@@ModelMinutes It is labour intense because It is cheaper than automation. They EXPLOIT the employees hard. Picking and packing is a very difficult job to do for 40 years of ones life and MUST pay enough for a DIGNIFIED EXISTENCE during the ENTIRE human life i.e from death to birth. Why you never show the reality?
Agreed! The guy is coming in with a blazer to give the tour, but there he is on the machines explaining every process start to finish. It's great to see upper management know every intricate detail.
@@mauricematla8379 Agreed these "quality control" and "inspection" processes are LAUGHED AT in the automotive plastics industry. I could build a camera inspection station for these for about 10k in about a week (after all the parts have been acquired). This is nothing against Airfix, this is completely on the manufacturer. They seem to turn a good business and must be making a profit, but it still irks me.
The core message from the suit guy was quality control. Airfix kits used to be ok but Tamiya handed them their arxe. These new kits now from Airfix look competitive... maybe world class? A bonus is everything, except for some tooling, is made/sourced in England and I'd rather pay an English guys wages than a ?
@@TeddyBear-ii4yc Agree about Tamiya. I recently did a Tamiya mosquito (1/38) and was pleasantly surprised with the detail and how everything fitted together so well. I've also just finished an Airfix Lancaster and Stuka and they remined me of the Tamiya quality.
I like the way that the factory manager keeps suppliers local where possible. As a modeller I've often wondered how kits are produced. This behind the scenes video is a real rarity. Great stuff! Thanks.
that bit about the small sections being filled at the same time as the big parts on the same sprew blew my mind. the amount of tuning and engineering in this is crazy
I am surprised there is still a demand for model kits today because in Canada there are few places left to buy kits and they are quite expensive. I have built models my whole life,and I am 63 now,and I still have about 20 to build.It's a fun hobby and it takes time and effort to do which it seems alot of younger people don't have.It's good to see that the guys running this plant are younger and obviously interested in keeping the hobby going.
I think it depends on the circles that people run in, running a youtube channel I see all variety of people leaving comments, young and old. There is still a massive market and fan base for this hobby - it's probably in one of the strongest places it's been in to be honest
Great video,I’m 73 now and have been building plastic kits ever since I was a kid,but never knew what it took before I got it in my hands.Thank you guys.❤
@@starshipgus8578 have you tried the quick fix range it’s pre coloured and a bit like a Lego kit but goes together nicely and then stickers … great for getting grandkids into models
It's such a prestigious tour to see and get your hands on, knowing how the models we love are produced. Thanks all in Airfix to keep the fun for all big old boys.
It is a typical factory run 24 Hours. It is shift work, low pay, repetitive work, noise levels slowly destroying the hearing, standing on your feet all day destroying the body, residual fumes and smells from the chemicals, etc. All that is to make a commodity that would bring profit to the Owners. But you do not comprehend that , do you? Instead, You think it is "prestigious" to be there.
Oh my. I haven't made a kit for about 45 years. But it used to be my main hobby, and in 1/72nd scale, Airfix was the name I'd look for. Fantastic to see they're still going.
About 35 here - Airfix were rare and expensive, but were such a pleasure to build compared to the Revell kits of the day. Details were a bit finer, but seemed you were fighting the Revell kits every step of the way.
Wow, I learned a thing or two! Very impressed by the scale of quality control, the recycling, and the fact it's being made here in the home of Airfix. Thanks Matt, really enjoyed this video.
I for some reason have been under the impression that scale modeling was getting old and uncommon but the way these big machines work and the amount of effort that a apparently huge company does to bring these kits to us is really cool to see thanks for the video
A big shout-out to the folks at Plas-tech and Airfix for the tour, the attention to detail, and the care they show. As an engineer, I am really impressed.
Airfix was such an important part of my growing up. 50 years later, I can still remember every kit that I built. Glad to see that this is still happening.
The amount of engineering that goes into the tooling is insane, that's why the tooling is so expensive and the amount of kits that have to be sold, just to break even, is eye watering.
Best 17 odd-minutes i spent. Lovely video...and yes i have new-found respect for the Model-Kit now...and for everybody who played a part in its production every step of the way. Bravo Airfix & thank you for posting this video.
Thanks so much to the people who create these kits. I am working on a model right now of the U.S. Navy Battleship New Jersey. My dad served on the New Jersey during the Korean War in the early 1950s. Thanks for posting this video!
My father-in-law (1929-2022) served on a USN support vessel during the Korean War. Never got to meet him, but my wife has his photo album and his service medals.
This has been something I’ve been curious to know for many years. Thank you! Would love to see more about the development and the model design process, please.
Wonderful vid! I remember the old Airfix kits which were not very good by today's standards. BUT, you have to remember also the molds were made by hand or by very primitive CNC machines. Great to see Airfix back with state of the art kits.
So good to see this firm is as strong as ever. About 60 years since I made my last kit - I think it was a 1/72 Hurricane, because my dad flew them in WWII - and I often used to look at the parts and wonder how they were made.
