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Gladiator MK I 1/72 Airfix


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Well I've joined so I'd better contribute summat. :)

 

OOB build of AIrfix's MK I Gladiator.  

 

Build Record

 

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Cross posted this in the kit review:

 

The bad news is that Airfix have suspended production of this kit (and A02067 - Hurricane Mk I).  I got the following back from Hornby Customer Care when, it no longer being available on their website, I queried the short production run, 

 

"A02067 and A02052 have indeed been discontinued from this years range. Due to trading results earlier in the year we have had to discontinue some kits and postpone others from the range.

 

These kits may come back but this will not be this year, the production run would have been longer but we have had to down size the range."

 

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8 hours ago, johnd said:

Agreed, really nice Gladiator. There are alternative boxings of each kit, though. They'll still be available, won't they?

 

John.

 

I think the only way to get an Airfix Mk I kit is now from the double kit,  A50179, but that doesn't come with the 73 squadron or Irish Air Corp transfers so you'd have to go to third party for those schemes, assuming they're available elsewhere.  

 

I'm more disappointed about the withdrawal of the Mk I Hurri. kit as I had (vague, unformed) plans for that.

 

As for the compliments; thanks very much all, but I wouldn't look too closely as there are quite a few imperfections. :)

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3 hours ago, TheLurker said:

 

I think the only way to get an Airfix Mk I kit is now from the double kit,  A50179, but that doesn't come with the 73 squadron or Irish Air Corp transfers so you'd have to go to third party for those schemes, assuming they're available elsewhere.  

 

I'm more disappointed about the withdrawal of the Mk I Hurri. kit as I had (vague, unformed) plans for that.

That is bad news, about the Gladiator at least. I won't miss the Hurricane.

 

There are still plenty of both available elsewhere though, so buy what you want soon, I suppose.

 

John.

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Good looking build!

As a rule of thumb, every time some product is too successful, it is removed from the market...

OK, Airfix claim it was not successful. Face saving?

 

I am sure these are not the only two kits in that predicament.

Great Gladiator.

JR

Edited by jean
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That's a lovely build :thumbsup: .

Very nice silver finish and the decals look to have gone on a treat.

 

I've been sorting the stash and found one of these yesterday (and an old Heller one). I was considering selling them, why is it that the news they're hard to get makes me want to keep them? I'd be no good working the stock market!

 

:goodjob: 

TonyT

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15 hours ago, TonyTiger66 said:

Very nice silver finish and the decals look to have gone on a treat.

 

I've been sorting the stash and found one of these yesterday....

Ta.  For what it's worth the doped canvas areas are Tamiya's flat Al. acrylic, 3 or 4 v. thin coats, and the metal panels Revell's metallic Al ditto rather than the overall Ag that Airfix and the Shuttleworth original use.  I have sneaky reasons of my own for trying out that combination.  I have to say that the Tamiya was a joy to work with, it went on cleanly and smoothly with almost no evident brush marks and the Revell wasn't too bad either, although I did have to flatten and repaint one or two tiny areas to get rid of lumps.

 

The transfers were fun. Thank goodness for wetting/fixing solutions.  I decided against putting on the rigging datum point legends after having put the oil filler legend on.  At normal viewing distances (and with my old eyes) such small details are unreadable and look more like flyspecks than anything else. If you look at the "TinyTransfers" image in the build record showing the "grip here" legends you'll see what I mean or perhaps not if your eyes are significantly younger. :)

 

For those of you with this kit in your hoard.  There are a couple or three steps that can usefully be brought forward in the build sequence, many (all?) of which are probably obvious to experienced kit builders, but if you do want a copy of my build notes let me know and I'll either post them somewhere hereabouts, suggestions for a suitable thread welcomed, or PM you. Whichever is best.

 

Edited by TheLurker
Punctuation.
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20 hours ago, jean said:

Good looking build!

As a rule of thumb, every time some product is too successful, it is removed from the market...

OK, Airfix claim it was not successful. Face saving?

 

I am sure these are not the only two kits in that predicament.

Great Gladiator.

JR

Thanks for the compliments.

 

I don't know for sure, but I think it's likely that Hornby used a simple calculation based on volume of previous sales, including on-line sales, of each kit and current orders for each kit from retailers to decide which it was best to drop.  It is a shame they've had to do that, but I'd rather they dropped a few lines, even if the models they drop are particular favourites of mine, and continued trading than went to the wall. 

Edited by TheLurker
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A great looking Gladiator.  Those 73 sqn markings are rather racey.  A pity they have withdrawn this kit.  I've got one in the stash but intend on building several, including a Sea Gladiatir with the Pavla set.  I suppose there'll still be plenty lurking in various models shops up and down the country though. 

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