The Royal Air Force Museum London will be launching in Summer 2013 a signature exhibition commemorating and celebrating the national institution that is Airfix. This will chart the history of this Great British Institution by displaying original Box Art as well as Airfix’s most popular models from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s in the Museum’s Art Gallery. In preparation, this post will focus upon the history* of the company, its founding in the late 1940s by a Hungarian immigrant, through its boom years in the 1960s, the later years of decline and under investment, and finally its current resurgence in the market place. Look at the ways in which Airfix products are developed, including the painstaking research and the cutting edge technology used to design and manufacture modern kits. (text inspired by numerous sources) [more inside]
posted by infini on Dec 26, 2012 - 17 comments

You're about to be the base doctor at Halley Research Station in Antarctica for a year. For ten months, no one gets in or out. Fourteen lives are in your hands, including your own. What do you put in your medical kit? And how do your choices differ from those of your predecessors (Eric Marshall and Edward Wilson) a century ago?
posted by zarq on Oct 2, 2012 - 8 comments

"Cubelets is a robot construction kit; by combining sensor, logic and actuator blocks, young kids can create simple reconfigurable robots that exhibit surprisingly complex behavior." Watch the Cubelets Engineering Prototypes demo (1.01) on Vimeo. [more inside]
posted by bwg on Jun 24, 2011 - 14 comments

Mutton pie. An Orange organisation. A portrait size. A delicious confection Desired the world over. The true meat of this post – Inns and taverns of old London. [PDF]
posted by tellurian on Dec 29, 2008 - 2 comments

Design Police : Bring bad design to justice
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Jan 24, 2008 - 44 comments

Dog First Aid Kit A breeder writes a list of must-have items that should be included in all First Aid Kits for dogs.
posted by fe2dell on Oct 19, 2007 - 15 comments

Kit Up! is a site where current and former soldiers report the one thing they absolutely could not have done without in their military life. Whether hitchhiking the galaxy or fighting the enemy, don't forget your towel. And don't even think about going door kicking without your Silly String.
posted by Turtles all the way down on Feb 15, 2007 - 12 comments

The Skyline Terrorist Survival Kit. Tom Ridge's suggested kit may not be enough. How can you be prepared for a terrorist attack without a martini glass, a can of Ranch Style Beans and a copy of Red Dawn?
posted by sixfoot6 on Feb 20, 2003 - 15 comments

I'll need a jetpack, a sonic devestator, and maybe one of those hoverboards. Future Horizons is like a clearinghouse for all those cool ads I used to see in the back of magazines.
posted by CrazyUncleJoe on Feb 15, 2000 - 1 comment