Ive got to say that was a really great video thank you to Airfix for opening there door's and showing the really high standards they operate to... I really enjoyed the whole tour. The guy was so good at explaining the whole process and you could tell he was really good at what he does ... its a labouriuse and painstaking process to check EVERY model they sell, and I think thats why Airfix has such a fantastic reputation as a brand ... thank you for the video !!! Wetted my appittie to start modelling !
Fascinating video. Always assumed the kits were moulded in China so delighted to see they are made in the UK. Very impressed with the level of quality control. Great company, great product.
Not all kits are made in the UK. A fair amount is made in India. Hornby moved production from China to India a number of years ago. I think it is the older tooling items made in India. Incidentally, almost all of the model railway ranges sold in the UK is made in China by comparison. Plastech would not I expect be able to easily compete for that sadly due to the much more intensive labour requirements due to assembly and painting required.
I been a modeler as long as I can remember, but I did not realize how much manual handling was involved in producing a model kit. I erroneously thought the plastic molds for all sprues was shot all at once!!! Thanks for this video, it is informative and entertaining. I will never look at a kit in the box the same way again!
Very impressed, as a CNC programmer and machinist (over 30 years) currently in military aerospace, I have to say I was very happy to see how much care went into their quality control. I know how much tooling cost and it hurts. Would like to see more of the design and tooling. The detail, number of parts and size was mind boggling. Also, impressed how the manager (suit) seems to know every detail and how to do it himself.
Loved this video. I made my first model at 10 years of age, Flying Tiger, Curtis P-40. Tamiya which I won in a raffle. I was hooked, love Airfix as they used to make a wide range of models. In my 60 s now and this vid has me going online to order a kit.
Airfix is my new go to brand, the quality of the molds and plastic are very nice. I used to skip passed them at the hobby isle because the packaging looked like it’d be low quality, I picked one up because it was on sale and now I only look for Airfix brand products. Much love from America 😁
Great work everyone. I'm a injection molding process engineer and seeing a family mold in production brings back memories of the challenges of custom injection molding.
Thank you very much for providing this video! I have been building models all my life, and never realized what it took to put one of those kits together… Thanks again!
To purchase or view the Airfix 1/24 Scale Spitfire featured in this video - use this affiliate link: prf.hn/l/znWxW5X It helps the channel at no cost to you! Also, If you enjoyed this video - take a look at this one where I spent a day at the Airfix HQ in Margate - being shown things that aren't normally visible to the public! ua-cam.com/video/3gHLxRj8o-M/v-deo.html
I have built plastic kits since childhood and ran wet-offset and flexographic web printing presses for 25 years in a manufacturing environment very similar to the Airfix shop. This video was gratifying in ways I didn't expect...like I want to go apply for a job at Airfix!!! The QC inspection and hand packing are crazy. The kits are always a delight and the passion and competence of the workers have earned Airfix a sterling reputation. Five stars!!
Great video, thank you! I haven't built an Airfix kit for many, many years, but I love to see that its now a much greener process: using recyclable plastics, eco friendly packaging tape etc. Well done Airfix! If only more companies could follow your lead!
I was just as impressed as you at the insane amount of "bad" bins they had. The quality control there is absolutely AMAZING! I was also surprised to see bagging & boxing is still all done by hand. Thought for sure that would have been an automated process with a series of jigs & workers doing little more than moving stuff form one station to another.
I* saw a video of the Bandai production line a few years ago. There in the production stage everything is pretty much automated. There are still people watching over everything and doing some of the work, but also handling robots and things like machine vision doing primary quality inspection.. They're also producing the moulds in the same factory..
Great video. I work for a model railway manufacturer and people really don't understand what goes in to getting a model from initial idea to the finished article. This is just one part of the process.
I remember as a kid that Airfix kits were the ones to be avoided due to their age and only bought the new then Lightning in 1:48 scale because of it's amazing detail. I' am glad that Airfix took the decision and managed to renew all of their catalog and deliver quality model kits. My latest buy, the mighty Buccaneer, has tremendous detail and I can't wait to build it. I enjoyed the video and hope to see more visits to other manufacturers such as Revell, Italeri, Hasegawa and hopefully one day can visit one of them
You look at the product & you don't realize the kind of heavy machinery that's necessary to produce it. I've loved plastic model kits since I was a child... this video makes me love them even more! Thank you for this!!! Now I'm going to lovingly look at some of my collection, appreciating the amount of precision work that went into them. 🥰
Would like to see the actual design work and machining of the molds themselves. IMO the most important part of model kit making. And maybe how it was done decades ago before the advent of CAD/CAM
Lately I've been buying a lot of Airfix kits: Lancaster, Boulton Paul Defiant, RAF airfield vehicles set ... It's very interesting to see how it's all made. Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks Matt...that was probably the most interesting UA-cam vid i've seen this year. Glad your quality content is getting the recognition that allows this kind of thing to happen!
I was a very keen model maker in my youth and fortunate to do my apprenticeship with a leading maker of injection moulding machines in the early 1970s. I visited one of the original Airfix factory's professionally many times.
This is XXX p*rn for model hobbyists, it’s just mind blowing how much goes into creating the models generations love. Thank you for sharing your amazing experience and thank you Airfix for showing and explaining everything in detail.
