0:00:02 > 0:00:06So you think computer games are more exciting than old-fashioned toys?
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Maybe you should think again.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23With the help of the Great British public, it's time to liberate them
0:00:23 > 0:00:28from the toy cupboard, super-size them, and unleash their true potential.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43This week, Airfix.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I take a bunch of unruly teenagers...
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- Was he what?- Was he mental? - No, he wasn't mental!
0:00:50 > 0:00:53..and show them the joy of model-making.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56It's a bit more for older people, not really for kids.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Is it?
0:00:57 > 0:01:01I also realise a childhood dream.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03There's England, upside down!
0:01:05 > 0:01:07And I have some work done on my face.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12I prove that I'm still down with the kids...
0:01:12 > 0:01:16- Who's Beyonce? - You don't know who Beyonce... You're actually joking me?
0:01:16 > 0:01:21..all with the aim of building the biggest model aeroplane the world has ever seen.
0:01:23 > 0:01:31Do you think it would be possible to replicate the simplest Spitfire kit, but on a scale of 1:1?
0:01:31 > 0:01:32No.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41If I had to identify the most important influences on my young life,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44then, well, my mum and dad would be in first place, obviously.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47And then a few outstanding teachers.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50And there was a girl called Jane... who developed quite quickly.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53But in fourth place, in all seriousness,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55would be Airfix.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02This is a Hawker Hunter.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05I know without having to look at the plaque behind it.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08If you're my age, you probably know that as well, because you made the model.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11It was always very difficult to get near real aeroplanes.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16But by making models, you could have a whole air force from all over the world,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18and it all fitted on a tabletop.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20It was brilliant.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24You might think Airfix is just a cheap pastime,
0:02:24 > 0:02:29designed to keep kids off the street and stop them knocking a policeman's helmet off with a catapult.
0:02:29 > 0:02:30But it's so much more than that.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33It was actually designed to be educational.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37I mean, look at the things you can't help learning about if you make models -
0:02:37 > 0:02:39aviation, military history,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42automotive engineering, space flight,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45railway architecture and rolling stock.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Human anatomy, the Industrial Revolution,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52lives of the saints and even - if you were a bit soft...
0:02:53 > 0:02:56..blue tits.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00I think Airfix is good, character-building stuff for young people.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04After all, look how well I turned out.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08But since the mid '80s, sales of plastic kits have plummeted,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12which is why GCSEs have to be made easier these days.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Airfix was the brainchild of Hungarian businessman, Nicholas Kove,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19who established the company in 1939,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21initially making air-filled toys,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24hence the "air" in Airfix.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28In 1947, Airfix moved into kits, using the new science
0:03:28 > 0:03:30of plastic injection moulding.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Assembling a model from accurate scale parts beat the pants off
0:03:33 > 0:03:36carving something vague out of wood.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40By the '60s, Airfix was producing over a million kits a month
0:03:40 > 0:03:43at its South London factory.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46But this was to prove its heyday.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51The emergence of computer games soon shot model-making down in flames.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Today, most of the people making Airfix kits are as old as me.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04In this scene, filmed secretly in a London model shop, we have obscured their faces
0:04:04 > 0:04:08to protect their identities and spare their families.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14All of this makes it doubly difficult to get young people interested in Airfix modelling.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Because let's be honest, they've grown up with some pretty remarkable things -
0:04:18 > 0:04:22video games, an entire record collection that goes in a little box in your back pocket,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24and is never scratched.
0:04:24 > 0:04:30All I can offer them is a pile of plastic parts and an old hobby populated by old men.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I want to see Airfix reclaimed by the young.
0:04:34 > 0:04:40So I've come to the Thomas Telford School - near Telford - to recruit some 13-year-olds for my campaign.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Airfix demands patience, and the ability to sit still
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- for more than five minutes. - In my spare time,
0:04:46 > 0:04:51I'm more of a sporty person, doing Tae Kwon Do and cheerleading.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56Normally when I get home, I would either go on the computer or play on the Xbox.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58I like to play hockey, I swim,
0:04:58 > 0:05:03and I sail at Chelmarsh Sailing Club.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06When I was 13, doing Airfix at school
0:05:06 > 0:05:09would have been almost as good as a day off because the boilers had broken.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Things may have moved on.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15I've got a project which I want you to have a go at.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17It is an Airfix model.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19This is the very first Airfix model ever made,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21the first kit they did from 1952.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23It's the Golden Hinde warship.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28When that model came out, people about your age and a bit younger went absolutely mad for it.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31They thought it was the best thing ever created -
0:05:31 > 0:05:34a ship you could build yourself - and they sold hundreds of thousands.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37'The 13 year-olds went mad with excitement.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42'And, as if I needed to, I offered them a further incentive to get stuck into Airfix.'
0:05:42 > 0:05:49And if you do like it, I've got some other Airfix-related stunts and activities lined up
0:05:49 > 0:05:52that you can come and help me with. But only if you like it.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57If you turn out to be absolutely useless at it, I'll have to go to a school in Yorkshire or something.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02When I was a lad, Airfix was a joy,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05but a joy tempered with deep frustration.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09In this age of shallow fads and swift gratification, it seems that it still is.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11And that's good.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13No!
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- What's happened? - I just stuck it, and it now it fell, and now they've come loose!
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Did you break that in a rage?
0:06:20 > 0:06:23- Maybe.- Maybe. You did, didn't you?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25It's fun, it's just really frustrating.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30I keep gluing it, but it keeps falling apart.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34I think James was interested in this because it was the fashion.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39And it was the only thing to do. And it was basically what all boys did.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41What don't you like about it?
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I think it's a bit more for older people, not really for kids.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46- Is it?- I think so, yeah.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50'What I'd forgotten in the last 40 years,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54'is that the Golden Hinde is a pretty tricky little kit.'
0:06:54 > 0:06:55I can't do it!
0:06:58 > 0:07:00This is really difficult now.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03'And it's a bit of a boring old boat.'
0:07:03 > 0:07:07I think my best chance of reaching the hearts and minds
0:07:07 > 0:07:09of today's young people through Airfix
0:07:09 > 0:07:13is to ask them to make the greatest, the most popular,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16the most iconic Airfix model of all time.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20And that is, of course, the Supermarine Spitfire.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Here's one I made earlier.
0:07:25 > 0:07:271975, I think.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30'But this won't be a normal Airfix kit.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34'I've got something more inspirational in mind.'
