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Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. If we have just enjoyed more than two consecutive days of scorching weather here in the UK, we must already be in the latest Airshow season, and can therefore start to get a little excited about seeing skies filled with aeroplanes. Unfortunately, last weekend’s sad cancellation of this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo before the season could really get up a head of steam wasn’t the news we all wanted to hear, however, other shows are already doing their level best to ensure we still have an Airshow year to remember. As far as Airfix modelling enthusiasts are concerned, there’s never a time when we leave our people without plenty of options when it comes to selecting their next build project, something which is underlined by the subject of our latest blog update, the second in a series of twin pack releases which already look like being amongst the most popular kits of the year. When it comes to famous Royal Air Force Typhoon Display Team aircraft kit options, we definitely have you covered, and then some, and we’re delighted to confirm that the second in our trio of twin kit pack releases has just arrived in stock. In other words, ‘Blackjack’ has now joined up with Moggy for some Airfix Typhoon Display Team modelling action. Arguably, ‘Blackjack’ was the most popular individual Royal Air Force aircraft of the post WWII era, one of our most capable front-line airspace defenders presented in a spectacularly unique and patriotic livery. Oh, and did we mention that she was the star of the UK Airshow scene for more than two full seasons. In this latest edition of Workbench, we will be looking at Blackjack, the kit she’s been paired with, and the reasons why her patriotic livery is certain to make this spectacular kit one of the most popular releases of the year. We will be paying blog homage to two much missed RAF display aircraft in this latest edition of Workbench, Blackjack the Typhoon and something of an unsung pilot training hero, the Shorts Tucano.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. When it comes to modelling the machines which took part in the two world wars of the 20th century, few have the aesthetic gravitas of the mighty warships which fought for control of the oceans, leviathans of the sea which in addition to wielding unimaginable firepower, were also home to hundreds, if not thousands of men. By the time of the Second World War, even the mightiest warships were vulnerable to attacks from the air, so despite their impressive size and firepower, it could be argued that aircraft carriers were now the most important vessels in any military fleet. Nevertheless, cruisers, pocket battleships and battleships remain some of the most awe-inspiring weapons of war ever conceived by man, and therefore make for thoroughly engaging modelling projects. In this latest edition of Workbench, we will be returning to the nostalgic world of our popular Vintage Classics range to feature a ‘squadron’ of recently released warship kit additions to the range, our scale tributes to some of the most significant naval vessels of the 20th century, with each one making its own contribution to the world of naval history. Warship kits have featured relatively sparingly within Workbench blogs over the years, and we have never featured three different ship kit subjects in the same edition, so in that respect, this week will be something a little bit special. We will certainly be hoping to inspire one of two readers to perhaps consider tackling their first scale warship project, over the course of this edition. At the very end of this edition, we will be bringing you news about the future of Workbench, and a change to what readers can expect from us as we head through the rest of the year and beyond, so please do stay with us until the end. Our model kit tributes to vessels which attempted to rule the waves are on our Workbench radar in the latest edition of our blog.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. For those of us who have a few years invested in this wonderful hobby of ours, we know only too well how the model kits we’ve enjoyed building over the years, particularly early on in our modelling journeys, helped to provide us with a different perspective on the facts we learned about in our history books at school, if not by actually bringing those details to life, but certainly by allowing them to take physical form and becoming appealingly tactile. In this latest edition of Workbench, we will be making reference to this by featuring two kits which are both currently available in the 2026 range, both 1/72nd scale representations of fighting aeroplanes, and both writing their names into the annals of aviation history from the very earliest days of aerial combat. Our main subject is an aircraft which possesses unrivalled aviation credentials, the first ‘hunting’ aeroplane, one developed specifically to prey on other aircraft, dominating the skies and creating a new breed of fighting aeroplane. The second subject ended up being prey for the first one, despite the fact that it was an impressive aircraft in its own right, one which performed exceptionally well in the role for which it was intended. Unfortunately, a new breed of enemy aircraft ensured that history records its service years as being extremely challenging, despite its many commendable qualities. We’re in the presence of true aviation pioneers and their aircraft in this latest edition of Workbench.