More Vintage Years of Airfix Box Art Hardcover – 27 Oct. 2014

There is no doubt that Roy Cross is an outstanding illustrator, especially when it comes aviation subjects. That said he is also a very capable illustrator of military and other vehicles, of which the examples in this book clearly demonstrate.If he has any weakness, at least as far as this book is concerned, it is in the illustration of ships. His application of perspective, his draughtsmanship and compositions are all good, but in the rendition of seas and sails, for example, he lacks the conviction of his other works. He is also a little weak when it comes to drawing humans, and the artwork for ‘James Bond and Oddjob’, completed in 1966, should have been omitted in this reviewer’s opinion. However, it is part of the wider Airfix story, so Cross is forgiven!Nevertheless, weaknesses aside, as a collection of illustrations produced under the famous Airfix banner, this book will undoubtedly appeal. And this appeal goes well beyond any fond memories readers might have of building the Airfix kits that were sold principally on the strength and quality of Roy Cross’s illustrations. It is also necessary to acknowledge that sometimes Airfix ‘interfered’ with compositions proposed by Cross, but as Airfix was the client they did have that right, even if, at times, their judgement might have been flawed. But, as always, Cross rose to the challenge!Cross’s early training as a technical illustrator provided him with the important knowledge and understanding of how to apply the theory of perspective to aircraft, vehicles and ships. This often ignored but vital component of any realistic illustration or painting is evident throughout this book, reinforced by the reproduction of some of his preparatory drawings. (The preparatory drawings are a delight; so often these are ignored in books on painting and illustration, but they are so useful in understanding the creative process of an artist or illustrator.)Personally I would have liked to have seen more of Cross’s pre-Airfix works, but maybe that’s for another book...There are many full members of the Guild of Aviation Artists who should study these illustrations. For some inexplicable reason many members of the Guild have been elected to full membership with a very poor understanding of their primary subjects - aircraft and aviation. And this applies even when these members are copying directly from photographs!This is an excellent record of the work of an outstanding illustrator. In today’s digital world it is so refreshing to see works produced entirely by hand, using skills and knowledge acquired by constant practice and a very obvious understanding of the subjects being drawn. It should also be pointed out that the book is extremely well produced; the quality of the reproductions does justice to the drawings and illustrations. For this, the publisher is to be commended.This book is highly recommended.

This is the third and final collection of Roy Cross artwork I have bought and in many ways its probably the most evocative. So many beautiful illustrations , including classics that seemed to be missing from the last two volumes. I particularly loved the inclusion of the Apollo mission spacecraft (I can remember the excitement of the moon landings, then building the Saturn V ), old sf favourites like Angel Interceptor, the 2001 Orion, and James Bonds Little Nellie. And there are more trains, cars, ships ,motor cycles and the wonderful 1/24th scale models than included in the other two. I could almost smell the glue and paints!!!!

Great book nicely quality packed with great box art of the days when kit boxes inspired the build

This is a wonderful book and a great joy to peruse. However, I have to reluctantly take a point off due to the following:1. The standard of printing. The whole point of a book like this is present the highest-possible quality reproductions of Roy Cross's extraordinary work, as we can already see fair-reproductions of his work on old Airfix box tops and Airfix catalogues. But the copy of this book I received has crease lines on pages 83/84, 85/86. 87/88, 91/92 and 93/94. Further, a large part of the bottom corner of page 83/84 looks like it was folded over completely at some point and then folded back, totally ruining the impact of the images presented on both sides of that page. Some images moreover look anaemic, as if something went wrong with the amount of ink used in the printing process. I refer specifically to the Hawker Typhoon on page 25, the Hannover CL.III on page 36 and the Sopwith Camel on page 51. The only reason I know something doesn't look right about these three particular images is that you can see far better reproductions of them on the Airfix kits themselves! The rest of the images are beautifully reproduced however, which stops me from returning the book and seeking a replacement, which may turn out to be even worse.2. The commentary. I was hoping each image would be accompanied with more commentary by the artist on the creation of the paintings themselves, rather than the brief outlines provided of the service history of the aircraft, vehicles and vessels depicted; which is easily obtainable elsewhere and not really the topic of the book (which surely is the art itself, isn't it?). The artist does comment sometimes on the creation of a particular painting, but unfortunately not always or often enough.

