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One thing that amazes me, is that it would be so easy for the artist to take a built kit, hang it on a string, take a photo of it and use that picture as a basis to at least get the shape of the plane right. I'm no artist, but even I can copy an image well enough to look vastly better than this box "art". One would think the manufacturers would want to make their products look good.

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Not exactly "worst" box art but I have noticed several instances of one company taking the box art from a kit from another company and modifying it (or even downright copies it) for their own kit. I'll try to find some examples and post them.

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The very worst box art has to be the Trumpeter 1/48 scale Grumman Hu-16 Albatross........ :whistle:

tru_2821_title.jpg

The sinking ship was totally wrong :woot.gif:/>

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234927710-148-grumman-hu-16a-albatros-by-trumpeter-released-new-alley-cat-nose-correction-set/?hl=%2Btrumpeter+%2Balbatross#entry1186224

See post #13......

I mean, if the artist can't even get the sinking ship right, what hope is there...... ????

Ken

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These 80's Testors boxing are just as uninspiring as those Minicraft/Hasegawa ones of the 80's. The table is more interesting - looks very nice.

5179hNqBPpL.jpg

Here's an even more ugly box art of the bug. What carrier is that? Notice the line up of bugs on the deck, all in the prototype paint scheme.

HC%20HC1353%20F-18.JPG

Edited by aerofan
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Just thought of this one because I'm getting ready to build this with my young nephew when he comes over to visit during the holidays. These 80's Testors boxing are just as uninspiring as those Minicraft/Hasegawa ones of the 80's. I'll show my nephew a dvd to get him inspired - the boxart would make him run to his more inspiring Lego.

5179hNqBPpL.jpg

For years I have wanted to build a testors kit and build a display for it ,just like is on the box.

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At least Testors went to some effort to make the scene look like the model was fresh from the workbench and usually had good lighting for the picture. Most other companies who put pictures of the real model on the box didn't exercise even that little bit of care.

Not so inspiring, I agree, but definitely more attractive on the shelf than contemporaries who were doing the same on their boxes.

Less inspiring from Testors was their "Hobby Shop Only" boxings

802-1.jpg

net photo

I knew one or two fellows who worked in model shops who just hated the HSO packaging with a passion because the plain brown boxes had no visual impact at all from the shelf and the labeling had a habit of coming detached and tatty at the corners rather easily.

The best thing about the HSO boxing, in my view, was that you got a stronger than average box out of the deal.

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I'm no artist, but even I can copy an image well enough to look vastly better than this box "art". One would think the manufacturers would want to make their products look good.

Most of the [bad] box art wasn't meant to attract older modelers i.e. modelers over the age of 13 years or so; most of that box art was done during a time when [grown] men didn't openly build plastic models as we do now. It was aimed at an age group who looked at it saw a plane in attack mode and thought..."WOW...that's so cool", grabbed said kit and proceeded to the checkout register/stand dropped their $1-2 on the counter and walked out thinking only of getting the box opened and starting the build, did I mention they didn't have to buy plastic cement (it was included) in the box); remember those days ;) ; for the more modern [bad box art] I can only attribute that to blatant reckless disregard or a DGAS attitude; they had may as well put it in a plain box with a label describing the contents. I would rather have bad box art with a jewel of a kit, than great box art with an injection molded disaster inside.

Edited by #1 Greywolf
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And by all means, when releasing weapons at 15 feet have the speed brakes open. :huh:/>/>

memlane3.jpg

Here we see the USS Arizona being attacked at Pearl Harbor by a couple of... Sonias? And for some reason she has traded her Kingfishers for SOCs. This box art is to blame for why I painted this kit overall silver as a young fledgling assembler. Back before I could even spell "research".

Rick L.

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My wife and I do quite a bit of aviation art, and art in general... far from "expert class" but we certainly do try to get some accuracy ...so when we came across this thread, we had to have a look. Turns out, we actually made a bowl of popcorn to look over this thread, and have been busting our guts laughing! Thank you so much for this, it's an absolute riot!

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And by all means, when releasing weapons at 15 feet have the speed brakes open. :huh:/>/>/>

memlane3.jpg

Here we see the USS Arizona being attacked at Pearl Harbor by a couple of... Sonias? And for some reason she has traded her Kingfishers for SOCs. This box art is to blame for why I painted this kit overall silver as a young fledgling assembler. Back before I could even spell "research".

Rick L.

Actually it was better than the original artwork. For decades Revell had the Arizona turned around the wrong way, with Ford Island on the port sided

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=23812&erl=Revell-1-426-USS-Arizona-Pearl-Harbor-Battleship-H302

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This would be my choice for worst kit box art

I always thought that the subject of the kit was supposed to be the "star" (if you will)

The only thing that I can think of when seeing this art is that it was the artist's last day and he wanted to stick it to Airfix.... (who were up against a deadline and had no choice but to go with the art work).

LIGHTNINGF1_zps5bb387cb.png

Cheers!

John

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This would be my choice for worst kit box art

I always thought that the subject of the kit was supposed to be the "star" (if you will)

The only thing that I can think of when seeing this art is that it was the artist's last day and he wanted to stick it to Airfix.... (who were up against a deadline and had no choice but to go with the art work).

LIGHTNINGF1_zps5bb387cb.png

Cheers!

John

Doesn't the new Airfix Blenheim box art show it with one engine on fire and what to me looks like an FW-190 shooting it down?

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This would be my choice for worst kit box art

I always thought that the subject of the kit was supposed to be the "star" (if you will)

The only thing that I can think of when seeing this art is that it was the artist's last day and he wanted to stick it to Airfix.... (who were up against a deadline and had no choice but to go with the art work).

LIGHTNINGF1_zps5bb387cb.png

Cheers!

John

Not the only example of it's kind, but Matchbox made theirs look awesome anyway (like almost all of their boxart).

178474-12155.jpg?nr=40402&company=matchbox&name=wellington%20mk.x

Airfix boxart is almost as good these days, bar the odd slip-up with a first edition here and there :) :

a05042f6lightningatf.jpg

Edited by Mumbles
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Doesn't the new Airfix Blenheim box art show it with one engine on fire and what to me looks like an FW-190 shooting it down?

Ki-43's. The boxart depicts a Victoria Cross winning action in the Malayan campaign in 1941:

246298-11185-45.jpg?nr=a04016&company=airfix&name=bristol%20blenheim%20mk.i

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