Airfix 2018

[Dave Fleming]

6 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 

That's interesting, where has said fact been published? I'm just curious, as (knowing absolutely nothing about Airfix's business practices) I would have thought that given the size & price of the kit they would have produced it in far smaller runs than say, the 1/72 Typhoon? and yet the original Bubbletop kit was, after a year or so, being heavily discounted to 50 quid or so by people such as Jadlam, and now, a year or so after release, the Car Door version is being sold off for £50 by Tkmaxx! And when Modelzone were still trading they were selling off the 1/24 Mossie for £30....

 

Keith

 

Retaillers deep discounting kits doesn't affect Airfix's retruns on that kit (at lreats short term) - they will have been paid, it' sjust the retailler who can't sell it.

 

The TK Max ones (which I can't find) are, probably, like the Home Bargains and Works kits, Airfix using an Agent to sell off ex-catalog stock to a single source buyer rather than the admin costs of selling directly. Or they could be a retailler who has bought a pile of kits for a catalog (like Argos) who is dumping ex-catalog stock. I suspect the rceent batch of Asda kits are form that type of source.

[Dave Fleming]

6 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 

Well, no I don't actually! 

 

It might be that because they had planned that the car door could be easily tooled up, poor sales of the Bubbletop just meant they decided to release it anyway & release the new version to try & maximise the profit - or minimise the loss...

 

Keith

 

 

These days, the biggest costs are often the productions costs - plastic, box and art, decals and most importantly the time and  operations on the production line. So whilst the tooling cost may be amortised across a number of issues, or met by the first issue, the production costs will always be significant.

[TEXANTOMCAT]

1 hour ago, PhoenixII said:

Hi TT,

         I think the 'problem' within the trade was nobody had given them a 'heads up'.

Within retail, prices can change very quickly, and that's what happened here.

There will always be winners and losers, what made the 'pill' so bitter was those that buy direct

have a large amout of initial outlay on first order, that's why there are a lot of small / one man bands

who still buy through the wholesale trade.

 

That's the way supermarkets used to trade for decades, 'stack it high, sell it cheap!'

'Tis always better to have 10% of something than 100% of nowt!

 

My understanding with the Shackleton was an agreement with Revell (yes, opponents DO talk!) 

 

Amen Brother!!

 

Paul

 

Bless you brother for we art from the same Church!

[Max Headroom]

1 hour ago, IanC said:

Lincolns aside, I would have thought a 1/72 Spitfire Vb/c and tin wing Hurricane would be safe bets for Hornby - minimal outlay and good returns?

 

 

Spit Vb/c is an absolute cert. The trouble with a tin wing Hurricane I is that it isn’t just the wing. The way that the fuselage has been moulded means that an armoured windscreen cannot be grafted onto the opening.

 

Compare the lower curved edge of the windscreen here....

 

 

 

with a ‘normal’ one......

 

 

Dreamstime copyright free photo

 

Trevor

[Troy Smith]

13 hours ago, keefr22 said:

I always thought he flew his doghouse...!!

 

that was  his "Sopwith Camel"

 

see http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30875&d=1410246223

where the kennel is called "my Sopwith Camel"

 

[Troy Smith]

13 hours ago, keefr22 said:

and yet the original Bubbletop kit was, after a year or so, being heavily discounted to 50 quid or so by people such as Jadlam,

the Typhoon was late 2014 D-Day anniversary release,  Jadlam didn't start doing them for £50 for a couple of years,  the same happened with the big Mossie.

Items reach a point in the product cycle where the initial demand has been met, and then stock gets shifted on.

 

6 hours ago, Max Headroom said:

The trouble with a tin wing Hurricane I is that it isn’t just the wing. The way that the fuselage has been moulded means that an armoured windscreen cannot be grafted onto the opening.

 

and the rectangular access panel, missing on early Hurricanes. the good thing about the new tool Airfix Hurricanes (the 1/48th scaled up the 72nd)  is that neither are set up to be modular, which means if they ever do any other versions they might actually really nail them, as opposed to being not quite right, and difficult to fix not quite right too boot.

see here for details, it's the wing/fuselage join is the real problem....   and for those who say it doesn't matter...if this had been done on a Spitfire kit!!!!

I'm still kicking myself for not paying enough attention to the 72nd kit (it not being my scale)  as if I had made a big fuss about it and maybe the 48th would have nailed it.

