Jump to content

New Airfix : He 111, Defiant & Sea King


Ossington 2

Recommended Posts

The problem with that list is that some of them already exist in fairly new modern tooled kits. Airfix might be wiser to do the kits no other major plastic manufacturer has done recently. The Beaufort, Whitley, Barracuda and Manchester would all be welcome, as would a new Hampden and Battle. Maybe in a few years it might make sense for Airfix to do a new Wellington or Stirling, unless of course they do different marks then the other companies kits.

thanks

Mike

PS, although in the case of the Stirling, an Airfix one would be much cheaper than the £40 Italeri one and therefore might still be worth doing anyway.

Ah. If only Airfix would produce just the kits each of us wanted, instead of the ones that make money….

To suggest that Airfix concentrate on the kits those other manufacturers don't produce would be to send Airfix to the margins of the hobby. Perhaps the other manufacturers don't do them because they know there is little appetite for them. The other manufacturers produce the popular subjects for a reason…they sell! We sometimes seem to lose sight of the fact that Airfix is a business that needs to make a profit. Where their need for profit coincides with "our" favourite subject then it's win-win. Where it doesn't we're disappointed.

I too would welcome the kits you mention, and I'll bet money Airfix will do them, in time. They are re-tooling their old catalogue, so a Hampden, Wellington etc will surely come. I think it may well be that Airfix's strategy is that by producing a fair number of kits that they know will have a ready market (Spitfires, 109's. Lancasters, etc) will allow them to finance lesser mainstream models that enthusiasts want, but may not sell too well in the wider market. That would be a policy I would endorse.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In that case, this will be why Airfix have it now, being part of Hornby. Makes you wonder how long Hornby have been using it for and when exactly did they let Airfix have it.

thanks

Mike

AFAIR Hornby have been using LIDAR since at least '07, and I was told Corgi used it for some vehicles. Perhaps its Airfix' turn now, or they bought another unit or two.

To answer 'Uncle Dick' post #56;

"I also take it Airfix only do the exterior with LIDAR so internals such as cargo bays, bomb bays, cockpits will not get the treatment? I did not see any rotor blades on that HC4 in the photo with the Airfix LIDAR set up either...."

The LIDAR can be taken inside too. I once saw a unit being used on a steam train, after doing the exterior the operators did the cab insides. I think Airfix have used it on the insides of the He.111 at least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I attended Telford yesterday and of course like many I was looking forward to the Airfix announcements.

I had heard a rumour that a new 1/24th was on it's way - couldn't see it myself as the biggie last year must have taken a good budget to fulfill - yet the Typhoon has been a success. If it were to be a new 1/24th I was hoping and thinking a 1/24th glassed nosed Mossie - just changed the front end as they did with the Sea Harrier - might not be accurate but neither was the Harrier.

Then a rumour mill hit the road that it might be a Me 262 - well pigs might fly.

Instead of all these it was a new batch of 1/72 - verdict? Underwhelmed. I know by definition Brit Modellers are somewhat protective about Airfix - I will remain critcal - you may have seen some other threads I have posted on and started.

I will say I have a spot in my heart that will always love Airfix especially for the nostalgia and a 1/48 Sea Vixen and a few other wonderful kits.

But...

Maybe I am a lone voice but Airfix seem to be less than bold. Well this year maybe...the Typhoon, Javelin, Sea Vixen and a handful of others have been very bold - but a Bolton Paul Defiant in 1/72? A He 111 IN 1/72? And all the rest in 1/72? - and the Gnat does nothing for me. Blasphemy? Maybe. As someone said you can't please all the people all the time...but I do feel Airfix should at least once a year add something new - not rehashed or re tooled. The Gnat is new but apart from being a trainer or Red Arrow it holds no interest for me personally...and I know I am not the only one.

Conversely I saw the Horten 229 on the Zoukei-Mura stand was flying ('scuse the pun) of the shelves - extremely well engineered kit - the price reflects it obviosly.

However what was most interesting was the HK Models 1/32 Mosquito with slide mould technology - the fuselage is moulded in front and rear as opposed to port and starboard. The engineering looks incredible.

But I digress - I am not inspired by the new releases from Airfix. I think there are better subjects for their attention. I know I will probably stir up a hornets nest here but this is a forum to get the stumulus flowing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...but I do feel Airfix should at least once a year add something new - not rehashed or re tooled.

This year we have the Swift, last year Javelin and (or was it the year before) Vampire T11.

