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Airfix Me 262 A-1a Schwalbe 1/72 Released - New Boxing Me 262B-1a released


sofiane1718

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18 hours ago, Thomas V. said:

In between Hasegawa, Academy and entry level Revell kit that is easily obtainable, not to mention forthcoming AZ/KP kit...cannot see logic behind this release,  more so due to price hikes both Series 2 and 3 become seriously overpriced compared to all the mentioned brands.

 

 

Current RRPs:

 

Academy £13.99

 

Hasegawa £32.49

 

Revell £6.50

 

The Airfix Me 262 has a catalogue number in the Series 3 range, which currently retail at £12.99.

 

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The main wheels have separate hubs, which is nice, while the nose wheel looks as if it has sharper, better defined hubs than Airfix have done in the recent past. It should make painting considerably easier. If so, they've been listening to constructive criticism.

 Sadly, time hasn't been kind to the Revell '262, especially the transparencies, which are more translucencies these days!

 If the Airfix '262 ends up with a street price of a tenner, I suspect I'll be getting a fair few.

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14 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Would have much preferred a bomber version TBH.....I've got all the other versions already.  :rolleyes:

Well the racks are there, there are aftermarket Luftwaffe bombs readily available or rob from another kit, and it would be easy enough to fill two gun troughs!

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On 17.12.2016 at 10:30 PM, GreenDragon said:

All current 1/72nd 262's have problems and the KP kit has been postponed indefinitely because this Airfix one is coming out./cut/

 

Paul Harrison

Jan Polc from AZ/KP will bet on this? :-)

 

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13 hours ago, T7 Models said:

 

Current RRPs:

 

Academy £13.99

 

Hasegawa £32.49

 

Revell £6.50

 

The Airfix Me 262 has a catalogue number in the Series 3 range, which currently retail at £12.99.

 

 

If Series 3 is correct - that would be a another stealth price increase by Airfix as looking at the sprue the kit only has 65 parts which is series 2 territory. Airfix are turning more into the Christmas Grinch?

 

kinopoisk.ru-How-the-Grinch-Stole-Christ

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Hornby are in serious financial trouble and may well have 'gone under' but for the low interest rate: God is surely a modeller.

I for one am happy to pay above the odds to keep Hornby afloat.

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"Help Save Hornby" Donation Fund Now Up and Running, from now on we will have no criticism of Airfix on this forum!

 

Anyone that criticises Airfix for raising prices or packaging series 2 kits as series 3 or 4 kits and so forth will be pronounced a Heretic and expelled from our Forum Order!

 

Long Live Airfix and our Order!

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On 18 December 2016 at 10:40 AM, T7 Models said:

 

Current RRPs:

 

Hasegawa £32.49

 

 

That may well be current RRP  but anyone who buys one at that price is clearly either retarded or has more money than sense.  Especially as you can pick them up for a fiver or less at most shows.

 

Revell's 262 was having canopy issues when it was first released in '97.  Quite a few of the first batch I bought on initial release were looking a tad rough.  Not to mention the short shot issues with the engine intakes and mould shrinkage with the wheels.

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On 18/12/2016 at 11:54 PM, meisnerr said:

Jan Polc from AZ/KP will bet on this? :-)

 

There was an interview with Jan Polc & Petr Muzikant in the December issue of Scale Aircraft Modelling and they say the 262 is postponed "to see what our competitors in the UK will do with this kit.

 

Paul Harrison

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  • 1 month later...
2 minutes ago, Homebee said:

 

The whole thing is ruined!  The nose gear doesn't even touch the floor - what were Airfix thinking?? :whistle:

 

Seriously though, really looking forward to this one and they've chosen (by Me-262 standards), eye catching colour schemes.

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Source: https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/news/workbench/hunting-the-stormbird/

 

Quote

Hunting the Stormbird

Date: 31/03/2017

Hunting the Stormbird

 

Welcome to this latest edition of Workbench and our regular look behind the scenes at the fascinating world of Airfix modelling. As usual, we have a lot to fit into this 44th edition which will include an update on one of the new 1/72nd scale tooling projects, two fantastic reader supplied build features and an exclusive report from the recent Southern Expo model show, held at the Hornchurch Sports Centre over the weekend of 18th/19th March. With a host of exclusive pictures, artwork reveals, modelling tips and techniques, we hope we have something that will be of interest to all our readers in this latest edition of Workbench.

