02/09/2026
TIMELY release from Airfix , given it's September, is the first in their Legends series- a 1:48 scale Douglas Bader Triple Pack [AX40101] which retails at just under £90.00 containing three kits, mask sets and new decals. The models include the recently-released Bristol Bulldog Mk.IIa; Hawker Hurricane Mk.I and Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IIa-the latter pair being slightly older moulds but excellent in most every respect. The expansive decal sheet provides authentic for all three of these iconic aircraft flown by Douglas Bader which include stencils and national markings in their correct period colours. It's a great idea but I do feel Airfix missed a bit of a trick here. The box top art is somewhat of a let down, it's a little bland, certainly in stark contrast to the more usual dramatic designs associated with the brand... Also, given the extraordinary exploits of Bader, the descriptive biographical text is surprisingly brief -he really deserves more and for those to whom his name is not so familiar, in my opinion some references to further source material should have been appended to the instruction booklet.
Under the box are three superb colour profiles of the subject aircraft which really deserve to be on the front of it. Nonetheless, it's a promising start to a new series and it will be interesting to see how Airfix continue it.
