Type 3 Style Varieties

Varieties of Type 3 Packaging (Header Cards and Boxes)
This section has been created to show the just how varied Airfix designs were. The Header Cards below are all "Type 3", were available from 1963 to 1973, and probably represent the best known of all Airfix styles. Note that many kits were issued in different Type 3 styles over the years.

Although the Type 3 is also known as the "red flash" style, there were other known variations of Type 3 packaging -

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter - had a yellow stripe, and the white panel is to the bottom left of the artwork
bagged ship kits - had a blue stripe
bagged car kits - some had a green stripe
Airfix Motor Racing slot-car accessory sets in plastic bags - Type 3 style but with a checkered stripe !!
EE Lightning aircraft kit - red flash area is to the top of the artwork. An example, there were many others.

	The classic Airfix kit - Spitfire IX in a Type-3 plastic bag! This is a later version where the Airfix ribbon logo has acquired stripes
	Note how the Airfix logo had no stripes in this early version of the Type-3
	In this version the kit name has left the "red flash" corner, and is superimposed on the artwork itself. This is the OO scale Tiger Tank kit
	Again, with the Chance Vought Corsair kit (see below) the name is printed over the artwork, but the logo is just stripes, with no surround.

	Two Chance Vought Corsair kits - both Type 3 plastic bags !
	It is believed that the top version is later - the Airfix logo is striped and the kit name appears printed on the artwork. The slight colour differences are probably due to my scanning, but the originals are not quite the same shades.

	Again - same kit, all Type 3 plastic bags.
	In this example, the artwork is different, although clearly taken from the same prototype.
	Yet another version of the Type 3!!.

The Angel Interceptor of 1968 is probably unique in that the red flash area does not have any Airfix logo at all. But, then again, the Type 3 boxes were slightly different to the Type 3 header cards.

Left : Here's another sort of Type 3 packaging. This sort is known as pure fantasy. This artwork (actually of photograph of the real thing) was shown in a 1969 catalogue. Airfix never released the Harrier kit in either bag or box with this artwork. Often Airfix announced kits in their catalogues before the real artwork was ready. So they made up stuff with photographs !!
Here's the real box art: Harrier - 10k file

If anybody has more versions of Type-3 plastic bag header cards, I would be very pleased to hear from you. Please e-mail me!