Albeback52

Strange as it may seem, this is the first ever biplane kit I have ever bought in my 46 years of modelling!! I guess I could not resist the temptation after seeing the wonderful box art & reading the praises for this kit!! Well, I like to try different things!! Rigging will be fun - as this is something I've never attempted, I'd be grateful for any advice/tips on the best approach. Perhaps I really should have experimented on a cheap W W 1 biplane kit first? I've seen several different methods described but, I'm inclined to using 5 amp fuse wire, PVA glue & a pair of dividers to get the lengths right. I'm not interested in 100% accuracy, I just want to get the effect right. Allan

: :lol: Calm down Dave & Bill or, it will be glue tubes at dawn for both of you !! I respectfully suggest the pair of you are arguing about semantics here! How do you define "challenging" or "needing a bit of work"? Depends on how you approach your model & what you look for from it does it not? I've built both Airfix 1/48 Harriers. Agreed, they were both quite basic but, I built them both into decent replicas with a modicum of effort straight from the box. But then, that's me. I'm fundamentally lazy & refuse to go looking for "errors" or creating work for myself by "correcting errors" that, in all likelihood won't even be obvious after the correction has been done!! I will use my meagre skills in producing a good model ( acceptable to ME that is!!) out of what I get in the packet! . I genuinely respect and admire the dedication of those who DO strive for perfection. They are far better modellers than I! It's just not an approach I like. By the way, just a thought, but does it really matter if Panther tanks were not used in North Africa? The box art is there to draw attention.It's a nice picture & I'm pretty sure that that little Johnny or Joanne are not going to bother too much. They'll see the nice picture & buy the model anyway ? Just for the record, I didn't know they weren't used in the desert either! Sorry, that's digresing slightly. Yes, a very lack lustre & disappointing line up. I'm surprised they didn't include an F16 just to complete the line up of of already done to death subjects like Spitfires, Mustangs, Bf-109s............................!!!!! I am of course realistic enough to accept the sound commercial reasoning behind the release choices. Apart from the Gnat, Skyhawk re tool & Valiant PR/Tanker , there is nothing there to tempt me to produce cash from wallet. I already have a good stash of the re-releases that I want so, that will keep me busy in 2012 ps - I'd just like to say I'm very happy with the Revell Halifax as, I'm sure most of the kit 's buyers will be. Would have been nice if Airfix had updated the B.111 kit though! It has been suggested on this forum, that faults were apparent in the Revell test shots. I don't know if that's true but, I suspect Revell may have made a commercial decision to go ahead anyway knowing that most customers would be quite happy & the kit would sell anyway? Just a thought. I neither praise nor condemn Revell in this matter. A good 2012 to everyone & I will now pray to every god I don't believe in that someone, somewhere will give me a decent 1/72 VC-10....................................!!!!!

Overall, I'd say it's all a bit of a non event. Apart from the Gnat, Valiant & Skyhawk, there's nothing there new or retooled to tempt me to spend my hard earned. I'm personally disappointed to see yet more done to death already subjects like Spitfires, Mustangs & BF-109s but, I'm enough of a realist to understand the obvious commercial reasoning behind those releases. Sorry Airfix but, you won't be getting much out of me in 2012!! Guess I must be getting fussy in my old age. Just as well I've got a stack of re-releases to work on!!

Apart from the Gnat & Valiant PR/Tanker (announced previously), I cannot really see anything to get excited about. Certainly very little there to tempt me to part with my cash - apart from possibly the A4-D. Bit of an anti climax. Still, that's just me. i'm sure there are many who will go into paroxysms of ecstasy at the prospect of yet more Spitfires,Mustangs, BF-109s ...............................! Probably getting fussy in my crusty old age!

I have no doubt it's a lovely kit. Clearly you feel it's a reasonable price and,I respect your opinion. However. I think the price is an absolute outrage!! I respectfully suggest we agree to differ on this one!! For what it's worth, I refuse to pay Trumpeter/Academy/Tamiya prices either - I think they are every bit as outrageous!! I certainly wasn't aware that Airfix was as expensive in Sweden as you hint. Allan

I remember talking to an engineering officer at Leuchars & he told me it was a bit of an engineering joke that if a Phantom didn't leak, it was empty!