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Here's my plan. Eventually I want my chosen young people
0:07:38 > 0:07:41to join together in making an Airfix Spitfire.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Just one. And for that reason,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47the original Airfix Spitfire kit is not really good enough.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50I thought they should have something a bit bigger.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And after a bit of thought, I've settled on an Airfix Spitfire kit
0:07:53 > 0:07:55on the scale of 1:1.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Full size. As big as the real aeroplane,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03but made up from the same parts as the original kit.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07I'm not actually sure how to do this. But it can't be impossible.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10In fact, I'm amazed it hasn't been done before.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15I decide to start at Airfix's HQ, now part of the Hornby empire in Margate.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Here, I intend to feign interest, and then, when no-one's looking,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21nick the plans for the original kit.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25But Trevor Snowden has worked for Airfix since I had glue on my face,
0:08:25 > 0:08:30and he easily sidetracks me on to a visit to Airfix's spare parts store.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34First thing we have here, of course, is the spares department,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37where if you lose the part, damage it,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40then we do in fact supply a replacement part.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44If you haven't got the part, you can't complete the model,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48and it's one of the things that Airfix pride themselves in,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53- that we will replace them.- This is like the Ark of the Covenant.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55In kit form. With comprehensive instructions.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00Walking through it is like shining a light into some neglected corner of childhood.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03I'd save up for ages to buy one fairly small model,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and then I'd be slightly sad when I'd finished it,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09because I'd have to save up again to buy another.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11I never had the luxury of thinking,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15"I've got too many models to make, I'd better put some in the loft."
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- It's madness.- But you must have some in the loft now.- I do! - THEY LAUGH
0:09:18 > 0:09:22When I got a bit older, people still bought them for me for my birthday,
0:09:22 > 0:09:27but I had discovered beer and ladies by then, so they ended up in the loft, and they're still there.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32'Finally, we make our way to the ancient archives.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37'Somewhere in here are the plans for a Spitfire.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40'Some of these drawings are as old as me.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43'And even more fragile.'
0:09:43 > 0:09:44Oh, yes!
0:09:44 > 0:09:48April 1976. Mark 5.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50But it doesn't take much of a leap of the imagination
0:09:50 > 0:09:52to see that if you make these bits bigger,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56you'd have a kit that would give you a full-sized Spitfire.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59- If you see where I'm coming from? - Yes, sure.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02You might want a very big moulding machine!
0:10:02 > 0:10:03We can probably get round that.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07'After slipping the priceless Spitfire drawings up my shirt,
0:10:07 > 0:10:11'I visit one of the factories where Airfix kits are made, with its MD, Paul Blackmore.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13'It's a fascinating process.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17'These two plates come together to form the mould.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20'Hot liquid plastic is injected, allowed to cool,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23and there you have it. A piece of cake. Or a Spitfire.'
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Do you think it would be possible to replicate
0:10:27 > 0:10:30the simplest Spitfire kit, in this form,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33on a sprue, but to the scale of 1:1?
0:10:33 > 0:10:37So those fuselage halves are as big as a real Spitfire?
0:10:37 > 0:10:39- No.- Why not?
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Because of the size and the weight of the tool,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46you would not be able to create the physical size of the tool to go on the machine.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48'I thought he might say that.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50'I have to find another way.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53'That's why I "borrowed" the drawing.'
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Now, whenever you drive past a historic RAF station -
0:11:00 > 0:11:04this is High Wycombe - you will see a Spitfire on a stick.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08And I hate to shatter your illusions now, but they're not real.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12They used to be in the olden days, but they were far too valuable to leave outside -
0:11:12 > 0:11:14they're worth millions of pounds.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17So people worked out a way of making replicas, which is what that is.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19That's actually a glass-fibre Spitfire.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23It is, in a way, already a giant Airfix model.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28So whoever made that should be able to help me make my massive Airfix kit.
0:11:32 > 0:11:40Down in Cornwall, a company called Gateguards makes these glass-fibre Spitfire lollipops. Job done?
0:11:40 > 0:11:42It isn't quite that simple.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Now, some of you will be watching this and thinking,
0:11:44 > 0:11:49"These people already make something like a giant aeroplane kit, so what is the problem?"
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Well, there are several. One of them is that...
0:11:52 > 0:11:56it doesn't actually go together like an Airfix kit does.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57Ow.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02This is just the fibreglass shell, and this is already fairly weighty.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05But because it has to live outside, on a stick,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and it's expected to last for 50 years,
0:12:08 > 0:12:13they also add the bit you can see in this one they're restoring.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19It's actually built around this massive...steel frame.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24And in fact, this replica Spitfire weighs almost as much as a real one, which is nearly two tonnes.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26I couldn't lift that.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31'Time to meet displaced Brummie refugee, Dave Hobson.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35'Can he make me a giant Airfix kit that's strong enough to stand up,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37'but light enough for children to handle?'
0:12:37 > 0:12:39What I want to know is,
0:12:39 > 0:12:44can you make this, like that, in a scale of 1:1?
0:12:44 > 0:12:49So that it looks like this, it's on the plastic runners,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53and kids and their mums and dads can build it, paint it,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56put the transfers on, in a public place,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59have a giant community Airfix modelling experience?
0:12:59 > 0:13:01But I need a massive kit.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Ooh... Do you actually realise the size of that?
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Do you have any idea how big...?
0:13:07 > 0:13:10- Is it OK to open this? - Yeah, fire away.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15There's only something like 20 components in it.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18To actually build something that size, we'd have to strengthen it up.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20If you want it exactly like that...
0:13:20 > 0:13:23This isn't the sort of talk that won the Battle of Britain.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28HE LAUGHS I'm not being defeatist, we can certainly have a go at it.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30It's not that big.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32'I know this isn't going to be simple.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35'And I know how big a real Spitfire is. But Dave shows me, anyway.'
0:13:35 > 0:13:39That's the whole width of the wing that you're asking us to build.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45You want me to make that in one structure?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Well, top and bottom halves.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- DAVE LAUGHS - What?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Make it light, make it strong.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58- It's a big structure.- I know it is, but, you know, I didn't ask you to make a Lancaster bomber, did I?
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- But this is totally alien to what we normally do.- I know it is.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04We build structures, like real aircraft,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07and you're asking us to build a hollow structure.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09It's like that first man who ever went on TV.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12He says he didn't know what he was doing, but it's OK,
0:14:12 > 0:14:16because no-one had ever been on TV, so nobody knew what they were doing.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18No-one's ever done this. You are a pioneer.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21You are the Wright Brothers of giant Airfix models.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Their main concern is that if they make it light enough
0:14:27 > 0:14:28for my purposes,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31it will be too floppy and too weak, and it won't stand up.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Which is why they're getting all worked up about this unsupported wing nonsense.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And admittedly, it's not the sort of materials and methods they're used to.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43But they are the nearest we have to a giant kit maker.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45So I think they'll do it, actually.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Well, they'll have to do it, otherwise I'll be fired.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55I've decided to keep the giant Spitfire as a complete surprise to my Airfix disciples.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58They still need more kit practice anyway.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03But the question is, should I break them in gently, or make them suffer?
