Other kit 'fan clubs'?

[MerlinJones]

Obviously, we know that Airfix inspires passions and most of us who visit in here can appreciate where that comes from.
Plus, just as "Hoover" became synonymous with vacuum cleaners, so A/airfix became synonymous with plastic kits.
There are Airfix-related Forums, Special Interest Groups and so on. Bookshelves now groan under the weight of Airfix-related tomes and the release of the new catalogue remains a world-anticipated event.

But what of the kit manufacturers of other countries? Do they have their own devoted fan base or not?

To the Americans amongst us, what of Revell and Monogram and Aurora?
Hobbycraft in Canada?
Heller in France, or Italeri in Italy?
PM in Turkey?
Do the Japanese hold Tamiya and Hasegawa in as much regard as many of us seem to do?
Are there hidden masses of modellers who worship at their respective churches, or, as I suspect, it continues to be only Airfix that is the One True Kit Creator?

Regards,
Bruce

[jssel]

Outside of SIG's, there is no Brand Name fan clubs in the States.

In the mid to late sixties Revell had a club with extras available to members and even a model building contest. You mailed in pictures of your entries.

Another club of note was the Young Model Builders Club in which you paid 10 US cents and received a kit. A new kit was sent every month. Mostly Monogram. But what I found interesting is that most of the kits were out of production items that you could not find elsewhere.

Finally, MPC had the "golden tokens". Picked up a lot of Airfix that way.

[mattbacon]

Nope... Heller certainly has its devoted following in France... and the books are better, too. Revell, Monogram and Aurora certainly have "collectors", though I'm not sure if there's and Aurora _builders_ forum anywhere. I suspect it's only Heller that has achieved the status of "national treasure", like Airfix, though now I think of it, I don't know if America _has_ "national treasures" like we do... (Stephen Fry, Judi Dench, the Routemaster bus...)

bestest,
m.

[Chris]

The USA doesn't have much in the way of kit makers anymore, if monogram was still in operation they probaly would have had such a site.

Kit building is just not big here as it once was.

BTW, young model builders origially used aurora kits before it used monogram ones!

[MerlinJones]

We no longer have FROG or Matchbox, but we still enthuse about them. I'm surprised that there isn't as much feeling for old 'murrican classics.

Regards,
Bruce

[MerlinJones]

I love that Brews...
We have Stephen Fry, they have Mohammed Ali.
We have Judi Dench, they have Seabiscuit.
They have Schwarzenegger, we have the Routemaster bus!

Regards,
Bruce

[Saxon]

Although Tamiya, Hasegawa, Trumpeter, Dragon produce fine kits they probably came about too late to achieve the Icon status that Airfix, Heller, Frog, Matchbox, Revell and Monogram have. Either that or it is the cultural image of the young baby boomer kid, building the subjects he has heard his dad tell him about, rock n' roll in the background that creates that image more than the kits themselves in alot of ways. Something warm about it all.

[JamesPerrin]

Forgive me generalizations. We are a very nostalgic nation, whereas America is more forward looking.

[SJPONeill]

<snip>I don't know if America _has_ "national treasures" like we do... (Stephen Fry, Judi Dench, the Routemaster bus...)

...
Donald Trump (I hear he's running for Pres in 2012)

With Sarah Palin, according to Regis and Kelly this morning (US breakfast TV)

[SJPONeill]

I can see why and I've only been subjected to them at breakfast the last two days...

[PaulBradley]

And before anyone starts - NO POLITICS!!!!

Thanks.

[Lyell72planes]

Years ago there was a good FROG website but the owner had to
stop due to health problems. The website helped with my FROG
kit collection and provided a lot of nostalgic information. I enjoyed
it and was sorry to see it go. Lyell...

[novokits]

Years ago there was a good FROG website but the owner had to
stop due to health problems. The website helped with my FROG
kit collection and provided a lot of nostalgic information. I enjoyed
it and was sorry to see it go. Lyell...

When I looked at frogkits.co.uk I decided to make novokits ...
By the way, who has desire to make site about Frog kits again?

And nostalgia is also in Russia - many FROG / NOVO kits disappeared - moulded form were lost...

[pete1979]

Time to start the Starfix Appreciation Club website methinks..........

[Lyell72planes]

I dunno about a lack of interests in a FROG website ? Quite a few
FROG fans here and if I recall the CBK FROG display at Telford was
popular. Lyell...