JBOHMSS

Oh no....does that mean if we keep the styrene cannons we will have to drill them out? The slide technique is yet to visit the Airfix factory, but if it keeps the price down...Just pleased to be seeing the 1/24 Tiffie.

Yes indeed...with all that office on display.

I'm hedging my bets on the rubber sleeves...but I am sure they will be rustled up in a jiffy!

I also said I wanted a glass fronted Mossie in 1/24...

I did tell the Airfix rep that a 1/24 Beaufighter would be well received as well as 1/24 F4U Corsair...well I'd appreciate them!

Other news included Tamiya bringing out Brit Para's on bicycles. A 1/32 Horten from one of the smaller companies. HPH Are releasing a version of their Catalina - this is one fuselage half with all the interior on show as well as the middle wing section with all the frame work on show and engines. Gobsmacking!

So the big news at Telford was the new 1/24 Typhoon...and it is impressive. It is the cockpit cage that blew me away. However there was strong rumor that Airfix would neither confirm or deny...A Shackleton - I presume in 1/72. That will please a few modellers.

So the WW2 Tiffy is up for release hopefully for the D Day Anniversary next year. It looks gorgeous - well the test piece does. The cockpit cage does it for me. Price around £90. I got a whole bunch of photo's and it does look great....but there is a strong rumour that they will also be bringing out a Shackleton.

Good point, Model Zone is a recognized name...As I said in an earlier post - I am certain I will not be able to get AFV, Hasegawa, Hobbyboss, Trumpeter, Dragon et al at WHS - from what I can see it will be Revelle and Airfix only possibly Tamiya - that is what I will miss. I do not expect to see Eduard or the hokey kokey 2000 on every model shop shelf - the after market sets are for the shows and the internet for convenience - a good model shop should have the option to obtain the specialised stuff - not carry the whole range. As for kids being put off - I helped at my son's school with a model club for a term - the kids were put off by primative Airfix kits that didn't fit...children do not have the patience of us old timers...but disappointment as well was obvious with great gaps in seams etc. I can only go by my experience. As for hobby shops surviving I maintain that you will get out of it what you put into it...if we all rely on the internet we will not be able to go and drool over the latest releases anywhere - thus relying on shows or having items posted to us. Then if the kit doesn't stand up we get disappointment and not necessarily a refund. But the point beingmade about the high street dying is very apt. The model shop as we know it is changing - from the shop to the unit on a trading estate.

Still WOW!

There are a few Sea Fury's out there...I wouldn't turn down a 1/24th version...or a well done 1/48th.

The point is I am not missing the point...the point I was trying to make is that I feel we will not be able to obtain Dragon, Meng, Hobbyboss, Hobbycraft, Hasegawa and all the other up market model manufacturers - I don't expect to be able to obtain Eduard or Aires etc. I would like to be able to still get the Dragon, AFV, etc. off the high street. I don't think we will even be able to buy Tamiya Uber Models from WH Smiths either.

If it's 1/24 I suspect a Hawker Typhoon or Tempest. Can't see a Tiger Moth in the big scale being popular. I'd be happy if it were the glass nosed Mossie...will it be a contemporary to the Mossie - the Beaufighter? Possibly a Warhawk/Kittyhawk that would certainly be a popular choice. I don't think the Lightning will come in 1/24th but who knows...This Sat will be the telling. 1/48 Tiger Moth is probably more likely, maybe a Blenheim...I doubt a Halifax, Vulcan or Sunderland but I can wish.

We all seem to be on the same footplate. In fact I'd have a Mallard in 1/32 or 1/24.

