Farming in Miniature 1: A Review of British-made toy farm vehicles up to 1980

By Robert Newson and Peter Wade-Martin

Farming in Miniature is an essential guide for collectors of British toy models interested in farm tractors, farm horses and associated agricultural equipment. The manufacturers / brands are arranged alphabetically. Each manufacturer has its own chapter introduced by an account of its history. These introductions cross-refer to the captioned photographs that follow and which make up the bulk of the chapters. In their general introduction the authors say that they have attempted to illustrate all significant variations of colour and packaging, particularly of rare or unusual models, so as to make the book as comprehensive as possible. The three authors, all leading authorities, have drawn on their extensive past experience coupled with another five years to research, write and prepare photographs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Old Pond Books
• Release date: Jan 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781913618018

Robert Newson

Robert Newson is a chartered accountant who started collecting Matchbox toys as a teenager. His interest developed into research and writing about the less well-known British manufacturers of diecast and lead vehicles. He has written extensively for toy collectors magazines.

Book preview

Introduction

Miniature facsimiles of real life have fascinated adults and children alike for centuries, and the range of toys and models available today is breathtaking. Not least among the miniatures are the farm toys, proving that agricultural subjects can still appeal to our urbanised society. As a catalogue of British-made toy farm vehicles, this book is intended as a detailed guide for collectors, but also for the non-specialist the photos demonstrate the fantastic output of British toy and model manufacturers during the twentieth century, and indulge our nostalgia for old farming methods and machinery, and for the toys of our youth.

The earliest toy farm vehicles

Farm animals must have been among the earliest miniature toys of any sort to be produced, and carved wood was the usual material. Farm vehicles would have emerged to accompany toy animals and extend the possibilities for play, again usually in wood, or wood with metal fittings. The social observer Henry Mayhew mentioned the manufacture of penny wooden toy carts as a London cottage industry.1 Sheet metal (tinplate) was also used for cheap toys throughout the nineteenth century, and Mayhew also recorded in 1850 that tin penny toy horses and carts were being manufactured in Birmingham.2 However, Germany was renowned as the centre of toy production, and made an enormous variety of wooden and tinplate toy carts right through to the 1930s (1 to 5). Most wooden and tinplate toy carts in collections are probably German. British-made toy carts from the nineteenth century and earlier are practically impossible to find and identify positively, with the exception of the large wooden carts made by G. & J. Lines and Lines Bros Ltd for which catalogue illustrations survive – these are the earliest items described in this book – see the Tri-ang chapter (6 and 7). However, the book is really about toys on a smaller scale made by mass-production methods from 1921 to 1980.

Illustration

1.  Large German wooden horse-drawn wagons, pictured in Der Universal Spielwaren Katalog 1924.

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2.  German wooden farm wagons from the Erzgebirge region (each about 75 mm long), from Der Universal Spielwaren Katalog 1924.

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3.  German wooden horse and cart, 1920s (about 350 mm) (photo by Vectis Auctions).

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4.  German tinplate penny toy horse and cart, early twentieth century (122 mm).

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5.  German tinplate penny toy horse and cart by Georg Fischer of Nuremberg, 1920s, missing the driver (114 mm).

Scope of the book

It seems appropriate at this point to explain the scope of the book. Although principally about toys, it can be hard to draw a line between toys and models, so we have also included ready-made models such as the Denzil Skinner tractors, which were probably never intended to be played with. Pieces of model engineering are excluded, as are live steam models such as the Mamod traction engine, although we have made an exception for the rare Passall farm tractor, which had a hot air engine. Kits and white metal models are also excluded, with exceptions for the Paramount Sussex Wagon kit, and for the Airfix Ferguson tractor kit, which was a landmark early plastic toy that started Airfix’s hugely successful range of kits. Also excluded are ride-on toys, such as pedal tractors, and home-made items, which were probably not for retail sale. The cut-off date of 1980 coincides with the demise of much of the British toy manufacturing industry, so we consider that little would be gained by a later date, apart from including recent Britains production, which is well documented elsewhere.

