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Anyone else heard the rumor of an Airfix Shackleton?


Jennings Heilig

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I don't think wish lists are an example of greed over common sense. I think they are an example of dreams and expressing desire to build certain types. No harm in that surely.

I can't understand why the Nimrod kit gets slated so much could its sales also be due to the recession.

I can't see why a Lincoln or Shackleton would not sell sure they are not everyone's cup of tea but then countless releases of F-16s and weird little known aircraft are not others cups of tea too.

Surely its not just about popularism as that would create a bland and limited range. Better to be diverse and have some oddities in a range to appeal to every modeller and take more money in.

I can remember when I was a kid sure I wanted to build all the obvious stuff but I was always fascinated (still am) by the planes I did not know about and wanted to buy them just for the odd looks and to learn more. That must still be a factor.

I am no expert on marketing but it seems people always look to the negative of "you could never sell that as no one wants one" but often it proves to be wrong for example most of us thought we would never see the likes of Nimrod, Canberra, Valiant, TSR-2, Sea Vixen, Javelin, Lightning, Gnat, Swift, Stirling, and we all love them as right now we are going though a golden age of modelling so bring on the wish lists make your dreams come true that is after all what modelling is about.

Oh and I have nowt against F-16s et al I just saying I welcome a business that knows how to make its bread and butter but also offers some reinvestment to make something special rather than focusing on just a quick buck.

Seeing as Hornby now Run airfix you only have to look at what they have done with railway releases to see they know what they are doing with releases of the LNER P2 for example as the sole example of its class the DUKE OF GLOUSTER.

I guess ultimately none of this convo matters other that the fun of speculation and giving companies the chance to see in writing what we really want.

Hats off to PIT ROAD too for the V Bombers and TSR-2 wonderful

Rob ;)

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l would buy the Airfix Shackleton if it does ever come out and as for my Revell/Frog kit l will keep that and build it too as there would be a lot of aftermarket parts for the Airfix one that can be used on the Revell one. Besides l am a glutton for punishment for liking hacking up older kits people deem unbuildable

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Well I'm not selling off my Modelcraft/Frog Shackleton I've started sanding the rivets off of just yet, but I'd still love to see a new-mould Shackleton, and I suspect it would be the Mk.2 version (either AEW.2 or MR.2, or hopefully both). Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with a bit of speculation myself. If companies do read these posts, it gives them something to think about.

Regards,

Jason

Edited by Learstang
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Cambridge dictionary definition of irony:

'the use of words that are the opposite of what you mean, as a way of being funny'

Or to put it another way, I think dambuster had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he posted that remark.

Ah I see. I know what Irony means, I just was not sure in relation to what. I am sorry if my stream of consciousness come across the wrong way. Only meant in light heart from a point of view of just saying basically "Its good to dream" Thats all. :)

Cheers Rob ;)

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I am no expert on marketing but it seems people always look to the negative of "you could never sell that as no one wants one" but often it proves to be wrong for example most of us thought we would never see the likes of Nimrod, Canberra, Valiant, TSR-2, Sea Vixen, Javelin, Lightning, Gnat, Swift, Stirling, and we all love them as right now we are going though a golden age of modelling so bring on the wish lists make your dreams come true that is after all what modelling is about.

Rob ;)

Every single aircraft you mention was available in 1/72 scale before Airfix released them. Some (Gnat, Swift, TSR-2, Javelin, Lightning) were also available in 1/48th. I think you mean that this is the golden age of 'kit-assembling'.

Peter

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Every single aircraft you mention was available in 1/72 scale before Airfix released them. Some (Gnat, Swift, TSR-2, Javelin, Lightning) were also available in 1/48th. I think you mean that this is the golden age of 'kit-assembling'.

Peter

Ah yes your right I mean easy to make or new release kits. Not vacs et al.

But yea a new age that is defiantly golden.

For my bank balance however its more like "the red age of modelling" ;)

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I reckon that a new Shackleton will be unveiled at Telford in the same way that the Typhoon was last year! Lets hope eh?

Cheers

Tony

You mean last years new Airfix 1/24 kit that was widely rumoured to be a modern fast jet because someone overheard 1/24 and Typhoon...

Edited by Richard M
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I'd love to do a Mk2 and an AEW. Presumably the AEW would be a very simple modification and just a few extra items on the sprue? Two kits for the tooling of one!

Would I be correct in thinking the Mk1 was a shape change away, i.e. fuselage wings and tailplane? ....and therefore requiring a new kit if you wanted one? I wonder how far away a Mk1 would be from a Mk2 in modelling terms? I'd like to do this little beauty, so sad it was scrapped, only the nose remaining now.

