Meccano, Hornby, Dinky and Airfix were the great names of a 1950s childhood but unless you were lucky enough to be born into the middle classes, only Airfix was remotely affordable. Most of my models were constructed from old cotton reels and discarded fag packets, so the Airfix 'Golden Hind' kit with its wealth of moulded detail, colourful transfers and rigging printed on clear acetate came like a leap into hyperspace. Sadly we lived thirty miles from the nearest 'Woolies' and we didn't get there often but I built a few kits of treasured memory. My modelling tended to develop along scratch-built lines, although the materials became a little more sophisticated over the years. However I found myself buying increasing numbers of kits to use as reference material for 'some day' projects and eventually the increasing difficulty of getting into the loft led me to have a go at building the odd kit again – that and the appeal of a model that could be built in less than ten years!