Illustration

6.  G. & J. Lines catalogue for 1914–15, showing the large elm Farm Cart and Horse, available in three sizes.

Illustration

7.  Lines Bros Ltd large pine Tip Cart and Horse, 1920s (750 mm) (photo by Vectis Auctions).

‘Farm Vehicles’ includes horse-drawn farm items as well as tractors of all sorts and implements used in conjunction with them. Horse-drawn milk carts and costermongers’ carts are not considered farm vehicles, being part of the urban street scene; however, horse-drawn timber wagons are included, particularly as so many manufacturers chose to model them. We have also included the Britains and Kayron Farmer’s Gigs, and have stretched a point to include the F.G. Taylor Pony Carriage and Hansom Trap, and the Timpo Irish Jaunting Car. We have defined ‘British’ as ‘made in the British Isles’ so as to include the latter item (made in Dublin) as well as Spot-On items (from Northern Ireland).

Bulldozers and road-making equipment have been excluded, even when an otherwise identical tractor without a bulldozer blade may have been included. This definition also excludes the largest crawler tractors (e.g. the Euclid, which in real life is not an agricultural vehicle). A small exception is the Johillco road-mending machine, included because it was towed by a farm tractor and is a very rare toy. Also excluded are Land Rovers, Unimogs and other lorries because it is hard to draw the line between agricultural and other uses of these vehicles; and by the same logic timber wagons are included if drawn by a farm tractor, but excluded if drawn by a lorry.

Steam traction engines are included, but not showman’s engines or steam rollers. The traction engine was an important part of the mechanisation of agriculture, and it is a shame that not many examples were produced as toys.

Early cast metal toys

Miniature cast lead horse-drawn vehicles appeared in the first decade of the twentieth century from the French firm S.R. (8) and in the 1920s from the German maker Ernst Plank (9). The S.R. models must have been made in huge quantities as they are still easy to find, although the plough illustrated is one of their less common items. We should also mention cast iron as a material, the use of which for farm toys was (as far as we know) confined to the U.S.A. American iron toys could range in size from something similar to the tinplate penny toys, up to large floor toys which competed with the wooden varieties.

The British contribution

It is fair to say that the British contribution to miniature farming had by 1920 been fairly minimal, and such manufacture as there was may well have been ousted from the market by German production of tinplate and wood miniatures. All that was about to change with the entry of Britains Ltd into the farming world.

Britains was a London firm whose lead soldiers had become world famous. It pioneered the hollow-casting technique in which surplus metal was tipped out of the mould once the outer layer of metal had solidified. This made a three-dimensional figure which was hollow on the inside, thus lighter and cheaper than a solid casting. However, demand for war toys fell away after the First World War, and to boost sales Britains launched a series of farm animals and figures starting in 1921. The first Britains farm vehicle was a horse-drawn tumbrel cart (no.4F, introduced 1921) followed by a four-wheeled wagon pulled by a pair of horses (no.5F, 1922). These toys were to Britains’ constant scale of 1:32, rather larger than the French and German lead miniatures, and offering levels of realism never seen before on any toy farm equipment (10 to 12).

Illustration

8.  Cast lead horse-drawn farm vehicles by S.R. of Paris (Rivollet Successeurs, previously Simon & Rivollet) circa 1910–30 (smallest 35 mm, largest 100 mm).

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9.  Cast lead horse-drawn wagons by Ernst Plank of Nuremberg, pictured in a 1925 catalogue (each about 75 mm).

Britains’ farm series undoubtedly started many present-day collectors in the hobby. The Britains farm had all the features to make a series collectable – a wide range of items to make a comprehensive farm; a range of prices from cheap individual figures for pocket money purchases to impressive boxed sets for birthdays; illustrated catalogues to pore over; and the realism and attention to detail to sustain the interest of older children and adult collectors.

Britains also inspired a host of other lead figures manufacturers to produce farm items, and in some cases quite substantial ranges of farm vehicles, notably from Charbens and John Hill & Co., both of which were located, like Britains, in north London.

In the pre-war era, however, the horse was the only means of motive power on the Britains farm, so if you wanted models of tractors it was necessary to look further afield.