For decades I've wanted to see how they manufacture our beloved kits that we have the pleasure of building... Matt you're a very lucky chap to see all this in action up close! Fantastic video and well documented... to be honest I'm astounded as to how much care they put into making each kit in every individual box... I'm mind blown! 🤯 Also looking forward to your 1/24 Spitfire Mk.IX (OOB) review! That's going to seriously be something to look forward to. 😄 All the best mate!
@@ModelMinutes It is staggering the amount of people commenting here that seem clueless about what factory work is like. They see a commodity and do not care who had to suffer for it to be made. The dude in the suit is the one who sees people as farm animals that must produce the quota of the required product.
@@reasonerenlightened2456 it's staggering that you continue to push this uninformed opinion without backing up your claims. The UK has pay and rest laws that employers are not allowed to break. This factory is in the UK and the people who work here have a choice, get paid a reasonable wage in relation to that work, and can leave at any time. They are not being exploited The only thing being exploited here is the comments section of this video for your own agenda
@@reasonerenlightened2456 I want to thank you for giving me a good laugh today, your comments are some of the funniest I’ve read in all my years on UA-cam 😂
That brings me so great memories when I was a child in the 70's. That was one of my favorite type of toys. I had a great collection of WWII war birds. I believe the scale was 1/32 and I was so amazed by those details. I would paint every single piece individually before putting them together. The result was fantastic. I loved those models.
Incredible to see how hands on that was. I was also surprised when they said they were 24/7. Never would’ve thought there would be enough demand for model kits to run constantly. Like the saying, you learn something new every day. 😊
@@ModelMinutesprobably each model has a set number per run that needs to be on ship in a specific time period for reaching international retailers on time followed by the next model and so on. Any disruption to this could be very costly. I know from my contacts within the model railway companies that they have very tight windows for their models to go through the factory, anything that jeopardises those slots is a major problem and a missed slot might not be possible to rearrange for that year. Apparently this has lead to some difficult decisions when issues are discovered and they have to decide what work around will work or if they delay for a year. I imagine that it would be similar for plastech and airfix, airfix will be just one customer and if they have any problems then I would expect plastech would not be able to accept much delay for risk of knock on impact on other products and customers so a very fine balancing act probably.
Quite a number of the airfix kits are made or have been made in India for a while now, it used to be China, but they moved to India to reduce costs. The hornby railway models are pretty much all made in China.
Matt opens his Spitty sample and finds an extra clamp from Mos'? 😜 Well done 👍. Will definitely watch if you put more together from this and other visits. Very nice of f Airfix to bring y'all in and share. Have to commend them for that.
Brilliant video! Really enjoyed this! Not a modelling person myself but have many happy memories of others who did! I remember them getting sets for Christmas in the late 70s and 80s. I remember the lids on the boxes would lift up giving them two trays to put all the bits and parts in and making it easy to back away when the dinner table was needed! I can smell the little tins of airfix paint to this day, it was that potent but the one thing that always makes me smile was the bathroom sink filled with water for the transfer sheets! Really enjoyed the time the guy took to show you around the factory and explained all the steps, nice guy!
Max from Max's Models recommended your video, and I can see why. Thank you for a great look around the factory, and the production process. Just wish I had room for one of those monsters - 1/72nd scale for me.
Never again will I gripe about the price of a kit! Lovely video. I've always had a question - how do they make patterns for the parts, and transfer them to the mold? You end up with a perfect image in steel, rather amazing really. Perhaps a future video?
I've been doing plastic mold injection here in the US for about 10 years now. My current employer should see this video to understand our machines are highly uncared for 😆 This facility has very nice molding machines. Well kept and maintained. I like.
When i was 10, in my birthplace city of Dieppe, we used to have a kits shop named "Techniloisirs" . It was packed with hundreds of kits, Monogram, Tamya,Hasegawa. But the ones with their incredible art packagings were the Airfix ones. So good memories at 55 of age, after 35 years as a miniature modeler in architecture .😁
Great video that gets everything across about the process. Seen a lot of the videos from others that were there and they were good but this one had the balance of length.information, etc. Airfix must be confident about their manufacturing process to let people in to see it in such detail. Looking forward to getting my kit now. Nobody wants to produce shoddy products but their other manufacturing places may not be so caring and less quality conscious. Quality control is obviously high on the agenda throughout the design and manufacturing process which will add to the cost but knowing the kit will be as good as it can be is worth avoiding the hassle of getting replacement parts.
I don't build scale models myself but I enjoy watching others' builds especially here on UA-cam, with all the amazing attention to detail. I didn't realize injection molding had its tiny little details to keep on top of like optimum temperature. Thank you for putting this out! Very informative.
15:30 - the stickers sheet is already curved and after you placed it in the box you put the bag with parts. What comes to my mind is that the sticker sheets got bent badly (I hope not :P ) The rejected molds are reused but if using them again reduces the plastic quality or it's the same as completely new plastic?
Oh no! I hope I didn’t ruin that product for someone 😯 Mark said that 10% of the plastic can be made from reground sprues, but 90% had to be brand new stuff. None of it gets wasted though as it all gets recycled in some way
I didn't realize how hands on it is, I had always kinda thought a big chunk of it would be automated. Cheers to them for producing the kits!
