John B (Sc)

Good grief. Sounds like far too many lawyers have far too much infleunce on these companies today. Desperately risk averse, except where legal feees are concerned ? Very sad. So much for UK engineering history.

Quite ! I make it three Spitfires - or is it four?- in this year's announcements. At least there was a Hurricane tucked away in there too! But a new Wesses - whee. And hopefully much more accurate. Shall have to build at least one in SAR markings as well !

Indeed. Am looking at that kit right now

I was amused bythe speculations on possible biplanes earlier in this thread. Why does no-one ever mention the rather bonny Stampe - the SV4. Even the Bucker Jungmann has had a good ICM 1/32 kit issued, but the poor old Strampe still languishes with the old Heller 1/50 scale effort. After all, the Rothmans team flew Stampes for years, most impressively.

The US market for car models has always intrigued me. Why are they so popular there, and virtually nowhere else?

As something slightly different, do you suppose a 1/35 scale Auster might be a possibility? Given the recent fine 1/35 kits and the age of the old Airfix Auster Antarctic, it might be different enough to annoy just about everyone guessing on here !

Good thinking, though I suspect when you add in manufacturing costs, overheads and enough profit to justify the investment risk that probably adds another 50% - so maybe 900 needed for a better break even point, Worldwide ? Are there enough of us crazy enough? I have no idea.

Wow ! Ignoring the technical challenges, which can probably be dealt with under USA's 'experimental ' rules with abit of assistamce and some 'reverse engineering' if necessary, that's got to be a very high cost, and high risk exercise.

I wonder if any others of John's extensive range of kits and superb additional detail items will becaome avaialibe agian, Hopefully, his masters still exist - though perhaps some have worn to below his exacting standards. Meantime, this is all good news !

Indeed - though John seems to greatly enjoy displayng his 'Stackton Tressle' (I think) aerodrome at various shows around the country. Each time I see it there is a new addition. I think that is one of his happy retirement pleasures. Always great fun to have a crack with John ! And I agree - great news if some of the superb Aeroclucb - and Skybirds - items become available again. Must complete the two or three Aeroclub kits I still have 'in stock'. John B

I'd quite enjoy seeing either of those back. Any chance of the Islander/Defender returning soon too, do you think? I have a vague memory of someone saying the mould for the Islander had been damaged, but maybe I am mis-remembering. John B

A truly extraordinarty bit of work, that Vimy. What scale is it?

Thanks Colin. Shall have a dekko next time I'm down there. John B

Strewth - now you mention it I remember building a Keilkraft Lysander myself - very very badly ! I couldn't get it to fly worth a darn, probably due to faulire to understand what the importance of Cof G was. I shall definitely want a night intruder version of the Lysander with, say, 138 Sqn or 161 Sqn - a kit which I hope instead of a gunner will come with an agent or two ready to climb up the ladder into the rear cockpit - or racing across the grass to the machine, in a dark field 'somewhere in France'. The skill - navigational and piloting - and bravery of those pilots has always impressed me as much as that of the agents. A type of cool, long courage that is hard to maintain.

Which sounds so ironic, given Revell's origins. When I was a kid 'Revell' and 'Monogram', along with 'Renwal' were the measure by which the top end range of kits were measured. Ah, happy days, lang syne ! (Anyone got a Renwal 'Skysweeper' kit for rebuild repair or assembly? That, along with the old Monogram Avenger with the folding wings, was in my youthful view the pinnacle of kit provision !)