Dear All Bmers Sorry...I do not wish to appear snobbish...merely indulging in conversation on a subject that effects us all. My main point is the WH Smith will be just like Model Zone with a pay peanuts get monkeys situation...I know we have all experienced it. Most serious modellers now do not buy the item and make it out of the box...Beatties failed because that was where the trend was going and did not keep up and also had competition with Games Workshop and electronic games. It would have been a tough decision and 20/20 Hindsight is a marvelous thing but had Beatties scaled their shops back and stock down and catered to the mass trade of present buyers and hobbyists and then the higher trade of being able to offer a full on deal of all the bells and whistles i.e. say a Tamiya Lanc with all the brass from Eduard and resin etc. for a bulk price, they would have kept going. Beatties employed model makers who knew their stuff and could sell. This would mean that they keep a set or two available but mainly to order...so if the new Gloster Javelin is to have an upgrade set available from Eduard then as a business Beatties/Model Zone would need to approach the importers of Eduard and make a deal...most businesses would jump at the opportunity. When Model Zone emerged from the ashes of Beatties there was a change in it's life span that had employees from all walks of retail...many did not know the difference between a Hasegawa Spitfire or an Airfix one. It takes experience to make a good model shop manager, employee. Toys R Us - at least my local is still an outlet for Revell/Airfix...yes limited ranges but still there. WH Smith will be similar...possibly expand the range a little but WH Smith will not be catering to modellers but to parents and grand parents...it will not be a place to get serious models. And I am sure there are many of you readers on here that like me still like to feel the quality. I like to open a box and gaze in critical wonder and judge before I buy...if I relied fully on the net I would be disappointed from time to time. I go to a model shop to have the owner/manager discuss the good or bad points...I now rely heavily on model shows. Jason at LSA keeps me hugely informed and gives me honest breakdowns on kits...sometimes at his detriment as he will recommend waiting for so and so's release of the same kit it promises to have more, so he may not make a sale. This is what I appreciate in a retail situation...honesty and if I can't get honesty then my own judgement. My local Model Zone had one employee toward the end whom I would rely on recommendations...I know I will not get this at WH Smith and then in the broader scheme of things Aunty Flo who buys her nephew a Revell 1/48 Corsair because it is a good price for Christmas, which gets opened on Christmas Day and then rejected because it is not a good experience because it is primitive molding and doesn't go together well and puts her nphew off of model making so that puts off another potential model maker...Ok I know this is all a bit extreme and I am not denying that WH Smith should not bring models into their stores...it is just disappointing that there is such a potential out there for a national chain (another reason Model Zone went belly up...too many stores across the UK - one in every town is not needed - every major town would have worked and then possibly do as Games Workshop do with associate sellers for smaller towns). My two local model shops now are Dorking (half hour drive away if I am lucky) and Croydon Metro Centre (Old Allders basement with bankrupt stock and fingers crossed that they will get bigger and better - another half hour drive in the other direction) and yet from January to June of this year 1400 new model releases were put out - that includes cottage industry to mainstream. Back in the day and yes I was there when a garage would have a few models on a shelf, or every local newsagent would have a wall of models or when I had ELS Model Supplies in Sutton, Gamely's in Sutton, BMW Models in Wimbledon, Toffee King (a newsagent who sold Tamiya kits and he had a wall of them) in Merton High Street and Model Time in St. Georges Walk in Croydon - In fact my first job was at ELS Model Supplies. If I wanted to get a kit off the helf I had my choice of shops...If I wanted a Historex special or later a Verlinden figure I had to go to Model Time...If I wanted Games Workshop it was Gamely's...If I wanted railway it was ELS - Brian the manger and then owner knew how to set up a railway and radio control, if I wanted the latest kit it was BMW. Slowly they all disappeared because of Beatties - who started to import and gained the monopoly. Thee is nothing wrong with business and staying the top dog...but Beatties lost the focus of their customers...yes they had the latest kits and first releases but they did not have all the bits and pieces that the likes of Mil Slides in Croydon then Streatham had or Model Time...and they didn't have the customer attitude...the masses are the bread and butter but your regulars who will visit and buy something even if they don't need it be it a paint or glue or plasticard...just because they appreciate the fact that customer service is high on the list and when that new 1/32 Corsair comes in that customer will buy two of them because you know he loves the aircraft so much. Hannants survive on customer loyalty - the shop that is. As does LSA and Dorking and others. And t repay that customer loyalty they are the first to get your business by getting what you want. We can all go on the net and get the cheapest...we are all guilty of it...look at the new Javelin found on here by someone for around £30...the price it really is worth not the over inflated £50 that Airfix are recommending. However if your local model shop had got it first and because you are a loyal customer gave you a price break you would have bought it as soon as they had opened the packing box (Okay another sweeping statement). Where am I going with this? Well my main point is I suppose I am lamenting the demise of the model shop...only one model shop carries virtually all the Eduard update sets and if he hasn't got them he'll soon get it. I would never ask that of any model shop to carry the lot...but I would expect every model shop to know about the update sets and the figures that would compliment them or the engine detail sets (again a sweeping statement as you can't expect anyone to know all the sets etc.) but if I come to an employee in a model shop I would expect that employee to know something about the product and not when asked "Have you got the Tamiya Sherman Israeli version?" to have the answer "If it isn't on the shelf then we don't have it" Hobbycraft, Toys R Us and all the other retail outlets like WH Smith. As I say I am not being snobbish - certainly that was not my intention, I think we will all miss Model Zone as was...at least we could get our supplies there, Model Zone mucked up big time and it was obvious it was going to happen...it is easy for me behind my computer to spout off about what they should have done and what they could have done...what they needed to do was to listen to their customers and then tell the manufacturers "if you don't do x, y and z with the new release you have we will not be able to sell it at the price you are recommending" (The Javelin is a point in case...£50 is in my opinion too high...unless there was a brass etch in there which has been recommended to Airfix from a few suppliers - consequently Airfix sold Model Zone a whole bunch of models (Nimrods, Canberras, Sea Vixens et al.) that were left on the shelf and became dead money unless put out as as sale item (look at the last days of Model Zone and witness all those Merlins left on the shelf). In many cases the customer is always right...we have and are losing our model shops and the internet can be blamed, high rates on the high street (Hannants are in a little industrial unit - god idea), poor judgement from manufacturers (Airfix 1/48 armor)...I could go on But I have gone on too long....sorry if I have bored you. I'll try to keep an future posts much shorter.

