NEW jobs should be steaming into part of the county after model giant Hornby snapped up the Airfix kit business.

Lovers of Airfix models will be delighted by the Margate firm’s decision to buy the iconic brand for £2.6million.

Airfix was part of Humbrol, the paint maker which went into administration earlier this year.

The deal involves the Airfix model kit business, Humbrol paints and model accessories, and the Young Scientist business and their associated assets.

Hornby said the brands were "highly complementary" to Hornby’s existing train and Scalextric racing car brands. Last year, they achieved sales of £6.5million.

Hornby intends to re-structure the business, moving all the distribution, sales and marketing operations to Margate, giving a jobs boost to the area.

Around a dozen jobs will be relocated to the Margate plant. There may also be some local recruitment.

Manufacturing and assembly will go to other plants, mainly overseas but Frank Martin, chief executive, said he hoped some manufacturing would be kept in the UK.

Mr Martin said: "The strategic fit with Hornby is excellent. Hornby has similar distribution channels to Humbrol/Airfix, and we therefore plan to integrate the business into our existing structure, which gives the business the right platform and a more streamlined base from which to grow.

"Hornby has the expertise and track record of re-invigorating hobby brands. A detailed integration plan has already been put in place, to ensure that we improve the profit performance rapidly."

Meanwhile, Hornby has announced half-year sales of £17.9million, with pre-tax profits of £1.4million.

Mr Martin added: "The group is making excellent progress towards our objective of building an international hobby business and reducing our dependency on the UK market.

"Looking ahead to Christmas, we are in good shape. We have an excellent product range and current indications are that we will experience a significantly stronger performance in the second half."