Who else would ever have issued a Valiant, Sea Vixen, Seafire XVll ? New Subjects are ever harder to find, but all HAVE TO MAKE MONEY, so no Scruggs Wonderplane!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh yes - another 1/72 addition -

Sorry I should have added I also feel Airfix should not rely as much on 1/72. Maybe that is my preference but I also look at the models on shelves and 1/72 doesn't fly off the shelves as much as the bigger scales.

And I am in agreement about the Sea Vixen and Javelin - but why not stick with that scale then and add something new - the Swift in 1/48 would be a Yes and a Vulcan and a Halifax and a Blenhiem and a Hampden and many more - 72 scale is not that great - IMHO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can see no reason why Airfix should fill niches that no other manufacturer has yet filled. Obscure subjects may be nice to us enthusiasts but don't necessarily guarantee the kind of sales needed to return the investment on tools. One thing is selling the units needed to repay a short run kit, another story is selling the numbers needed to pay for a mainstream kit.

Until now most of Airfix new kits have been of popular subjects, often of subjects already in the catalogue for which Airfix already knew the commercial potential. There's been a Swift but this was together with Spitfires, Mustangs, Bf-109s and so on. These kits are pumping cash into the company, would things like a Beaufort or something similar do the same ? Not too likely IMHO....

This of course also applies to others, there's a reason why Revell just issued yet another Corsair instead of launching say a Fokker D.XXI

As is often said, better have 10% of a milion unit market than 100% of a 10,000 pieces market....

The subjects I mentioned, were taken off a previous post by someone else. Besides Airfix have done some of them in the past, like the Hampden and Battle. Yes they might not be as popular as Spitfires and Mustangs and you could consider them obscure outside of the UK but if they did them before and sold plenty of them, who's to say it can't be done again. They would certainly do well in the UK, which always used to Airfix's main market.

Ah. If only Airfix would produce just the kits each of us wanted, instead of the ones that make money….

To suggest that Airfix concentrate on the kits those other manufacturers don't produce would be to send Airfix to the margins of the hobby. Perhaps the other manufacturers don't do them because they know there is little appetite for them. The other manufacturers produce the popular subjects for a reason…they sell! We sometimes seem to lose sight of the fact that Airfix is a business that needs to make a profit. Where their need for profit coincides with "our" favourite subject then it's win-win. Where it doesn't we're disappointed.

I too would welcome the kits you mention, and I'll bet money Airfix will do them, in time. They are re-tooling their old catalogue, so a Hampden, Wellington etc will surely come. I think it may well be that Airfix's strategy is that by producing a fair number of kits that they know will have a ready market (Spitfires, 109's. Lancasters, etc) will allow them to finance lesser mainstream models that enthusiasts want, but may not sell too well in the wider market. That would be a policy I would endorse.

I wouldn't go that far. It's not a simple thing (nothings as simple as it should be!). Airfix's main market has always been the UK and any kits of British aircraft are bound to do well, especially if they are something Airfix did in the past. I remember building tons of Airfix kits in the 80's when I was a kid before discovering the better kits from Japan and the like in the 90's onwards and it's nice to build the newer tool versions and compare, I bet loads of people do the same too.

The point is that for example, I don't seem much good for Airfix in doing things like Japanese aircraft as these are well covered by the Japanese companies and Japanese aircraft aren't that well known here relatively speaking. Nor is there any point in them doing the lesser well known US aircraft types, or any other lesser known foreign types. The best thing they can do like I've said before (many times) is recycle their old back catalogue to new standards, whilst throwing in something new and different every year, which is what they are doing. All I'm saying is that I think they should, when they do something totally new, is stick to British aircraft.

thanks

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The subjects I mentioned, were taken off a previous post by someone else. Besides Airfix have done some of them in the past, like the Hampden and Battle. Yes they might not be as popular as Spitfires and Mustangs and you could consider them obscure outside of the UK but if they did them before and sold plenty of them, who's to say it can't be done again. They would certainly do well in the UK, which always used to Airfix's main market.

I wouldn't go that far. It's not a simple thing (nothings as simple as it should be!). Airfix's main market has always been the UK and any kits of British aircraft are bound to do well, especially if they are something Airfix did in the past. I remember building tons of Airfix kits in the 80's when I was a kid before discovering the better kits from Japan and the like in the 90's onwards and it's nice to build the newer tool versions and compare, I bet loads of people do the same too.