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1367652/

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You mean last years new Airfix 1/24 kit that was widely rumoured to be a modern fast jet because someone overheard 1/24 and Typhoon...

Just my penny's worth ....1/24 ..Gloucester Meteor ..F3 ...or F8 ...£129.99

from a source i trust .....totally :-)

Edited by iain.. ipms north somerset
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But if there's one aircraft for which fine engraved panel lines and little holes for "rivets" is the WRONG way to go, it's a Shackleton, right...?

Strange how this idea has gained currency over the years. The Shackleton was no different from many, many other aircraft in being held together with a host of round-headed rivets instead of tidy engraved lines. The recent thread about modelling mistakes in real life is a good example. OK, the Shackleton was often called "forty thousand loose rivets flying in tight formation", but I'm pretty sure the C-124 was too, to name but one.

Would I be correct in thinking the Mk1 was a shape change away, i.e. fuselage wings and tailplane? ....and therefore requiring a new kit if you wanted one? I wonder how far away a Mk1 would be from a Mk2 in modelling terms? I'd like to do this little beauty, so sad it was scrapped, only the nose remaining now.

The Mk.1 and the Mk.2 were pretty near in shape - the main difference was the nose ahead of the cockpit. The turrets and the tailcone were different too, if memory serves. The bigger difference was between the Mk.2 and the Mk.3: deeper fuselage, tricycle undercarriage with relocated maingear in the inboard nacelles, revised wing, and on the later Phases, the Viper installation and the tip-tanks. At a guess, I'd say you could package a Mk.1 and a Mk.2 together through alternative parts, possibly throw in a different small sprue to make an AEW.Mk.2, and the Mk.3 would need to be different in quite significant ways. If anyone has pawed over the CMK resin kits they can probably fill us in.

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The MR.1, as you say, was different in the nose and the tail. The scanner was moved from the nose to an underfuselage semi-retractable installation (which was the same on the MR.2 and MR.3). The blunt tail cone on the MR.1 was also changed to the pointed tail cone common to both the MR.2 and MR.3. The dorsal turret was the same on the MR.1 and the MR.2 when fitted. The nose turret on the MR.2 was the same as fitted to the MR.3, although the nose was narrower in profile because it didn't have to accommodate the nose wheel landing gear. The main landing gear on the MR.1 and the MR.2 were identical, or nearly so (and very like those of the Lancaster and the Lincoln, or even the Manchester, for that matter). The difference was in the tail wheel, with the MR.1 having a fixed tail wheel much like the Lancaster and the Lincoln, and the MR.2 having a retractable tail wheel with twin wheels. The wings on both the MR.1 and MR.2 (and nacelles) were identical; on the MR.3 they were different with the widening of the outboard wings and the tip tanks. Until the installation of the Vipers on the MR.3 Phase 3, the outboard nacelles were identical with those of the MR.1 and the MR.3. The cockpit canopies on the MR.1 and the MR.2 were I believe the same, whilst the MR.3 featured a nearly frameless unit. That's about it for differences I can think of, for now. Oh, they all had great big loud Griffons with 24 counter-rotating propellers. Regarding how to accommodate these differences in kit form, the AEW.2/MR.2 certainly seems it could be in a single kit. The MR.1/MR.2 is a bit more tricky because of the different front and back ends, but still doable. I would think the MR.3 version would require its own box, with the choice there being between the later Viper-equipped version and the original Griffons-only version.

Regards,

Jason

Edited by Learstang
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if its such a niche subject , then why do i know of 5 modellers in Whangarei New Zealand (pop 40.000) who, between us , have 9 Frog/Revell Shacks and three Aeroclub MR2 conversions , and one ultra ultra rare aeroclub Decal seet (mine :)) ...... add to that the number of modellers i know in Auckland (NZs largest city ) who have a lot more of the above, and the fallicy of anything been a "niche" subject starts to fall by the wayside.....

At last nights Whangarei modelclub meeting we had,for example , several Japanese air force 1/144th scale models, a Wyvern , an Italeri Stirling , an NZ made Frog 72nd scale Thunderjet ! , a Heller arado 96 (86?) some Verlindin busts, ,the latest issues of a miniature tank partwork.....some Dinky joe 90 vehicles found that day in a local second hand shop , and an entire Austrian army of the 1800s in wargaming scale....... Niche subjects one ane all , but in a small city on the other side of the world from most of you.....tens of thousands of miles away from the shacks operating bases :P, or the home of any of the other subjects at last nights meeting

Bring it on Airfix ! i can easily sell two dozen "niche" shacks in a flash :)

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