Yeah, i thought it was more automated, surprised about the level of care and attention put in to this
Adds jobs to the local community. May be mundane work, but it is a job.
I understand the prices now.
@@mh53jan actualy very complicatet job
@@ModelMinutes It is labour intense because It is cheaper than automation. They EXPLOIT the employees hard. Picking and packing is a very difficult job to do for 40 years of ones life and MUST pay enough for a DIGNIFIED EXISTENCE during the ENTIRE human life i.e from death to birth. Why you never show the reality?
I love how excited he is to talk about his products. He is proud of all their effort, and he knows every detail (even the boxes).
well said
I think I will have to replay this at 1/2 speed just so I can understand him!😂
Agreed! The guy is coming in with a blazer to give the tour, but there he is on the machines explaining every process start to finish. It's great to see upper management know every intricate detail.
Nope thus guy does not know ALL the details.
@@mauricematla8379 Agreed these "quality control" and "inspection" processes are LAUGHED AT in the automotive plastics industry. I could build a camera inspection station for these for about 10k in about a week (after all the parts have been acquired). This is nothing against Airfix, this is completely on the manufacturer. They seem to turn a good business and must be making a profit, but it still irks me.
Airfix has really upped their game these last years. Amazing new kits. Great job everyone involved.
they are lovely kits
The core message from the suit guy was quality control. Airfix kits used to be ok but Tamiya handed them their arxe.
These new kits now from Airfix look competitive... maybe world class? A bonus is everything, except for some tooling, is made/sourced in England and I'd rather pay an English guys wages than a ?
@@TeddyBear-ii4yc Agree about Tamiya. I recently did a Tamiya mosquito (1/38) and was pleasantly surprised with the detail and how everything fitted together so well. I've also just finished an Airfix Lancaster and Stuka and they remined me of the Tamiya quality.
and the box art is still as wonderful as ever
Simply amazing process. I am now 70 and I used to love Airfix models when I was a kid! Now finally, I know how they are made!!!!!
Great to hear!
I used to build Airfix kits back in the late 60s to late 70s. Hundreds of them. Watching these vids makes me want to do it again.😁🇦🇺
You should! 😊
Me too!😊
I like the way that the factory manager keeps suppliers local where possible. As a modeller I've often wondered how kits are produced. This behind the scenes video is a real rarity. Great stuff! Thanks.
Good point! Thanks for watching!
that bit about the small sections being filled at the same time as the big parts on the same sprew blew my mind. the amount of tuning and engineering in this is crazy
yeah, it has a lot of interesting design aspects that are taken into consideration
I am surprised there is still a demand for model kits today because in Canada there are few places left to buy kits and they are quite expensive. I have built models my whole life,and I am 63 now,and I still have about 20 to build.It's a fun hobby and it takes time and effort to do which it seems alot of younger people don't have.It's good to see that the guys running this plant are younger and obviously interested in keeping the hobby going.
I think it depends on the circles that people run in, running a youtube channel I see all variety of people leaving comments, young and old. There is still a massive market and fan base for this hobby - it's probably in one of the strongest places it's been in to be honest
I'm 15 and I've been doing models since I was seven and alot of my friends do it as well alot of young people still have interest in the hobby
My dad got me into the hobby, and Im 24.
Here as well. Seemed you could buy models everywhere including drug stores.
Nah you just gotta look around, know tons of young people who love this hobby:)
Great video,I’m 73 now and have been building plastic kits ever since I was a kid,but never knew what it took before I got it in my hands.Thank you guys.❤
Very cool!
@@starshipgus8578 have you tried the quick fix range it’s pre coloured and a bit like a Lego kit but goes together nicely and then stickers … great for getting grandkids into models
It's such a prestigious tour to see and get your hands on, knowing how the models we love are produced. Thanks all in Airfix to keep the fun for all big old boys.
Thanks for watching 😊
It is a typical factory run 24 Hours. It is shift work, low pay, repetitive work, noise levels slowly destroying the hearing, standing on your feet all day destroying the body, residual fumes and smells from the chemicals, etc. All that is to make a commodity that would bring profit to the Owners. But you do not comprehend that , do you? Instead, You think it is "prestigious" to be there.
@@reasonerenlightened2456 do you like building the models
@@unit0033 Only if it is profitable.
@@reasonerenlightened2456 ….bet you’re real fun at parties
Superb video and great to see some Airfix kits being produce in the UK again!
Thanks for watching!
It's always a pleasure to watch and listen to dedicated people.
Great job much appreciated . Ioved building model kits for many years . ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Great to hear!
Oh my. I haven't made a kit for about 45 years. But it used to be my main hobby, and in 1/72nd scale, Airfix was the name I'd look for. Fantastic to see they're still going.
you should take it up again :D
About 35 here - Airfix were rare and expensive, but were such a pleasure to build compared to the Revell kits of the day. Details were a bit finer, but seemed you were fighting the Revell kits every step of the way.
Wow, I learned a thing or two! Very impressed by the scale of quality control, the recycling, and the fact it's being made here in the home of Airfix. Thanks Matt, really enjoyed this video.
Thanks for watching!
