Airfix Lifeboats

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

I recently bought an Triang lifeboat on Ebay and am very pleased with it. It is plastic, not tinplate. I've had a bit of a google but cant find anything to say when it was made. Does anyone have any idea.

Thanks

Stephen

Edited By Stephen Garrad on 05/02/2022 21:55:34

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

i don't know who made the original, or whther it was indeed triang….but i had two as a young lad, one that sank whilst sailing it on Fleetwood boating lake, and the other i played with in my bath……and those were before i reached the grand age of 10, and i am 3 score year and ten at the moment..

so that was at least 60 years that those little treasures have been going……..i have an old one with parts missing but still works.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

but, i must say, they are meant to be played with……lovely little boats.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Stephen,

Yes Tri-ang did produce a range of small clockwork model boats your Lifeboat being one of them, The 3 Lines Brothers from south London set up a company which was at one time the largest toy manufacturer in the world who made model railways and some of the brands we now know as Hornby just after the First World War.

They turned to making the Sten machine guns during WW2 when toy manufacture was considered non essential !

Hornby bought the Airfix company in 2006, which was originally formed by a Hungarian businessman Nicholas Kove in 1939, making the name most associated with plastic injection moulded kits, I'm from the 2/- bob kit generation sold by Woolworths

Plenty of history of both companies on Wikipedia

Regards Ray

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I have a lovely book on British Model boats, fabulously illustrated with plenty of history in it. I will have a look-see to see if the approximate production of your lifeboat can be ascertained,

i have a plastic Triang freighter, electric. It suffers from the usual Triang boat bent deck/covers/missing bits syndrome, however very hot water and weights has flattened the bits out somewhat!

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

I remember Airfix bagged kits at 2/6 when I was very young. I used to buy one a week with my half crown pocket money. Then Airfix put the price up to 2/7 so I asked my Dad for a pocket money raise. He refused saying I could miss out buying one every few weeks and have the spare half crown for buying paints and glues and adding to the other weeks to make up the 2/7. A true Yorkshireman my Dad. He called it carefull, I called it something to do with the rear of a duck.

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Thanks very much for your comments. I've had a look at Wikiwhatnots but cant find any reference to the lifeboat. The original ebay listing said it was 1950s so Neil's guestimate based on his years isn't far out it seems. Its clockwork and has quite a long runtime and appears to be complete and is in good condition. I suppose as it appears to bear a good likeness to a Liverpool class lifeboat, a good clue would be after 1931.

Thanks again

Stephen

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

oh I'ts definately based on a Liverpool class lifeboat Stephen….

here's one just a little bit larger

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Hi Neil, yes, I've been watching your build progressing with great interest, far quicker than my Alice Upjohn but I'm not going up Windermere!!. I have in mind a Liverpool for my next model as we had the Robert & Phemia Brown in Ilfracombe when I was a lad and there are 2 nearby at the moment. Grandson might say different though, he fancies a trawler I think.

Stephen

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

being a lad born and brought up in Fleetwood i went though my phase of building old steam trawlers and then on to shelter deckers………enjoyed building them very much, but arthritis in the fingers gradually took over and 1;12 scale became easier to build………..hence lifeboats.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Arthritis and you're sticking 4 mm splinters into them, you need to look after your digits a bit Neil!

Having said that there are not many days when I don't trim something just a little bit harder than anticipated and stick a scalpel into a finger. I invariably have a piece of green masking tape over a pad of kitchen roll on the end of a finger.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I've learned to be careful. A:LWAYS cut away from yourself! Works most of the time.

Colin

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Posted by Colin Bishop on 10/02/2022 21:49:43:

I've learned to be careful. A:LWAYS cut away from yourself! Works most of the time.

Colin

even then i get my fingers in the way, haha

[Rich Griff 2Participant @richgriff2]

Nice subject, do you have a plan ?

Our town lifeboat was an Oakley in the old days.

Airfix and Woolies, Saturday morning chores done, paid enough for a bagged kit which where always by the door in Woolies, just below the large peg board display of made kits.

A few years later I worked in Woolies, a large building with a dance hall above, with a leaky roof and pidgeon poooo everywhere.

The large display of assembled and painted kits was stored in the dance hall. A few years later the grand old building was demolished.

Never found out what happened to the airfix display, which was quite large, probably 16 feet by 4.

If that model had a plan for it I would make one.

Ps lifeboats are not supposed to sink.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Posted by Rich Griff 1 on 12/02/2022 10:56:21:

Ps lifeboats are not supposed to sink.

mine don't usually, only when i don't build them do they, lol.

here's one of mine that didn't lol.

Mary Stanford, a model lifeboat – YouTube

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

If anybody wants one I see there are currently 2 on ebay. Search Tri-ang model lifeboat.

Stephen

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