Messerschmitt Me 262 update

ImageB_

The spectacular Messerschmitt Me 262 box artwork shows off the clean lines of the world’s first operational jet fighter

 

Perhaps more than any other aircraft of WWII, the Messerschmitt Me262 illustrates the pace at which this conflict saw aviation technology develop over a relatively short period of time, but also how overwhelming Allied air superiority would ultimately dictate the future of the world’s first operational jet fighter. There is no doubting that Allied air commanders would have been worried about reports of extremely fast Luftwaffe aircraft appearing in the skies above Germany, which could easily out-pace the latest British and American fighters and did not appear to have propellers, but this would only prove to be a distraction in their well organised aerial offensive. With Allied fighter pilots free to hunt the new German jets at every opportunity and production facilities being pounded by day and night, the Me262 may have been one of the most advanced aircraft of the war, but it never really stood a chance.

The magnificent box artwork featured above shows the Me262 in all its glory and in an operating environment in which it was intended by the Luftwaffe and feared by Allied air commanders. Had large numbers of these highly capable aircraft been able to regularly penetrate the Allied bomber streams, they could have taken a devastating toll of men and machines and threatened to derail the Allied bomber offensive over Europe. In reality, this type of scene would have been few and far between, as overwhelming Allied air superiority dictated that most Me262 operations were mounted against hugely superior numbers of Allied aircraft, with marauding fighter units looking to ruthlessly pick off the jets at every stage of their latest flight – even commencing your take-off run would have been a perilous undertaking.

 

ImageEImageCImageD

A selection of computer rendered CAD images from the new Messerschmitt Me 262 project

 

Looking at the distinctive shape of the Messerschmitt Me262, there is no doubting that with its swept back wings and beautifully streamlined shark-like fuselage, this aircraft was built for speed. Unfortunately for the Luftwaffe, the very powerplants that gave the 262 its technological advantage proved to be its Achilles heel and determined that this would always be a high maintenance aircraft, incapable of being operated from anything but a large and fully equipped airfield. With an operational life that rarely exceeded twelve flying hours, Luftwaffe engineers had to become proficient at changing Junkers Jumo engines, because they would get plenty of practice and the number of serviceable aircraft available at any one time would never be enough to cause serious concern to the Allied air forces. The service introduction of this new aviation technology would have been a challenge at any time, but during wartime conditions and with pilots, fuel and raw materials in extremely short supply, this wonder weapon was thankfully never allowed to show what it was really capable of.

The new 1/72nd scale Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a (A03088) is advancing steadily towards its June 2017 scheduled release date and we are pleased to bring you confirmation of the decal options that will be included in this exciting new kit.

 

Messerschmitt Me262A-1A ‘Yellow 3’, 9./Kampfgeschwader(J) 54, Neuburg an der Donau, Bavaria, Germany, March-April 1945

ImageGImageF

 

The combat introduction of the Messerschmitt Me 262 was not only hampered by technical and manufacturing difficulties, but also by the direct interference of Hitler himself. Despite the significant protestations of senior Luftwaffe fighter pilots, who wanted as many of these interceptor fighters in service as quickly as possible, Hitler decreed that future production should be prioritised for a ‘Schnellbomber’ version of the jet - his thinking was not as flawed as is at first apparent. He knew that the Allies would soon attempt an invasion of northern Europe and the only way to prolong the war (and his deluded vision of eventual victory) would be to halt this invasion on the beaches, wielding such devastating force that the Allies would think long and hard before attempting a similar operation. Waves of Me 262 jet bombers would sweep across the beaches bringing devastation from the air, at speeds making them almost impervious to interception from either ground or air attack. This all sounds impressive on paper, but the reality of the situation proved to be significantly different.

Ingenious to the last, designers at Messerschmitt complied with Hitler’s directive to halt all fighter-only production, but cleverly adapted the Me262 airframe to take bombs – in essence, they were still all fighters, but now had the ability to be converted to carry bombs. When the schnellbomber order was later rescinded and full scale fighter production given priority, this design feature ensured that the in service delay of the fighter version was only a few weeks longer than if Hitler had not intervened.