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. This week’s title and header image serve as confirmation that we will be returning to the nostalgic world of Vintage Classics in this latest edition of Workbench, as we prepare to welcome the scale model kit induction of one of the most unusual looking aircraft of the 20th century into its ranks. When talking about the subject of basic aviation aesthetics, the Short SC.7 Skyvan certainly wasn’t going to be winning a great many plaudits, even though it proved to be extremely capable in several important areas. Importantly, once crews came to appreciate the many qualities of the Skyvan, it definitely earned their respect, and would even reveal itself to be the ideal aeroplane in a number of specialised fields in the years to come. As we prepare to welcome the Short Skyvan into the 2026 range this summer, we’ll be taking this blog opportunity to look at the development of this unusual aircraft, and see how some of them are still working hard to this day, providing specialist aerial support 63 years after the maiden flight of the prototype, using Airfix artwork to help illustrate the story. With the Vintage Classics range being our focus of attention this week, we will also be including artwork and built model imagery of a recent release addition to the range, a model kit which has to be considered the most requested Vintage Classics kit return since the range was announced back in 2018, our scale tribute to one of the most impressive machines to have ever hovered above the ocean waves. We’re riding the crest of an Airfix wave of kit nostalgia in this weekend’s edition of our Workbench blog.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. UK based enthusiasts know only too well how the centenary of their air force’s establishment is a time for national celebration, as they will no doubt have the pictures, books and memorabilia all gathered during a year of RAF 100 commemorations from back in 2018. With that being the case, we will be slightly envious of the Swedish people this year, as they’re already in their centenary year of the Flygvapnet, and have a massive Airshow event to come in August, to be held at Malmen Air Base at Linköping, unquestionably the most exciting place to be in this significant centenary year. In this latest edition of Workbench, we will be paying our own blog tribute to this year’s Swedish Air Force Centenary celebrations, but from an Airfix perspective, and doing so in 1/72nd scale. Scheduled for release later this summer, our Swedish Air Force 100th Anniversary Set charts the development of the Flygvapnet from the inter-war purchase of British Gloster Gladiator fighters, to the introduction of the spectacular Draken fighter, an indigenously produced sensation of a supersonic aircraft. A set which is in addition to the current Swedish Air Force related Club kit being enjoyed by active members of the Airfix Club, we’ll be making a sizeable scale Swedish Air Force Centenary entry in our modelling logbooks in this latest edition of Workbench.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. We have a real Airfix treat for you in this week’s edition of Workbench, as we pay our first blog visit of the year to one of the new tooling projects joining the range in 2026, the latest classic addition to our incredibly popular 1/35th scale military vehicle range. With the Ferret Scout Car having successfully completed its scale reconnaissance mission for future 1/35th scale projects, were delighted to be welcoming the third in our series of classic post war British military vehicle kits to the current range, with the impending release of our Alvis FV603 Saracen Mk.5, and she’s a beauty! As we pay our first visit to this exciting new project, we will be bringing you designer insights, exclusive CAD imagery, and a run through of the three scheme options which will be supporting the initial release of the new Saracen, a kit we already know a great many Airfix fans will be looking forward to rumbling on their own workstations. There’s nothing quite like a new tooling project review to usher us into another Workbench weekend, and with the British Army’s Combat Caravan in our sights, we’ve got an absolute cracker for you this time around.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. In a week which has been nothing short of momentous in the history of human space exploration, there really could only be one subject for this week’s edition of Workbench, and that would be for us to continue reaching for the stars. As the crew of Artemis II set new records in space exploration history, the return to earth of the Orion capsule (Integrity) on 10th April will also serve as the precursor to another significant NASA anniversary to be celebrated just two days later, the 45th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle mission launch. In this latest edition of Workbench, we will be ‘going for launch’ on our own blog tribute to the NASA program which came between Artemis and Apollo, marking the world’s return to the fascinating subject of human space exploration, and the incredible technology behind it. Of course, as we are Airfix, we will be including several model kit representations which have helped us to commemorate the incredible machines which have taken mankind into space, but in impressive scale form, kits which are thankfully in plentiful supply in this momentous year for NASA and their current space program. Without doubt, one of the most impressive machines ever created by man is the subject of this latest edition of Workbench.