0:15:03 > 0:15:05This is a Chieftain tank.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09It's a massive great hulk of metal parts, it weighs around 50 tonnes.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11But as an Airfix model, which is about that big,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15it drives you absolutely up the wall, because all these wheels and tracks
0:15:15 > 0:15:19are tiny, little, impossibly fiddly bits.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22It really is utterly frustrating.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24And, actually, hardly worth the bother.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28'I send the package to the headmaster.'
0:15:28 > 0:15:33"Dear class, please find enclosed some tanks to make.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38"These are quite fiddly, so please be patient and take your time.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40"There are two boxes of tanks.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46"Chieftain tanks and T62 tanks."
0:15:48 > 0:15:52I'm effectively asking modern children to spend a few evenings in the 1960s.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57I'd have them eating Spam fritters as well, to get the full effect.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00You've got to find that bit, 2A. They're normally numbered.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03But here's something I hadn't reckoned with - the dads.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06I played with Airfixes when I was a kid all the time.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09I had Phantoms, I had tanks, I had everything.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13I had aircraft carriers, the whole lot. I'm still reliving my childhood, to be honest.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15- Yeah, he's a big kid! - SHE CHUCKLES
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Putting things together, manufacturing something, getting an end result.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- Getting them perfect.- Trying to get them perfect, paint them,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26make them as good as possible.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33So the dads get it. But their children are still tolerating me with bemused indifference.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38I think Airfix is really evil because of all the little parts, and sticking it together,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and then it falls apart on you when you've worked so hard.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47It's a school day, so I've decided we should have a school trip on a bus.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53In my day, we'd have amused ourselves by making rude gestures at the lorry drivers.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Do you normally play with mobile phones and iPods on bus trips?
0:16:57 > 0:17:01- Yeah.- Is that all you ever do?- Yeah!
0:17:02 > 0:17:05But let's wait until they see what I've lined up for them.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09This will make those long hours at the table getting a thick ear
0:17:09 > 0:17:11for putting paint on the carpet seem worthwhile.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15The chance to experience for real the thing they made in miniature.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20THEY CHEER
0:17:22 > 0:17:27Not only is this much better than the field day at the sustainability farming project,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30it will help reveal the relevance of Airfix.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Look, the whole point of making models when I was a kid
0:17:33 > 0:17:36is that they were supposed to be educational.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39The bloke who ran the Airfix models factory was a mad historian.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41He was absolutely obsessed with it.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43And he thought everybody else should be.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48That's why he put on the instruction leaflets little bits of potted history of whatever you were making.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52It didn't matter if it was a tank or the model of the human skeleton,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54you got the history, you got the story behind it.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57That way, you learned stuff. That's what he wanted.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59So you must know something about tanks. Was he what?
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- Was he mental?- No, he wasn't mental!
0:18:02 > 0:18:05I change tack and try a bribe instead - tank driving with Major Nick.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10But even at 13, that part of a woman's brain
0:18:10 > 0:18:13that only thinks about shoes is already fully developed.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Oh, my God, I've got my shoes really muddy.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Oh, my God, that's SO not good.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- They're not really tank driving shoes, are they?- No.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23- Can we get our wellies on? - In a minute!
0:18:23 > 0:18:24It only goes down to your skin.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29We've come to a museum full of real tanks, and you're worried about shoes and mobile phones!
0:18:29 > 0:18:30Pull yourselves together!
0:18:30 > 0:18:34And even the boys are holding back.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Don't be soft!
0:18:36 > 0:18:40- You don't want to drive the tank? - No.- Why not?- Because I'll crash it.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44It's a tank, you idiot! It doesn't matter if you crash it.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Eventually, I order Dan to give it a go.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50More power. More power.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52More power. lovely!
0:18:52 > 0:18:56And a little bit of lift. Well done. OK, off you go!
0:18:57 > 0:19:00He doesn't realise it yet, but this is doing him good.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Pretty cool!- Dan the man!
0:19:10 > 0:19:12We're impressed with that.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Give them a salute. Go on, put your head out and give them a salute.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- Well done.- Congratulations, Dan.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I'll do anything to persuade this lot that tanks are cool,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25and that making models of them must therefore be cool, too.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28This next bit's from a low-priced DVD.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- OK.- Right.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- Give it a bit more.- That's it, right there.- About right.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Keep the power up. Plenty of power.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38Yeah, flat out, go on.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Oh, yes, I love that noise.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Keep going, keep going, keep going. Keep going, keep going
0:19:46 > 0:19:47and there you are.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54You'll be all right.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Now, between you and me, viewers, I don't really approve of running over cars with tanks.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05It's a bit of a cheap stunt, to be honest, I've seen it hundreds of times,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07and it's not exactly sporting, is it?
0:20:07 > 0:20:10But 13-year-old kids seem to like smashing things up,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13so if that what it takes to get them onside, so be it.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16But as impressive as some of this footage might be,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18it is now possible, using readily available technology,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21to produce something even better using the models.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23This is the idea.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27When I was about your age, we used to build these tanks all the time,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31and the thing we would have wanted to do, more than anything in the world,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34is make them into a small film, so we're going to do that with your tanks.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38It's going to be the Chieftain tanks versus the T62 tanks.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Now we've got something we used to do when I was a kid, small amounts of gunpowder out of fireworks,
0:20:42 > 0:20:47that you put in the tank, that will make the odd one explode with some sparks, which we will film.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49- Happy to blow your tanks up? - ALL: Yeah.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Who said "no?"
0:20:51 > 0:20:55You don't want to blow your tank up? Well, that's OK, yours can survive.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56- I admire that.- The lone survivor.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Anybody can blow things up, it takes skill to make something.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03I'm going to set it up on its tripod here.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08We'll get the shot lined up, and then you can start moving tanks and taking pictures.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11After just a few hours on one of the smallest action film sets
0:21:11 > 0:21:14in the world, a masterpiece is born.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Right, rolling...
0:21:19 > 0:21:21- And moving...- Wow!