Illustration

10.  Farm vehicles by Britains Ltd from its 1940 catalogue.

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11.  Farm vehicles by Britains Ltd from its 1940 catalogue.

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12.  Farm vehicles by Britains Ltd from its 1940 catalogue.

The mechanised farm

The steam traction engine became an established feature of real-life farming towards the end of the nineteenth century, but there seems to be a complete absence of contemporary toys or models. Only in the twentieth century did toy tractors and traction engines start to appear, and mostly from the U.S.A., perhaps reflecting a more rapid mechanisation of American farms compared with the slower pace of change in Europe. Possibly the first toy tractor was the American Animate Toy, a tinplate model with clockwork motor. It was patented in 1916 (13). A tinplate steam traction engine was produced by The British Metal & Toy Manufacturers Ltd, whose trade mark was ‘Brimtoy’, around 1920. This was a seven-inch clockwork toy (see the Wells-Brimtoy chapter). The 1920s saw many American cast-iron tractors from Arcade and others, and German tinplate tractors from Bing, Distler and Günthermann (14 to 17). The first British-made toy tractor was a tinplate model from the Primus Engineering constructional toy range, produced in the mid-1920s (see the Primus Engineering chapter).

Illustration

13.  Animate Toy Co. (made in U.S.A.), crawler tractor with snow plough and trailer, one of several versions of the Animate Tractor.

In the late 1920s, lead miniature tractors from Tootsietoy and Kansas Toy appeared in the U.S.A. (18 to 20). The Tootsietoy (introduced in 1927) was the world’s first diecast toy tractor. ‘Diecast’ means that the mould formed every face of the casting, in contrast to hollow casting (also known as slush casting) in which surplus metal was tipped out of the mould. See the Glossary for a more detailed explanation of these technical terms. The Tootsietoy tractor was copied by the British company John Hill & Co. from 1932, and this was the first British diecast tractor (see the Johillco chapter) (21). The well-known Dinky Toy tractor (no.22e) soon followed in 1933 as part of the first set of Dinky road vehicles, at first cast in lead and later in the zinc alloy called mazak or zamak (22).

Illustration

14.  Tinplate tractors by Johann Distler of Nuremberg, from the 1926 supplement to the 1924 Der Universal Spielwaren Katalog, indicating that they were newly introduced in 1925 or 1926.

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15.  Distler tractor and trailer, as (14) (tractor 95 mm, trailer 109 mm including drawbar).

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16.  Tinplate tractors by Günthermann of Nuremberg, from the 1926 supplement to the 1924 Der Universal Spielwaren Katalog (150 mm and 210 mm).

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17.  Günthermann Fordson Tractor, as (16), with implements (photo by Vectis Auctions).

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18.  The world’s first diecast toy tractor by Tootsietoy of Chicago, U.S.A., 1927, from a 1931 leaflet (77 mm).

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19.  Slush-cast lead Fordson tractor and plough by Kansas Toy & Novelty Co., U.S.A., late 1920s (tractor 72 mm, plough 102 mm).

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20.  American advertisement showing a different Kansas Toy tractor, 1932 (46 mm).

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21.  The first British diecast toy tractor, by Johillco, 1932, copied from the Tootsietoy, pictured in Games & Toys magazine February 1934 (80 mm).

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22.  Dinky Toys no.22e Tractor, produced 1933–41, from the 1938–9 Meccano catalogue (70 mm).

Zinc diecasting

Zinc diecasting was set to revolutionise the world of model toy vehicles. It was actually Tootsietoy in the U.S.A. that first adopted zinc alloy in place of lead for diecast toys, heralded in its 1933 catalogue as ‘A new alloy… forty per cent lighter but possessing four to five times the tensile strength of the old.’ Dinky quickly adopted the new metal as well, although not without problems, because pre-war Dinkies are very susceptible to metal ‘fatigue’ – actually a corrosion of the metal caused by impurities in the raw material (see the Glossary) (23). Nonetheless, by the end of the 1930s it was possible to produce model vehicles that were not only highly detailed and beautifully modelled thanks to painstaking toolmaking, but were also light and strong enough to be played with, thanks to the new metal. From a technical point of view, a new age of model toys was beginning, but international events would somewhat delay the process.