Welcome to this first edition of our Workbench blog for 2026, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. Having just completed another year of bringing our loyal readers weekly Workbench development updates, and with our latest range launch now just days away, we thought that we might try something just that little bit different for this latest edition of our blog, particularly as new models and new model tooling projects are going to be dominating our attention over the coming weeks. With a full year of numbers and statistics now available for evaluation, we thought it might be an interesting exercise to discover which kits proved to be the most popular releases over the previous twelve months, and whether new toolings totally dominated this chart, or if the re-introduction of some updated classics managed to muscle their way in there. Taking this final opportunity to reflect before we embark on our 2026 modelling voyage of discovery, we will be looking at TEN of the most popular kits from 2025, featuring box artwork, built kit photography and details behind at least one of the scheme options available with each kit release. For those of us who have one, or several of these kits either in our stashes, or already in our display cabinets, this will serve as clear confirmation that we really do have our fingers on the pulse when it comes to modelling matters, and for those yet to sample these scale delights, what on earth have you been doing all year?

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. Read the blog: https://uk.airfix.com/community/blog-and-news/workbench/british-army-bid-farewell-their-iconic-land-rovers For this week’s edition of Workbench, we will be entering the fascinating world of iconic British military vehicles, as we mark a poignant and rather sad occasion in the history of the British Army. Over the previous few days, the Ministry of Defence have announced the impending retirement of the Land Rover, an incredibly successful series of utility vehicles which have faithfully supported British troops wherever they’ve been deployed since their introduction back in 1949. In addition to looking at how the Land Rover made the successful transition from rugged, no-nonsense civilian utility vehicle, to dependable military mechanical warhorse in service for seven decades, we will also be looking at the wider subject of how commercial vehicles were successfully adapted for military service, and how these vehicles are definitely the unsung support/transport heroes of any armed force and their associated operations. As you would expect, we will also be taking this opportunity to look at our scale model kit tributes to these vehicles which whilst usually in the shadows of military operations, were actually the life blood of any exercise or military deployment. We’re racing into British summertime by paying tribute to the incredible military service of a British automotive phenomenon in this latest edition of Workbench.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. We find ourselves returning to the subject of significant aviation related anniversaries in this week’s edition of Workbench, as we bring you not one, but two blog posts connected to two of the most significant aircraft to have ever performed on the UK Airshow circuit. In this post, the focus of our attentions will be the last flight of a famous aircraft type in Royal Air Force service, one which served as a British icon throughout the Cold War era, and one which would relinquish its official RAF display duties, only to later take its place on the UK Airshow circuit in private hands. Incredibly, for a seven year period, she would become the world’s most complex aircraft restoration project ever to return to flying condition, referred to by millions of people simply by her military serial number XH558. Captivating the UK Airshow scene for seven truly unforgettable years, not only did she command record crowds wherever she performed, but she would also be known as ‘The Spirit of Great Britain’, and arguably, the most famous aircraft to ever appear on the UK Airshow scene. In our second, separately published post for the week, we will be marking another significant British aviation anniversary, but one connected to an enemy aircraft from an earlier era of flight. Flown operationally by the Luftwaffe at the end of 1942, this aircraft was captured by Allied troops just a few days later, and was subsequently flown by the RAF’s enemy aircraft flight back in the UK. This historic machine would eventually take its place on the UK Airshow scene as the only original German combat aircraft flying anywhere in the world, following the completion of a 20 year restoration project which became the life’s work of a very special man a handful of volunteer professionals. Two of the most famous aircraft to have ever flown on the UK Airshow circuit are our Workbench subjects for this weekend, as both celebrate significant anniversaries this month, and both will help to get us all a little excited for the coming Airshow season.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. We find ourselves returning to the subject of significant aviation related anniversaries in this week’s edition of Workbench, as we bring you not one, but two blog posts connected to two of the most significant aircraft to have ever performed on the UK Airshow circuit. In this first post, we look at an aircraft which was flown operationally by the Luftwaffe at the end of 1942, was captured by Allied troops just a few days later, and was subsequently flown by the RAF’s enemy aircraft flight back in the UK. It would eventually take its place on the UK Airshow circuit as the only original German combat aircraft flying anywhere in the world, following the completion of a 20 year restoration project which became the life’s work of a very special man a handful of volunteer professionals. In a second, separately published post, we will be marking another significant British aviation anniversary, one which is not only related to the last flight of a famous aircraft type in Royal Air Force service, but one which would also go on to take its place on the UK Airshow circuit, and for a seven year period, become the world’s most complex aircraft restoration project to flying condition. Known to millions by her military serial number XH558, this icon of the Cold War would captivate the UK Airshow scene for seven unforgettable years, where she not only commanded record crowds wherever she performed, but was also proclaimed ‘The Spirit of Great Britain’. Two of the most famous aircraft to have ever flown on the UK Airshow circuit are our Workbench subjects for this weekend, as both celebrate significant anniversaries this month, and both will help to get us all a little excited for the coming Airshow season.

