Tnjgr57jii9gfdsd34c Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hi everyone, i was chatting to a model shop owner yesterday, and as far as he can tell Airfix might be / have finished production of the 1/48 Sea Vixen. has anyone else heard this? Would be a real shame, especially as i haven't got around to one yet!!! Please if you have any info on this it would be useful. Thanks. kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I doubt that they have finished production completly, but have stopped production on that kit for now, and you see it again later on may be 4-5 years with different decals and box artwork, as they do with the 1/24 stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Wouldn't surprise me. Most manufacturers nowadays only do a fixed number run of kits. It's still on their website though and isn't a particularly hard kit to find. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfv Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 it is normal for model producers to rotate kits into/out of the current range on a regular basis and it would be # standard for Airfix to drop items to make way for new kits or re-pops of older kits. If you are keen to get a Sea Vixen for yourself they are still available on the Airfix website. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard M Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 The 1/48 Sea Vixen isn't in the 2014 catalogue, but is still available via the Airfix.com website. So although dropped from the range, there is still some stock of this production run left. How well this issue sold and how quickly remaining stocks sell out will dictate when it is likely to re-appear in the catalogue for another production run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Graham Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I hope kev gets his Sea Vixen, but the moral is plain and probably has been since Hasegawa stated it outright in the late 90s. If you want a model, get it when you see it. Leave it on the shelf and it may not be there when you get back. This does lead to stash-building which is not to everyone's taste, but has the supplementary benefit of supporting the model trade which feeds back to increased production of models, both new and old. Plus, it seems, a vibrant trade in second-hand models as modelling priorities change! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John the Yank Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I agree with Graham, get it if you really want it, but sooner or later it will be repopped with new decals and fresh box art. Look at the 1/72 HAS F-111, it gets repopped every 5 years or so and sells out pretty quickly. Short Prod runs make sense, keeps the demand for the kit up. JTY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aimee'sDad Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Right, I'm off to buy one.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 My advice is go and get one now while they are still at reasonable prices. There is no chance that Airfix, having spent a lot of money on the mould, will delete the kit for all time but, as people have said, it might be another five years before they do another production run. I the meantime it is almost certain that the price of the kit will begin to skyrocket. Martin von Glad He Has A Couple Laid Down Already 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breaker Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hobbycraft normally have a couple in. I know John at ModelsRGo was having trouble sourcing one for me a while back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike7451 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 The factory only has a certain number of molding machines,in order to make new/reissue kits they will have to stop production of other kits,they'll also have a warehouse full of kits & kit parts for small orders that may come in or to add it to a later catalog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Yes, get them while you can. The airfix mossie was a low as £80 at one stage, now you cant find them and the prices for them have gone quite high. Like Martin I am glad I have a couple. Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tnjgr57jii9gfdsd34c Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 Many thanks for all the prompt replies, that was quick! . Soon as i have sweet talked my wife i shall do my best to grab one! Knowing it is likely to 'pop' out again at some point is good news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viscount806x Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 the moral is plain and probably has been since Hasegawa stated it outright in the late 90s. If you want a model, get it when you see it. And most of us have a loft full of 'em to prove the adage..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) And most of us have a loft full of 'em to prove the adage..... I picked up the Sea Vixen quite early on in the release cycle even though I had the excellent Dynavector kit in the stash already - they are both still languishing in my loft!! I have two Dynavector Javelins - one built and one not - so I'm probably not in a rush to pick up the Airfix one at the moment (although the above adage keeps nagging at me to get one) but I'm wondering how long that will be before it too disappears from the catalogue. I still want the Merlin and the Navy Lynx and I hope they do stay in production for a while longer as at the moment I can't justify/afford either at the moment!! Karl Edited April 25, 2014 by Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 OK Hands up !! - or more appropriately in this digital age (like this post?? ) if you've ever regretted not purchasing a kit and lived to regret it not long thereafter? I still remember putting the Frog / Novo Oxford back on the shelf and walking away when I was about 10. (Why do I recall this event over 30 years ago!! - The strange mind of a plastic modeller) . My advice my friend - shoot first, ask questions later. Cheers .. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver66 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I heard the sea vixen tooling was damaged on Tuesday and is "beyond economic repair" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver66 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Sorry, it's the weekends and I was feeling mischievous , wanted to see if I could inflate the prices on ebay....... Oh hang on , I don't have a sea vixen yet......ahhhhhhhh Sure it will be reissued in a few years from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Sorry, it's the weekends and I was feeling mischievous , wanted to see if I could inflate the prices on ebay....... Oh hang on , I don't have a sea vixen yet......ahhhhhhhh Sure it will be reissued in a few years from now. You Plonker!!! You had me seriously worried for a minute! Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennings Heilig Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Hi everyone, i was chatting to a model shop owner yesterday, and as far as he can tell Airfix might be / have finished production of the 1/48 Sea Vixen. has anyone else heard this? Would be a real shame, especially as i haven't got around to one yet!!! Please if you have any info on this it would be useful. Thanks. The way every model company I've ever heard of works is, they produce a new tool, squeeze a given number of kits off of it, put the tooling on the shelf for a while, then in a few years (more or less) they pull the tooling out and squeeze off some more. While many kits have remained in manufacturer catalogs continuously for many years (I don't think the Monogram 1/48 P-40B/C has ever been out of the catalog), that doesn't mean they are continuously producing them. It just means they produce enough to satisfy ongoing demand, and continue to do so periodically. In the case of the Sea Vixen, and given the potential world wide level of demand for such an aircraft, I'd be extremely surprised if Airfix didn't produce what they thought they could sell in a few years, then put the tooling away. They have to have resources to put into designing and producing new kits, so they can't possibly keep every single kit in production in perpetuity. The kit will be back, and in the meantime, there are scads of them available online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard M Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Quite a few kits have been discontinued from the 2014 Airfix range. Steven Pietrobon maintains a yearly list of Airfix new releases and discontinued kits as part of the Airfix Tribute Forum History of Airfix resource, for those people interested; 2014 http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=41259 Previous years; http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/viewforum.php?f=332 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Presumably the Nimrod and Canberra kits will reappear sometime in the next few years as well. Hopefully with better box art this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_modeller Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Yes, get them while you can. The airfix mossie was a low as £80 at one stage, now you cant find them and the prices for them have gone quite high. Like Martin I am glad I have a couple. Julien Aw, dont remind me........... Wasnt ModelZone flogging them off at 50 quid a pop at one point ? Nevertheless, I secured mine and am a happy bunny.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_modeller Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Wow, Airfix have really eviscerated the warship line-up this year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heraldcoupe Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Aw, dont remind me........... Wasnt ModelZone flogging them off at 50 quid a pop at one point ? Yes, that's when I bought mine, I'd always wanted a 1/24 Mosquito, but it's release coincided with particularly frugal times for me. When I saw them at £50 I jumped at the chance, still not built it mind..... A few months later Hobbycraft had them for £50, which is when my son bough his. His also remains unbuilt..... Cheers, Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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