SK Model S-3 Viking 1/72; Rebox or copy of Airfix?

[roym]

http://www.model-making.eu/products/Lockheed-S-3A-Viking-18483329.html

 

Anyone know for sure? Hard to tell from pics.

[LanceB]

Definitely not Hasegawa, Hasegawa has closed weapons bays and open boarding hatch, while this kit has open weapons bays and closed boarding hatch.

 

I am pretty sure this is Airfix plastic, the style of the numbers and lettering I can see on the clear parts frame is very Airfix-like.

 

Edit: apologies, I misread the title as "is this Hasegawa or Airfix", not "is this a rebox or copy of Airfix".  But if it is a copy, it is an exact one.

 

Edited March 3, 2017 by LanceB

[stevehnz]

Those hexagonal sprues sure have an Airfix look too them. Scalemates seems to think so too.

Steve.

 

[Geoff_B]

Yeah that's the Airfix kit, wonder if Airfix are loaning out their old tools now they are reluctant to release them themselves or if this is a tool that went astray.

 

Still nice to see if appear again.

[roym]

yes it's a nice kit, and that's why I was asking. 

 

[iainpeden]

Cheap too and lots of possibilities below.

 

http://airlinebuzz.com/forums/showthread.php?51444-THE-CHICKEN-WORKS-The-Random-Collection/page3

 

Keep going to the bottom of the page - I like the Nationalist Chinese one.

 

 

[KRK4m]

For years SK had been the Airfix and Heller distributor for Poland. At this occasion they also issued several then Humbrol-marketed kits using bagged sprues imported from France or the UK and adding their own (Polish) boxes, decals and instruction sheets. They had never have any plastic injection machines in Gdansk.

Cheers

Michael

[71chally]

£6.55 bargain, seem to remember this was a pretty good Airfix kit for its time.

[Julien]

100% Airfix plastic as comes with torpedoes for the weapons bays. Also the Hasgeawa kit has the panel for the rear seats to come through while airfix missed these off completely.

 

The decal sheet looks like a copy of a hasegawa one though the Airfix ones never had the walkways on them that I saw.

 

With a bit of work this kit looks the part.

 

Julien

[Giorgio N]

Saw this kit on a Polish Ebay shop and the description mentioned it's an ex Airfix kit. That shop sells the kit for a way higher price though. They also have a Vigilante from the same company, again described as ex Airfix (and I can't remember if the Airfix Viggie was a good kit or not..)

Built the Airfix Viking many years ago, found it quite a good kit. My only gripe was the use of raised panel lines for many of the control surfaces...

[theplasticsurgeon]

That retractable MAD probe and the RF probe convinced me enough to open my file and get the Airfix Viking instructions out.

Snap - it's a perfect match, even the part numbers!

As originally built, this was the first release kit from Airfix.

And after a recent repaint plus Hasegawa decals.

Edited March 3, 2017 by theplasticsurgeon
Photos

[71chally]

The same shop has the Ka-25 Hormone by SK-Models, guessing this is the Airfix kit as well.

At £4.50 that's about a third of the price of the Airfix boxing on a EBay.

[Ryan Hothersall]

8 hours ago, 71chally said:

The same shop has the Ka-25 Hormone by SK-Models, guessing this is the Airfix kit as well.

At £4.50 that's about a third of the price of the Airfix boxing on a EBay.

Speaking of Russian aircraft, I have seen SK offer both the Su-20 and Su-25 in 1:72 and was wondering about where those kits came from. 

[modelldoc]

Made that, it's an Airfix Reboxing.

 

 

modelldoc

[Tailspin Turtle]

The Airfix S-3 basic shape is actually more accurate than Hasegawa's, at least the engine nacelles are (the nacelle aft of the fan outlet is not circular). As noted above, it also has weapons bays. If I remember correctly, the Hasegawa kit is better in all other respects.

[172flogger]

8 hours ago, Ryan Hothersall said:

Speaking of Russian aircraft, I have seen SK offer both the Su-20 and Su-25 in 1:72 and was wondering about where those kits came from. 

 

 

Yak-38 and some more types were from Hobby Craft.

[Julien]

3 hours ago, Tailspin Turtle said:

The Airfix S-3 basic shape is actually more accurate than Hasegawa's, at least the engine nacelles are (the nacelle aft of the fan outlet is not circular). As noted above, it also has weapons bays. If I remember correctly, the Hasegawa kit is better in all other respects.

Having built both I prefer the Airfix one, though it needs some help.

 

Airfix

 

Hasegawa

[GreenDragon]

Prefer the Airfix kit mainly due to the weapons bay & Harpoons, strange they haven't released it themselves. Have three & a half Airfix kits and four Hasegawa in the stash (two Hasegawa's are rserved for a bit of four-engined COD what-iffery). Think I might get some of this SK Models release for cheap stash building.

 

Paul Harrison