 

 

I was suggesting a new 1/48th Lancaster a while back in one of these threads.  

 The Tamiya kit has a lot more faults than is commonly realised... as well as having always been over  priced.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2017 by Troy Smith
additions

[Scott_]

Now it's been a few years since the Typhoon, maybe for their big Telford announcement they'll take another punt in 1/24 and do a Spitfire VIII or IX.

No competition and it would surely sell at least as well as the Typhoon if done to that standard.

[gruffy]

My predictions will be for 2018/2019  (all 1/72!)

 

Bristol Blenheim mkIv bomber

fairey battle

westland lysander

Bristol beaufigher Mk I or Ic

Lockheed Hudson 

 

[Denford]

3 minutes ago, gruffy said:

My predictions will be for 2018/2019  (all 1/72!)

 

Bristol Blenheim mkIv bomber

fairey battle

westland lysander

Bristol beaufigher Mk I or Ic

Lockheed Hudson 

 

In the past Airfix have 'always' offered

1) A Jet Aircraft

2) A Luftwaffe subject

1+2 = Ar234?  Hope so but I feel a Me 410 is more likely

3) US type: yes, you list a Hudson

4) Something from the Cold War

For my part I confidently predict a P-51 / Me 262 Dogfight Double.

Nothing in 1/24

[keefr22]

8 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

that was  his "Sopwith Camel"

 

see http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30875&d=1410246223

where the kennel is called "my Sopwith Camel"

 

 

I know, I've had that book (& many, many other Peanuts classics!) for years!!

[old thumper]

21 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

 

I know, I've had that book (& many, many other Peanuts classics!) for years!!

 

The mystery deepens.

https://youtu.be/wtJ1Gnh9wPU

[keefr22]

17 minutes ago, old thumper said:

 

The mystery deepens.

https://youtu.be/wtJ1Gnh9wPU

 

Aarrrrrrrrrrggghh, earworm.....!!! 

 

Haven't heard that for donkey's years (& don't mind if it's donkeys more before I hear it again!) - never seen the awful video before though!

 

And to make it worse, they also did a christmas one;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh-J4GSPgAM      

 

Keith

 

 

[old thumper]

1 minute ago, keefr22 said:

 

Aarrrrrrrrrrggghh, earworm.....!!! 

 

Haven't heard that for donkey's years (& don't mind if it's donkeys more before I hear it again!) - never seen the awful video before though!

 

And to make it worse, they also did a christmas one;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh-J4GSPgAM      

 

Keith

 

 

 

I used to like that song when I was a kid, it sounds different now though.

[At Sea]

My wife often comments on how I don't have many memories of my childhood that I talk about.

 

This is why.

[trickydicky210]

9 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

the Typhoon was late 2014 D-Day anniversary release

I thought Airfix have stated that they will release a 1/24 kit every 5 years, so I don't expect we will see one until 2019

[Meatbox8]

On 07/11/2017 at 05:41, Max Headroom said:

Spit Vb/c is an absolute cert. The trouble with a tin wing Hurricane I is that it isn’t just the wing. The way that the fuselage has been moulded means that an armoured windscreen cannot be grafted onto the opening.

 

Compare the lower curved edge of the windscreen here....

 

 

 

with a ‘normal’ one......

 

 

 

Dreamstime copyright free photo

 

Trevor

Ah,  that's interesting (and slightly disappointing from a modelling perspective).  I hadn't noticed, until you drew my attention to it, that the other releases of this kit, in the 85 and 615 squadron markings, still retained the earlier windscreen - which is surely wrong for a B of B era aircraft. 

[Meatbox8]

23 hours ago, Albeback52 said:

One could probably use similar arguments for or against a kit of the Avro Manchester. Granted, it was not a success but, that was no fault of the basic aeroplane which was a very sound design - look what it metamorphosed into!!! There have been less likely candidates for kit selection. As for the Lincoln? I'd love one . Was the Shackleton not actually derived from the Lincoln? Such a kit would very neatly provide the missing linc (sorry!! Awful pun!) between Lancaster and Shackleton.

 

Allan

I'd really like a Lincoln.  As you say, it fills in the gap between Lancaster and Shackleton.  I suppose it would have to be a completely new tool though as it would be impossible to adapt the Lancaster mouldings.  Maybe that would put Airfix off.  In the meantime I'm hoping for a gentleman's scale Hawker Hunter kit (modular of course to cater for ever mark!).