Toys R Us is a place to buy an Airfix or Revell present for a Christmas Present and as you say WH Smith will be the same...however will the average person think to go to WH Smith to buy a model? I doubt it. Models are obtained from toy shops...I would expect to be able to buy the latest release of say Dragon, Hobbycraft, Tamiya, Hasegawa etc from any good model shop. This will not be the case at WH Smth and on minimum wage at 20 hours a week the staff will not be interested enough in the product to tell you that Tamiya paints are good for this job and Humbrol paints for that etc. Model zone went under purely because of bad management and it has to be said they lasted longer than expected. The scratchbuilding after market crowd are not a flea on the back of the model making fraternity. Us fanatics on BM here are the minority. The majority out there build the new hokey kokey 2000 out of the box and this is the crowd that Beatties then Modelzone catered for. Unfortunately Beatties then Modelzone did not learn that after market is where the profit is - take the Eduard kits with all the bells and whistles...buy it in one lot and get a deal. Also Beatties and Modelzone did not learn that Airfix and Revell are not the be all and end all...Airfix relied hugely on it's back catalogue - which would stay on the shelves of the model shops because better manufacturers were producing better kits generations far advanced of Airfix. Modellers are a loyal bunch and still like to feel the quality...while the new Modelzone will fill a gap in the "toy" side of the market, the way they are approaching it - the new Modelzone will be much like hobbycraft - a retail outlet for a few manufacturers and not for serious modellers - and that is the bunch who should be catered for, it was the serious modellers who shored up Model Zone those who purchased the new releases as soon as they were released. Model Zone died because the management did not keep up with modelling trends and instead became Toy zone with indoor radio control models, Thomas the Tank Engine items et al. And of course Collector Zone with over stocked collectable die casts. Ending up with dead money on the shelves and being forced into sell off sales. Take the Airfix DH 110 Sea Vixen in 1/48 - I got two at £14 each when Model Zone started selling them off cheap...a result for me...but a loss for Model Zone. Canberras at £10 each? Dragon Shermans at £14....this was at least a year before they became insolvent. I wil say watch this space though...I think there will be some surprises in the model market and retail trade.

