Airfix SLR

for years i have been trying to think who made a toy SLR that i used to have many many years ago, it was a great model had a mag that you loaded with grey plastic bullets and they would fire out of the barrel not only that but it looked the dogs for a kids toy. Well finally i found it on the link below it was an airfix which really shocked me as i did not realise they made toy guns apparently they made a thompson as well but i cannt remember ever one of those. So anyone else have one of these or the thompson maybe and if you had one did you think it was as good as i do or am i the only one, if i could find one now i would buy it for nostalgia sake but i bet if any are around they are way expensive.

http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/archive/anyone-remember-the-airfix-f.n.-rifle__o_t__t_9293.html

Thanks for bringing back a lost memory, Claymore.

When Airfix first brought these out I was too young to afford to but one - and my parents thought it too expensive to buy for me!

It was a couple of years before I was able to buy a secondhand one that lasted two more years before the trigger action broke.
Even then I had a "try and fix it" attitude, so I carefully prised apart the glued plastic receiver and found the problem: the trigger had an extension that slid in the bolt and caught the sear: it had snapped off!
I found some strong glue (for the time) and repaired the break, and the receiver. I think I even painted the wood parts dark brown!

My repair worked for a few months before the glue failed! These days stronger glues are available....
I think I reluctantly threw it away after that!


Airfix also brought out a Thompson - but I never got to buy one!


Photos are from Vectis UK: http://www.vectis.co.uk/Page/ViewAuctionLots.aspx?AuctionId=346&DayNo=2&Section=4939&Start=20

It was 20 or more years later (1986) that I ended up owning a real-steel SLR ex-NZ Army. A great rifle though because I'm built on the short side of long, I found it a bit cumbersome when hunting in the NZ Bush. SO I sold it off to buy a Winchester 73 short rifle (Uberti).

And it was only 4 years ago I bought a Hudson M1A1 Tommy-gun....and discovered this gold mine of a forum two and a half years ago


Thanks for sharing. I had completely forgotten about the Airfix FN SLR.

Kiwigunner

Cheers for the reply kiwigunner glad to know there is somone else out there who has fond memories of this gun, its just a pity that no toy company seems to be allowed to make such an accurate toy for kids anymore. As you the SLr has more fond memories as i used one for many yrs before the SA80 came in.
That thompson is not as accurate a copy as the SLR but would of liked that to, if memory serves a metal SLR also came out but i think it was smaller and no idea who made it but i do remember it was just as accurate a copy but the airfix one does bring back good memorys

Wow! What a model! Is it possible to have more pictures please?
An airsoft model was available last year :
http://www.armamat.com/airsoft/p/fr/L1A1-SLR-Ares/4295/131/
And it's possible to replace plastic handguard, carrying handle, buttstock, and maybe the pistol grip, with real wood parts.

Today I found this post (from 2005):

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?13084-Airfix-SLR-plastic-toy-from-many-years-back/page2

Apparently Airfix made a re-issue of the FN rifle - by having them made in ISRAEL ! And bought by a guy in Ireland!

I'd be interested if anyone knows anything more about this?

Here's a larger picture of th Airfix Tommygun plus a different one of the FN SLR:


Kiwigunner

Those look fun, I don;t remember them, of course I had Airfix planes - I had the die-cast SLR that fired the 100 shot paper cap rolls, it opened by lever in the middle, they were always great when they were new, fouled up pretty quickly though.

Pit.

More pictures for you Dronne! (& everyone)Surfing the net I managed to find a photo of the metal FAL SLR - made by Lone Star (UK); plus a couple more Airfix modelguns (different packaging so maybe a new release??)
Taken from this site:
http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread.php?486867-Airfix-SLR-and-Airfix-Thompson/page3

LONESTAR FN SLR (FAL)

MORE AIRFIX

Kiwigunner

Oh! Thank you!
Before this post i had never heard about those models.
Models or toys?

These days in the UK they would be probably be classed as IRF's - imitation replica firearms! (???)
Given the Political paranoia today's times it would not surprise me!



These were both realistic under-sized TOYS....but Japanese engineers took both concepts (imitation rounds PLUS explosive caps) and developed Plug Fire Caps and the Modelgun replicas to fire them!

Maybe Claymore or 8ace will buy a modern Airsoft(Kings Arms) SLR and modify it to use PFC's?

Then show us all how they did it!

Kiwigunner

kiwigunner wrote:

Maybe Claymore or 8ace will buy a modern Airsoft(Kings Arms) SLR and modify it to use PFC's?

Then show us all how they did it!

Kiwigunner

It will be long and painfull!!!

Ah! so it was Lone star that did the metal SLR looks good as well, sure i had some cowboy guns that looked pretty good from Lone star. That AirfixSLR looks bettter each time i look at the picture.
I think 8ace might kill me if i give him an SLR project nice thought though

The Lonestar was the one I had - I had never seen the Airfix one before.

I was pretty familiar with the SLR (L1A1) because of Palitoy's Action Man dolls, lol.
I had a wave of nostalgia reading this thread and looked on Ebay for one of the Lonestar cap guns, and got caught in the Retro Action man doll auctions, how much fun are the memories the toys brought back - but I have too many hobbies, lol.

When I moved to America, the FN FAL was one of my first purchases, back when they were legal in California, I still have it - it is now grandfathered with DOJ as an Assault Weapon and legally registered of course.

Pit.

Woaw, I wish I was born back in those days. How much you think a Airfix one would cost these days?

The SLR sold for 320 UK pounds;

the Tommy gun for 340 UK pounds;
on Vedctis in April 2010.

Both were in good condition, original boxes and documents
Nostalgia is expensive!.

Kiwigunner