Airfix Vanguard & Comet Being Reissued

[garryrussell]

http://www.airfix.com/shop/new-for-2015/1-72-and-1-144-scale-civil-aircraft.html

Edited December 30, 2014 by garryrussell

[viscount806x]

Blimey! That is certainly an inflation busting price on the old Comet.

[garryrussell]

In the early days, the Comet was 3/6 and the Vanguard 4/-

So the Comet has gone up two series.

Interestingly the box art shows G-APEL the one and only V.953F with BEA.

It was modified to have a full length rail along the starboard side with a trolley. It was flown on freight routes to access the suitability of the type as an Argosy freighter as that type was an economic distatser and BEA were thinking about coveting Vanguards to freighters.

It proved itself and gave the green light for the V.953C Merchantman. G-APEL was later fully converted.

It depicts cargo window screens as used by Invicta on G-AXNT for example. I have no idea if BEA used them on G-APEL, but that is what you are seeing on the pic.

looks like they only put the ADF aerial in black in the fin tip ignoring the band and making the square too high.

That in itself bothers me not, the lack of research however might be indicative of other issues, but nothing a Vanguardite won't be able to fix in a gnat's wink. Might be a big gnat though.

[bentwaters81tfw]

The kit and the illustration may differ. Not at all sure they are worth that price.

[skippiebg]

Not at all sure they are worth that price.

Oh, dunno... The Vanguard is a wonderful kit all in all, considering its age. The nose needs a bit of flattening and the rest is a doddle. Nice to have it available after more than a decade! The Comet's a hoary old kit and for all its flaws the new Amodel one looks more workmanlike (got two in the post!)

[marty_hopkirk]

Having seen the sprue shots of the forthcoming A Model Comet and given they are the same price the Airfix kit may linger around like a bad smell. Vangaurd may fare better pariculary in a 'red square' livery. But, there is a lot needed to make it remotely accurate it very much is a kit of it's vintage. The engine nacelles and exhausts are way off the nose is the wrong shape, the spinner profiles are alll wrong and the flying surfaces are way over thick, u/c is grossley simplified. theer will a goodly number of folk that will welcome them back but they are not for me.

In my humble opinion what Airfix should have done at that price point is made them a limited edition with a decal sheet covering a number of the more colourful operators down the years added a correction sprue and guide to produce Comet 4C. Not sure what they could have done with Vangard as regards extra parts though.

Marty...

Edited December 31, 2014 by marty_hopkirk

[warreni]

I don't really think anyone out there would buy these kits for their accuracy, more for those affected by nostalgia who couldn;t get them when they were available before.

I will bet the Airfix Comet goes together mush better than the A Model kit.

And I will also bet that you can get them for much lower prices than on the Airfix website.

Edited December 31, 2014 by Warren

[Skodadriver]

.....

I will bet the Airfix Comet goes together mush better than the A Model kit.

And I will also bet that you can get them for much lower prices than on the Airfix website.

Having recently built an Airfix Comet and an AModel Lancastrian I would agree.

One of the few kits I've completely given up on was the AModel An-72. It looked great on the sprue but actually trying to make a model out of it was a very different matter. The Lancastrian also looked great on the sprue but by the time I'd dealt with the sink marks on the upper wings, the too-wide cockpit canopy, the bizarre method of fitting the wings and all the other problems almost all the detail had been sanded off and needed to be rescribed.

Over on the other thread about the Amodel Comet: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234970751-amodel-dh-comet-4b/

it has been pointed out that the AModel fuselage is significantly too short - see posts 50, 54 and 55.

[marty_hopkirk]

I have built many an Airfix Comet I was say it's fit is adequate and the wing to fuselage joint needs a lot of work. I'm less than convinced about the intake profile and general contours of the engines. Personally I would take shape and accuracy first, if it means I have to apply some modelling skills so be it. But, like most I would like both.

Marty...

Edited December 31, 2014 by marty_hopkirk

[Albeback52]

I don't normally do the tiddler scale but, having build all of the Airfix airliners over the years I will probably add these as nostalgia builds. Already have most of the other 1/144 kits. and, with the forthcoming re issue of the 707, I'll have everything but the Caravelle!. I think the Comet is definitely overpriced and, I'm surprised at the price differential between the two kits..It's a pity Airfix didn't completely re tool their airliners to the standard of their current releases. I guess they have their reasons though. Even bigger pity these aren't in the true 1/72 scale!!. Guess that will NEVER happen!!.

Allan

[feoffee2]

Don't normally do classic airliners

But I'm tempted

Thanks

[garryrussell]

The Vanguards says BEA but the Comet is in Olympic and BEA Airtours so that may be the reason for the hike

Edited January 2, 2015 by garryrussell

[bentwaters81tfw]

That sticks the price up even more if you want Red Square on the Comet.

[Dave Fleming]

The nose on the Airfix Comet isn't quite right (in fact IIRC their Caravelle kit has a better Comet nose than the Comet kit does!)

[garryrussell]

I always thought that odd as the Caravelle and Comet came out together

Accuracy wise, The Comet is terrible especially in the nose and fin

The Vanguard is not so bad with a few corrections but modellers are a fickle lot

The S&M Viscount is popular despite being a terrible kit shape wise.

I say...thank you Airfix!!!!. Give us the plastic and the purist will gladly correct. if the major errors were corrected, which is unviable, then the purist will still correct so, lets have this and be grateful.

Regarding the Comet going up more if you want red square...well, the price comment was because there are two liveries. Never going to satisfy all. In fact most would be thinking about third party anyway.