I for some reason have been under the impression that scale modeling was getting old and uncommon but the way these big machines work and the amount of effort that a apparently huge company does to bring these kits to us is really cool to see thanks for the video
I think there is a lot of "doom and gloom" about the hobby, but actually i feel that it is possibly in the strongest shape that is has ever been
There are just less kids and teens doing modelling but the business as a whole is probably bigger than it's ever been.
I'm getting back into it after a 45 year break. Fascinating how things have progressed.
@@joelynch1059 welcome back!
It is probably cheaper to have people do the boxing by hand than it is to buy a customised machine to do the packing.
A big shout-out to the folks at Plas-tech and Airfix for the tour, the attention to detail, and the care they show. As an engineer, I am really impressed.
Thanks! It was a great day :D
Thanks for showing us this. It's nice to see there's still people involved in this work and not just machines.
Thanks for watching!
Airfix was such an important part of my growing up. 50 years later, I can still remember every kit that I built. Glad to see that this is still happening.
Sounds like some good memories!
Excellent topic for a video, thank you! 30+ years of on/off modeling hobby and this is the first time I get to visit the actual factory!
thanks so much for watching!
It's great to have Airfix back! It was a part of my childhood and is again part of my life. The new toolings are excellent! Well done!
Couldn't agree more!
What an incredible operation; I'm happy to see Airfix manufacturing in the UK where it belongs. I'll be getting that Mk IX.
awesome!
The amount of engineering that goes into the tooling is insane, that's why the tooling is so expensive and the amount of kits that have to be sold, just to break even, is eye watering.
definitely!
Best 17 odd-minutes i spent.
Lovely video...and yes i have new-found respect for the Model-Kit now...and for everybody who played a part in its production every step of the way.
Bravo Airfix & thank you for posting this video.
Thanks so much for watching, glad you enjoyed 😊
Thanks so much to the people who create these kits. I am working on a model right now of the U.S. Navy Battleship New Jersey. My dad served on the New Jersey during the Korean War in the early 1950s. Thanks for posting this video!
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing :D
My father-in-law (1929-2022) served on a USN support vessel during the Korean War. Never got to meet him, but my wife has his photo album and his service medals.
This has been something I’ve been curious to know for many years. Thank you! Would love to see more about the development and the model design process, please.
Will do!
Wonderful vid! I remember the old Airfix kits which were not very good by today's standards. BUT, you have to remember also the molds were made by hand or by very primitive CNC machines. Great to see Airfix back with state of the art kits.
Thanks for sharing
So good to see this firm is as strong as ever. About 60 years since I made my last kit - I think it was a 1/72 Hurricane, because my dad flew them in WWII - and I often used to look at the parts and wonder how they were made.
Thanks for watching and sharing your story :D
Ive got to say that was a really great video thank you to Airfix for opening there door's and showing the really high standards they operate to... I really enjoyed the whole tour.
The guy was so good at explaining the whole process and you could tell he was really good at what he does ... its a labouriuse and painstaking process to check EVERY model they sell, and I think thats why Airfix has such a fantastic reputation as a brand ... thank you for the video !!! Wetted my appittie to start modelling !
Glad you enjoyed it :D
When I was a kid I ran out of ceiling space Airfix was a huge part of why I became a maker. Without getting emotional , thank you guys for this .
thanks for watching!
Fascinating video. Always assumed the kits were moulded in China so delighted to see they are made in the UK. Very impressed with the level of quality control. Great company, great product.
Thanks for watching!
Not all kits are made in the UK. A fair amount is made in India. Hornby moved production from China to India a number of years ago. I think it is the older tooling items made in India.
Incidentally, almost all of the model railway ranges sold in the UK is made in China by comparison. Plastech would not I expect be able to easily compete for that sadly due to the much more intensive labour requirements due to assembly and painting required.
Very impressive! Thanks a lot to you and the Airfix team for the tour!
:D
Wonderful tour. I would say the quality is so much better today than it used to be. I applaud Airfix. They are still fun to build.
I been a modeler as long as I can remember, but I did not realize how much manual handling was involved in producing a model kit. I erroneously thought the plastic molds for all sprues was shot all at once!!! Thanks for this video, it is informative and entertaining. I will never look at a kit in the box the same way again!
thanks! It was certainly an eye-opening day :D
Very impressed, as a CNC programmer and machinist (over 30 years) currently in military aerospace, I have to say I was very happy to see how much care went into their quality control. I know how much tooling cost and it hurts. Would like to see more of the design and tooling. The detail, number of parts and size was mind boggling. Also, impressed how the manager (suit) seems to know every detail and how to do it himself.
Thanks! More to come in the future
Hey, HAL 9000, did you know that the 1968 movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" features a malevolent computer named HAL 9000??? What a coincidence!!!
Loved this video. I made my first model at 10 years of age, Flying Tiger, Curtis P-40. Tamiya which I won in a raffle. I was hooked, love Airfix as they used to make a wide range of models. In my 60 s now and this vid has me going online to order a kit.