WH Smith have purchased the name Model Zone, they will have departments in the larger branches - Croydon will be one - not in Sutton though. Unfortunately it seems it will be more like a Revell/Airfix outlet. Possibly collectable die casts and Scalextric and Hornby...it will not be a place to get information or discerning advice. Like Modelzone staffing will be down to retail staff. Modelzone used to advertise in grocery magazines to get retail managers...models were products that could be sold in just the same way as a can of baked beans...this is not so. Models are not like they were in the good old days - I like most of you bought my Airfix kits from newsagents and corner stores. Those kits have gone as have those days. When model zone was operating you could ask the staff to point you to the aircraft section but ask them about the colour for an FW 190 Dora...blah blah...and they would know nothing. (Sweeping statement as there were some knowledgeable staff around) but on the whole the Modelzone staff were retail staff and interchangeable with - well pretty much you name it. A modelshop requires some one knowledgeable on the subject (be it armour, aircraft and all in between). WH Smith are advertising for staff and offering minimum wage at 20 hours a week. I don't think that the new Modelzone will be a place to buy models from.

Beautiful...truly beautiful. Now all you need is a Steve McQueen figure....OH okay wrong colour, wrong bike but one day he will get over that barbed wire and get to safety.

Yeah...that's my point. The Rail Gun is massive and I have seen one made up in the window of Dorking Model Shop...I have met many modellers in my life and know quite a few through my club...none have expressed interest in having the rail gun in their collection. But a Mallard? Oh yeah. Still a record breaker and a beautiful piece of machinery to boot! The question is how will you be able to make a 1/24 diorama with the Mallard and a Spitfire?

Actually I do think a Model of the Mallard in 1/24 would be a good idea...The one with the link is awesome in 1 Gauge but that is I would hasten to guess made from brass and other metal. But a plastic kit would I think be a better bet than the dirty great rail gun that was released several years back.

Same as the Sea Vixen...I have been gagging for this jet in 1/48...low and behold the Airfix god answered my prayers. I didn't think the Javelin would make it but low and behold...The Scimitar will probably follow but I won't be a buyer...I suspect the Sea Hawk and Swift will be on the cards as well. I am not sure the three S jets mentioned would be so good in the market place...but stranger things have been produced. I still think 1/48 Halifax, Vulcan and Sunderland would be all very welcome.

My hat is off to you...I am looking forward to seeing the finished item...more power to your elbow and all the rest to make this beauty.

Yeah, you're probably right...I have to say I don't think it is major enough, I know it was in service with the Sea Vixen but I don't think the Scimitar is a good move if they do release it. But what do I know? I think a new Buccaneer in 1/48 would be good.

I am new to this thread and I like to see what other modellers would want from the model manufacturers and the guessing of who will bring what out. Airfix wise I had heard a rumour that their next 1/24 will be a Typhoon...a good choice although I'd prefer a Beaufighter in that scale of the Glass nosed Mossie and a 1/24 F4U Corsair probably the 4 or later with the bubble top. As for 1/48 I would gag for a Halifax and a Vulcan. Now that the Sea Vixen has impressed and the Javelin is doing well surely the next Cold War Brit has to be a bomber? I think the idea of a Puma is good but maybe a bit more niche - I think the Merlin was a mistake as are the 1/48 modern armour - certainly talking to model shop owners they do not sell as wel as 1/35th. In fact a 1/35th Lynx would be welcome. I'd like to see Airfix stop worrying about their old catalogue and retooling and carry on with a series of good releases. I know 1/48 Sunderland would be welcome as would a 1/24 Warhawk/Kittyhawk. Obviously the kits in the end are required to be good quality. The Sea Vixen and Javelin and recent Spitfires have all done it. I suppose Telford may give us some clues on the Airfix stand.

You can ask.... Only kidding, an ex neighbour of my parents owns it down in Cornwall. He was looking to sell at one point.