Airfix Model Kits: Lineup, Scales and How to Pick

What Airfix makes

Airfix model kits on Amazon US fall into several types in our data: aircraft kits, military kits, ship kits, car kits, snap kits and one brick-style set. Aircraft are the biggest group by far. There are also two small figure sets, the Mini Army Figures.

Airfix's own pages give the background. Its history page says Airfix began in London in 1939, when Nicholas Kove founded it to make rubber inflatable toys. The same page calls the Golden Hind of 1952 the first true Airfix kit, and dates the first Spitfire kit, the "BTK" Spitfire, to 1953. Airfix's about page says it has made plastic kits for the mass market since 1952 and that Airfix is a brand of Hornby Hobbies Limited.

Most subjects are British and World War II, as you'd expect, with plenty of American, German and Japanese aircraft and armor, a few modern jets, and a handful of cars.

Airfix lineup by line

Quickbuild: no glue, no paint

Airfix describes Quickbuild as a brick-based range that needs no glue or paint, and calls it a good entry point for beginners. In our grid:

• Cars: Bugatti 16.4 Veyron (J6020), Lamborghini Aventador (J6026), McLaren Speedtail (J6052), Jeep Gladiator (JT) Overland (J6039), Jeep "Quicksand" Concept (J6038)
• Camper vans: two Volkswagen Camper Van listings (J6017 and J6030)
• A jet: Eurofighter Typhoon (J6002)
• A tank: Tiger I (J6041)

The car listings state snap assembly, no paint or glue needed, and stickers or decals included. Three of them state ages 6+: the Jeep Gladiator, the McLaren and the Lamborghini.

Quickbuild is the only kit type I'd let near the kitchen table. No fumes, no blades, no drips on the placemats.

Who it suits: a first builder, ages 6 and up where the listing says so, or anyone who wants a model done in one sitting. Who should skip it: someone who wants to paint, weather and detail. That's what full kits are for.

Starter Sets

Starter Sets are regular plastic kits sold as a set. In our grid:

• A55001 Supermarine Spitfire MkVc, 1:72
• A55002 Red Arrows Hawk
• Starter Set Sherman Firefly, 1:72
• A55005 Bugatti Chiron, 1:43, whose listing states paint and glue are included (starter or gift set)

Only the Bugatti listing in our data says what's included. Read each listing for its contents before you count on paint and glue being in the box.

Gift sets and double kits

A few listings pair two models or build a scene:

• Best of British Spitfire & Hawk, 1:72
• P-51D Mustang vs Bf109F-4 Dogfight Double
• D-Day Air Assault, 1:72
• WWII USAAF 8th Air Force Bomber Resupply, 1:72

A dogfight double puts two opponents in one box. It's the only argument in a hobby box that both sides finish on the same shelf.

Airfix planes in 1:72 and 1:48

Most Airfix aircraft in our grid are at one of two scales.

1:72: Supermarine Swift FR.5, Bristol Blenheim Mk.IVF, Messerschmitt Bf109G-6, North American F-51D Mustang, Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero, Vickers Wellington Mk.IA/C.

1:48: Hawker Hunter F4/F5/J34, Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia, Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb, North American F-86F-40 Sabre, de Havilland Tiger Moth, Supermarine Seafire F.XVII, Bristol Bulldog Mk.II.

1:72 fits more aircraft on a shelf. 1:48 shows more cockpit and gives bigger parts to handle. For a first full kit, the bigger parts are easier on the hands and the eyes.

Airfix Spitfire kits

Four listings in our grid have Spitfire in the name: a Mk.Ia and a Mk.Vb at 1:48, a Starter Set MkVc at 1:72 and the Best of British set at 1:72. The Seafire F.XVII is listed at 1:48 as well.

The mark, Mk.Ia, Mk.Vb, MkVc, names a specific version of the aircraft. If you're building to match a photo or a family story, the mark matters. If you just want a Spitfire on the shelf, pick the scale first and the mark second.

Large scale: 1:24

Two listings are 1:24: a Vintage Classics Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR1 and a Junkers Ju87B Stuka. At 1:24 an aircraft is a centerpiece with a real wingspan. Measure the shelf from wingtip to wingtip before you buy, and check that the shelf can carry it.

Airfix tanks and military vehicles

• 1:76: WWII 3-ton 4x4 General Service and Troop Trucks, Russian T34, Buffalo Willys MB Jeep
• 1:35: Tiger I Mid Version
• 1:72: the Starter Set Sherman Firefly
• Quickbuild: Tiger I

1:76 and 1:72 are close but not the same. If you're building vehicles to sit beside 1:72 figures or aircraft, read the scale on each box. The 1:35 Tiger I is a much bigger model than anything at 1:76.