Awesome! I hope you pick something good :D
Airfix is my new go to brand, the quality of the molds and plastic are very nice. I used to skip passed them at the hobby isle because the packaging looked like it’d be low quality, I picked one up because it was on sale and now I only look for Airfix brand products. Much love from America 😁
Yeah, a lot of people remember "Airfix that was" but actually in the last 10 years they have made some amazing kits
a very proud man - and for good reason. The country needs more people like him! WTG.
I remember how much I loved building airfix as a young boy. This was a great tour, and I think I'm going to buy myself a model for Christmas
you should!
Great work everyone. I'm a injection molding process engineer and seeing a family mold in production brings back memories of the challenges of custom injection molding.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much for providing this video! I have been building models all my life, and never realized what it took to put one of those kits together… Thanks again!
Thanks for watching!
Great video. I was impressed how passionate the guy showing you around was about his product. Great to see the local input in producing a model.
Much appreciated!
Cool they still going, luved these as a kid
:)
That was awesome & great to see the level of quality control at airfix. Top job all.
Glad you enjoyed it
To purchase or view the Airfix 1/24 Scale Spitfire featured in this video - use this affiliate link: prf.hn/l/znWxW5X It helps the channel at no cost to you!
Also, If you enjoyed this video - take a look at this one where I spent a day at the Airfix HQ in Margate - being shown things that aren't normally visible to the public! ua-cam.com/video/3gHLxRj8o-M/v-deo.html
Please ask them to make a new game! I have fond memories of it! :D
I was remembered to my dad,he bought a spit fire 1/ 72 first time, and he teach me to build, and than I got hooked for so on.
I have built plastic kits since childhood and ran wet-offset and flexographic web printing presses for 25 years in a manufacturing environment very similar to the Airfix shop. This video was gratifying in ways I didn't expect...like I want to go apply for a job at Airfix!!! The QC inspection and hand packing are crazy. The kits are always a delight and the passion and competence of the workers have earned Airfix a sterling reputation. Five stars!!
Thanks for sharing!
Great video, thank you! I haven't built an Airfix kit for many, many years, but I love to see that its now a much greener process: using recyclable plastics, eco friendly packaging tape etc. Well done Airfix! If only more companies could follow your lead!
Thanks for watching!
Really really pleased to see this operating and thriving in the Uk. Fantastic. 🎉
I was just as impressed as you at the insane amount of "bad" bins they had. The quality control there is absolutely AMAZING! I was also surprised to see bagging & boxing is still all done by hand. Thought for sure that would have been an automated process with a series of jigs & workers doing little more than moving stuff form one station to another.
yes, I was pretty impressed with the care they put into their work
Clearly, you are completely ignorant about 24 hour factory work.
@@reasonerenlightened2456 well, thanks for sharing those pearls with us
Not the QC is amazing. But the machine is shit and old.
I* saw a video of the Bandai production line a few years ago. There in the production stage everything is pretty much automated. There are still people watching over everything and doing some of the work, but also handling robots and things like machine vision doing primary quality inspection.. They're also producing the moulds in the same factory..
Great video. I work for a model railway manufacturer and people really don't understand what goes in to getting a model from initial idea to the finished article. This is just one part of the process.
That must be a really fascinating job!
Airfix kits been around for a long time. They are very detailed. Without model kits mechanics and designers wont get inspired..👍
Well said!
Wow!, that Spitfire looked beautiful with all that hidden detail. Well done, Airfix!
I remember as a kid that Airfix kits were the ones to be avoided due to their age and only bought the new then Lightning in 1:48 scale because of it's amazing detail. I' am glad that Airfix took the decision and managed to renew all of their catalog and deliver quality model kits. My latest buy, the mighty Buccaneer, has tremendous detail and I can't wait to build it.
I enjoyed the video and hope to see more visits to other manufacturers such as Revell, Italeri, Hasegawa and hopefully one day can visit one of them
thanks for watching!
yeah those days ppl were told to use boiling water to heat up the kit in order to adjust the distorted parts haha. nice to hear they improved.
You look at the product & you don't realize the kind of heavy machinery that's necessary to produce it. I've loved plastic model kits since I was a child... this video makes me love them even more! Thank you for this!!!
Now I'm going to lovingly look at some of my collection, appreciating the amount of precision work that went into them. 🥰
Excellent point - such hefty and industrial machines make such delicate and detailed parts
@@ModelMinutes Kinda' mind boggling, as my wife would say, "I'm gob-smacked'! 😉
Would like to see the actual design work and machining of the molds themselves. IMO the most important part of model kit making. And maybe how it was done decades ago before the advent of CAD/CAM
Lately I've been buying a lot of Airfix kits: Lancaster, Boulton Paul Defiant, RAF airfield vehicles set ... It's very interesting to see how it's all made. Thanks for sharing :)
thanks for watching! Good luck with your diorama!
VERY cool! I love seeing this kind of stuff :-)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Edit: I enjoy watching your content too! :D
Very cool video. Nice of Airfix and Plastech to give permission for this- kudos to them!
Couldn't agree more!
it’s amazing to see any brand take a high level of care for their product from the precision of it to the packaging
thanks for watching!
Pure genius had no idea how it all worked … great video🤠👍
Thanks 👍
Wonderful video! I loved how much work goes into making our favourite plastic model kits. From Canada 🇨🇦
Glad you enjoyed it!
