Piotr Mikolajski

And this is probably why MN Modelar is mentioned by AZ - the sprues were bought from AMK and sent with transport to MN, from where AZ picked them up.

Lack of new kits or frequent updates on their FB doesn't mean that company is dead. So far there was no such announcement and for me it is enough. As I wrote above, they bought sprues from AMK.

přistoupili k dohodě a nákupu pěkných výlisků od firmy AMK Výlisky means sprues, so this should be limited edition and great opportunity to buy good kit quite cheaply. Last post from AMK on their FB page is from 21 January, they seem to be working as usual: https://www.facebook.com/avantgardemodelkits/posts/pfbid02yRVfCeRtUxkNVyw8WGrfsJbbrEpNi94C3EWwu72RcH8tr521ycQ3BZRCBGM6fSxql

Interview with Alina from MiniArt, discussion about P-47 kit from 20m24s.

Released - ref. SH72515 - Heinkel He 59B Upgrade set https://www.specialhobby.net/2024/04/sh72515-heinkel-he-59b-upgrade-set-172.html Content: PE, clear parts, grey and orange resins from the post above. For kits SH72033, SH72067 and partially for SH72039.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/ibgmodels/posts/pfbid02aeAHn6cUTdjdrnn7t6PM2kyQp8AUyuUSPpxsRdhpsuDkGnxAfDsWsUX8VnzkZQCCl I've seen these kits (yes, there will be more than one), there is something to look at.

You can distort reality as much as you want, I don't blame you, but the available data does not lie. Here is Google Trends check of search phrase "plastic kit reviews", worldwide, in the last year. There are not enough data to show detailed stats. How such stats look like, you may see in case of Supermarine Spitfire. You may not like Google but this is the most popular search engine. Of course Google Trends isn't a perfect mirror of search activity but it shows data for popular terms, so search terms with low volume appear as "zero". And that silent majority of average Joes is not able to type enough queries worldwide for such generic term in the whole year to generate such stats. I'm afraid that referring to Tamiya in 2024 is mainly an indicator of how much modeller lives by brand sentiment and conditioned reflexes. Yes, Tamiya has a lovely history, a sizeable catalogue and releases a new model aircraft in one of the three popular scales once a year. And it doesn't matter. Tamiya has released only 12 new tool aircraft kits since 2014. Meng, which few people associate with aircraft kits, has released 8 of them in the same period. Fine Molds, which isn't known for its numerous novelties, has 10 of them. Eduard has 25, ICM 39, Trumpeter 44, Airfix 48, four times more. Tamiya is not a market leader, it is not a trendsetter, nor is it an innovative company. Their response to the Wildcat from Eduard was late and poor - all they could afford was a sprue with new FM-1 parts for an old kit. The same also applies to the 1/35 AFV kits market, where Tamiya also lost the duel with Chinese companies or MiniArt a long time ago. Of course, you can believe that Tamiya makes so much money from such rare novelties that it decided not to release boxes with other variants and markings because they do not need more money. But I'm afraid that the more likely explanations are also the ones closer to the truth. For some reason Border, Eduard, Fine Molds, MiniArt, RFM, Takom and many other manufacturers release multiple versions of aircraft and package them in multiple boxes. It seems to me that the reason is money, because no modeling company has too much of it. You can literally count the plays of every YouTube video. The number of views shows the reach and influence, because such content cannot influence those who have not watched it. If the video "How to paint LUFTWAFFE SNOW CAMO", published on May 11, 2023 on the Vallejo channel with 74,000 subscribers, has now 9,839 views, then there is probably something wrong with the claim about silent masses who read the content and we can't see them. Honest and justified criticism has nothing to do with hate or venom. Italeri models are expensive in Europe, and the company's publishing policy leaves much to be desired. Modellers have the right to freedom of expression, including criticism... which the company will not care about and which will not affect sales. And now that we're back to Italeri, I suggest ending the subthread of average Joes who don't get seen.

Hobby paint manufacturers approve!

Hard to say. As a rule ProfiPacks were released half year after the first Dual Combo / Limited Edition with particular version. This time they came back to Royal Class so it can be half year after DC, half year after LE, whatever they feel fancy.

Pre-sale should be launched in April, hard to say when these kits will be delivered. We have to wait for more details.

Source: Information for distributors June 2024

Indeed, I have Yak-3 and this kit is really nice. And, to be honest, there is not that much to correct or improve. I need just one in my collection, so this one is enough.

What's wrong? Reality? I'm not thrilled with it either, but we don't have another one. Sorry, but such actions prove absolutely nothing, except for one thing - video content is another marketing channel. Besides, there is no craze with this type of marketing either - AK Interactive produces paints for the majority of modellers, is a global brand and its YouTube channel is subscribed to by only 50,000 people. I see no reason to sugarcoat reality. It is what it is, most model builders don't visit model websites, don't read the model press, don't bother with reviews. And this is completely understandable, because this majority does not live this hobby, it is just a break from everyday life, not a way of life. In the same way, the majority of people who ride bikes do not look at cycling websites, they are not interested in galleries of new bikes, they do not read tyre tests. And it doesn't matter what the cycling industry does, for these people a bike is just a means of daily transport or entertainment, that's all.

Not all 1/48 kits from ICM will be released in 1/72 and it has nothing to do with Airfix production.

Especially in an 'instant' era when people want to see instant results.