The colour scheme adopted by this late war 9./KG(J) 54 ‘Totenkopf’ Me 262 is arguably the most iconic for this ground-breaking aircraft and really does play on the shark-like appearance of the world’s first operational jet fighter. KG 54 were a Luftwaffe bomber wing during WWII which suffered very heavy losses during Operation Steinbock and attacks against the D-Day invasion beaches. Withdrawn from the Western Front in September 1944, the unit were assigned to Neuburg an der Donau airfield in Bavaria and began conversion training on the new Messerschmitt Me 262 jet aircraft. Unfortunately for units based at Neuburg, this increased jet activity at the airfield attracted the interest of the USAAF, who’s B-17s and B-24s paid their first visit in February 1945 and returned regularly over the next two months, until the airfield was almost completely destroyed – a fate that seemed to befall every base that hosted the Me 262.

 

Messerschmitt Me262A-1A ‘Green 4’ WNr.111002, Geschwaderkommodore Theodor Weissenberger, Stab II./Jagdgeschwader 7, Kaltenkirchen, Germany, January 1945

ImageHImageJ

 

For many modellers engaged in a little pre-build research, the subject of Luftwaffe camouflage during the Second World War is a fascinating one. Always meticulous in their planning, the German State Ministry of Aviation produced a standard for colour shades, their production and application, which certainly does help the scale modeller when painting Luftwaffe aircraft, but with more than one or two caveats. Although the production and reference to these paint charts will certainly allow a clear understanding of the ‘official’ colours used on German aircraft, there seems to have been plenty of field variation when it came to the application of these directives, which still allows the modeller some creative licence when working on their latest Luftwaffe project. During the early stages of the war, the Luftwaffe was sweeping all before it in Europe and the confidence of fighter units manifested itself in some less than standard camouflage variations. During the Battle of Britain, some senior (or particularly self-confident) pilots would instruct ground crews to camouflage their aircraft in a particular way, as they searched for even the slightest advantage whilst engaged in combat with the Royal Air Force.

As the war shifted from the aerial battles over the English Channel to a defensive struggle against the Allies in the skies above Germany, it became more important for the Luftwaffe to camouflage their aircraft from attack whilst on the ground, which became particularly necessary following the introduction of the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. The early jet engines were relatively slow to respond to power input instructions by the pilot, making the aircraft incredibly vulnerable to attack during both take off and landing and with Allied pilots scouring the German countryside for any sign of these highly dangerous opponents, a more effective camouflage scheme had to be adopted. Using brown and green colours on the top surfaces of the aircraft gave the 262 a better chance of avoiding detection whilst in their camouflaged revetments on the ground and during take off and landing, but the war had turned against Germany by now and the formality of the RLM paint system was not as robust as it once was. With regard to the Me 262 in particular, the application of camouflage colours in the final months of the war is a little ambiguous to say the least, with inconsistent paint stocks combining with field mixed supplies and light or heavy application leading to some real ambiguity for the modeller. Add to this the impact of fading and weathering and you can find yourself in the middle of an RLM minefield, however fascinating this may be.

Although the Messerschmitt Me 262 represented a huge advance in aviation technology when it first entered service in the summer of 1944, it proved to be a challenging aircraft to fly, requiring the very best Luftwaffe pilots to master its many virtues. One man who certainly qualified for this status was Theodor Weissenberger, a celebrated ace with 200 aerial victories to his name, before he even flew the Me262. JG.7 ‘Nowotny’ had the distinction of being the first operational jet fighter wing in the world and under the command of Major Weissenberger, was to score some significant successes against Allied air forces, at a time when the Luftwaffe was very much in its death throes. Claiming three B-17 Flying Fortresses destroyed over Berlin on 18th March 1945, Weissenberger would survive the war with a total of 208 confirmed aerial victories from 375 combat missions, which included eight victories whilst flying the Me 262 jet fighter. He would go on to become an accomplished racing driver after the war, but was killed in an accident on the Nurbugring circuit in June 1950, aged 35.

