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Airfix 2018 range announcement due 10.00 09/01/2018


Stephen

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For a positive spin on things, look at it this way. The number of "new releases" which are decal options just goes to show that Airfix has some winners in the range that are making them good money.

 

The Mustang briefly sold out from the store this year, as did the 262, and the Walrus is still out of stock, so there's obviously a strong demand for all three. Hence this year we get a new Walrus scheme, two new Mustang decal options and a 2-seat 262. The DC-3 looks to have been a quiet achiever, so we're now getting version 3 out of that mould. The Blenheim range in 72 must be doing great things too - we now have 4 versions and enough interest for Airfix to have a go in 1/48. 

 

All this hopefully keeps people buying whilst not demanding too much capital in terms of new moulds and research, meaning Airfix gets some cash together to finally release the Mosquito in 1/72 for 2019 as they rightfully should :P

Edited by Scott_
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The hi light release has to be the 1/72 "Hot Shots" decal re-popped Gnat but will they provide the blanking off of the rear seat ? 

 

Vignator has already beaten them to it ... though am not sure what scale vignator model is in

 

Gnat_1_800.jpg

 

Now a series 2 kit and probably not because they have included a Garfield to stick on the canopy as Vignator did but because of the choice of decals - ouch !!!

 

Harley_13_800.jpg

Edited by Uncle Dick
too much Lasagna
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So, I can't pretend that it's not disappointing with no 1/24 Camel, but the Hunter is a good choice, it being the most beautiful jet fighter to have ever graced the skies. And in a G-HUNT scheme along with the Sea Fury as G-FURY we would only have to wait for the Mk XIV Spit for the whole 1/48 Spencer Flack set! Really think that maybe they should have announced the Hunter earlier and the Blenheim now, but hay, it's not my company.

 

Steve

Edited by bradleygolding
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Afraid I'm going to moan a bit.   Reissues and new tools in 1/48th we already knew about (except obviously for the Hunter).   The Hunter's welcome of course but I'm not that excited as I've already built all the Hunters I want from the 1/32 Revell kit.

 

 

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I love that Airfix has now claimed one undeniable prize...

 

... most expensive major European model company.

 

Seriously, in what planet does Airfix thinks it exists that models are worth costing 50-75% more than an equivalently-sized Revell model... and still well below in surface detail/fit?

 

It's absolutely bonkers. £30 for a Welly, £45 for a Shackleton when a Revell Lanc or B-17 is £20.

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4 hours ago, grahamwalker said:

Well at least you can count on Trumpeter and  Flyhawk for RN ships, the british company  will not cater for us

 

I don't get this! There are, as you say, companies producing excellent kits of British warships; I would add Aoshima to the pair you listed. Then there are all the MikroMir British subs. So why do you care if Airfix doesn't make this type of kit. The Airfix back catalogue is all in a basically defunct scale except for the 1/350 Type 45, Trafalgar and Illustrious. If Airfix never does another ship there will still be new RN ship subjects released.

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1 hour ago, Phantome said:

I love that Airfix has now claimed one undeniable prize...

 

... most expensive major European model company.

 

Seriously, in what planet does Airfix thinks it exists that models are worth costing 50-75% more than an equivalently-sized Revell model... and still well below in surface detail/fit?

 

It's absolutely bonkers. £30 for a Welly, £45 for a Shackleton when a Revell Lanc or B-17 is £20.

 

You are indeed correct about the cheap prices of the big 1/72nd Revell kits, although in defence of Airfix, as least they got the dihedral correct on their new-mould Lancs. Revell's BV 222 is going for less than $40 on a couple of listings on eBay for an enormous, and what I consider to be a very nicely-moulded and detailed model. I will probably buy the Revell AEW.2 (if I get tired of waiting for the hopefully inevitable MR.3) just so I can compare it to my Airfix MR.2. Cheaper is definitely better!

 

Regards,

 

Jason

Edited by Learstang
Disambiguation.
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1 hour ago, Phantome said:

I love that Airfix has now claimed one undeniable prize...

 

... most expensive major European model company.

 

Seriously, in what planet does Airfix thinks it exists that models are worth costing 50-75% more than an equivalently-sized Revell model... and still well below in surface detail/fit?

 

It's absolutely bonkers. £30 for a Welly, £45 for a Shackleton when a Revell Lanc or B-17 is £20.

You've not seen the price of Trumpeter, Hasegawa, or Tamiya kits then.

