Denford Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 As much as some people want a new Vulcan, realistically is there an actual need for one at the moment where there are plenty of other kits in he back catalogue in more need of replacement? Other than raised lines and an awkward intake assembly is there anything fundamentally wrong with it? I would have thought that a Victor is the next obvious V bomber for them to do, because it is the only one they haven't done yet. A Washington, Canberra B.2/6, or maybe a Stirling would I would argue be higher up in the queue for replacement. A Vulcan will follow, but not for a while. Trevor who is about to retreat into his bunker! Alas not the Stirling; there's no extant example, and all plans were destroyed a while back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm1did1 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 (edited) Alas not the Stirling; there's no extant example, and all plans were destroyed a while backNot to mention Italeri have already cornered what must be the fairly limited short term market which would mean an even longer time to recoup costs.I can't see an Airfix kit offering enough of an improvement to take the risk. Edited October 4, 2015 by dpm1did1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billydick Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Lets see some more ships ... 350/700th scale whatever. Cars, bikes, figures, afv's, sci-fi etc. - a little more variation in output. Although the new aircraft toolings have, so far, been impressive.... BilyD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Is there something that doesn't fly that is British or has a British connection which is crying out to be kitted? As a complete non expert, how about a 1/350 Leander or a 1/48 Centurion (I may be talking through my hat though!) Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B (Sc) Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 I would dearly love to see a new tool Hunter - preferably both in 1/48th and in 1/72, with careful moulding so they could [produce a two seater as well. We still haven't got a really good 1/48th Hunter. or a good two seater ! When I think of how many of the old 111Sqn F6s I bought as a kid; converted some to Mk9s, painted up in all sorts of colours, Air Forces, squadron colours... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthewbacon Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 1/72 Sabre Dog and K? An update of a kit that's been in the range before, companion to the re-tooled F-86E/F, multiple countries/markings, only alternative is crazy expensive in Europe... And, obviously, 1/48 and 1/72 Hunters... and 1/24. bestest, M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazinio Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Modern/Cold war 1/350 British ships would be nice also, Spey Phantoms so need to be done by Airfix. Some 1/48 Cold war airfield vehicles and figures and how about some more 1/12 figures, Churchill, Nelson maybe Jfk Martin Luther King even? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelpillow Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 (edited) If I were Airfix and looking ahead I'd be branding a 3D printer and selling all those CAD files for the price of a video game apiece... ...I mean, why go to all the expense of actually buying in plastic and manufacturing a kit when you can get the punter to do that bit for you? Edited October 4, 2015 by steelpillow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight_Flyer Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 3D printers has been mentioned before and I believe the answer was the technology is still not "perfect" and the cost not really viable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver66 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Lots of folk are eager for a British Phantom, is this demand not met by the Fujimi kit, yes they go for £20 on eBay, would a new Airfix kit be cheaper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I wonder anyway why there are just a few Phantoms around... there's the good Revell, (only Air Force versions) Hasegawa are sometimes hard to get, Italeri/Tamiya have raised panel lines, Academy, well... So, please, do a nice Navy Phantom, maybe with future options for a Wild Weasel. Poor choice for one of the most iconic post-war-fighter! Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Lots of folk are eager for a British Phantom, is this demand not met by the Fujimi kit, yes they go for £20 on eBay, would a new Airfix kit be cheaper? The Fujimi kit has some shape and fit issues hence the clamour for a replacement. The hope is an Airfix F-4K/M would be better and more accurate - not cheaper although that would be nice! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The Fujimi kit has some shape and fit issues hence the clamour for a replacement. The hope is an Airfix F-4K/M would be better and more accurate - not cheaper although that would be nice! ....and more readily available. Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VMA131Marine Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 ....and more readily available. Trevor and maybe they'd do one in 1/24th 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff_B Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The Fujimi kit has some shape and fit issues hence the clamour for a replacement. The hope is an Airfix F-4K/M would be better and more accurate - not cheaper although that would be nice! Possibly as separate boxing's with the relevant parts with options like alternate Fin tops for early & late aircraft, optional folded outer wings, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I should reply to come comments made on my original post where I mentioned Revell: some of the views here seem to ignore the fact that the UK is just a part of the modelling world. Yes Airfix here may be predominant (not sure though, I see plenty of Revell kits even in generic shops in the UK), in other countries things are different. In Germany and most other central and northern European countries, Revell kits are present everywhere. Model shops, generic hobby shops, toy shops, even in some generic supermarket chains. The very large distribution is what makes Revell a giant, their kits are present in most countries in the world and in some countries they are present in every corner. One very important thing I've seen mentioned is that "casual buyers" still make up a very large percentage of mainstream model companies customer base. Now such casual buyers are much more likely to buy something they can find everywhere and here's where a large distribution becomes important. Another aspect is that not all markets are the same: in the UK and other countries modellers build predominantly aircrafts. This same forum is a witness of this, how many posts can be found in the aircrafts sections comparared to the other ones ? Not all markets are however so aircraft-oriented though. In the US car models are the majority while in Japan sci-fi and manga dominate. Now Revell is a company that has a lot for every taste: 1/24 cars, big and small scale military vehicles, ships, sci-fi and finally also some aircrafts. Plus a large worldwide distribution network. Airfix distribution on the other hand is patchy at best outside the UK, with some markets well covered and others where any new kit has to be searched for ages. Buying online may be a solution but then the postage costs applied by Airfix to deliver overseas are crazy.. As to what Airfix should do, personally I admire their approach to subjects (covering the classics that guarantee to sell while throwing the odd subject once in a while). The only thing I'd like them to do at the moment is to downscale their '50s British types like the Javelin, the Sea Vixen and the forthcoming Meteor. After this they can keep with the kind of subjects they're doing at the moment. A-12s, F-12s and SR-71s are pretty much identical from behind the cockpit. Differences to look out for include number of seats, radar nose and chime length. Obviously internally they may differ greatly in avionics fits but whoever builds a Blackbird of any ilk with anything more than open cockpit and wheels? (admittedly partly because references simply weren't around or of insufficient detail whilst in service). There's a bit few more structural differences between the various variants, for a starter the whole front fuselage area is deeper on the SR-71 than it is on the A12. Then there were different length tailcones (short on the A12 and YF-12 and long on the SR-71). There are other minor ones, the fact is that the SR-71 is in a sense a second generation Blackbird compared to the A12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm1did1 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 There's a bit few more structural differences between the various variants, for a starter the whole front fuselage area is deeper on the SR-71 than it is on the A12. Then there were different length tailcones (short on the A12 and YF-12 and long on the SR-71). There are other minor ones, the fact is that the SR-71 is in a sense a second generation Blackbird compared to the A12 My reply was strictly from a quick-recognition pov as opposed to pure modelling-detail (simply because people tend to id the Blackbird variants rom a front-side profile) It certainly goes further eg: Weapons doors on F-12, plus a 'flat bottom' (difficult to define from pix). F-12 tail on SR-71C (as it was essentially a cut&shut build replacement) 'Big Tail' tailcone on 17959 Ventral fins under nacelles of SR-71B/C, plus a further folding fin under the F-12 tail (removed during NASA testing of 068935) You could even go as far as trying to match sensor window configurations to specific airframe/dates. Basically theres a lot more variations in the family than just the Vanilla Blackbird (as shown in BM builds) and fortunately Italeri made a start possible with a couple of reasonably easy to find kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm1did1 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) I should reply to come comments made on my original post where I mentioned Revell: some of the views here seem to ignore the fact that the UK is just a part of the modelling world.I agree there is something of a rose-tinted spectacles approach at time along the lines of...British company should make British Subjects ,especially prototypes and esoteric stuff...However on the while I like to believe most posters are aware that a mix of the necessary common and big selling kits, and 'demanded' UK-centric