Illustration

23.  Crescent horse from no.1210 Farmer’s Market Wagon set, showing expansion and cracking caused by metal ‘fatigue’.

Wartime production and the post-war boom

British manufacturers continued to produce metal toys throughout 1940, but in diminishing numbers due to shortages of materials. From 1 December 1940 a quota was introduced restricting production of toys and games to 25 per cent (by value) of the level in the previous year. A further blow to the industry came on the night of 29 December 1940 when bombs destroyed much of the ‘toy centre’ around Moorgate in the City of London – an area in which there was a concentration of toy wholesalers, importers and exporters.3 The supply of toys containing more than 10 per cent metal was prohibited altogether from 1 January 1942, and the prohibition was not lifted until 1 June 1945. To some extent, wood and composition toys replaced metal during the war, but we are not aware of any specifically wartime farm vehicles.

After the Second World War there was something of a boom in zinc diecast toys, thanks to the availability of small and relatively cheap diecasting machines, notably those produced by D.C.M.T. in north London. D.C.M.T. itself went on to produce its own lines of toys under the Lone Star brand name. Quality metal toys such as Britains and Dinky were still in short supply, as preference was given to export markets, so that small firms found it easy to sell their products, even if designs were sometimes rather crude. Some of the new entrants to the market went on to become household names, such as Lesney, which launched its famous Matchbox Series at the end of 1953, and Timpo, whose biggest success came later with plastic figures. Other firms (such as Kondor, Maylow and Mears) made toys for a few years and then faded away, but left us some interesting tractors. The lead toy manufacturers also adopted zinc diecasting, at least for their vehicles – Crescent introduced a new range of diecast farm vehicles in 1949, while Charbens re-tooled many of its pre-war lead vehicles in zinc diecast versions. Britains reacted rather more slowly, but gradually it too replaced lead vehicles with zinc.

From March 1951 to May 1952 there was a prohibition on the use of zinc, brass and copper for making toys, to conserve raw materials during the Korean War. This was a significant blow to diecast toy manufacturers and caused some of the smaller firms to cease trading. Others took the opportunity to diversify into the newest material for toy manufacture – plastics.

British tinplate toys

Before discussing plastics, mention should be made of the tinplate toy manufacturers. British tin toys were always overshadowed by their German rivals, but several British firms were established after the outbreak of the First World War, including Brimtoy, Burnett, Wells and Whitanco. In the 1930s they were joined by the American firm Louis Marx, which set up a British subsidiary, and Mettoy was established by German Jewish refugees. However, there were relatively few British tinplate farm vehicles compared with the cast metal ranges. Before the Second World War, there was the Brimtoy traction engine and the Primus Engineering constructional toy tractor (in the 1920s) and a few tractors from Tri-ang, Marx and Brimtoy in the 1930s. The most attractive range of tinplate farm models was from Mettoy, produced from the late 1940s, but these were discontinued after 1958, when plastics were replacing tinplate for large toys of all types.

Plastics

See the Glossary for more information about some of the different types of plastics used for toys. The first British-made toy tractor, by Primus, had front wheels made from Bakelite, but otherwise the first British plastic farm vehicle was the Airfix Ferguson Tractor, introduced in the late 1940s. The Poplar Plastics Donkey Cart was another early item, re-issued from an American mould in 1950. Generally plastic toys occupied the cheaper end of the market, but a notable exception was Raphael Lipkin, which produced several accurately modelled farm items in the 1950s and 1960s. Plastics replaced lead figures very rapidly from the mid-1950s, hastened by health concerns with lead, and to avoid being left behind, Britains took over the top-quality Herald range of plastic figures in 1955.