 

How old is the Revell Lanc now; 10+ years. New kits reflect current tooling costs, which have clearly increased since the Revell Lanc kit.

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Hmm, Trumpeters Wellington goes for about £32,  the MPM one £26 ( or £29 for the italeri rebox).  The Lanc at £30 sits between revells £20 and hasegawas daft £55.
AMG's Sea Fury - about £40, Trumpeter's crap effort £36- Airfix £25.  Meng Mustang £35, Hasegawa or Italeris rebox £28-£30. Airfix £20 ( about the same as Tamiya's). 

Airfixs new Hunter £36 - well you can find the italeri rebox of the totally crap Academy kit for between £20 & £35. I know which I will opt for.

 

I'd say Airfix arent excessive overall - though the Shack I admit is a puzzler ( perhaps they just think they can charge £45 because they can! - and they probably can)

Too much moaning gentlemen. You might not be happy this year but someone else will be. Next year it might be you in the glee-seat. Swings and roundabouts.

 

Jonners

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I can’t belive the amount of negative comments that these threads about Airfix generate. For years, I wished they retooled some of their classic kits....and they are doing. They’re also bringing out some fantastic new kits that were needed for years (Whitley, hunter as examples). These are the golden years for me, I just wish I could build quick enough to keep up with their releases,

 

keep up the great work Airfix :)

 

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34 minutes ago, Jon Kunac-Tabinor said:

( perhaps they just think they can charge £45 because they can! - and they probably can)

One of the first lessons in marketing. Don't charge for the effort you had, charge what the customer is willing to pay!

 

BTT, I must have missed that the sea king is a new tool, looks intersting as well because of the foldable rotor. Takes little shelf space, which is nice!

 

Alex

 

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29 minutes ago, woody37 said:

These are the golden years for me, I just wish I could build quick enough to keep up with their releases,

 

keep up the great work Airfix :)

 

 

That's my problem too. The He 111, Whitley, Fortress and many others are still unmade. Nice to have them though.. ;)

 

Slow down Airfix. :lol:

 

 

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7 hours ago, grahamwalker said:

Well at least you can count on Trumpeter and  Flyhawk for RN ships, the british company  will not cater for us

 

Do they need to be made by a "British" company to be any good? it's a global scene and a global market out there........

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Not content with the lack of new tools by some they now moan about the cost of the kits!! Look at how much Italeri kits have gone up to let alone some of the eastern European ones an far eastern kits. I still think Airfix are a lot cheaper than most others in Europe

Come on .... reallly!!!

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14 hours ago, Patrick Martin said:

This is the first year since the Airfix revival started (red box) that no NEW 1/72 'New Tool' has been announced

We are going to get kits previously announced during 2017, in 2018, but it means a void in 2019.  I see short term thinking going on here

 

This is NOT good.  All this re-box re-decal stuff would be done by the decal/resin cottage people in good time anyway.

What we would all like to see is new kits that all the cottage people can build on.... it's an industry that employs a lot of people. 

Airfix - be a leader, be a believer, invest in yourself, invest in new kits, make it and the punters will come. 

 

Why even ask us builders (at Telford etc) what we want - when not a single 1/72 NEW kit can be included in the 2018 announcement.

PM

Exactly - there is not a single new announcement in 1/72. That's reasonable and understandable. But that is not inspiring. The last 1/72 new tool (Wellington) was announced half-year ago - on June 23rd (!) and I do not think we'll get new announcements till mid-2018. A year between two new tool 1/72 announcements? Seriously???

 

On the opposite side - I think Airfix should have been doing more re-decalling previously. I believe they actually ran several production batches of such popular subjects as Vampire T.11 or Lightning. Doing each new run with same decal is not really a good marketing IMHO. It's welcome they are changing the approach. 

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still not updated 1/48 fury, no 1/48 bulldog or siskin!!!!!!!   

getting the hunter, not bothered about the price, its a 1/48 hunter!!

as for the gnat got a few in the stash, but have to get that one for the hot shots decals.

walrus... i have just started mine with aftermarket pre war decals and now airfix release a silver wings one!!

i will just have to wait until 2025 for airfix to do a 1/48 siskin!!!!

 

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10 hours ago, Uncle Dick said:

The hi light release has to be the 1/72 "Hot Shots" decal re-popped Gnat but will they provide the blanking off of the rear seat ? 