The point is that for example, I don't seem much good for Airfix in doing things like Japanese aircraft as these are well covered by the Japanese companies and Japanese aircraft aren't that well known here relatively speaking. Nor is there any point in them doing the lesser well known US aircraft types, or any other lesser known foreign types. The best thing they can do like I've said before (many times) is recycle their old back catalogue to new standards, whilst throwing in something new and different every year, which is what they are doing. All I'm saying is that I think they should, when they do something totally new, is stick to British aircraft.

thanks

Mike

Sorry Mike. Having reread your original post (a reply to somebody else) I seem to have taken it out of context. I'm pretty much in agreement with you…I was answering some points you never actually made.

:shutup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The subjects I mentioned, were taken off a previous post by someone else. Besides Airfix have done some of them in the past, like the Hampden and Battle. Yes they might not be as popular as Spitfires and Mustangs and you could consider them obscure outside of the UK but if they did them before and sold plenty of them, who's to say it can't be done again. They would certainly do well in the UK, which always used to Airfix's main market.

I wouldn't go that far. It's not a simple thing (nothings as simple as it should be!). Airfix's main market has always been the UK and any kits of British aircraft are bound to do well, especially if they are something Airfix did in the past. I remember building tons of Airfix kits in the 80's when I was a kid before discovering the better kits from Japan and the like in the 90's onwards and it's nice to build the newer tool versions and compare, I bet loads of people do the same too.

The point is that for example, I don't seem much good for Airfix in doing things like Japanese aircraft as these are well covered by the Japanese companies and Japanese aircraft aren't that well known here relatively speaking. Nor is there any point in them doing the lesser well known US aircraft types, or any other lesser known foreign types. The best thing they can do like I've said before (many times) is recycle their old back catalogue to new standards, whilst throwing in something new and different every year, which is what they are doing. All I'm saying is that I think they should, when they do something totally new, is stick to British aircraft.

thanks

Mike

Sorry Mike, I too seem to have made the mistake of taking your post out of context, I apologise for this.

I agree that there's no point in Airfix making obscure types that are not from Britain. British types would fare better considering their main market is local. At the same time I'm not sure if certain British types would sell enough today. The '70s were different days when the sales of kits were much larger. Would a Hampden (just as an example) be as succesful today to recover the moulding costs ? Don't know.

Popular types are of course a different story even if not British: even if tamiya has a great Zero, Airfix can still sell plenty of their thanks to a capillar distribution in their main market, something that the Japanese competition is not likely to have.

Of course people at Airfix (and in all other companies) in the end know better than us what's best for their business, but it's fun for us to speculate on these aspects.. :D

Edited by Giorgio N
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I rather hoped Aifix would have re-tooled the old Auster Antarctic TBH.

They've steamed pretty well through quite a few of the Series 1 aircraft,so after the

lovely Tiger Moth appeared,I hoped the Auster would be next.

Still,we haven't seen everything yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to remind people, these are only the first three announcements of the 2015 program - there are several more on the way. I suspect these were chosen because they were either the ones they used LIDAR for or are very near to release (The Defiant is due in January)

Edited by Dave Fleming
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to remind people, these are only the first three announcements of the 2015 program - there are several more on the way. I suspect these were chosen because they were either the ones they used LIDAR for or are very near to release (The Defiant is due in January)

Indeed, we should wait for the advent calendar to reveal if Airfix have anything else new to offer.

Also, like probably most people on here, I have a large stash of kits to work on whilst waiting for anything new and exciting to come out. So I'm just sitting here being nice and patient as regards other new stuff, knowing I've got loads to be getting on with anyway! I mean I've just got started on the new Airfix Hurricane, that was out at the start of the year!

So lets not get too excited just yet or too disappointed in the confirmed news we have heard so far. We've all got plenty of stuff to keep us occupied in the meantime!

thanks

Mike

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1/72nd scale IS great for those of us who have limited budgets and space, and like the huge variety of kits available.

Regards,

Jason

No, it is great for those among you (note the "you") whose eyes are still working optimally. For the rest of us, bigger scales are in.

And 1/72 is not that much cheaper than 1/48.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

plus this

1/72: Bristol Beaufort

1/72: Short Stirling

1/72: Vickers Wellington

1/72: Armstrong Whitworth Whitley

1/72: Avro Manchester

1/72: Fairey Barracuda

Now this is a list of 1/72 scale kits I would like to see. But I would have preferred the Defiant in 1/48th scale, but my stash is too big at the moment anyway ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, it is great for those among you (note the "you") whose eyes are still working optimally. For the rest of us, bigger scales are in.