[PhantomBigStu]

@Max Headroom Alleycast included the windscreen in their conversion, why couldn't airfix? 

 

 

[Agent K]

22 hours ago, PhoenixII said:

... My understanding with the Shackleton was an agreement with Revell (yes, opponents DO talk!) 

 

Amen Brother!!

 

Paul

 

What was the alleged agreement? to allow Revell to put their AEW out before Airfix? if so that would be a fundamental and gross error by Airfix and one I can't believe? and with whatever the alleged agreement was, what did Airfix negotiate to their benefit? intrigued......

Edited November 7, 2017 by Agent K
typo

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Just a curveball but you dont think they'd do a 1/72 Buccaneer do you...

[Beard]

8 hours ago, gruffy said:

My predictions will be for 2018/2019  (all 1/72!)

 

Bristol Blenheim mkIv bomber

fairey battle

westland lysander

Bristol beaufigher Mk I or Ic

Lockheed Hudson 

 

 

The Blenheim IV bomber is due for release in December this year.

I'd like to see a Beaufighter I. It would be a straightforward conversion as it only needs a different tailplane, engine cowlings and exhausts and, front canopy (I think the MkI observer's canopy is already included.

The other three are well overdue a remould, and would fit in with Airfix's other RAF early WW2 planes. Whether they'd sell or not I don't know, I only know that I'd buy a few of each.

 

6 hours ago, Meatbox8 said:

Ah,  that's interesting (and slightly disappointing from a modelling perspective).  I hadn't noticed, until you drew my attention to it, that the other releases of this kit, in the 85 and 615 squadron markings, still retained the earlier windscreen - which is surely wrong for a B of B era aircraft. 

 

I think some fabric-winged Hurricances served in the Battle of Britain. (I'm sure some-one will confirm this, of prove me wrong.)

 

[PhoenixII]

23 hours ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

Bless you brother for we art from the same Church!

I'll also be on the Coastal Command SIG ALL weekend, if your at Telford, pop by, you CAN'T miss us, you MAY try!

Hall 3, between Bomber and Hurricane SIGs!

4 hours ago, Agent K said:

What was the alleged agreement? to allow Revell to put their AEW out before Airfix? if so that would be a fundamental and gross error by Airfix and one I can't believe? and with whatever the alleged agreement was, what did Airfix negotiate to their benefit? intrigued......

That, unfortunatly, I don't know, not being privy to the internal politics of Airfix. 

May have been because (and this is merely supposition) that as Airfix scanned the MR2 / AEW2 / MR2!  WR963 at Coventry,

meaning, even with the in-service 'tinkering' the Airfix kit is the most accurate MR2 / AEW2 / MR2 out there, NB I DIDN'T say easiest!

 

From what has been said by one of the team bringing her back to ground running state, (sadly now, with a temporary hiatus) 

Revell ASSUMED that they could too, err, NO, 'cos you didn't ask! and I believe Airfix "put their money where their mouth is".

                    

Have a look in 'Military Aircraft Modelling Discussion by Era' 'Cold War'  Shackleton is 'pinned' at the top.

Also have a look here:- http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/search/&q=AVRO Shackleton&page=1&sortby=relevancy

WARNING there's 15 pages, but look out anything to do with WR963 the answers are there!

 

Ahh! My thinking is Airfix may be playing the loooooooonnnnnnnggggg game, if so, it's a case of 'wait and see'!

 

Paul

 

Edited November 7, 2017 by PhoenixII
correcting spacing

[Meatbox8]

2 hours ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

Just a curveball but you dont think they'd do a 1/72 Buccaneer do you...

If only.

[Meatbox8]

36 minutes ago, Beard said:

 

The Blenheim IV bomber is due for release in December this year.

I'd like to see a Beaufighter I. It would be a straightforward conversion as it only needs a different tailplane, engine cowlings and exhausts and, front canopy (I think the MkI observer's canopy is already included.

The other three are well overdue a remould, and would fit in with Airfix's other RAF early WW2 planes. Whether they'd sell or not I don't know, I only know that I'd buy a few of each.

 

 

I think some fabric-winged Hurricances served in the Battle of Britain. (I'm sure some-one will confirm this, of prove me wrong.)

 

Quite right, they did,  but I'm not sure any of them would still have had the un-armoured windscreen by that time.

[Beard]

13 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said:

Quite right, they did,  but I'm not sure any of them would still have had the un-armoured windscreen by that time.

 

Good point.