Category:Rosebud Kitmaster Ltd

Toy Brands and Manufacturers

Rosebud Kitmaster Ltd

1959 - 1962

1959: Kitmaster No.4 Coronation Class Locomotive [image info]

1960 March: Kitmaster No.12 Giant Swiss Crocodile [image info]

1960 April: First Kitmaster Coaches introduced, Nos.13-15 [image info]

1960 December: Kitmaster's last advert in Meccano Magazine, showing the Evening Star kit for the second time [image info]

Instructions for kit No.5, "Harrow" Schools Class loco [image info]

1962 Hobbies Annual: Rosebud Kitmaster range [image info]

French "Mountain" Locomotive 241P, Kit No.23, exploded view [image info]

Kitmaster range, circa ~1960 [image info]

Midland Pullman Kitchen Car, kit No.32, assembly instructions [image info]

Rosebud Kitmaster Ltd represented Nene Plastics' (of Rosebud Dolls) brief foray into the plastic model construction kits market. Despite the very high quality of the kits, and a healthy (and presumably expensive) advertising campaign, the short-lived offshoot company didn't do as well as hoped, and sold its moulds on to Airfix.

The first twelve kits were all locomotives, with "coach" kits 13-15 added in early 1960.

Box artwork for the "Harrow" Schools Class locomotive, Rosebud Kitmaster No.5

Box artwork for "Biggin Hill" Battle of Britain Class locomotive BR 34057, Rosebud Kitmaster No.11

Accessories

At least one of the coaches could be motorised with a special add-in motorised bogie, and a Kitmaster goods loco could be pushed around the track by a sneakily motorised freight van.

There was also a range of PECO-produced cut-out card interiors for carriages.

Closedown

In 1962 the company tried to find a new market with a model of the Ariel Arrow motorcycle, numbered 60 to allow any further railway products to have continuous numbering. This seems to have been released by Kitmaster just before the company went under, and was the first kit that Airfix reissued. There also seem to have been plans to release a model of the Gerry Anderson Fireball XL5 spaceship, which was never released as a commercial model, but apparently produced by Airfix as a promotional model for breakfast cereals.

Scale

Most of the range was 00/H0, but there were also five items scaled for TT model railways, a rebuilt "Royal Scot" locomotive and four coaches. The Ariel Arrow motorcycle kit was 1:16-scale.

Product range (drawn from Meccano Magazine/Hobbies)

No.1 "Rocket"
No.2 Diesel Electric Shunter
No.3 Early American "General"
No.4 Coronation Class
No.5 Schools Class "Harrow"
No.6 Saddle Tank
No.7 Prairie Tank
No.8 Italian Tank
No.9 Stirling 8ft Single
No.10 Deltic Diesel
No.11 Battle of Britain Class "Biggin Hill"
No.12 Giant Swiss Crocodile
No.13 Corridor Composite Coach
No.14 Corridor Second Coach
No.15 Corridor Brake Second Coach
No.16 TT3 Rebuilt "Royal Scot"
No.17 TT3 Corridor Brake Second Coach
No.18 TT3 Corridor Composite Coach
No.19 German Baureihe 23
No.20 TT3 Corridor Second Coach
No.21 TT3 Restaurant First Coach
No.22 B.R. Class 92000
No.24 City of Truro
No.25 Beyer Garratt
No.26 E.R. Saddle Tank Class J.94
No.27 German Coach Type B4yge
No.28 B.R. Standard Restaurant 1st
No.29 French Coach Type A.9 Myfi/1958
No.30 B.R "Mogul" Class 7600
No.31 Midland Pullman Power Car (blue)
No.32 Midland Pullman Kitchen Car (blue)
No.33 Midland Pullman Parlour Car (blue)
No.34 New York Central Hudson Type J3a
No.35 S.R. Tank Class USA
No.36 apparently never released, Flying Scotsman
No.37 Canadian National Railways Type U-4-A

Motors:

No.KM1 Coach Electric Motor Bogies – for Kit No.15
No.KM2 Electric Motorised Box Wagon – for Kitmaster Freight Engines

Miscellaneous

No.60 Ariel Arrow Motorcycle

Peco Interior Kits

"A colourful card you can cut out to give a realistic interior finish to your Coach"

No.13 (for Coach 13) Corridor Composite
No.14 (for Coach 14) Corridor Second
No.14SO (for Coach 14) Open Corridor Second
No.15 (for Coach 15) Corridor Brake Second

Interior Kit for Kitmaster Coach No.15, PECO

Lineart

No.1
No.2
No.3
No.4
No.5
No.6
No.7
No.8
No.9
No.10
No.11
No.12
No.13
No.14
No.15
No.16
No.19
No.21
No.22
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No.23
No.24
No.25
KM1 KM3
KM2

Advertising

Kitmaster's heady arc can be traced from the advertising in Meccano Magazine between April 1959 and December 1960, where the company had a series of fifteen mostly full-page adverts announcing what was new that month.

April 1959 *: No.1 Stephenson's "Rocket", No.2 Diesel Electric locomotive, No.3 Early American "General" locomotive, No.5 Schools Class "Harrow" locomotive

AT LAST! Plastic Scale Model RAILWAY KITS Authentic Models with Moving Parts Can be used on 00 and H0 Gauge Tracks Brand-New! Exciting! Just what you've always wanted! Assemble these thrilling new 'Kitmaster' railway kits yourself ... you'll get hours of pleasure and satisfaction. No ordinary models these. They move ... are built to scale ... finely detailed – look just like the real thing.
That's why you get that professional finish every time with all 'Kitmaster' models. Start your collection now ... you'll find plenty of thrills and fun with these authentic new 'Kitmaster' plastic scale models.

A fresh, new model is coming out every month

Step by step instructions, coloured leaflet and transfers included

Special plastic cement is enclosed for a rigid, lasting fit

Supplied in all good model shops and toy shops.

Get yours today!

May 1959 *: No.6 Saddle Tank locomotive, "First used on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1891, this unique old dock shunter has its water tank saddled over the top of the boiler."
September 1959 (half-page) *: No.9 Stirling 8-Foot Single
October 1959 (half-page) *: No.7 London Suburban area "Prairie" Tank Locomotive
November 1959 (half-page) *: No.4 Coronation Class locomotive
December 1959 (half-page) *: No.8 Italian Tank locomotive

January 1960 *: No.10 Deltic Diesel "Ten models to make!"
February 1960 *: No.11 Battle of Britain Class "Biggin Hill" locomotive, "RUSH TO BUY"
March 1960 *: No.12 Giant Swiss Crocodile pantograph locomotive
April 1960 *: "The first KITMASTER COACHES", No.13, No.14, No.15
May 1960 *: No.16 TT3 Rebuilt Royal Scot locomotive, "TT3 Models Are Here!"
June 1960 *: TT-scale coaches No.17 and No.18
July 1960 *: No 19 German "Baureihe" locomotive, "Locomotive Realism"
August 1960 *: TT-scale coaches No.20 and No.21
September 1960 *: No.22 Last of the BR Steam Locomotives: 92000 Class "Evening Star"
October 1960 *: No.23 French 241P Mountain, "Mistral Express"
November 1960 *: No.24 1903 GWR "City of Truro locomotive
December 1960 *: No.22 Evening Star (again)