0:21:22 > 0:21:23EXPLOSION
0:21:23 > 0:21:27- That must have looked quite good. - HE LAUGHS
0:21:28 > 0:21:32This is like Sam Peckinpah's Cross Of Iron,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35only a bit jerky in places, and not quite as long.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40But it was done with a conventional stills camera and a simple computer program.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44The impressive bit is actually the model making.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Blowing your newly-completed Airfix model up with firework gunpowder,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59or shooting at it with air rifles was perfectly normal,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01it was a rite of passage, but, interestingly,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04there was one boy there who didn't want to do it -
0:22:04 > 0:22:05the quiet lad, Tom.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10He didn't want to shoot at it or blow it up, he wanted to keep his tank that he'd made.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13His tank that he'd made particularly well.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Tom will go far, I think.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Tom is not completely alone.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21There are signs that the Airfix resistance is cracking.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Airfix is really fiddly and annoying,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29but once you've done it, you get a really good feeling.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Like, "Wow, I just did that."
0:22:31 > 0:22:34And it's worth it. It's worth all the little...
0:22:34 > 0:22:38"Argh" like when you're making it and all that. It's worth all that.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42It looks as though I might win this battle after all.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48My team of young people have a great deal of what I think is called "promise."
0:22:48 > 0:22:50And I wish I could say the same about Dave,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53the bloke who's putting the giant Spitfire kit together,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56because he's been on the telephone moaning about my requirement
0:22:56 > 0:22:59that it should be light enough for young people to handle.
0:22:59 > 0:23:05So I'm going to go down and see him, and show him that making it lightly is easy.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09But for Dave and his company, this is completely new territory.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12They're experimenting with thin layers of fibreglass.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Right, here we go.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19Let me do this, first piece of full size scale 1:1 Airfix Spitfire.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24While Dave looks on with defeat in his eyes,
0:23:24 > 0:23:29I rejoice as the first piece of Spitfire springs from the mould.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Oh, yes!
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Look at that! Rivets, screw heads...
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Come on, that looks like a piece of Airfix.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Yeah, it does, but you've got so much flex in that.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- But does it matter?- It may do when you start putting it all together.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50Yes, but when you put the other half of it on to make one piece - these are one part in the kit -
0:23:50 > 0:23:52then it'll be twice as stiff.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55That'll... That'll hold that.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I'm very sceptical.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Well, what if you make it a bit thicker in the key places,
0:24:02 > 0:24:03- like at the root...?- Mm-hmm.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07And what if we fill it with polystyrene, make a sandwich,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- that'll give it stiffness without adding any weight.- You can try that.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17My plan is to add polystyrene ribs attached with canoe makers' resin,
0:24:17 > 0:24:19rather than the metal bars Dave normally uses.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23This should add rigidity without adding unnecessary weight.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25We experiment on a test piece.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29As far as I know, this has never been done before,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32but nothing here has really been done before.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Now what we'll do is put resin over the top of that.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36I'll just resin it first.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Even now, Dave is determined to find fault with my thinking.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43And there we have a slight problem,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46because we are having a chemical reaction with the polystyrene,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50and the resining is melting it, as you can see.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52- So that isn't going to work. - Oh, yeah.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54- That's actually disappearing.- Yeah.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56- As we look at it.- Absolutely.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Oh, yeah, look. That's no good at all, we can't use that.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04I'll lose this now before it...
0:25:04 > 0:25:07We've at least arrived at a handy household hint -
0:25:07 > 0:25:10if you're troubled by unwanted polystyrene packing pieces,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13simply dissolve them in canoe makers' resin.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18I told Dave that wouldn't work! He will now have to think harder,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22and come up with a better idea, and fast.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Despite the problems, I still think the Spitfire is my best option
0:25:26 > 0:25:29for inspiring the Telford kids.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32After all, they live in true Spitfire country.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Over half of all Spitfires were built in nearby Castle Bromwich,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39and that's around 12,000 aeroplanes.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45The Spitfire was already a legend at the end of World War Two,
0:25:45 > 0:25:50which is why it was the first aircraft model Airfix produced.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54It was an incredible success when it was released in 1953.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58What's amazing, though, that even in 2009,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02the Spitfire remains the most popular Airfix kit.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Why is this? Why are we totally transfixed by an aeroplane
0:26:06 > 0:26:11that is chronologically closer to the Wright Brothers than it is to aircraft of today?
0:26:11 > 0:26:15It's a very good question. And in order to answer it,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19I've decided to indulge myself in some gratuitous Spitfire history.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32The Spitfire was the work of the short-lived RJ Mitchell,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35and first flew in 1936. It is, as we all know,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39the aeroplane that saved the world during the Battle of Britain.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44With its rival, the Messerschmitt 109, it ushered in a new era of fighter design -
0:26:44 > 0:26:49fast, strong, deadly, but most of all, in the Spitfire's case,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51incredibly beautiful.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56This replaced a load of clunky old biplanes made out of bedlinen.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Carolyn Grace is the owner of this rare two-seater.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05She has flown and loved it for over 20 years.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11What is it about Spitfires in particular...? I mean, of all the aeroplanes from that era,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14this one is... it just endures in a strange way.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17The Spitfire is... It fulfils all your senses.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21It sounds wonderful, it looks beautiful,
0:27:21 > 0:27:26and it is just superb to fly, and they knew that in the War.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31And I think because it's a British design, at its very best,
0:27:31 > 0:27:36- I think it covers everything.- Did you ever make an Airfix Spitfire?
0:27:36 > 0:27:38My son did. SHE LAUGHS
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- Did he? Did he make a good job of it?- Richard did.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45Well, he never painted them, so he always ended up shooting them or burning them!
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Yes, we should point out that Carolyn's son looks after real aeroplanes these days.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Including mine, actually. I might find someone else.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Time to get suited up.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01And as with all military clothing, one size is designed to fit no-one.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03It's a bit short in the leg, but I'll take it.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- Are you ready to go?- Ready to go.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Right, here we go, take-off in a Vickers Supermarine Spitfire.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28This is the beginning of the ultimate male fantasy.
0:28:28 > 0:28:29God, what a racket!
0:28:36 > 0:28:38We're flying.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Nice.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Bloody marvellous.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49Just have a look at this fantastic and immortal shape, everybody.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52But everything was this way for very good aerodynamic reasons.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55The slim fuselage is more streamlined, but it's strong.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57The elliptical wing, just have a look at them.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00They're absolutely fabulous.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- Just pulling up.- Here we go!
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Yeah!
0:29:10 > 0:29:13There's England, upside down!
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Whoa!
0:29:16 > 0:29:18HE CHUCKLES
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Aah!
0:29:35 > 0:29:37- Oh, it feels like victory to me. - CAROLYN LAUGHS
0:29:37 > 0:29:39Lovely.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41Carolyn then fulfils a lifelong ambition for me
0:29:41 > 0:29:45with the immortal words, "You have control."
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Red section, tally-ho.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49- MAKES MACHINE GUN NOISE: - Tacka-tacka-tacka-tacka!