Airfix ships

One ship is listed in our grid: HMS Belfast at 1:600, with an age of 8+ on the listing. At 1:600 a long ship stays a manageable length on a shelf.

Mini Army Figures

Two figure sets: RAF Personnel and a Guards Colour Party. Small figures like these can stand beside a 1:72 or 1:76 model to give it a sense of size. Check the scale on each listing.

Other car kits

Besides Quickbuild and the Bugatti Chiron Starter Set, there's an A55304A MINI Countryman WRC at 1:32.

Airfix kit numbers

Airfix puts a code on most kits, and the listings in our data often lead with it: A01005B, A05126A, J6052. The letter tells you the family. In our grid, every Quickbuild listing with a code starts with J6, and the Starter Sets that show a code carry A55 codes.

The code is the fastest way to tell two similar listings apart. Two Spitfires at 1:48 with different codes are two different kits, a Mk.Ia and a Mk.Vb. Copy the code into your notes before you order. If you're buying for a builder, send them the code and let them say yes. They'll know in a second whether it's already in their stash.

A note on stashes. Builders tend to buy kits faster than they build them. Mine lives on a shelf in Bay Two with a label that says "next", and the label has been optimistic for a while. The code on each box end is how I find the one I'm actually ready for.

Which Airfix kit for which builder

• Age 6 and up, first build: a Quickbuild car or camper van whose listing states 6+
• Age 8 and up, first ship: HMS Belfast at 1:600, 8+ on the listing
• First glue-and-paint kit: a Starter Set, with the contents confirmed on the listing
• A builder who likes aircraft: a 1:72 or 1:48 kit from the list above
• A shelf centerpiece: one of the 1:24 aircraft, measured first

That list follows the stated ages and the listing details. It doesn't replace reading the listing. It just tells you which listings to read first.

Airfix vs Revell

Both make plastic kits of aircraft, armor, ships and cars, so the question comes up. Here's what our data shows, side by side. It isn't a ranking.

Field	Airfix	Revell
Beginner snap line	Quickbuild, brick-based, 6+ on three listings	SnapTite and Easy-Click, 8+ where stated
Kits with supplies	Starter Sets; one states paint and glue	Gift Sets and All-Included sets; several state paint and glue
Main aircraft scales	1:72 and 1:48	1:72, 1:48 and 1:144
Car kits	Quickbuild and a few small-scale kits	Many 1:24 and 1:25 car kits
Skill levels on listings	Not stated in our data	Levels 3 to 5 on many car kits
Ages on listings	6+ and 8+ where stated	Mostly 10+ to 13+ where stated

If you're shopping for a young first builder, Airfix Quickbuild lists the lower starting age. If you want an American car kit with a stated skill level, the Revell page has more of those.

How to pick an Airfix kit

Airfix model kits for kids

Start with the age on the listing. Quickbuild listings that state one say 6+. HMS Belfast says 8+. Most full kits in our data don't state an age, and they need cement, paint and a hobby knife, which means an adult at the bench.

For a first kit with a kid, Quickbuild is the clean choice: no glue, no paint, and stickers or decals in the box per the listings. Then a Starter Set, with an adult handling the knife and the cement.

Pick a line, then a scale, then a subject

Here's my one opinion for this page: for a first glue-and-paint Airfix kit, buy a Starter Set rather than a bare kit, and confirm the listing says the supplies are in the box. The reason is in the data. A bare 1:48 kit asks you to buy cement, paints and brushes separately and match them to the instructions. A Starter Set is built to remove that step, and the one listing in our data that states its contents says paint and glue are included.

Theo's take: "A brick kit that's also a model kit is a word problem with two right answers. I like those. They're rare." He has a seventh-grade class that agrees.

Mind the 1:72 and 1:76 split

If you're building a scene, keep aircraft and vehicles at matching scales. A 1:76 truck beside a 1:72 aircraft is close. Seventy-six over seventy-two is about 1.06, a six percent difference. On a shelf that's fine, as long as you chose it on purpose and didn't find out afterward.

Budget the bench

Full Airfix kits need a cutting mat, sprue cutters, a hobby knife, plastic cement, paints and brushes. If those aren't on your bench yet, the kit is only the start of the list.

Safety at the bench

Cut away from your body on a cutting mat, and keep blades away from kids. Work with good ventilation and follow the paint or cement maker's label for masks and gloves. The U.S. EPA lists paints, adhesives and hobby products among sources of indoor air pollutants and advises more ventilation and following label directions.

Kits have small parts. Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3.

What we left out

Airfix's own pages gave us its founding year and place, its founder, its first kits and its owner. We didn't find where each kit is made, so that isn't here. Product facts come from the listings in our data, checked on Amazon US on the date at the top.

Pick the line first. The glue can wait until you know whether you need it.