I suppose, that like beauty, the worth or value of a kit is in the eye of the beholder. However,regardless of the specifics, I still think that £400+ for this model of a relatively small ship ( even in 1/350) is beyond outrageous!! Others may agree/disagree as they think fit. If one is a fan of this type of vessel or, it if is a "must have" then, clearly it is worth the price! Virtually of the kits I have bought recently have been Airfix and/or Revell

Not a fan of deep fried Mars bars then? Meanwhile, getting back on track, get a load of this Hasegawa price shocker!! :o The advert goes on to say "even at this price, we expect to sell out"????????????. Having looked at the prices for Hasegawa 1/350 kits, I now realise that their aircraft kits are cheap by comparison - even thjough they are still way out of my reach for the most part. My heartfelt sympathy to fans of floaty things!! More... Imperial Japanese Navy/IJN Seaplane Tender Akitsushima ( Manufacturer:HasegawaCode Number:HALTD1Scale:1:350 ScaleItem type:Ship kits, full hull (injection) Price:£439.14Order Quantity: Quantity In Stock: 20+Availability: This will usually be dispatched within 24/48 hours of receiving your order Department:CatalogueWish List:Login To Add To Wish List

Couldn't agree more Steve! I'm particularly pleased to see a lot of the original kits being re-released. I don't personally care how good,bad or indifferent they may be! Getting back on track, I'd nominate the Airfix JU-52 box art showing the float plane being attacked by a Spitfire

For a horrible moment, I thought it was £61.27 for just ONE Phantom!! Mind you, you need to be a bit rich anyway to afford Hasegawa prices. Certainly echo the comments re the Revell kit. It's a perfectly acceptable kit at half the price!

I haven't bought a Hasegawa kit in years - mainly due to the prices. Further examples - £29.99 for a 1/74 F4 (EJ) without even any weapons!!. £39.99 for a 1/72 F-14.????? Of course,Hasegawa is not the only culprit. Try Cyber hobby. £29.99 for a 1/72 F6-F Hellcat, £34.99 for a 1/72 Sea Vixen and, I believe a similar price for their forthcoming Venom. I simply refuse to pay the prices for Trumpeter /Academy /Tamiya as well. Some may argue that the loss is mine - they're absolutely right! It is of course also my choice. In short, the Far Eastern manufacturers priced themselves out of my market a long time ago. Of course, nearer home, Italeri prices have gone through the roof as well. I shudder to think what the price of their new Sunderland will be. I can only echo the sentiments expresed here already - thank the maker for Airfix and Revell!!! Woody 37 really says it all!!

"due for release before Christmas. Pre order them now" was the message I got. Among the kits listed was the Airfix Swordfish, The new Revell Halifax and, the Airbus A400. Yours may be a more recent mailshot Rob.Latest one I got was dated 3rd December. Main thing is, they're on their way! . I'll be heading for Wonderland tomorrow anyway!!

Very nice to see one that is NOT in those dreadful low viz greys!! I just hope that 617 keeps out of reach of the bean counters and actually survives until 2013 ( and beyond!)

Given that the A-400 is only at the start of its career, I respectfully suggest that your prediction for limited service is a tad premature! A substantial number of dozens ( about 16 dozens!) is on order which is not far short of the total of C-130Js that have built/ordered so far. Surely being operated by a "small handful of air forces" is no reason why a kit should NOT be produced? After all, only 68 Boeing E3s have been built. It serves with only a small handful of air forces and yet, there are, to my knowledge, at least 7 kits in differing scales? Anyway, that is digressing slightly & I apologise for that. Actually, I broadly agree with what you say about the C-130 kit situation. I've built all of the available 1/72 C-130 kits over the years. I have no problems with any of them because I don't care about (in) accuracy. A brand new, State of the art C-130 series would however be just dandy!! The point about "most produced" is well taken! The Douglas DC-3 is the most widely produced transport EVER!! And yet, when was the last time we saw a NEW DC-3 kit? While we may disagree on the Airbus Jennings, if you'd put me in joint charge for 6 months with you,could we manage a DC-3, DC-4, DC-6, DC-7, C-74, C-124, C-133, C-141......................................!!!!!!!

Don't think it's out JUST yet! The Wonderland ad says "Pre order them now"

I had a similar experience with the Airfix E3 Sentry. They replied very quickly but, again, due to the age of the kit (1991) , no spares were available. Be nice if they re issued that kit!

I think The General has made some valid points and, I tend to agree that it is all in the eye of the beholder. All aircraft, at some point in their career will be nice, clean & shiny so, I think it is just as valid to have a nice clean aeroplane as it is to have one with a well used look. For most of my modelling career, I've not bothered with weathering but, recently, I've been experimenting with the Pro Modeller weathering washes. I must admit, I've gotten to quite like them. I'll probably do a mix of "clean" and "dirty" types from now on. I've (hopefully) attached photos of a couple of attempts. The TU-22 is of course a "what if" Anyhow, please feel free to comment, criticise & advise. I'm always open to suggestions & advice. Allan

