The Golden Hind - Hornby Box Art Series

Once More 'Round the Horn!
Next up in the box art series is Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind. Mike has this to say: Drake's Golden Hind shown under almost full sail, in good weather.  The original box art for this kit had shown her in action, so I was looking for strong contrast.  


Here's a link to see the final box design or buy the model kit.

http://www.megahobby.com/goldenhindgiftset172airfix.aspx

Apollo 11, You Are GO for Launch! More Hornby Box Art

Mike says: The Saturn V Rocket, carrying Apollo 11 on its journey to the Moon, shown shortly before the first stage separates.   

What a great piece of art, and a great moment in history. As we approach the final Space Shuttle launch, its great to look back and see where we've been... and where we should return.

As always, here's a link to view the finished box art or order the model kit:

HMS Warspite Model Box Art

Sorry for the delay, here's the next box art from Hornby/Airfix! Click on the image to make it bigger.

Mike says: HMS Warspite served in both word wars.  At Jutland, she was hit no fewer than 13 times and later, after extensive modernisation, served with great distinction in the Mediterranean during WW2.  She is depicted take part in the bombardment of the Normandy coast on D- Day in June 1944. 

Here's a link to see the finished box art and buy the model kit!

HMS Iron Duke Model Box Art

Here's the next image in our great Hornby/Airfix box art bonanza!

Mike says: HMS Iron Duke, the flagship of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet at the 1916 Battle of Jutland.  She is depicted late in the afternoon when the full fleet came into contact with the distant German High Seas Fleet and opened fire at last. 

Here's a link to see the final box design and buy the model kit.

Titanic! Hornby Model Box Art Series

Mike takes on a legend in this painting - the R.M.S Titanic. Sunk by an iceberg on April 15th, 1912, the Titanic is almost certainly the most well known passenger ship in history, and went down with a loss of 1,517 souls.

Mike has this to to say about the image: The Titanic shown early in her tragic maiden voyage.  Everyone else seemed to have depicted her on that fateful night, surrounded by icebergs and lifeboats.  I was looking for an illustration the would set this one apart from the rest.  

I think he succeeded. Below is a link to see the finished box art and order the model kit.

Vickers Wellington Mk 1C - Model Box Art

Third in the Model Box Art Series! Mike has this to say about it:

Vickers Wellington Mk1c, the WW2 bomber designed by Barnes Wallis (of Dambusters Bouncing Bomb fame) which was the mainstay of Bomber Command until the arrival of the big four-engined heavies.  The illustration shows N2980 on her fateful flight in December 1940. Having developed engine trouble she ditched into Loch Ness, although almost all of the crew escaped.  Discovered in 1976 on the bottom of the Loch, she was successfully salvaged in 1985 and is currently being rebuilt.

As always, here's a link to see the finished box and purchase the model.

USS Thomas Model Box Art - Airfix/Hornby

Here's the next in Mike's box art series, The USS Thomas.

Mike says: "Another flush-deck destroyer, serving as the USS Thomas following the first world war.  Transferred to the Royal Navy as a Town class destroyer, but spent most of the war serving with the exiled Norwegian Navy in the North Atlantic.  Shown on a typical convoy."  

Below is a link to order the kit and view the box art in finished format.

Mike Trim's Airfix Model Kit Box Art Series - HMS Montgomery

In 2010, Mike Trim completed a series of illustrations for Hornby Hobbies, which would find their way onto model kit boxes released by the Airfix Company. I'll try and post a new one at least once a week until I run out.

First up is the HMS Montgomery, above. Mike had this to say about it:
"HMS Montgomery, formally the US Destroyer USS Wickes, she gave her name to a whole class of flush-deckers. Commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1940, she served with distinction escorting numerous convoys with the 7th Escort Group, mainly in the Atlantic. Shown discharging depth charges. As with all the artwork, this was done using Gouache Designer's Colour and coloured pencils."

Here's a link to buy the kit at Amazon.com!

Keeping Up With The Dickens

Sorry, I'm late again getting a new image up and you must be starting to doubt my commitment to this little project. Fear not, I've returned and with a wonderful photo (shot by Mike) of fellow model shop "new hire" Roger Dicken and Stingray! Roger and Mike answered the same newspaper advertisement and were hired to work in the shop on the same day. Click the picture to enlarge it.
The company was just winding down post production on Stingray, but the boys were hired to start pre-production on Thunderbirds. This photo must have been shot fairly soon after Mike and Roger (and James Channing as well) were hired, as one of the Stingray models was obviously still laying about the shop. Another photo from this sequence (with both Mike and Roger holding the model) did make it into The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim and appears on page 20.
Roger went on to be nominated for an Academy award for Best Special Effects in 1970 (along with Jim Danforth) for When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth. They lost to Bedknobs and Broomsticks!
Roger also worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien, for which he created the facehugger and other creepy creature effects.

San Diego Comic Con is fast approaching, and I'll be at the Hermes Press booth signing copies of the book again this year. The convention runs from July 25th through July 30th at the San Diego Convention Center. Here's the convention's website:
http://www.comic-con.org/cci/
Check back here for a booth number; I'll post it as soon as I find out what it is. Hope to see some old friends there and make some new ones. Please do say hello if you're going to be there!

Wonderfest! May 26-27, Louisville, KY

Once again, I'll be spending Memorial Day in Louisville, KY at Wonderfest. This is my 13th year attending the toy and model show, and I always enjoy myself. I'll be signing copies of The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim at the FAB Gear booth all weekend, I hope some of you will stop by and say hello.
For more info on Wonderfest, stop by their website here:
http://www.wonderfest.com
This year's guests include Robert Picardo, Denise Crosby, Lori Nelson, Zacherle, David J. Schow, Greg Nicotero, Bob and Kathy Burns, Pat McClung, Bill Stout, John Eaves, Mark Schultz, John Goodwin, Vincent Di Fate and more.
Hope to see some of you there next weekend!
Anthony

Those Wonderful Toys...

The article I wrote about Mike and the toys and model kits that have been created from his Anderson designs has finally made it into Toy Shop Magazine.

The article, curiously named "The Future was FAB", appears in the February 2007 issue of Toy Shop. It includes text and photos that are not in the book, so you'll want to pick it up to get the scoop on the Dinky, Imai, Product Enterprise, Rosenthal and other toys and model kits based on Mike's designs.
The magazine should be available now in comic shops, bookstores, and newsstands everywhere.