models were produced in similar quantities in the '50s, one an interesting sports car, the other a rather dull military vehicle, then the former probably disappeared from store shelves much faster. Its value, then in non-monetary terms, was higher. In the earliest years of the regular, or 1-75 series – well before the series actually numbered 75 models – Lesney was marketed/distributed by Moko (itself named after its founder, Moses Kohnstam). Boxes in that era mentioned this, with the text "A Moko Lesney" appearing on each. Lesney gained its independence from Moko in 1959 [5] by buying out Moko's share in the joint enterprise, leading to a period of growth, both in sales and in size. Early models did not feature windows or interiors, were made entirely of metal, and were often about 2" (5cm) in length. By 1968, Matchbox was the biggest-selling brand of small die-cast model cars worldwide. By this time, the average model in their collection featured plastic windows, interiors, tyres (often with separate disc wheels), and occasional accessories; spring suspensions; opening parts; and was about 3" (7cm) long. Some even featured steering, including the pressure-based AutoSteer system debuting in 1969. The line was very diverse, including lorries, buses, tractors, motorcycles, and trailers as well as standard passenger cars. Armour - We are happy to add an excellent build for each and every armour kit in the Lesney ranges. It makes it almost hard to believe these are in 1 to 76 scale. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Matchbox also published several video games that tied into the Matchbox line of model vehicles. These games featured construction and emergency services (fire, police, ambulance, rescue), [12] with game play involving vehicle-appropriate action sequences (for example, intercepting a robbery with a squad car in Motor City Patrol). [13] These games were developed by other companies for a variety of platforms, including Game Boy handheld gamers, the NES video gaming system, and PC. [12]

The first appearance of Matchbox kits was in 1973 when they appeared in the Matchbox Collectors Catalogue. to the owners Odell and Smith. Lesney management would decide under his advice and give him the budget to realize the kits. By the mid-1970s, Matchbox was again a force on the world market, having completed the transition and having even updated its line to include some fantasy vehicles. The 1-75 series was also amended to include the Rola-Matics (featuring mechanical parts that moved when the vehicle was moved) and Streakers, the latter an attempt to compete with Hot Wheels' newest innovation, tampo-printing on the vehicle itself.of larger aircraft and ships and vehicles as well. The majority of the aircraft kit ranges were molded in three colors. The type 7 boxes were only introduced when changes were made to the kit contents, often specifically the decal sheets. Catalogues - the English version of the 1979/80 catalogue and improved pictures of the English version of the 1982/83 catalogue. Many thanks to Asoka Indrasoma. Donnelly, Matt (28 January 2022). "Barbie and Beyond: How Mattel Studios Executive Robbie Brenner Brings Beloved Toys to Screen". Variety . Retrieved 24 May 2022.