And 1/72 is not that much cheaper than 1/48.

I'm in the same position but I simply bought a pair of reading glasses. Which I needed anyway to be able to read the instructions.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Im doing 1/72, 1/48, 1/32 and at some point the mighty 1/24 Tiffie.

1/72, eye ball killing scale, bring me my magnifying goggle thingumy majigs.

If your eyeballs are not burning then its not a good session :mental::yikes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have to laugh at you wingy people, never satisfied;) try being a ship modeller or sci fi then you could moan. I personaly see the 3 kits as a good thing I can re4member when it was what will be re released for years. I for one like many of us am limited for space true I could be selfish and have models all over the house, but there are others init

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not being British I'm glad that Airfix make all those kits as British planes are my favs (Spit the most). Even though the quality isn't always good (see Blenheim and rag wing Hurri with their issues). Of course, it would be great to have Tamiya quality for Airfix price but you can't always have what you want. I only hope their Defiant doesn't have wing or fuselage issues.

As for the scale. I don't think we'll be always satisfied with manufacturers' decisions considering scale or topic (I still can't understand why Eduard or Tamiya haven't released Spitfire Mk.IX in 72nd yet).

We should be patient and wait for the Advent Calendar. I'm pretty sure that everyone will find something interesting. So keep fingers crossed for your favs and wait. As for me I'm really happy that one of mine has already been announced for January.

Cheers!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How is there a superior alternative on the market already? You haven't seen the Airfix kit yet, it may turn out to be superior to the Hasegawa kit, best wait until people have had the chance to see and review the kit before making such judgements.

Actually I have seen it, I had another look today, as it was a bit quieter. It know it's a test shot, but I have to say, I was impressed. My main gripe with Airfix up to now was the panel lines, and while they are not quite as fine as the Haserevell kit, it's damn close. I don't know if it's to do with the scanning stuff but both the 111 and the Defiant look pretty good so far. As for fit, that can be only assessed once it's built. Accuracy-wise there were some gripes from fellow visitors, although I didn't see anything wrong with it (though I'm not a rivet counter).

It does't change the fact that I still like the Hasegawa better, it's a proven kit about which there's little to complain, and it's readily available in the Revell boxing for much less than the 25 quid the Airfix kit will no doubt cost.

Still, it looks like an excellent kit and in the end we can only be happy with the prospect of having it. We'll have to wait until next fall though according to the Airfix guy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

plus this

1/72: Bristol Beaufort

1/72: Short Stirling

1/72: Vickers Wellington

1/72: Armstrong Whitworth Whitley

1/72: Avro Manchester

1/72: Fairey Barracuda

Having heard the presentation about their adoption critera at Telford and posted some details about half way down this page...

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234965140-airfix-2015-pt-2/page-22#entry1786361

...unless there is a big and unexpected change in policy there won't be a new Stirling, Whitley, or Manchester, unless hitherto unsuspected examples of those aeroplanes are discovered.

A Beaufort should be possible at some stage, given adequate museum co-operation.

A Hampden seems unlikely as the provenance and reliability of the Canadian museum exhibit as a representative prototype is somewhat compromised.

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?87109-Canadian-Museum-s-Hampden-Damaged-by-Snow-Fall

It is really only a lookalike, albeit one which incorporated some original components.

I suppose it is not impossible that if the Yeovilton project goes well and is satisfactorily completed that one day in the medium to long term future we could see a Barracuda. If they are able to carry on as they have started, and get to the end, it will be a composite airframe mostly made out of actual Barracuda pieces, none of which have been in the sea, and which therefore can be restored to their original shapes and have enough structural integrity to hang together as a static exhibit.

Edited by Work In Progress
Link to comment
Share on other sites

. Accuracy-wise there were some gripes from fellow visitors, although I didn't see anything wrong with it (though I'm not a rivet counter). !! well if they scanned the real airframe and used the results then Shirley ;) it must be darn close as you can get. And people always moan over little things these are the people who need to get a hobby;) oh they have one Moaning, Heres my moan I want 1/350 HMS for 100 years since battle of Jutland in 2016

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Im doing 1/72, 1/48, 1/32 and at some point the mighty 1/24 Tiffie.

1/72, eye ball killing scale, bring me my magnifying goggle thingumy majigs.

If your eyeballs are not burning then its not a good session :mental::yikes:

You forgot one!

https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/media/managed/large/04914box.jpg

Good luck with that one

Trevor who is running away cackling

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...