Edited January 3, 2015 by garryrussell

[marty_hopkirk]

Good call including Olympic livery with the Comet, to me possibly the most stylish livery it ever flew in.

Having accurised both down years, there is far more work involved getting the Vanguard to look right than the Comet.

Marty...

Edited January 4, 2015 by marty_hopkirk

[skippiebg]

Having seen the sprue shots of the forthcoming A Model Comet and given they are the same price the Airfix kit may linger around like a bad smell.

I was reserving judgement until my Comets arrived, but you're not far wrong! The kit is uniformly underscale. An utter shame, given that it is very nice in terms of skin detail (though some has begun eroding even at this early stage, and the moulds have seen some unsubtle repair work) and fidelity. The fin is unattachable to the tailcone without some sort of DIY prong(s) and the dorsal ahead of it is just a sliver that's bound to fall-off at some stage (like the next day). Decals are a joke. Some bits might be rescuable to tart-up the Airfix which memory tells me is rather austere.

[Dave Fleming]

Regarding the Comet going up more if you want red square...well, the price comment was because there are two liveries. Never going to satisfy all. In fact most would be thinking about third party anyway.

Interestingly the Vanguard has two liveries as well.BEA and Invicta

Edited January 9, 2015 by Dave Fleming

[davecov]

Release information for the Airfix Comet, Viscount and Caravelle as shown on the ATF History of Airfix Kits section:

Comet 4b Info:
SK500/03170-7/04176/94176
de Havilland Comet 4B
1/144 scale.
Available as SK500 with BEA decals from 1961 to 1972.
Issued as 03170-7 with Dan-Air decals from 1973 to 1977.
Reissued as 03170-7 with Dan-Air decals in 1980.
Reissued as 04176 in the Classic Airliners series with Dan-Air decals from 1994 to 1995.
Reissued as 100 Years of Flight Limited Edition Gift Set (94176) in 2003, not listed.
Announced for re-issue with decals for Airtours and Olympic as A40176 in 2015.

Also issued by Plasty (Germany) as kit series 1655 number 2 (1960s).
Also issued by Airfix Corporation of America as kit number 5-89 in BOAC livery (1963 to 1966).

Vickers Vanguard Info:
SK501/03171-0/03171
Vickers Vanguard
1/144 scale.
Available from 1962 to 1976.
Omitted from First Edition 1962 catalogue but included on Price List.
Listed incorrectly as SK510 in 3rd Edition (1965) catalogue (typo), but correctly on Price List (SK501).
Reissued in Classic Airliners series as 03171 from 1993 to 1996.
Announced for re-issue with decals for BEA and Invicta as A03171 in 2015.

Airfix Caravelle Info:
SK400/02170-4/04175/03177
Sud Aviation S.E.210 Caravelle
1/144 scale.
Available as SK400 with Air France decals from 1961 to 1972.
Issued as 02170-4 from 1973 to 1976.
Reissued as 02170-4 in 1979.
Listed as 03177-8 on 1979 1st Edition Kit Price List (90077-3), but probably not issued with this code.
Reissued as 04175 from 1994 to 1995.
Reissued as 03177 from 2006 to 2007.

As you can see, the Comet has gone from a Series 3 to 4 at some point. The Caravelle went from 2 up to 3, then up again to 4 and back down to 3 again!

I've always had a soft spot for the Comet since I was at school - mainly for the stairs that came with the kit! However, seeing as I built one in 2014 and have another one in my stash, I won't buy another one:

Dave

Edited January 9, 2015 by davecov

[Dave Fleming]

Need to check if the Vanguard was uprated to Series 4 for the Classic Airliners kit - the Comet certainly was.

[davecov]

It was a Series 3 boxing (03171) for the Classic Airliners kit, Dave.

Dave

[avro683]

Need to check if the Vanguard was uprated to Series 4 for the Classic Airliners kit - the Comet certainly was.

I have both the Vanguard and Comet in the Classic Airliner series and both are series 3. Not sure why the Comet is now series 4, unless it's a new tool they are keeping quiet about?

[Skodadriver]

I have both the Vanguard and Comet in the Classic Airliner series and both are series 3. Not sure why the Comet is now series 4, unless it's a new tool they are keeping quiet about?

They probably looked at the ebay prices and thought they'd cash in. Right now there are two Comets on ebay UK - one at £55 and one at £115

New tool? Dream on.

Having said that I'll probably buy a couple anyway - I'd rather deal with the known issues of the Airfix kit than try to stretch the Amodel version to the correct length.

[bzn20]

They probably looked at the ebay prices and thought they'd cash in. Right now there are two Comets on ebay UK - one at £55 and one at £115

New tool? Dream on.

Having said that I'll probably buy a couple anyway - I'd rather deal with the known issues of the Airfix kit than try to stretch the Amodel version to the correct length.

It shows people don't keeep up to date with whats about to get reissued with those silly prices.

Like the "dream on" bit. Its all we do!

[davecov]

I have both the Vanguard and Comet in the Classic Airliner series and both are series 3. Not sure why the Comet is now series 4, unless it's a new tool they are keeping quiet about?

The Comet had already been put up to Series 4 prior to the 2015 re-release as I have a "Classic Airliners" boxing of the Comet which is definitely a Series Four one - 04176 - with Dan-Air livery.

Interestingly, it was a Series 4 boxing from 1994 which was the year after the original "Classic Airliners" were first released. Perhaps your boxing was one of a batch issued in 1993 when other "Classic Airliners" were also released.

Dave

Edited January 18, 2015 by davecov