The golden age of model toys

Thus, at the start of the 1960s, plastics had become the standard material for toy figures and diecast zinc for vehicles (increasingly with plastic parts). Both materials allowed superb levels of detail, but were robust enough to be played with, so that the boundary between toys and models was blurred; and collectors have come to regard this as the golden age of model toys. Britains developed its farm series with some exquisite tractors in this period, and Corgi too had a strong range of farming subjects. Matchbox and Dinky were also world-class brands of diecast vehicles, as was Timpo for plastic figures. Model farm toys might be thought to appeal primarily to children from farming families, but by including tractors and implements as part of their general diecast ranges, Corgi, Dinky and Matchbox were able to sell farm toys to urban children and indeed may have helped to educate the urban population about farming. The 1960s was undoubtedly an extraordinarily productive decade for British model toys.

In contrast, the 1970s was a period of relative decline – partly due to the country’s economic difficulties there was an increasing use of plastic parts, giving models a cheaper feel, less fine detail in the designs and the introduction of generic or outright fanciful and unrealistic models, so that toys and models started to be differentiated once again. The major brands lost direction and most certainly lost collectors’ interest during that decade. Finally, during the period 1979–83 there was a catastrophic series of company failures which wiped out large parts of toy manufacturing in Britain. The Dinky factory closed in 1979 and its parent company Airfix was wound up in 1981. Timpo ceased trading in 1980 and Crescent closed in 1982. Dunbee-Combex-Marx called in the receivers in 1980, Lesney in 1982 and Mettoy and Lone Star in 1983. Britains survived as a going concern but the company was sold in 1984. The reasons for failure can be debated at length, but the weakness in the firms’ product lines meant that most of them were not in good shape going into the recession of the early 1980s, and so they failed to weather the storm of a collapse in domestic demand due to high interest rates and a collapse in exports due to a high pound. Britains’ survival was perhaps because the company still produced a fine range of detailed model toys during the 1970s, appealing to children and collectors alike, and the farming theme provided the firm with a niche in the market that had eluded its competitors.

Some British toy manufacture was resurrected from the remains of the failed companies, but over the next 20 years production was largely transferred to the Far East.

Collecting old toys

Toy vehicles and figures are avidly collected by adults, and the hobby has grown enormously over the last 30 years. Nostalgia for the toys of childhood, or even more, a desire to have the toys which could not be afforded, or which passed us by, is a strong motivation, but there has been no decline in the popularity of pre-war toys, which are now older than most collectors. There seems to be a particular appeal in toys which are also accurate scale models – we have called them model toys – and it is the combination of nostalgia for toys with the fascination of miniature models that captivates so many collectors. We question whether the vast selection of miniature models produced in recent years (which are, in the main, not sold as toys) can ever have the same appeal to collectors without the nostalgia factor, but only time will tell.

Another reason for the popularity of toy collecting is that the hobby is very accessible. The most successful toys were made in huge numbers; for example, it is said that Jack Odell of Lesney aimed to make a million of each Matchbox model before the die was replaced. This means that large numbers of common toys survive and can be bought cheaply if condition is not paramount, or for restoration. With common toys, the value is in the condition, and mint and boxed models sell for many times the cost of a chipped example. In contrast, the minor diecast toy manufacturers generally could not produce more than 100,000 of each toy, because this was the life expectancy of a mild steel die. Some interesting production figures can be derived from the account books of Kemlows Die Casting Products (see the Master Models chapter). For example, its rabbit hutch sold about 25,000 pieces,4 while a maximum of 69,200 were produced of the Kondor tractor (see the Kondor chapter). Both these items are quite hard to find, and have a value even in poor condition, since collectors are more prepared to accept chipped examples. In recent years, toy values have started to reflect better the true scarcity of items by minor manufacturers, both because of increasing collectors’ interest in ‘uncatalogued’ toys, and because online auctions (principally eBay) have brought many old toys onto the market which otherwise might have been dumped or given to children and never reached the hands of collectors. This ‘eBay effect’ on supply has increased the availability of common toys and increased the relative prices of truly rare models.

Illustration

24.  An interesting stall at a model tractor show, with a huge range of old and new models.

For the serious collector prepared to spend a bit more on a collection, there are several auction houses with specialist toy sales, and there are also regular toy fairs in most parts of the country. Farm toy collectors also have their own fairs, the Spalding Model Tractor Show and the Toytrac show held at Wincanton, both of which have a vast array of farm models old and new (24).