 

Vignator has already beaten them to it ... though am not sure what scale vignator model is in

 

 Vingtor, not Vignator....

 

This model is 1/48 scale, from my own workbench with decals from my scrap box and a few home made, laser printed decals. Nothing that will be offered from Vingtor Decals.

 

Nils

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I am glad that Airfix are re-issuing models with different decal sheets. It helps to keep the range fresh and is a far cry from the 1970s/80s when the same kit wore the same decals throughout several changes of box style. Although aftermarket decal suppliers have done a lot to make the kit choices less relevant there are many modellers out there who simply do not purchase aftermarket items, and it's good to see Airfix doing this.

 

By the way, I think Adam Tooby needs to take a bow as some of the artwork released so far is superb. Having seen them fly around almost daily for the last 40-something years I think that the undercarriage on the Sea King should be extended further than he portrays, but the Vampire art is already a candidate for the box art of the year award. :clap:

 

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2 minutes ago, Truro Model Builder said:

 

By the way, I think Adam Tooby needs to take a bow as some of the artwork released so far is superb. Having seen them fly around almost daily for the last 40-something years I think that the undercarriage on the Sea King should be extended further than he portrays, but the Vampire art is already a candidate for the box art of the year award. :clap:

 

I'm told that the view of the actual aircraft is NOW taken from the computer design of the model.  The Lightning without a tailplane should now be a thing of the past!  So it depends when the Sea King artwork was produced and does the position of the undercarriage depend on whether it is in flight (uncompressed) or on the ground (compressed) ?

I hope too that Airfix are now checking the 'technical' accuracy.  My very first BM posting, commenting on the P-40 artwork, noted on the absence of cartridge cases falling from the wings and the dispersed Zeros which the AVG (based in Burma and Southern China) never encountered: only the IJAAF.  I have one or two other minor quibbles such as the 1/72 Typhoon, both a/c dated to winter '44, firing the rockets against a background of green bushes.

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3 hours ago, alex said:

One of the first lessons in marketing. Don't charge for the effort you had, charge what the customer is willing to pay!

Alex

 

Fair point Alex!:lol:. However, this particular customer is not willing to pay £45 for an Airfix Shackleton AEW 2 when he can get the Revell kit for £33 - £34. He won't pay £31 for an Airfix Wellington when he can (and did) buy the Trumpeter kit for £5 - £7 less. He won't pay £21 for a Lightning F6 when the original tooling is still available for about £15. My choice of course and, given that I can barely afford £30 - £35 for any kit, I have to take the cheaper option where I can.

 

Don't get me wrong. Overall, I am quite pleased with the 2018 list - especially the B-26 and, several items will be appearing in a stash near me. I know costs etc have risen, it's just that I am not necessarily convinced that a shiny new decal sheet in, for example, the Lightning F6 justifies a near 35% price increase. That however is just me. I have to be practical.

 

I'm not interested in getting involved in a debate over prices. It's down to personal choice  as to whether an item is deemed good value or not. I do concur however that, compared to kits of far Eastern origin, Airfix are still comparatively cheap. You pays your money, you takes your choice!:rolleyes:. Any concerns I may have over kit prices are general and, not restricted to Airfix specifically

 

Allan

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2 hours ago, Paul J said:

Not content with the lack of new tools by some they now moan about the cost of the kits!! Look at how much Italeri kits have gone up to let alone some of the eastern European ones an far eastern kits. I still think Airfix are a lot cheaper than most others in Europe

Come on .... reallly!!!

With all due respect Paul, cost of any commodity - be it a TV, domestic appliance, car or model kit is, for many going to be a major factor in determining whether or not to buy. I think comments regarding price are every bit as valid as those regarding scale, accuracy or choice of subject. You are absolutely right though in your comment about Italeri and I agree that, compared to kits of Far Eastern origin, Airfix prices are still quite low.

 

As for the lack of new tool kits? I wasn't personally expecting much in addition to those already announced. The Hunter was a definite bonus! I am quite happy with the subjects chosen for reissue - especially the B-26. I have my own concerns regarding kit prices generally and, not necessarily Airfix prices in isolation. Largely because budgetary constraints seriously restrict my purchasing power (30 -£35 per kit purchase)..For purely practical reasons I will therefore always seek a cheaper option if available. Most, if not all of the kits listed will probably be available for less than r r p anyway. Will wait and see.

 

Allan

Edited by Albeback52
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