Very reasonable points Giorgio. Appreciate your comments. I personally think that, rightly or wrongly, civil airliners lack the "glamour" of the more belligerent aircraft types. Airliners?? Yawn! - who wants a bus with wings!! Boring! No, I do not personally feel that way but, I think actual sales will probably confirm that. I personally would not agree that the VC-10 is not well known ( at least, not in its military guise) because, you will always see them wherever and whenever there is media coverage of British troop movements/combat deployments etc. Show film of RAF Tornados on T V & you will frequently see a VC-10 tanker hanging around. You're point about the KC is very valid. In food terms, it is often said that the first bite is taken with the eye! I believe therefore that if a VC-10 was produced, marketed and packaged as the military version it would probably do better than a pure civil version. I'm not sure if the argument about the U S market is necessarily valid. Will the Revell AiRbus A400 sell well in the US? Possibly not . It will however be a familiar sight in Europe in the years to come and, I suspect Revell have the European market more firmly in their sights. The RAF VC-10 is, I would suggest not an unfamiliar sight on this side of the pond - at least, not to the people that matter in the context of this discussion. All this of course is pure speculation - albeit interesting! I think really the best we can do is just wait & see! On a personal note, I'd LOVE a big VC-10 but, I'm equally happy with Airfix's current strategy. I'm snapping up the the older kits almost as soon as they are re released !! Just so long as we don't get yet more Spitfires!!!

On what exactly do you base your assertions? A 1/72 VC-10 would not be so much bigger than 1/24 Mosquito and, as far as price goes, it doesn't seem to have affected sales of said kit. You cannot surely judge "mass appeal" from the people on a forum such as this. They will of course be the loudest voices but I do not believe that Airfix would make a decision based on this mythical handful of people. You cannot either with any degree of certainty predict exactly what the sales figures will be. Nobody knows because the kit does not exist. I dont buy the "most people don't know about it"argument either. "Most people " are not model makers & I respectfully suggest that "most model makers" WILL recognise a VC-10. Surely these are therefore the only opinions that count in this context? That does not of course guarantee sales either. However, does familiarity with subject necessarily guarantee sales? Well, to a certain extent it possibly does but, I do not believe this is the sole deciding factor. I suggest that among the "mass market", there is also a large degree of impulse buying - "Look daddy, that's nice, can I have one"? The question of price is a difficult one. Obviously,Airfix would have to pitch the price low enough to generate sales but, high enough to turn a good profit but, there are plenty of kits available costing a lot more than £50. Does this necessarily have a serious effect on sales? I'm not necessarily convinced it does. I respectfully suggest that real reason why a 1/72 VC-10 is unlikely to see the light of day is largely because Airfix simply will not take the business risk. THey could very well sell 100,000 but, without some way of measuring likely sales, they simply won't invest their hard earned! A point of view that I sympathise with by the way! I think a certain amount of risk is involved in any business but, in this case, the risk is not being taken. On the assumption that people from Airfix's marketing dept will read a forum like this, it might be interesting if they could offer their own comments on the subject of deciding what & what not to produce.

I've used Halfords grey primer AS the Coroguard grey. As a primer/undercoat, I'd recommend Halfords matt white primer. Both primers come in big 500 ml cans. If there's a branch near you. it might be worthwhile going along to check out the range of colours. They also have a good range of metallic finishes.

Definitely recomment Halfords as well. For Easy jet, try Nissan Orange Ryanair/British Airways, they have a dark gloss blue although I forget the actual name. Ford Diamond White - I've used this where white finishes are required. Appliance gloss white is a good alternative For the wings, I use Ford Polar grey & matt grey primer Nissan Red might be a good match also Only real down side to Halfords paints is that they really stink!!

I'll be using Halfords acrylic grey primer on mine. Looks a good match

Meant to add that it is usually appropriate to have a band aid handy!! I write this after having just sliced open my finger while masking the canopy on the Airfix F-86!

I do remember the 60s unfortunately!! One of my favourites was the magnificent art work for the B-29. The Sunderland was another favourite. If memory serves it was having a rather serious disagreement with a Focke Wulf FW-200? I don't normally do biplanes but, I'm seriously tempted by this...!!!

:D I can relate to that!! I witnessed a similar event at Fairford one year!! 4 Czech SU-22 Fitters were lined up ready to take off. All 4 lit their burners simultaneously!! Now, to anyone who has not witnessed the magnificent sight (and sound) of the SU-22, the afterburner has a "hard " light!!! No gradual wind up! It just goes bang!! 4 of them at once & I witnessed one spectator, his beer and sandwich go in 3 different directions!! :lol: Although it's a pain in the a*** to get to from Edinburgh, I'd jump at the chance to do the 'hall again! RIAT at Fairford is losing its lustre so, a (hopefully) fresh new event gets my vote!