Maker record
Airfix
Airfix is a British maker of scale plastic model kits, with mass-market kit production dating from 1952. Its subjects include military and civil aircraft, ships, cars, space, figures, dioramas and military vehicles; the company describes aircraft as a particular strength. Airfix began in London in 1939 making rubber-inflated toys, before moving into scale kits. Hornby Hobbies acquired the Airfix brand in 2006.
- Founded
- 1939
- Countries
- United Kingdom
- Locations
- United Kingdom · 1939
- Founders
- Nicholas Kove
The story of Airfix
Airfix was founded in London in 1939 by Nicholas Kove, a Hungarian refugee. The business initially made inflatable rubber toys. Its name combined the process of fixing air into these products with Kove's preference for a business name near the beginning of alphabetical directories. After the Second World War, the company moved into plastic combs and subsequently model products.
A toy tractor was offered as an unassembled kit with instructions to reduce its selling price. In 1952, Airfix launched a small-scale Golden Hind for Woolworths. Further requests from the retailer encouraged a wider range of model kits sold in plastic bags, including a Spitfire in 1953. These early releases formed part of Airfix's move into mass-market plastic model kits.
Aircraft became a major part of the range, alongside ships, vehicles, figures, buildings and dioramas. The subjects covered both military and civilian models. After several changes of ownership, Hornby Hobbies acquired the Airfix and Humbrol brands in November 2006. Airfix also developed Quickbuild, a range of models assembled from interlocking parts without glue or paint. This provided a different construction format alongside its conventional plastic kits.