As with any part of the antiques trade, buyers have to beware of restorations and reproduction parts (including reproduction boxes), which can significantly affect a toy’s value. The more examples you see and handle of a particular toy, the easier it is to spot problems. Everything pictured in this book is in original condition (unless mentioned in the caption), so providing a useful reference for what an unfamiliar item ought to look like.

We have not attempted to put values on the toys in the book, although occasionally an item is identified as ‘rare’, and we have resisted any temptation to predict where prices might go in the future – that will be determined, as always, by supply and demand.

A valuable collection should of course be kept away from dust, direct sunlight, damp and extremes of temperature, ideally avoiding lofts, cellars and garages. Glass-fronted cabinets can make a precious collection into a wonderful display.

Arrangement of the book

So much material has been assembled for the book that we have divided it into two volumes. Each manufacturer is given its own chapter, identified by brand name rather than the manufacturer’s name (e.g. Dinky rather than Meccano Ltd). Volume 1 covers manufacturers alphabetically from Airfix to Denzil Skinner, while Volume 2 covers Dinky to Wend-al. The company histories draw on the many excellent books that have been published on individual manufacturers, while details of smaller firms are often the result of our original research, for which trade magazines, such as Games & Toys, and street and telephone directories have been invaluable resources. Inevitably the histories range more widely than just discussing farm models, and we hope that these will be of interest to collectors of all types of toy vehicles, as well as setting the farm toys in the context of each manufacturer’s entire output. Research also involves handling and comparing as many examples as possible of individual toys, and we are grateful to many collectors who have allowed access to their collections for photography. We have attempted to illustrate all significant variations of colour and packaging, particularly of rare or unusual models, so as to make the book as comprehensive as possible. Bold numbers in brackets in the text, e.g. (1), refer to the numbered photos in the same chapter. Rather than mention the scale of individual models, we have included lengths in the photo captions on the first occasion that a model is illustrated.

In addition to the manufacturers’ chapters, Volume 2 includes a Guide to Harnessed Horses, allowing the easy identification of horses that may have become separated from their carts or wagons. There are also two indexes, a Model Index for particular tractors and types of model, and a General Index for personalities, companies and so on. These cover both volumes but appear at the end of Volume 2. A Glossary of technical terms is included in both volumes.

Further Reading

Brown, Kenneth D., 1996, The British Toy Business – A History since 1700. The Hambledon Press.

Brown, Kenneth D., 1993, ‘The Collapse of the British Toy Industry, 1979–84’, Economic History Review Vol.XLVI, 3, pp.592-606.

Crilley, Raymond E., Sr and Burkholder, Charles E., 1985, International Directory of Model Farm Tractors. Schiffer Publishing Ltd.

Fawdry, Marguerite, 1990, British Tin Toys. New Cavendish Books.

Joplin, Norman, 1993, The Great Book of Hollow-cast Figures. New Cavendish Books.

Joplin, Norman and Dean, Philip, 2005, Hollow-cast Civilian Toy Figures. Schiffer Publishing Ltd.

Pressland, David, 1991, Penny Toys. New Cavendish Books.

Manufacturers covered in Farming in Miniature Volume 2

Dinky

Dragon Toys

Edith Reynolds

Escor

Fairchild

Fairylite

Forest Toys

Glyntoys

Grace Toys

Hercules

Hitchin Components

Husky and Corgi Juniors

Johillco

Kayron Playthings, A.V.H.

Farm Toys and Olson Farminit Toys

Kleeware

Kondor

Kraftoyz

Leeway

Early Lesney Toys

Lipkin

Luntoy

Marx

Master Models (Kemlows)

Matchbox

Maylow

Mears

Merit

Mettoy

Micromodels

Mills

Moko

Nicoltoys

Paramount

Passall

Peter Ward

Poplar Plastics

Primus Engineering

Promotional Model Tractors

Shackleton

Sontaw

Speedwell

Spot-on

S.T.

