It was announced yesterday that Airfix is set for a return under the stewardship of its new owner, Hornby. The target audiences for the new range of products are adult enthusiasts (with models priced over £100) and a new generation of children (with its pocket money starter kits priced at £6.99). Of the two, it will be relatively easy to re-engage with the adult target although it may be somewhat more of a challenge to capture the hearts and minds of today’s children.

However Hornby should be encouraged by the fact that there are clear indicators of a resurgence of interest in traditional childhood values witnessed by the success of the book ‘Fifty Dangerous Things (you should let your children do)’. Additionally, it is the more traditional toy brands and products that are faring well in the recession, no doubt reflecting the nostalgic comfort value for parents and grand parents.

Kids are spoilt for choice with regards to leisure options and interactive media/gaming is often their pursuit of choice when they have any down time. However this preference is due to saliency, access, habit and ease of availability rather than an inherent lack of appeal of more traditional past times. Given the opportunity, children love to slide down hills on trays or build rope swings in the woods, it’s just that busy parents often do not have the time to show them the pleasures of such basic activities.

The economic pressures that families have endured in the last few years has provided more time however and has forced many to explore cheaper ways to keep the children entertained, and in so doing has caused many to re-calibrate their life values and priorities. Hopefully these attitudes will be maintained as we come out of the recession and if so, Airfix may well be successful in recruiting its new generation of model makers.