The Big Book of Classic Plastic

[mattbacon]

Rather than derail the Matchbox review thread, here’s a thought I had on what a CBK-authored Big Book of Classic Plastic might be like...

When I did the Creature Shop book, I structured it with a series of “historical narrative” chapters, with various lengthy inserts (2-8 pages) of three sorts: “film focus," where I looked in detail at the effects in a specific movie; “tricks and techniques”, where I explained how a specific effect or technology worked, and “memory lane,” where I had a lengthy interview (more like a monologue, really) with a specific individual. Then finally some lists (key personnel, movies worked on etc)

In the spirit of “How hard can it be”, we could do something similar in structure, eg:

Historical narrative:
Early days: Penguins, Skybirds
What we did in war, daddy: recognition models, carved wood kits etc
The beginning of the beginning: Keil Kraft, Kitmaster and Kleeware and the transatlantic connection
From plastic toys to plastic kits: Airfix, Frog and Merit get started
“never had it so good”: Woolworths, working features and the white heat of technology
The golden age: Airfix, Frog and Matchbox in the 1970s
Decline and fall: consolidation, bankruptcy and the Palitoy years
Picking up the pieces: collectors, CBK and classic modelling in the internet years

Classic builds:
12 x 2/4 page detailed builds of classic british kits, covering all manufacturers, genres etc

Classic box art:
Galleries of the best box art

Features:
Plastic kits in popular culture (eg Eric Morecambe’s Spitfire)
How Airfix became synonymous with plastic kits
Shopping for styrene: where and how you bought CBKs
The Airfix Magazine years
TV’s greatest kits: TV and movie tie-in kits

Techniques:
How a kit was designed in the 60s
Richard Ward on decals

Movers and shakers
Bios and interviews (if poss) of, say, Mr Kove, Mr Landi, Mr Snowden, Mr Taylor etc..

Lists:
101 Gems
Manufacturers
Rarities (top 20 rarest kits)
Most popular “pocket money kits”
“Birthdays only”: the top 10 big “present” kits

...it could be rather nice. Certainly it would be a BIG book of Classic Plastic...!

bestest,
M.

[MerlinJones]

Great idea Matt...and do-able. I think the M'box book was poor because it was rushed. I believe it was rushed to get it out before anyone else. I'd be cautious, (although not overly), about broadcasting this idea to the wider web.
Perhaps an email to GH?

Regards,
Bruce

[beany]

Further to Matt's list, may I suggest an interview with Gary for the book along with the like or Trevor Snowden and Ted etc. as he is obviously sympathetic to CBKs and may give us some insight into the hobby from a magazine editors point of view, i.e why he felt if important enough to feature a column on the subject each month. Just a suggestion (and at least the book would get a good review in Garys mags ).

Cheers
Al.

[JamesPerrin]

I believe it was rushed to get it out before anyone else. I'd be cautious, (although not overly), about broadcasting this idea to the wider web.

In danger of heading back towards the other thread, who were they trying to beat I wonder? This book could could have been written any time in the last ten years.

Anyway this project will definitely BIG to fit in all the great ideas