Taylor and Barrett

F.G. Taylor & Sons

Taylor Toys

T.N. Thomas

Timpo

Tri-ang

Tudor Rose and Rosedale

Unidentified Heavy Metal Tractors

Unknown Manufacturers

Wells-Brimtoy

Wend-al

1 London Labour and the London Poor, Volume 3, 1861, p.21.

2 Quoted in British Tin Toys by Marguerite Fawdry, New Cavendish Books, 1990, p.13.

3 Games & Toys, February 1941, p.21.

4 Brookes, Paul, 2009, The Illustrated Kemlows Story, published by the author, p.23.

Airfix

Company History

While it is generally accepted that Airfix was founded in 1939 by Nicholas Kove (Ward, Arthur, 1999, Airfix: Celebrating 50 Years of the Greatest Plastic Kits in the World), there seem to be conflicting versions of the early days of the company. Kove (originally Miklós Klein) was a refugee from Hungary who was interned as an enemy alien during the Second World War, though for exactly what period is not known. John Dolan, who understood himself to be Airfix’s first employee (quoted in an interview with the Plastics Historical Society in May 1990), recalls that Nicholas Kove ‘came out of internment on the Isle of Man in 1945 with £25 in his pocket and a suit of clothes on his back’.

However, the earliest mention of the Airfix name in trade directories of the time shows Airfix Products Ltd of 79 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 in 1941, and subsequently Airfix Products Ltd, Mfrs, of 5 Eden Street, London NW1 in 1943. It is known that Airfix started as a business manufacturing air-filled, rubber-based toys, and that the Airfix name was chosen to reflect the process involved in fixing air into the products, and because Kove believed that a successful business had its name at the start of trade directories.

John Dolan recalled that when he joined the company in 1945, the only product made was combs. So probably, by 1945, Airfix was already a company with more than one manufacturing division. During the Second World War, Airfix had looked for alternative materials from which to make its products, as the company experienced a shortage of latex, which was the main constituent of rubber. This led the company to begin using fully synthetic materials, such as acetates and polystyrene, and successful products at the time included utility lighters, and toys such as babies’ rattles, in addition to combs. Demand for the combs led Kove to invest in plastic injection moulding machinery, which was revolutionary technology at that time. In fact it is believed that the first injection moulding machine used by Airfix was actually obtained on credit through the influence of Islyn Thomas, an expert in injection moulding and a personal friend of Kove (see the T.N. Thomas chapter), and Airfix would later reciprocate by allowing Thomas Manufacturing of Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A., to sell a version of the Ferguson tractor kit to the U.S. market. By the late 1940s, Airfix was the largest manufacturer of plastic combs in the U.K., producing ‘42 gross a shift’ in ‘3 shifts a day’ (John Dolan, 1990). It was a very profitable business, but the managers recognised that the company needed to diversify, utilising its expertise in plastic injection moulding.

Although Airfix already produced some toys, such as plastic ducks, cutlery and toy pistols, the company decided to move further into toy production, and make model vehicles and toy soldiers. Plastic kits were introduced in the late 1940s, and although the range started slowly, during the 1950s almost 100 different kits were produced, including some that have remained in production ever since. Plastic figures in 1:32 and 1:72 scale were introduced during the 1950s, and expanded through the 1960s into a comprehensive range of the major Second World War combatants and their fighting vehicles. The 1962 Airfix catalogue boasted in excess of 135 plastic kits, and throughout the 1960s the firm released new kits at the rate of nearly two a month, justifying the introduction of the Airfix Magazine, which was published monthly from 1960 until 1993.

The history of Airfix from those earliest days is almost a history of the U.K. toy industry in microcosm. The company enjoyed increasing success, buying the plastic doll manufacturer Semco and the toy slot car maker Model Road Racing Cars in the early 1960s. It purchased plastic household goods maker Crayonne during the same period, and launched Betta Bilda, a toy brick building system aimed at younger children, in 1962. It also developed footwear and industrial packaging divisions, all utilising the plastics expertise. In 1971 the company bought Meccano from the receiver of the Lines Bros empire, and by 1976 toy brand names such as Dinky, Pedigree, Tri-ang and Plasty were all owned by Airfix.