That was fun and educational! Thanks for sharing.🇨🇦
thanks for watching!
Excellent!! Precise, artistic! I am from Brazil and I've been to England a few times. Next time, I will pay you a visit. Thanks my dears.
Thanks!
Thanks Matt...that was probably the most interesting UA-cam vid i've seen this year. Glad your quality content is getting the recognition that allows this kind of thing to happen!
Thanks Chris! I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊
I was a very keen model maker in my youth and fortunate to do my apprenticeship with a leading maker of injection moulding machines in the early 1970s. I visited one of the original Airfix factory's professionally many times.
That sounds like an amazing experience!
This is XXX p*rn for model hobbyists, it’s just mind blowing how much goes into creating the models generations love. Thank you for sharing your amazing experience and thank you Airfix for showing and explaining everything in detail.
Thanks for watching!
For decades I've wanted to see how they manufacture our beloved kits that we have the pleasure of building... Matt you're a very lucky chap to see all this in action up close! Fantastic video and well documented... to be honest I'm astounded as to how much care they put into making each kit in every individual box... I'm mind blown! 🤯
Also looking forward to your 1/24 Spitfire Mk.IX (OOB) review! That's going to seriously be something to look forward to. 😄
All the best mate!
Thanks very much! It was an amazing experience
@@ModelMinutes It is staggering the amount of people commenting here that seem clueless about what factory work is like. They see a commodity and do not care who had to suffer for it to be made. The dude in the suit is the one who sees people as farm animals that must produce the quota of the required product.
@@reasonerenlightened2456 it's staggering that you continue to push this uninformed opinion without backing up your claims. The UK has pay and rest laws that employers are not allowed to break. This factory is in the UK and the people who work here have a choice, get paid a reasonable wage in relation to that work, and can leave at any time.
They are not being exploited
The only thing being exploited here is the comments section of this video for your own agenda
@@ModelMinutes The jobs do not grow on magic job-trees as you seem to imply.
WHERE are the magic-job trees?
@@reasonerenlightened2456 I want to thank you for giving me a good laugh today, your comments are some of the funniest I’ve read in all my years on UA-cam 😂
I just got round to watching this, what a great video. I love how enthusiastic they all seem
Glad you enjoyed it!
I always liked Airfix stuff since I was a little kid...nice to see they do indeed run a quality shop...thanks for sharing this - BRAVO !!
Thanks for watching!
That brings me so great memories when I was a child in the 70's. That was one of my favorite type of toys. I had a great collection of WWII war birds. I believe the scale was 1/32 and I was so amazed by those details. I would paint every single piece individually before putting them together. The result was fantastic. I loved those models.
sounds like a lot of fun!
I didn't realise how satisfying n enjoyable this video was, excellent 👍
Thanks for watching! 😊
Incredible to see how hands on that was. I was also surprised when they said they were 24/7. Never would’ve thought there would be enough demand for model kits to run constantly. Like the saying, you learn something new every day. 😊
yes, I suppose they have to be 24/7 in order to meet deadlines and shipping dates
@@ModelMinutesprobably each model has a set number per run that needs to be on ship in a specific time period for reaching international retailers on time followed by the next model and so on. Any disruption to this could be very costly.
I know from my contacts within the model railway companies that they have very tight windows for their models to go through the factory, anything that jeopardises those slots is a major problem and a missed slot might not be possible to rearrange for that year. Apparently this has lead to some difficult decisions when issues are discovered and they have to decide what work around will work or if they delay for a year. I imagine that it would be similar for plastech and airfix, airfix will be just one customer and if they have any problems then I would expect plastech would not be able to accept much delay for risk of knock on impact on other products and customers so a very fine balancing act probably.
Amazing that someone still dedicated to the manufacturing of Model kits…. Great tutorial thank you
Thanks for sharing and giving us the chance to to see the inside of the Airfix Factory... great !!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I was surprised to see model kits being made anywhere but China! Oh and i was checking on Ebay and your kits are priced quite nicely!
I don’t have any kits on eBay…
@@ModelMinutes YES YOU DO, CHINESE KNOCK-OFFS...OPEN YOUR EYES SHEEPLE !!!
@@rogervonschleusingen4603 you know I’m not Airfix right?
Quite a number of the airfix kits are made or have been made in India for a while now, it used to be China, but they moved to India to reduce costs. The hornby railway models are pretty much all made in China.
Airfix is good reasonably priced stuff. I’m impressed to see the science and human involvement, although I couldn’t do that job too awfully long.
Yes, they have improved a lot in recent years
Wow! This is fascinating. I haven’t built a scale model since I was a kid. I always wondered how they were made. Thanks for the video. Great work.
Perhaps now you should start again :D
I absolutely LOVE "How it's made" videos - we need more of these in Society. Thanks so much for sharing
Thanks for watching!
What a brilliant tour! Massive thanks to all the guys at the factory for allowing a peek into how all these kits are created.
Very cool to see and hear about kit production. Very educational! Thanks for sharing 👍
thanks for watching!
Gostei muito desse vídeo. Se puder, continue trazendo essas curiosidades. Foi muito bom para mim. Certamente será bom para o hobby!
