I never built any Matchbox kits; they came along about the time when I was struggling to get a career going and lucky just to eat. The mid-70s here were really tough. That's why I went in the Army; starting out as a young man was difficult. Anyway, little discretionary income for model building then.

I do have two in my kit-stash, though. A Stranny is one of them, as it happens, and a Mk1 Walrus the other. I have a soft spot for flying boats.

Talking of Humbrol, I still have several tins to hand. They're still quite usable even after all these years and a trip across The Puddle. Here, the equivalent were little jars of Testors enamels. Ubiquitous and, like Humbrol, never seems to go bad as long as it doesn't dry up because the cap wasn't sealed up after use. I still have jars of that stuff I bought as a boy, the price of fifteen cents printed on the cap...