However, in the late 1970s, along with the rest of the U.K. toy industry, Airfix was faced with a recession in the home market and an appreciating pound, which made exports more difficult. The accounts for 1979 to 1980 showed a pre-tax loss of £2.1 million. The losses increased over the next six months and Airfix Industries called in the receiver in January 1981.

Palitoy, the U.K. arm of General Mills, was the successful buyer and all the production was moved to France. The new ownership did not last long and in 1986 Airfix was bought by Borden of the U.S.A. to become part of their Hobby Products Group, which already included Humbrol, the manufacturer of modelling paints, and Heller, the French plastic kit manufacturer.

In 1995 Borden sold its toy products division, and the Hobby Products Group became part of the Allen McGuire, Irish Holdings Company, with Airfix continuing to operate under the Humbrol name.

Humbrol itself went into administration in 2006, and the company was bought by Hornby Hobbies Ltd, thus bringing the iconic Airfix toy brand back into U.K. ownership. Airfix has flourished under Hornby’s ownership, and annual Airfix catalogues are available with a full range of kits, and collectors can again join the official Airfix Club.

Model

Ferguson tractor

It is not clear who approached whom, but by 1947 a business relationship had been formed with Harry Ferguson, the tractor manufacturer. Airfix was commissioned to make a model of the latest Ferguson tractor, the TE-20 launched in September 1946, as a promotional tool for tractor salesmen. The model had an underslung exhaust, and although it was produced with rear linkage (22), no implements were ever made for the tractor.

As with a number of areas in the history of this iconic toy manufacturer, there are conflicting stories of the earliest versions of the tractor. Both John Dolan and Arthur Ward contend that Airfix originally produced this model as a kit to be assembled on its shop floor. The model tractor was then boxed and sold to Ferguson as a complete vehicle. However, this version of events seems to be contradicted by the evidence of the early boxes. The standard form of packaging for plastic toy kits at that time was as unassembled kits in flat display boxes. We have seen two examples of this type of box which contain unassembled kits of parts, but which have no trace of the Airfix name, either on the outer packaging or the enclosed assembly instruction leaflet (1 to 5). Because they are unmarked we assume these to be the earliest type of packaging as supplied to Ferguson. Despite extensive research, to date no packaging which can accommodate an assembled kit has been found, that does not have the Airfix logo on it. Later packaging which carried the Airfix name contained either pre-assembled models (6 to 9) or kits (13 to 21). So it appears that while Ferguson probably did ask Airfix to supply some fully assembled models, the manufacturer actually first commissioned kits, and those kits were given away by Ferguson’s tractor salesmen. Thus the Ferguson tractor model became the first kit produced by Airfix.

It is generally accepted that Airfix struggled to make a profit on the arrangement with Ferguson, due to high wastage of components during manufacture; and having received permission from Ferguson to sell the ‘toy’ to the general public, the company decided to sell the tractor as a kit of components to be assembled by the buyer, so avoiding the problem of component wastage in its factory. However, while it is difficult to be definitive, from comparison of boxes, instructions and models it does appear that the complete story might be slightly different.

The assembly instructions supplied with the earliest packaging made no mention of cement (5); consequently it seems that the kits supplied to Ferguson were intended to be assembled and dismantled by the customer, and possibly Ferguson considered that to be instructive for potential buyers of the real tractor! The rectangular box packaging (6 to 9) is the only packaging we have found which can accommodate an assembled tractor. This packaging utilised the same artwork as the original unmarked flat boxes, but displayed the Airfix name on all panels, and had the legend Take it apart and put it together a thousand times – it’s still an AIRFIX PRODUCT (7 and 8) and contained instructions which explained DISMANTLING AND ASSEMBLY and SEQUENCE FOR DISMANTLING TRACTOR (10), but which made no mention of cement. Obviously it would not have been possible to dismantle the tractor if it had been assembled at the factory, using cement. Additionally, while Airfix probably did supply Ferguson with some models ready-assembled, it would have been commercially illogical for Airfix to then offer an assembled tractor to the general public if it already knew – from its dealings with Ferguson – that to assemble the tractor involved high component wastage. So it would seem that it was only after Airfix had already marketed