Parabéns.
thanks for watching!
Matt opens his Spitty sample and finds an extra clamp from Mos'? 😜 Well done 👍. Will definitely watch if you put more together from this and other visits. Very nice of f Airfix to bring y'all in and share. Have to commend them for that.
Thanks 👍 Yes, i was very fortunate. I bet Mos put one of his 3D printed pegs in there haha. I'll look at making more on the other topics in the future
Brilliant video! Really enjoyed this!
Not a modelling person myself but have many happy memories of others who did!
I remember them getting sets for Christmas in the late 70s and 80s. I remember the lids on the boxes would lift up giving them two trays to put all the bits and parts in and making it easy to back away when the dinner table was needed! I can smell the little tins of airfix paint to this day, it was that potent but the one thing that always makes me smile was the bathroom sink filled with water for the transfer sheets!
Really enjoyed the time the guy took to show you around the factory and explained all the steps, nice guy!
Sounds like you should maybe have a go at one of these soon :)
It's wonderful to see stuff like this actually made in the UK.
:D
Nicely edited Matt! You should do more stuff to camera - you're a natural!
Haha thanks! Perhaps in the future :P
Max from Max's Models recommended your video, and I can see why. Thank you for a great look around the factory, and the production process. Just wish I had room for one of those monsters - 1/72nd scale for me.
Awesome, thank you!
Never again will I gripe about the price of a kit! Lovely video.
I've always had a question - how do they make patterns for the parts, and transfer them to the mold? You end up with a perfect image in steel, rather amazing really. Perhaps a future video?
i'd certainly like to look into making a video on that :D
Pieces are designed on the computer, and then the moulds are produced directly through CNC.
I’ve always found injection molding to be a fascinating process and now even more. Brilliant vid thank you
Glad it was helpful!
I really gotta get back into modelling, that guy's enthusiasm was contagious and the quality looks incredible.
You should go for it!
I've been doing plastic mold injection here in the US for about 10 years now. My current employer should see this video to understand our machines are highly uncared for 😆
This facility has very nice molding machines. Well kept and maintained. I like.
Thanks!
Interesting and nicely edited video. Would sure like to see more on the research and dev of the kit 👍
Thanks! I may look at editing something together on that 😊
When i was 10, in my birthplace city of Dieppe, we used to have a kits shop named "Techniloisirs" . It was packed with hundreds of kits, Monogram, Tamya,Hasegawa. But the ones with their incredible art packagings were the Airfix ones. So good memories at 55 of age, after 35 years as a miniature modeler in architecture .😁
yes, Airfix has had really good artwork :D
Airfix : « nos jeunes années..." (air connu !) . Souvenirs de gamins !
Been making Airfix models for ages now and finally getting a chance to see the factory is just wonderful. Thank you
Glad you like it!
Outstanding shipmates. Press on. USS Kitty Hawk CV-63, Jan 1980 to July 1983. Model kit lover for life.
PS Yes I have put together a model on the USS Kitty Hawk.
:D
Great video that gets everything across about the process. Seen a lot of the videos from others that were there and they were good but this one had the balance of length.information, etc. Airfix must be confident about their manufacturing process to let people in to see it in such detail. Looking forward to getting my kit now.
Nobody wants to produce shoddy products but their other manufacturing places may not be so caring and less quality conscious. Quality control is obviously high on the agenda throughout the design and manufacturing process which will add to the cost but knowing the kit will be as good as it can be is worth avoiding the hassle of getting replacement parts.
Well said! I tried to keep my video as short and punchy as possible because like you said, other channels have already uploaded the "long form" stuff
I don't build scale models myself but I enjoy watching others' builds especially here on UA-cam, with all the amazing attention to detail.
I didn't realize injection molding had its tiny little details to keep on top of like optimum temperature. Thank you for putting this out! Very informative.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
you should try building one! its a fun hobby
I'd like to see it in more details. 🙂
Awesome! I may put together another video on the presentations that Luke and Chris did
@@ModelMinutes The video was very educational. I thought that kit making is much more automated.
@@foszasty yeah, I thought it would be too! It’s much more hands on
@@ModelMinutes I think I'll get my hands on an Airfix kit. And it's totally Your fault. Thank You. 🙂
@@foszasty 😂 I hope you enjoy!
Wow, they are still making them! I still have some I enjoyed making sixty years ago.
Yes, Airfix is the largest UK based scale model company :)
Thanks!
😊
15:30 - the stickers sheet is already curved and after you placed it in the box you put the bag with parts. What comes to my mind is that the sticker sheets got bent badly (I hope not :P )
The rejected molds are reused but if using them again reduces the plastic quality or it's the same as completely new plastic?
Oh no! I hope I didn’t ruin that product for someone 😯
Mark said that 10% of the plastic can be made from reground sprues, but 90% had to be brand new stuff. None of it gets wasted though as it all gets recycled in some way
I noticed that. Hopefully the sticker sheets are usually put the other side of the instructions before the bag of parts are inserted.
Definitely ruined those stickers.
Maybe the stickers should have been put in after the bag?
Wonderful to have a glimpse of Airfix - Thanks to All the staff.
thanks for watching!