 

ImageK5.jpg

Box layout for the new 1/72nd scale Messerschmitt Me 262 kit

 

Both of the schemes included with the new 1/72nd scale Messerschmitt Me 262 kit make excellent subject choices for a model build project and help to mark one of the most important aircraft in the history of powered flight. Always associated with the phrase ‘Too little, too late’, the awesome potential of the Messerschmitt Me 262 was never fully realised, which was certainly fortunate for Allied forces – had this aircraft entered service just six months earlier, it may have had a significant impact on the outcome of the Second World War. This fantastic new model is currently scheduled for a July 2017 release, and can be pre-ordered from the website or your local Airfix stockist.

 

V.P.

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  • 2 months later...

Airfix haven't issued any of their 2017, not sure we will be getting any,, things are not great at Airfix HQ, I think we will be lucky 🍀 if we see walrus and sea fury, and these will probably be part of 2018 issues, might see a changed Airfix.

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12 hours ago, Gerrardandrews said:

Airfix haven't issued any of their 2017, not sure we will be getting any,, things are not great at Airfix HQ, I think we will be lucky 🍀 if we see walrus and sea fury, and these will probably be part of 2018 issues, might see a changed Airfix.

Airfix set out their release dates at the beginning of the year and none of their new tools were due until July anyway (the 262) with the others towards late summer and into autumn. You've been forecasting the imminent demise of Airfix for the last few months on this board, yet they continue to disappoint you - perhaps it's time you got a new hobby?

 

Jeff

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I'm a big fan of Airfix, least a 100, in the stash, last two kits made, Airfix.

I might have posted some worried thoughts, most have come from information read or on modelling sites such as this one, and from talking to Airfix reps themselves, at Telford last year, I personally think Airfix is extremely important to the hobby, my first kit, was Airfix kit, back in 1965.

We haven't had as many new kits this year, as we had in the past few years, or the variety, I do believe there was some sort of a take over early on in the week, buy out of sorts, so some change will happen, good or bad.

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35 minutes ago, Gerrardandrews said:

I'm a big fan of Airfix, least a 100, in the stash, last two kits made, Airfix.

I might have posted some worried thoughts, most have come from information read or on modelling sites such as this one, and from talking to Airfix reps themselves, at Telford last year, I personally think Airfix is extremely important to the hobby, my first kit, was Airfix kit, back in 1965.

We haven't had as many new kits this year, as we had in the past few years, or the variety, I do believe there was some sort of a take over early on in the week, buy out of sorts, so some change will happen, good or bad.

This has strayed somewhat from the original topic (Me 262) but:

- It's not Airfix who are in 'trouble' but the parent company Hornby Hobbies.

- Airfix have released fewer kits because they released two large kits (Victor and B-17) last year.  Some designers left the company too.

I think if there had been a 'take over' we would have heard of it.

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Hornby is a listed company with a group of share holders. Two of the larger ones are Phoenix asset management and new Pistoria investments. Phoenix has now acquired a majority shareholding by buying Pistorias shares and now hold 56% of the shares. This has triggered an offer of about 12m for the remainder of the shares.

 

Roger Canham who was the head of Hornby's Board has resigned following this. Hornby also posted news that revenue has fallen by 15pc to 47m and a pre tax loss of 6.2m is currently projected. 

 

Make of of all of that what you will..

 

Arguably it is a take over as the ownership of the company has significantly altered..

 

Plasto

 

Edited by Plasto
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8 hours ago, Jeff Wilson said:

Airfix set out their release dates at the beginning of the year and none of their new tools were due until July anyway (the 262) with the others towards late summer and into autumn. You've been forecasting the imminent demise of Airfix for the last few months on this board, yet they continue to disappoint you - perhaps it's time you got a new hobby?

 

Jeff

Me 262 was supposed to be released in March, as well as Swordfish and Sea Hurricane in March/April, I don't think anyone would like to see demise of Airfix but more objectivity would be welcome in time when company did not release single new tooling in six months, even worse when current kits with minor alterations are postponed, and when most 2017 releases will spill over into 2018(well into)

Its not only Hornbys fault,  Airfix management carries big responsibility for the current situation, and ignoring problems with the brand won't change the fact that Airfix is endangered from many sources, not taking into account biggest threat-Brexit.

Fourth price hike

Dubious rules of trade

Lack of quality control.

 

 

 

 

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