0:29:49 > 0:29:53Sorry, that's a bit childish, but I had to do it.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18I don't really want to say anything about that
0:30:18 > 0:30:23except that this is a Supermarine Spitfire and I was flying it.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29That's enough gadding about as Ginger.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32It was time to come down to earth in Cornwall
0:30:32 > 0:30:35to see if Dave had cracked the problems with the kit version.
0:30:35 > 0:30:41It's now just ten days before my chosen young people assemble the giant Airfix Spitfire kit.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Unfortunately, it's also nearly three weeks
0:30:44 > 0:30:48since I heard anything from Dave, who's making the giant Spitfire kit.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50For some reason he won't answer the telephone,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52he doesn't respond to emails.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54I have no idea if he still lives here, even.
0:30:54 > 0:30:59I've had to come 300 miles all the way to ruddy Cornwall just to find out what he's up to.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03So what you're about to see is a piece of genuine reality television.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06He doesn't know I'm here.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08I don't know if he is, actually.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Morning, dog.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Why don't you answer the bloody telephone?
0:31:16 > 0:31:18- I do!- You don't.- Too busy working.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20And you don't answer your emails.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22- Yes, we do.- You don't!- Yes, we do.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25You've no idea how nervous I've been about this.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28You've no idea how nervous I've been about it, either.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30I don't even know that you're doing it.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32I'm just sitting 300 miles away thinking,
0:31:32 > 0:31:36"Is he making my Spitfire, or has he buggered off to Australia?"
0:31:36 > 0:31:38We've been doing test pieces.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40'Look at that.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43'Big Dave has found a combination of glue and glass fibre
0:31:43 > 0:31:46'that keeps the polystyrene supports in place.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49'Strength and lightness together.'
0:31:49 > 0:31:52So that's, what, half the thickness if it would be
0:31:52 > 0:31:53in one of your real aeroplanes?
0:31:53 > 0:31:55- Yeah.- Can I feel the weight?- Yeah.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02I can lift that and I'm feeble.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06It's a result! Dave and his team can now forge ahead,
0:32:06 > 0:32:10although we've yet to see if this technique is good enough
0:32:10 > 0:32:12for the big wing section.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22But there's one job I'm not entrusting to Dave -
0:32:22 > 0:32:24making the pilot, a critical component.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27I'd like it to be a full-size likeness of me
0:32:27 > 0:32:29and as the job involves laying hands on me,
0:32:29 > 0:32:31I've rejected the big Brummie,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34and instead I'm going to visit someone called Poppy
0:32:34 > 0:32:37in her Chessington studio... or shed.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41- You've heard about this? - Yes, we have been told.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43- Airfix Spitfire.- Right.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47I need to be represented as the pilot,
0:32:47 > 0:32:51but I want it to have my face, he's there, I've taken him off.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53- He's tiny.- He is tiny.
0:32:53 > 0:32:59So it needs to be in that position - he's holding the joystick and his feet go down into the rudder.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02You've got quite a lot of hair, we'll have to get rid of that first.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06- You can't take it off.- We won't be that mean, we'll use a bald cap.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10- OK.- So you can see what it feels like to have no hair!
0:33:10 > 0:33:14Then we'll start doing your face first and work our way down the body.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16- Right!- So, are you ready?
0:33:16 > 0:33:19Including the joystick?
0:33:19 > 0:33:22- Erm, hmm... That might have to be not done.- OK.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30What's the weirdest request you've ever had?
0:33:30 > 0:33:34I have been asked about a gentleman who wanted to make his own doorbell
0:33:34 > 0:33:39and he said he'd like to use a certain part of his body
0:33:39 > 0:33:41as the door pull. We do get the odd people
0:33:41 > 0:33:44wanting their bottoms, breasts and things like that.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46- Let's just do my head.- Brilliant!
0:33:50 > 0:33:53We'll make sure your nose is still free.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00The hessian goes on. OK?
0:34:03 > 0:34:07This takes 45 minutes to dry and because I can't see
0:34:07 > 0:34:10I don't realise that everyone else has gone for a pint.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16I think it's slightly stuck to me.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18- That's it, it's gone.- Yeah.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23- Mmm.- Adjusting your eyes slightly. There you have it!- Wow!
0:34:23 > 0:34:25That's the actual shape... That's pretty good.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29Those are the bags under my eyes there, captured for all time.
0:34:32 > 0:34:39Several hours later, my resin head is ready to be released from the mould, and appropriately attired.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49Good evening. I'm James May, and this is my partner, James May.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53No, partner's not right, is it? That makes him sound like a gay lover.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01I'm not entirely sure about your eyes, you know, mate.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05How do you feel about being part of the world's largest Airfix Spitfire?
0:35:05 > 0:35:09You do realise that once you're stuck inside that fuselage,
0:35:09 > 0:35:11you're going to be in there pretty much forever,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15or at least until someone shoots at you with a giant airgun,
0:35:15 > 0:35:18or blows you up with the gunpowder from some giant bangers?
0:35:27 > 0:35:29This is turning into a giant project in all senses.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33Solo Airfix assembly work at the kitchen table is out.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37My modelling apprentices now need to learn to work as a team,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40and I know the perfect training location -
0:35:40 > 0:35:42the Jaguar factory at Castle Bromwich.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45A lot of cars have been made in this factory over the years,
0:35:45 > 0:35:46ever since the 1950s.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49But the factory wasn't actually built to make cars at all.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52What was it built for, does anybody know?
0:35:52 > 0:35:55- To build Spitfires. - It was, made to build Spitfires.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58At the height of World War II,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01this was the largest aircraft factory in Britain,
0:36:01 > 0:36:06covering 345 acres, and employing more than 15,000 people.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10Over 300 Spitfires were produced here each month.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13The Luftwaffe became so determined to destroy it
0:36:13 > 0:36:17that by the end of the war, it had been hit by over 200 bombs.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20So, today, we're going to build Spitfires.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23And what's more, we're going to make this kit, OK,
0:36:23 > 0:36:27but we're going to do it in an organised way, exactly like in this factory.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30- Make sense?- Yeah. - Can you do it?- Yeah.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Arrange yourselves around the table.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42What I tried to do here was break the making of that Spitfire model
0:36:42 > 0:36:44down into very specific tasks.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48And then we'd be able to make consistent Spitfires very quickly.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Doing all this whilst watching the cars going past
0:36:51 > 0:36:53being made is an inspiration.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59- Do you prefer making them like this or individually?- I prefer this.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01- This is more fun, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03I used to dream of this when I was a kid.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05If you could buy 50 Spitfires at once,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08I could get all my mates round, and we could make a production line.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11We could make them all in a day, it would be fantastic.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14- You don't look very convinced. - What would you do with them?