subjects on a say 3:1 ratio is the only way to keep the Airfix side of Humbrol profitable. Imo Airfix are doing the right thing in announcing kits like 'yet another B-17' or 'an unwanted P-40B' because it widens the appeal beyond the UK. As long as they are careful not to go head-to-head with other big companies in their markets with virtually identical releases too often then they will find their niche. (The new Shackleton is a bit of a rare occurrence with both announce almost simultaneously. That's bad luck as opposed to bad R&D or planning). Edited October 5, 2015 by dpm1did1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelpillow Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) 3D printers has been mentioned before and I believe the answer was the technology is still not "perfect" and the cost not really viable. Yet. But this is about the future of Airfix and looking ahead. It didn't take long for photo-real printing to move from the still-"not-perfect"-and-the-cost-was-not-really-viable stage to consumer saturation. If anything innovation happens even faster these days. Profit margin on a £19.99 kit, ca. £2-3 Profit margin on a £19.99 DVD, ca. £19.49 Profit margin on a £19.99 download, £19.99 Makes you think. It'd be worth subsidising the cost of the printer and to recover the profit on the plastic refills - as the 2D printer makers do, and on the software sales - as the video gaming industry does. Edited October 5, 2015 by steelpillow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Sergeant Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I'd like to see Airfix improve their panel lines. Although they've gotten better over the years, they're still a bit wide and deep for my taste. I understand they're looking to hit a certain price point, but I'd pay 10-15 percent more for panel lines closer to what Hasegawa offers. Steven Brown Scale Models Soup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 As to what Airfix should do, personally I admire their approach to subjects (covering the classics that guarantee to sell while throwing the odd subject once in a while). The only thing I'd like them to do at the moment is to downscale their '50s British types like the Javelin, the Sea Vixen and the forthcoming Meteor. After this they can keep with the kind of subjects they're doing at the moment. Agreed! Imo Airfix are doing the right thing in announcing kits like 'yet another B-17' or 'an unwanted P-40B' because it widens the appeal beyond the UK. As long as they are careful not to go head-to-head with other big companies in their markets with virtually identical releases too often then they will find their niche. (The new Shackleton is a bit of a rare occurrence with both announce almost simultaneously. That's bad luck as opposed to bad R&D or planning). I don't see it as "yet another B-17" because the alternatives aren't without fault, likewise, the P-40B is far from unwanted for me, the best of the current bunch is ye ancient Monogram kit, a good kit in its time but not really up to modern standards. I'd like to see Airfix improve their panel lines. Although they've gotten better over the years, they're still a bit wide and deep for my taste. I understand they're looking to hit a certain price point, but I'd pay 10-15 percent more for panel lines closer to what Hasegawa offers. Steven Brown Scale Models Soup They've got progressively better, the new F-4F4 Wildcat is easily as good as the Hasegawa offering. Give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windy Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 My money is on a Naval fighter being considered...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm1did1 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I don't see it as "yet another B-17" because the alternatives aren't without fault, likewise, the P-40B is far from unwanted for me, the best of the current bunch is ye ancient Monogram kit, a good kit in its time but not really up to modern standards. They've got progressively better, the new F-4F4 Wildcat is easily as good as the Hasegawa offering. Give it a try. Unfortunately it seems a good number of people are bemoaning 'yet another..X' and this is unlikely to subside. Any kit that has a half decent competitor on the market will receive the same 'why X when I need a Y' regardless of the need for Airfix to have a larger proportion of high turnover kits. The same is being said from some quarters about the Wildcat, especially as it has 'issues'. I've said before that I won't be buying one, however I fully understand why it's been released and won't be criticising it purely because a FF or F2F is needed more. As you say if it's your niche, or just like the look of it "give it a try" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm1did1 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 My money is on a Naval fighter being considered...... Whilst I would like a FR-1 I'm sure a FH-1 would suffice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperService Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 To stop and pause for a moment. How many of us would have put money on such a positive thread regarding Airfix and their new releases 10 years ago?? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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