ROY CROSS
Painted artwork was the norm for model kit boxes in the 1960s and 70s. There were fewer manufacturers available here in the UK. Frog would show the subject in a very accomplished, yet matter of fact fashion. Tamiya boxes featured excellent paintings of the vehicle – usually a tank - against a white background. (They are still using this format today. Classy). Revell always had an urgency and atmosphere on their boxes, and Aurora favoured a vivid, almost Technicolor or comic-book feel to their box tops. All mouth-watering stuff.
The box art of Airfix kits always managed to capture the unique quality of the subject and showed an exciting moment, captured in glorious colourful brushstrokes, with a level of detail that put you right there. ROY CROSS was the artist behind so many of these terrific paintings.
If you ask anyone who grew up in the 1960s or 70s, they will know his work for Airfix. They will almost certainly recall at least one of the memorable paintings that were the hallmark of the Airfix kits.
Some truly iconic images that for me, and probably many others, defined what a model kit box should look like.
ROY CROSS BLOG and ARTWORK