Wonderful artwork that is also a trip down memory lane for anyone, like me, brought up on Airfix kits. Roy Cross is a great artist.

An absolute necessity for all aficionados of the excellent Roy Cross Artwork and the History of Airfix. Superb pictures evocative of a bygone age. I can strongly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates historically accurate military artworks.

Lots of reproductions of Airfix box top art inside. About 115 of them. Mostly of the original painting and some reproductions of the box top.Then there are a few pictures of colour schemes which where on the side of the boxes and there are a lot of sketches of how the box top art could have been.There is a picture on almost every page accompanied by a small description on either the same or the opposite page.

Wonderful book that took me back down memory lane, used to love making Airfix kits and half of the excitement was seeing how exciting the packaging looked. Highly recommend this book.

A must buy for anyone with a fond memory of looking at the cool boxart on the Airfix models

Das Buch hat viele tolle fast fotorealistische Farbbilder des englischen Malers Roy Cross, die er in den 1960er- und 1970er-Jahren für die Schachteln der Airfix-Plastikbausätze gemalt hat. Im englischen nennt man das "box art".Das Buch beginnt mit einem kurzen Einleitungstext wo Roy Cross seine Biografie vor der Airfix-Zeit kurz darstellt und auch erklärt, mit welcher Art von Farben er malt. Dann folgt der Bildteil, oft ganzseitige Reproduktionen der Vorlagen für die Schachteldeckel und daher ohne den Text und das Logo von Airfix. Nur bei einigen wenigen Bildern war das Original nicht mehr vorhanden, so dass es von dem Schachteldeckel reproduziert wurde. Die Reproduktionen und der Farbdruck sind meiner Meinung nach gut gelungen. Es sind Bilder zu vielen verschiedenen Gattungen (zivile und militärische Flugzeuge, Schiffe, Autos, Militärfahrzeuge, Figuren, Lokomotiven, Raumfahrzeuge) von Modellen aus dem Airfix-Angebot.Was mir am Malstil von Roy Cross sehr gut gefällt ist die Dynamik (z. B. bei den Flugzeugen), die seine Bilder gekonnt darstellen. Auch das "drumherum" um die Modelle ist sehr gut dargestellt. Zusätzlich sind ab und zu noch einige schwarz-weiß-Skizzen von nicht realisierten Bildern eingefügt. Zusätzlich gibt es noch ein paar Bilder von Arbeiten von Roy Cross für andere Auftraggeber als Airfix.Zu den Bildern gibt es - meist knappe - Erklärungen zu den Vorbildern der darauf abgebildeten der Modellen und manchmal auch zum Airfix-Modell. Alle Texte sind in englisch.Was mir fehlt sind Angaben zum Jahr der Anfertigung der Bilder. Das hat mich aber nicht davon abhehalten die zwei anderen Bücher von Roy Cross"Vintage Years Of Airfix Box Art"und"Celebration of Flight - The Aviation Art of Roy Cross"nach dem lesen dieses Buches zu bestellen.

An excellent follow-on to the first volume. The box art is reproduced in stunning quality, and a nice backstory is presented for the artist's work with Airfix. I would love to see a volume 3!

A second volume of work from this renowned artist, Roy Cross's work for Airfix was always great. In this second volume he continues with a selection of his work for Airfix products over the years, not just aircraft subjects but others such as spaceships, ships, motorcycles, historic cars and some of the more interesting subjects such as James Bond and the weirdo Ton Up Tony, etc.The presentation of the works first rate and this book, along with its predecessor make a very good reference set for any Airfix buff, or anyone interested in model kits in general.The box artistry is possibly one aspect of model company's selling ploy to entice prospective buyers to their products, so the work of the artist has to be good.In summary an excellent book, rich in illustrations displaying the work of one of Airfix's premier artists. Well done, Roy Cross!

懐かしいボックスアートが沢山あって中学～高校時代を思い出しました。