0:37:14 > 0:37:16Give them away to a museum, or something.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18'Or shoot at them, as usual.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22'But look at this - they're making Airfix without any bullying from me.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26'Although I have said they can't eat until they've made at least six Spitfires.'
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Conor, let's just finish our jobs
0:37:28 > 0:37:31before we start assembling the cockpit.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35- I've only got one more of these to do.- I'm starting to see evidence of systematic working.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Maybe it happens naturally when you put people together.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41But look, there's a propeller assembly line going on there.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45There's some instrument panels being made in series there.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48And most impressively, come and see this...
0:37:50 > 0:37:54This man clearly has the right sort of mind for this.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Look at that. He's ahead. 'Within two hours,
0:37:58 > 0:38:02'Spitfires are rolling out of Castle Bromwich once more.'
0:38:02 > 0:38:05It's a fantastic effort, because I said this was an easy kit.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07It's actually extremely tricky.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10It's got very difficult stuff inside the cockpit
0:38:10 > 0:38:13and the flaps under the wings. And they've done it excellently.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16I'm quite moved by it. I think they're ready.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24Well, they might be in the Midlands, but down in Cornwall,
0:38:24 > 0:38:30Dave is still not sure that the polystyrene bracing system will be good enough for the bigger bits.
0:38:30 > 0:38:31That's the bottom wing.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36Now, that across there is 34ft.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39And with the wing tips on,
0:38:39 > 0:38:41the tips on that side of the wing there,
0:38:41 > 0:38:46that then becomes 36ft, because that's the wingspan of a Spitfire.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48But they wanted that in one piece.
0:38:48 > 0:38:53And then we tried the top wing on, exactly the way it's cut out.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56And as soon as we did that, and we put the top wing on it,
0:38:56 > 0:39:00it went like that. And that's exactly what we said it would do.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05So I don't have any idea if it's going to work tomorrow.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09Erm... This is what's taken 16 hours extra to do.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13Everybody's so tired now that we're on,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16erm, we're past adrenalin.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19We've gone past 48 hours of no sleep.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24While James is probably tucked up somewhere in bed, fast asleep.
0:39:30 > 0:39:35It's the big day. The giant kit has arrived at RAF Cosford.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39This is where new Spitfires were fitted out and flight-tested.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Today is also a day of testing.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46We're testing the giant kit to see if it will stand up.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50Year Eight are being tested to see if they've been listening.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54And perhaps most importantly, we're testing Airfix,
0:39:54 > 0:39:58to see if the joy this simple hobby gave me as a child can be passed on.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04If you just put that one bar across the middle,
0:40:04 > 0:40:07that's reminiscent of what this bar would probably look like
0:40:07 > 0:40:09across the middle of the aircraft.
0:40:09 > 0:40:15'Before the builders arrive, I discover there's a rather pressing issue in the hangar.'
0:40:15 > 0:40:17We have a small problem here already.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20This is the biggest part of the kit. It's the bottom half of the wings.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23It comes in one piece. It is also the part around which
0:40:23 > 0:40:26the rest of the aeroplane will be built.
0:40:26 > 0:40:27Made the way we decided,
0:40:27 > 0:40:30with the thin fibreglass and honeycomb, it's too floppy.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33So it has to be strengthened with steel pieces.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Which sort of means Dave was right all along.
0:40:39 > 0:40:40But we can edit that out.
0:40:42 > 0:40:48The Telford prodigies arrive, still oblivious of the enormity of the Airfix task that lies before them.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Right, gather round, everybody.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56- Happy? - ALL: Yeah!
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Good. This is a very important day
0:40:58 > 0:41:00for me, personally
0:41:00 > 0:41:02cos we're going to do some Airfix.
0:41:02 > 0:41:07This is an ambition that I've harboured since I was about five or six years old.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09- That's a long time. - It is a long time.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11It's the previous century.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15And it's an opportunity for you lot to be a part of history.
0:41:15 > 0:41:16ALL: Yay!
0:41:16 > 0:41:19- But only the history of Airfix.- Oh.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21But that's pretty good. Cue the doors, sir.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37There's the box lid art work.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39It's a Spitfire.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43When I saw the kit, I was like,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46"Oh, my God, we're never going to be able to do this."
0:41:46 > 0:41:48Cos it was absolutely massive.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53I was really shocked that it was actually that big. I was like,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56"How are we going to stick this together with glue like that?"
0:42:01 > 0:42:03- It's him.- That's James!
0:42:03 > 0:42:05It's creepily life-like!
0:42:09 > 0:42:13This is the biggest Airfix model in the world.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16There has never been one this big before.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19This is where you have to apply everything that we've learned
0:42:19 > 0:42:22about making Airfix models over the past few weeks.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24- Still up for it?- Yeah.- Right, good.
0:42:24 > 0:42:29'The first job is to remove all the pieces from the sprue.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31'That's the frame holding them together,
0:42:31 > 0:42:35'for those of you who don't know Airfix and are therefore incomplete.'
0:42:37 > 0:42:41- Lift.- 'Ellie and Caitlin land the plummiest job in the hangar -
0:42:41 > 0:42:43'painting me.'
0:42:46 > 0:42:49That's one of the harnesses, isn't it, so that'll need to be black.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52Yeah, this will be yellow cos it's the life jacket.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Yeah, and they can be black as well cos they're little toggle things.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58But it's not long before we hit a problem.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01The steel reinforcements have, after all,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04made that big wing piece a bit weighty.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Right, in order to lift that main bottom wing section
0:43:07 > 0:43:10and turn it up the other way and put it on the trestles,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13we need more people. Cos that really is too heavy for you to lift.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16So if you could all go and find one other person.
0:43:16 > 0:43:17There's Air Force Cadets,
0:43:17 > 0:43:20there's a fat bloke from Birmingham over there.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22Some of you have got mums and dads and things here.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Can you help us, please?
0:43:25 > 0:43:28Can you help us to lift the wings in there, please?
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Yeah, that's fine. To your duties, fall out.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34'Luckily, my father has turned up to help.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38'Only right, really, because this is all his fault.'
0:43:38 > 0:43:43I have to confess, I initiated him with a Spitfire.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45That was his first Airfix model.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47And we did it together.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51It was a gift for him from the local newsagent's shop,
0:43:51 > 0:43:53a little Airfix kit.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57And then he became a regular visitor to the local newsagent's,
0:43:57 > 0:44:01and he saved up enough money to buy the next kit,
0:44:01 > 0:44:02and the next kit, and so on.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11And now, the lifting of the bottom wing.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15I feel a bit for the youths - they have an Airfix model to build
0:44:15 > 0:44:18and, not for the first time, dads have taken over.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24Keep going.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31Mind your backs.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Shall we try that?
