I fell into conversation with a very nice chap behind a table at Huddersfield while buying his book about Dino sports cars, who asked me "what's with the Classic Box Art t-shirt, then?", and then reminisced about meeting Roy Cross and telling him that it was his Airfix box tops that had got this bloke started on illustration. Anyway, it turns out that his name was Paul Monteagle, and he'd done a number of paintings for Airfix, mostly the "Vintage Aircraft" and "Historic Cars" boxings.
This teeny tiny example is the only one I can find online:
He also did most of the Blue Max/Silver Cloud boxes for Chris Gannon, and a lot of covers for Windsock Datafiles with Ray Rimmell.
You can see his box artwork here:
http://paulmonteagle.zxq.net/plastic_kit_box_art.html;
and navigate around the site (click on "illustrations" to find the Windsock covers) to see the rest of his work.
There are several of his illustrations in the Airfix books, but he's not credited (I think a lot of people think the Airfix boxes he did are just adaptations of an existing Roy Cross picture)
Anyway, I just thought that while we were all getting interested in Box Art that we shouldn't forget an artist who did some very nice painted box art in an era when Airfix had lost their way somewhat...
bestest,
M.
Box Art - unsung Airfix hero
Moderators: JamesPerrin, mattbacon
- bobblelink
- Active Participant
- Posts: 627
- Joined: May 6th, 2011, 2:20 pm
Re: Box Art - unsung Airfix hero
He did some very nice stuff, it is right that he should be better known
currently on the go: Revell Blenheim I, Italeri Me210, Revell HMS victory, Revell 1/144 p-47
completions in 2012:8, completions in 2013: 13, Completions in 2014:10, Completions in 2015: 9, Completions in 2016: 8, Completions in 2017: 9, Completions in 2018: 12, completions in 2019:7, completions in 2020: 17
completions in 2012:8, completions in 2013: 13, Completions in 2014:10, Completions in 2015: 9, Completions in 2016: 8, Completions in 2017: 9, Completions in 2018: 12, completions in 2019:7, completions in 2020: 17
- nashorn
- The Bug Has Well And Truly Bitten
- Posts: 268
- Joined: April 3rd, 2013, 4:08 pm
- Location: warwickshire
Re: Box Art - unsung Airfix hero
I am wondering what people do with their empty boxes once the kit has been built, do you throw them away, keep them, cut the pictured out, what ?. it may be a strange thing to think about but its bothering me.
Rich.
- lancfan
- Avro's Rivet Rhapsodizer
- Posts: 8761
- Joined: May 2nd, 2011, 3:55 pm
- Location: Nelson, Lancashire
Re: Box Art - unsung Airfix hero
I chuck out most of my boxes but when I find a favourite classic boxtop image it is saved to be mounted & framed.
David.
David.
David.
If you forget the past, you may lose the future.
If you forget the past, you may lose the future.
-
- NOT the sheep
- Posts: 26180
- Joined: November 26th, 2011, 6:11 pm
- Location: Pontefract West Yorkshire
Re: Box Art - unsung Airfix hero
I'm afraid I just chuck them Nashorn, even the classic ones. David's framing of his classic box art does look good however.nashorn wrote:I am wondering what people do with their empty boxes once the kit has been built, do you throw them away, keep them, cut the pictured out, what ?. it may be a strange thing to think about but its bothering me.
Doing - Tamiya 1/35th Universal Carrier.
Work is the curse of the modelling classes!
IPMS#12300
Work is the curse of the modelling classes!
IPMS#12300
- JohnRatzenberger
- Why is he so confused ?
- Posts: 15727
- Joined: April 5th, 2011, 3:42 pm
- Location: Living on a sandbar - Nags Head, NC.
Re: Box Art - unsung Airfix hero
I have a lot of that artwork in the form of Blue Max kits and Windsocks ... saw a couple Windsocks I need to get also ....
John Ratzenberger
It's my model and I'll do what I want with it.
It's my model and I'll do what I want with it.