Category:Rosebud Kitmaster Ltd
Toy Brands and Manufacturers |
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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.
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
Lineart
- Error creating thumbnail: File missing
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)
External links
- Rosebud Kitmaster (kitmaster.org.uk)
- The Story of Rosebud Kitmaster, by Stephen Knight (kitmaster.org.uk) – Model Railway Enthusiast Magazine, April 1995
- Kitmaster Collectors' Club (kitmaster.org.uk)
- Kitmaster 60 Ariel Arrow motorcycle (scalemates.com)
- Rosebud Kitmaster (wikipedia.org)
Pages in category ‘Rosebud Kitmaster Ltd’
The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total.
Media in category ‘Rosebud Kitmaster Ltd’
The following 39 files are in this category, out of 39 total.
- Battle of Britain Class locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No11).jpg 1,022 × 490; 162 KB
- Beyer Garratt locomotive 7971, lineart (Kitmaster No25).jpg 1,064 × 443; 158 KB
- City of Truro locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No24).jpg 658 × 415; 104 KB
- Class 92000 locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No22).jpg 1,055 × 502; 167 KB
- Coronation Class locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No4).jpg 945 × 441; 146 KB
- Deltic Diesel locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No10).jpg 788 × 465; 119 KB
- Diesel Electric locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No2).jpg 565 × 429; 106 KB
- Early American General locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No3).jpg 634 × 447; 119 KB
- Electric Motor Bogie, lineart (Kitmaster KM1).jpg 693 × 589; 122 KB
- Electric Motor Box Wagon, lineart (Kitmaster KM2).jpg 601 × 544; 148 KB
- Evening Star locomotive 92220, Rosebud Kitmaster No22 (MM 1960-12).jpg 1,501 × 2,200; 966 KB
- Error creating thumbnail: File missingFrench 241P Mountain locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No23).jpg 1,016 × 504; 189 KB
- French Mountain Locomotive, exploded view (Kitmaster No23).jpg 3,200 × 1,614; 1.9 MB
- German Baureihe 23 locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No19).jpg 1,006 × 503; 165 KB
- Harrow Schools Class loco, box artwork (Rosebud Kitmaster No5).jpg 2,200 × 698; 1.37 MB
- Harrow Schools Class loco, instructions (Rosebud Kitmaster No5).jpg 1,693 × 2,500; 1.74 MB
- Interior Kit for Kitmaster Coach No15 (PECO).jpg 1,600 × 924; 461 KB
- Italian Tank locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No8).jpg 570 × 427; 88 KB
- Kitmaster Coaches, No13 No14 No15 (MM 1960-04).jpg 1,098 × 1,600; 877 KB
- Kitmaster Kit range, circa 1960.jpg 2,000 × 916; 683 KB
- Kitmaster No.4 Coronation Class (MM 1959-11).jpg 1,075 × 732; 114 KB
- Kitmaster No12 Giant Swiss Crocodile (MM 1960-03).jpg 1,471 × 2,200; 1.24 MB
- Midland Pullman Kitchen Car, box lid (Kitmaster 32).jpg 2,200 × 751; 1.47 MB
- Midland Pullman Kitchen Car, instructions (Kitmaster No32).jpg 1,838 × 2,200; 1.39 MB
- Midland Pullman Power Car, box lid, flat (Kitmaster 31).jpg 2,400 × 1,082; 2.28 MB
- Prairie Tank locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No7).jpg 742 × 472; 120 KB
- Rebuilt Royal Scot locomotive, TT, lineart (Kitmaster No16).jpg 911 × 462; 154 KB
- Rocket locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No1).jpg 409 × 430; 65 KB
- Rosebud Kitmaster logo.jpg 2,200 × 868; 496 KB
- Rosebud Kitmaster range (Hobbies 1962).jpg 1,600 × 1,143; 523 KB
- Saddle Tank locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No6).jpg 518 × 453; 83 KB
- Schools Class locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No5).jpg 628 × 432; 101 KB
- Standard Corridor Brake Second carriage, lineart (Kitmaster No15).jpg 868 × 530; 173 KB
- Standard Corridor Composite carriage, lineart (Kitmaster No13).jpg 920 × 538; 168 KB
- Standard Corridor Second Class carriage, lineart (Kitmaster No14).jpg 928 × 545; 164 KB
- Stirling 8ft Single locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No9).jpg 656 × 434; 109 KB
- Swiss Crocodile locomotive, lineart (Kitmaster No12).jpg 937 × 487; 147 KB