0:44:39 > 0:44:42That's fine. Happy?
0:44:44 > 0:44:46Success.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48The biggest piece is in position.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52And perhaps more surprisingly, still one piece.
0:44:52 > 0:44:58Now, youth's exuberance can be added to the mix, gluing together the two halves of the fuselage.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01This is tricky when they're five inches long.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03These ones are almost 30ft.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08Concentrate on the top edge, and then get it up and get the bottom edge lined up afterwards, I think.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12Cos the chances of getting both edges lined up
0:45:12 > 0:45:14when they're that floppy are nil, aren't they?
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Well, close to, I would think.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21- Good thinking, Dad. Let's do that. - JAMES' DAD LAUGHS
0:45:21 > 0:45:23That's my boy!
0:45:25 > 0:45:28I've told them 100 times not to use too much glue.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30But of course, they don't listen.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32And I'm beginning to think they shouldn't.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35- Right.- Yes, boss.- Are you ready?
0:45:35 > 0:45:38Three, two, one...
0:45:38 > 0:45:39Glue!
0:45:54 > 0:45:56It's not together.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04'Superb! The fuselage is now one piece.
0:46:04 > 0:46:09'That is set aside to dry while we add the top halves of the wings.'
0:46:09 > 0:46:11Three, two, one...
0:46:11 > 0:46:13Gently up. Careful.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21This way.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25Wow!
0:46:25 > 0:46:27That's fantastic.
0:46:29 > 0:46:30Hee-hee!
0:46:32 > 0:46:36I know this is going to sound a bit nerdy and sentimental for a 46-year-old man,
0:46:36 > 0:46:38but this is actually something I dreamt about
0:46:38 > 0:46:40when I was about six or seven years old -
0:46:40 > 0:46:44could you make an Airfix model the size of a real aeroplane?
0:46:44 > 0:46:46And there it is, look.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48There are the wings of the giant Airfix.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50There are the wings of the original kit.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52There's the giant Airfix fuselage.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55There's the original Airfix fuselage.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57I never thought that would actually happen.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00And there it is.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02That's excellent.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05With the aeroplane coming together,
0:47:05 > 0:47:09I wonder if Ellie and Caitlin are doing my body double justice.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13- You've got a lot of paint on your hand.- Yeah, we didn't have gloves.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15I wouldn't bother cleaning it, you're bound to get more on.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18Can you have your lunch quickly and get back...?
0:47:18 > 0:47:21We've got to go. That's why we're cleaning our hands.
0:47:21 > 0:47:22- Go where?- Go to see Beyonce.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25- Who's Beyonce? - You don't know who Beyonce...?
0:47:25 > 0:47:27You're actually joking me.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29You must know who Beyonce is.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31You know, American singer?
0:47:31 > 0:47:34- What, you're going to a concert? - Yeah.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37So you're saying you're going to go and see "Bee-ons" rather than...
0:47:37 > 0:47:39- Beyon-cey.- Beyon-cey.
0:47:39 > 0:47:44You'd rather do that than stay here and paint a big plastic model of me?
0:47:44 > 0:47:47- Er, y...- Erm, we tried to do both. - Well, you haven't done very well.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51You've done the boots, and you've got brown paint on the boots.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54- Ellie, that was your... - Caitlin, that was your half!
0:47:54 > 0:47:57- That was your boot, that was my half.- No, it wasn't.- Bye.
0:47:57 > 0:47:58- Bye.- Bye!
0:48:01 > 0:48:04Honestly, young people, they don't know anything.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06With two recruits going AWOL,
0:48:06 > 0:48:10and the others more interested in mucking around than doing Airfix,
0:48:10 > 0:48:14even I can tell that I'm not winning these kids over.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17I think James is like a perfectionist here. So...
0:48:17 > 0:48:21He wants everything perfect. It's really annoying.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24You're 13, you should be able to do that.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27I think James is quite bossy because he is a perfectionist.
0:48:27 > 0:48:32- He wants it to be perfect.- He's a little bit fussy, with the painting,
0:48:32 > 0:48:35and how careful you do everything.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38OK. Time to change tack.
0:48:38 > 0:48:43Time to let the kids do it their way, however much it hurts.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45- So you've kept me with my eyes closed.- Yeah.
0:48:45 > 0:48:47How do I see where I'm going?
0:48:47 > 0:48:50- Erm...- Or am I just having a bad moment on approach?
0:48:50 > 0:48:54- I think you've just sneezed. - Just sneezed, OK.
0:48:54 > 0:48:59I'm not convinced that he really wanted to let anybody else play with this, other than himself.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02You've put a few hairs up my nose as well.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05Yeah, we try to make it as realistic as possible.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07All right, all right, all right.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10He's doing very well not to shoo them all away,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13and roll his own sleeves up, and do it all himself, I think.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17'I allowed Conor to replace me as foreman. I taught him well.'
0:49:17 > 0:49:20There's little bits of blue here and there -
0:49:20 > 0:49:22if you want to give it maybe another coat.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25You've been a bit messy with that painting there.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27You splattered it all over the floor.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32- I need someone for a very dangerous job.- I'll do it.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36- I'll do it. I'm dangerous. - You do everything.- No, I don't.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40'Hoisting the fuselage on to the wings is a top job for any Airfix fanatic.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44'But I graciously allowed Tom to be the main man here.'
0:49:44 > 0:49:47- You've got to go there and pull that chain.- What chain?
0:49:47 > 0:49:51The chain that lifts the Spitfire up into the air to go on to the wings.
0:49:51 > 0:49:52Oh!
0:49:52 > 0:49:54No pressure, Tom(!)
0:49:54 > 0:49:58- If it breaks, it's your fault. - If it breaks, everyone'll hate you.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02'It's a tense moment.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05'If my polystyrene ribbing is not strong enough,
0:50:05 > 0:50:07'the fuselage will now break up in midair.'
0:50:16 > 0:50:18'The fuselage takes the strain.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20'But there is a small problem.'
0:50:22 > 0:50:23It doesn't line up, does it?
0:50:23 > 0:50:27We didn't think carefully enough about where we positioned this
0:50:27 > 0:50:29before we started putting the fuselage on the things.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34'We try some adjustments.'
0:50:34 > 0:50:35Good.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Hang on, whoa! Hold!
0:50:41 > 0:50:44'But even then, we have to resort to a power saw.'
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Decent Airfix modellers will know that you sometimes have to trim
0:50:50 > 0:50:54the parts very slightly in order to make them fit together properly.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57That's exactly what we're doing here.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59It looks like a huge amount being cut away,
0:50:59 > 0:51:02but that's only because it's a very huge model.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07My plane - I mean the kids' plane - is almost complete.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09And to show that it really is theirs,
0:51:09 > 0:51:12I abandoned the wonderful paint scheme I'd dreamt up,
0:51:12 > 0:51:15and let them come up with their own winning design.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24Right, they're all pretty good, actually. You've got the idea right.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26I think my favourite...