Head of Brand Dale Luckhurst is joined by Product Development Manager Matthew Whiting and @thescalemodellingcafe to talk all things Airfix, Flying Career and more! Visit the Airfix range: www.airfix.com #airfix #scalemodelling #aviationhistory #modelkit

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. With the subject of aircraft and aviation history proving to be so utterly captivating for so many people, it’s no wonder that the scale modelling hobby has thrived as it has over the years, as it’s taken so much subject inspiration from man’s enduring fascination with flight. With last week’s 90th Anniversary of the first flight of the Supermarine Type 300 (Spitfire) still fresh in our minds, many people would probably agree that we can often be guilty of allowing the focus of our attentions to be a little UK mainland centric if we’re being honest, even if that’s understandable bearing in mind the rich subject matter available to us. Because that tends to be the case, we rarely direct our gaze to skies across the Irish Sea, however, in this current edition of Workbench, we’ll be attempting to put that right. By way of marking next week’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations, our subject for this latest edition is the proud aviation heritage of the Irish Air Corps, using what is actually a fairly limited number of Airfix model kit livery options as our related illustrators, notwithstanding the fact that they happen to be rather eye-catching and extremely appealing ones. From the pioneering aviators making trans-Atlantic crossings, to the first jet aircraft operating out of Baldonnel Aerodrome, we’re looking at aviation through Irish eyes in this latest edition of Workbench.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. When it comes to important dates in the history of aviation, there can be few which command the significance of the one which took place on an airfield near Southampton 90 years ago today, so important in fact that it requires the early publication of this week’s edition of Workbench. When a select number of people gathered at Eastleigh Aerodrome on 5th March 1936, they had done so to help facilitate, or possibly to document, the first flight of a new single seat fighter aircraft designed and constructed by the Supermarine company. What none of them could have realised, however, was that when they saw that rather tatty looking Supermarine Type 300 aircraft taking to the air for what proved to be a short eight minute maiden flight that day, they would all be witnesses to the birth of an aviation legend, an aircraft type which would still be flying in some numbers 90 years later, and one which would come to symbolise Britain’s defiance in the face of staggering adversity. Was it actually possible for an aeroplane to do that? The Spitfire certainly could. In this latest, rather special edition of Workbench, we will be paying our own blog tribute to the maiden flight of the Supermarine Type 300, but rather than following suit with the multitude of other articles scheduled to be published on this subject over the coming few days, we will be taking ours in a rather personal direction, our enduring scale association with the magnificent Spitfire. In fact, it happens to be our opinion that no group has made more Spitfires than Airfix modellers over the years, and that’s not a bad place for us to start.

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. The title of this week’s edition of Workbench leaves us in no doubt whatsoever that we have something rather special in mind this time around, and will see us delving into the inspirational world of one of Britain’s favourite sons, a man who helped galvanise a nation to its task during some of its darkest days. As the past few days have seen history marking the 116th birthday of Douglas Bader, and particularly because goodness knows we could all use a little inspiration at this moment in time, we couldn’t think of a finer subject to stir our modelling passions this weekend. That being said, the main focus of our attentions is going to be the flying career of this incredible man. To those who knew him, Douglas Bader was often described as being reckless, headstrong and often difficult, but for a nation who came to know him through his spirit and deeds, they saw him as inspirational, determined and fiercely patriotic, just the sort of man you needed when facing a threat to your very way of life. Douglas Bader was an ordinary man who achieved extraordinary things, but more than anything else, was an inspirational leader of men, in the days when leaders needed to do so from the front. A man who overcame incredible physical adversity to do his duty, we’re entering the world of a very British hero in this latest edition of Workbench.