Jump to content

Airfix 2018


old thumper

Recommended Posts

On 10/09/2017 at 3:40 PM, Chimpion said:

. Also it's not the number of sales that matters, but the return on investment, and right now the cash flow forecast. A struggling company needs to invest in the products most likely to succeed quickly and build the brand image going forward.

 

 

Numbers of sales will help return on investment though. It's also a reason for them to do what will obviously be popular subjects better than the competition. The Me262 for example - at least one shop I know of sold out their first delivery on day one and is waiting for more; the P-51, B17, Ju87, Phantom - all iconic subjects that will attract worldwide attention. A shop once told me he could guarantee to sell out any new Phantom kit - don't know if that is still true, but the anticipation levels shown suggest it might be.

 

The Sea Fury is mor einteresting - whilst it has an appeal in the Uk, Australia, canada and others, I wonder if it would have the same market interest as a Mustang?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can't sell anything to the public if its not in the shops they visit. Despite the rumours not everyone shops on-line and those that do still go to the high street .

My nearest LMS (OK it was a toy shop with a model section really) was a Hornby concession, and on entering you were met by a floor to ceiling wall of Airfix red boxes with Hornby and Scalextric taking up the rest of the space, there was also a nice Hornby train layout running day in day out in the middle of the floor. A lot of kits were sold to the pocket money / Birthday present market and I even witnessed several kits being sold for a school project, yet the serious modellers amongst the clientele were generally frustrated that the latest releases took a month or more to turn up despite the shop's concessionary status.

At the turn of the year Hornby announced the end of the concession system and the wall of Hornby products disappeared to be replaced with Lego. The only kits in the shop now are a handful of Revell which still go to the pocket money trade.

Incidentally, the train layout is still there (even though you can't buy any Hornby stuff anymore) as Hornby only sent one man and a van to collect their stock and the shop staff were so miffed at Hornby that they refused to help him move it. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

55 minutes ago, Dave Fleming said:

 A shop once told me he could guarantee to sell out any new Phantom kit - don't know if that is still true, but the anticipation levels shown suggest it might be.

I know this is my own personal experience but I have never per-ordered anything from any model manufacturer, but the Phantom is the single exception for me. My LMS has anecdotal evidence of a high amount of interest in the kit too.

I suspect its a mix of interesting subject, decent-ish price, what look like excellent details and a whole host of options and schemes  (aftermarket decals, etc)

(Edit: as well as/in spite of the eye-wateringly numerous array of decals! :P )

Edited by cathasatail
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Dave Fleming said:

 

The Sea Fury is mor einteresting - whilst it has an appeal in the Uk, Australia, canada and others, I wonder if it would have the same market interest as a Mustang?

It's not the *same* mariket interest - it is a second-division type in the public consciousness compared to the P-51, 109 , core Spitfire marks, P-47, 190, Zero etc. But it also served in Germany, and the US market has always liked the Sea Fury because it likes all the top-of-range big piston fighters, especially those with high profile post war racing careers. Same way that the UK market has always had an interest in the Bearcat and Tigercat. Second-division types in terms of global fame are still highly viable as model kits, if done well.

Edited by Work In Progress
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/10/2017 at 3:40 PM, Chimpion said:

I've seen this and similar comments several times in this thread, and it's not really true. Market research can give them a pretty good idea, and this it about much more than just asking modellers what they want. They will probably have data on which periods and scales are growing in popularity and which are declining, for example. 

 

 

Pretty sketchy information though, as in something WW2 in 1/72 scale which could be almost anything really. 

 

Sales from old mould kits should be the most reliable pointer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good afternoon All

  For the WWII Pacific Theater of operations After the Wildcat I think that the Dauntless should be good idea for Airfix while Eduard has already very well treated the various versions of the Hellcat and considering that the Hasegawa Dauntless are becoming harder to find , of course an Avenger family would also sell very well ..

The Skyraider would also be very welcome as well as the Bearcat and the Tigercat tough they were never produced by Airfix ..

 

 Patrice

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/09/2017 at 10:27, IanC said:

Who under 50 has even heard of these cars now?

 

Me too, in my 30's, but then living about 40 minutes drive from Gaydon, having a dad who owned a Marina (Or was it an Ital?) and having an interest in British cars myself, that may not be too surprising....

 

Edited by charlie_c67
Triplication of post
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 13-9-2017 at 1:28 PM, Work In Progress said:

It's not the *same* mariket interest - it is a second-division type in the public consciousness compared to the P-51, 109 , core Spitfire marks, P-47, 190, Zero etc. But it also served in Germany

 

And the Netherlands:

 

https://www.ipms.nl/artikelen/nedmil-luchtvaart/vliegtuigen-h/vliegtuigen-h-hawker-hurricane-2/1526-vliegtuigen-h-hawker-seafury-4.html

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I found by accident a French site called Aventures de l'histoire from 2008, which quoted part of an interview with Darrell Burge and also gave a list of the top ten best selling aircraft kits for the previous year (all manufacturers, not just Airfix). Of that list, Airfix have produced seven; the three missing are:- the DH Mosquito (it wouldnt be a great surprise if that appeared in 2018), the FW 190d (maybe the cad file for the current FW 190 could be stretched), but , most strangely, number ten on the list was the Mistel combination. Maybe Airfix have been holding back on a Ju 88 in order to produce an option for a Mistel variant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/8/2017 at 12:43 PM, Black Knight said:

Just a thought; a '100 years of the RAF' boxing of the;  BE2C, Gladiator, a Spitfire, a Lightning, Phantom II, Harrier, & a new tool Typhoon GR4, with glue, brushes and a load of paints

6 or 7 kits for £100

[adding up the above list with appox/estimate prices comes to £120 plus]

 

A bit late replying to this, but a new tool Tornado would be a startling omission from a 100th anniversary pack: the first RAF TGR rolled out of the factory two months after the 61st anniversary of the formation of the RAF and the last of them will retire in the service's 101st year of existence....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, XV107 said:

 

A bit late replying to this, but a new tool Tornado would be a startling omission from a 100th anniversary pack: the first RAF TGR rolled out of the factory two months after the 61st anniversary of the formation of the RAF and the last of them will retire in the service's 101st year of existence....

Typical! All fighters or fast jets and no bombers!  What about the Wellington, Lancaster, Canberra, and a new tool Vulcan while they are at it? 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Robert said:

It seems to suggest on their Facebook page that the MiG-15 was there whilst they were doing other stuff.

 

Robert

Maybe  jumped the gun there, was going by airfix a twitter post. But confirmed they are doing a 1/48 mig in the future anyway 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well if this and the Wimpy don’t get Hornby out if the poo, then nothing will. Throw in the Spey Phantom at the end of this year and you’ve got a number of sure fire quick sellers. The lads at Airfix keep pulling out the punches and thankfully seem to have a ‘British subjects sell well’ mentality. Keep this theme rolling. 

 

Well played Airfix and Hornby management. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Well if this and the Wimpy don’t get Hornby out if the poo, then nothing will. Throw in the Spey Phantom at the end of this year and you’ve got a number of sure fire quick sellers. The lads at Airfix keep pulling out the punches and thankfully seem to have a ‘British subjects sell well’ mentality. Keep this theme rolling. 

 

Well played Airfix and Hornby management. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

 

Yes, well played.

 

Can we have a Hunter now please?

Pretty please?

 

Tony

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...