0:51:26 > 0:51:27is that one.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33The team is working excellently and efficiently together,
0:51:33 > 0:51:36largely because I've been made redundant.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39Extend the, erm...
0:51:39 > 0:51:41the brown spot out by, like... A bit further.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43Make it the same shape, though.
0:51:45 > 0:51:46Does that make sense?
0:51:46 > 0:51:49- Yeah.- Yeah.- I think so.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51I begin to think that we - or they -
0:51:51 > 0:51:54might actually get this model finished,
0:51:54 > 0:51:57and that the young people might even enjoy it.
0:52:03 > 0:52:04Oh, look at that!
0:52:06 > 0:52:08That's looking like a real Spitfire.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11Put it a bit more to the left.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13- Conor, are you reaching OK? - Yep, I'm reaching OK.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Lift it a bit...
0:52:20 > 0:52:24'The Spitfire is progressing well, but we're almost out of time.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28'And what the workers don't know is that I've arranged for their model
0:52:28 > 0:52:31'to be revealed not just to their families,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34'but to people who actually flew these planes in the war.'
0:52:34 > 0:52:38What sort of quality, or what it's made of, I haven't the faintest idea.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41How they're going to build up a right-sized model of a Spitfire,
0:52:41 > 0:52:43I think will be extraordinary.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47I'm looking forward very much to seeing it, I think it's brilliant.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49I expect it to be of a very high standard.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54But there is one last, critical job to be done.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58Everything that has been achieved up until this moment
0:52:58 > 0:53:00is effectively pointless.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Because the true test of this Spitfire is whether or not
0:53:03 > 0:53:05it will stand on its own wheels
0:53:05 > 0:53:08when the trestles and the props are taken away.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12And it's not only the Spitfire that has to rest on those wheels,
0:53:12 > 0:53:15it's the reputation of Big Dave from Cornwall.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19In the next 10 or 15 seconds, he could be a broken man.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22'The wheels are put on.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25'And the aeroplane must be winched down
0:53:25 > 0:53:28'to see whether it will support itself or fall to pieces
0:53:28 > 0:53:30'when the kit and legs take the full strain.'
0:53:36 > 0:53:39- It's so close to breaking.- Yeah.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46- Is that officially down? - It's officially down.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49- Congratulations. Good work. - APPLAUSE
0:53:49 > 0:53:51'We've done it.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54'The world's biggest Airfix model is complete.'
0:54:00 > 0:54:03'And our VIP guests have been waiting long enough.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06'It's time to reveal it.'
0:54:13 > 0:54:15Be gentle. Be gentle.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Gentle.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23'For the first time in more than 60 years,
0:54:23 > 0:54:26'the hangar doors of RAF Cosford open to reveal
0:54:26 > 0:54:30- 'a brand new Spitfire.' - CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:54:30 > 0:54:34But as ours is only a model, we're not sure it will make this next bit.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42'Simply crossing the hangar threshold
0:54:42 > 0:54:45'is a mighty undertaking for this Spitfire.'
0:54:45 > 0:54:47Gently.
0:54:47 > 0:54:48Yes!
0:54:48 > 0:54:50CHEERING
0:54:50 > 0:54:51And again.
0:54:59 > 0:55:00Bit more.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03And...stop.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07Bravo. Well done.
0:55:07 > 0:55:12Excellent work. God, that's made me feel quite emotional.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15Fantastic.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17I don't know what to say.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20I know you've done it already, ladies and gentlemen,
0:55:20 > 0:55:23but this lot built it and painted it and were very patient.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26Give them another round of applause, please.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28Absolutely superb. Thank you, everyone.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31I didn't expect it to be that big, actually.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34I thought it would be a little Airfix model!
0:55:34 > 0:55:36So, yeah, I was quite shocked.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39All that hard work - end result, brilliant.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41- Absolutely brilliant. - CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:55:41 > 0:55:44It was much better than I expected, with all the smoke.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48- It made us really proud to see it being pulled out.- It did.
0:55:48 > 0:55:49It was fabulous. Really good.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53Beside my dad, my mum has also come along for the unveiling.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55What did you think of that, then?
0:55:55 > 0:55:58I never doubted for a moment that you and the team
0:55:58 > 0:56:01would achieve what you set out to do.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04That's a very motherly thing to say, Mother.
0:56:04 > 0:56:05I've been practising!
0:56:06 > 0:56:10But what did real Spitfire pilots make of our model?
0:56:10 > 0:56:13Was it up to scratch?
0:56:13 > 0:56:16Ha-ha-ha! I must say, the paint job's good.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18They've got the colours right.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21Absolutely terrific, it looks just like them. Really very clever.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24I can't think how you did it. They were beautiful to fly.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28- Congratulations, it's wonderful what you've done.- Thank you.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31I think you can be really proud of yourself.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33We must have done a good job,
0:56:33 > 0:56:37because we earned the approval of none other than the general manager
0:56:37 > 0:56:40of the RAF Museum at Cosford, Alex Medhurst.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43- I'd put it in our exhibition. - You would?- Oh, yeah. Definitely.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45- Will you?- Yes, I will. - We haven't got a home for it.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48- I will.- Excellent. There you go. It's got a home.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51THEY CHEER
0:56:53 > 0:56:57I've got a bit of a lump in my throat. I might have to go away.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06But the real test for me is, did a new generation enjoy it?
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Or have I put them off Airfix for ever?
0:57:09 > 0:57:12I do feel proud of what we've achieved.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16We've made a whole life-sized Spitfire out of Airfix.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18I think that because of doing that,
0:57:18 > 0:57:23I probably will actually do a lot more Airfix in the future.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31Yeah, there might be more Airfix in the future. Hopefully big ones.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36I think some of the boys will probably carry on building Airfix models.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39Whether the girls will or not, I don't know.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42But my house is now full of Spitfires, so thank you very much!
0:57:42 > 0:57:45So, you see, it's just possible
0:57:45 > 0:57:49that this great old hobby still has something going for it.
0:57:49 > 0:57:54And our Spitfire can stand as a monument to what it's all about.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58One day, these children will be as old as me.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01But maybe they'll bring their children to this museum,
0:58:01 > 0:58:04and they'll look at the Spitfire that they built,
0:58:04 > 0:58:06and they'll say, "That's what it was all about.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08"That is the spirit of Airfix."
0:58:41 > 0:58:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:44 > 0:58:47E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk