Is there a curse on the Bomber command planes ?

[corsaircorp]

Hello everybody,

I wonder myself...

If you want to do a 1/48 Lancaster, you can, thank to the japanese.

A Wellington, obviously, thanks to the chinese.

An Hampden.... Well, the frenchies have tried, but a have full box of Xanax, Prozac and Valium...and that may be not be sufficient

Since the dimensions are approximative.

An Halifax, also from the same origin and with the same remarks, a friend of mine is making his second Halifax, mating a Fonderie with a Sanger.

I already asked him to join up and show his bombers.

For the Blenheim, thanks to the Czecks.

Did the people from Airfix knows that there has been a lot of great british Aircraft in the BC ?

Should we hope for a Stirling ? a Withley ? A real Halifax or Hampden.

Am I the only one to dream about these big belly birds in quarter scale ??

Corsaircorp

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

The Classic Airframes Blenheim is pretty good.

 

I think a good injection tooling of a Halifax would be the one I'd most welcome.

 

I don't mind vacuum formed kits, but only if the tooling is quite accurate. By that I mean the left and right halves of the fuselage being the same shape and size, with the wing roots in the same place on both sides etc.

[Work In Progress]

It's just that very large 1/48 models don't sell very well in the UK, which is the dominant market for RAF WW2 types. For larger bombers, 1/72 is a much more attractive investment for Airfix, with 1/48 being financially sounder for smaller types such as fighters.  A 1/48 kit of a large aircraft is also a big financial risk for each new model, at a time when the company has very little cash to spare.

[corsaircorp]

1 hour ago, SovereignHobbies said:

The Classic Airframes Blenheim is pretty good.

 

I think a good injection tooling of a Halifax would be the one I'd most welcome.

 

I don't mind vacuum formed kits, but only if the tooling is quite accurate. By that I mean the left and right halves of the fuselage being the same shape and size, with the wing roots in the same place on both sides etc.

I totally agree,

But speaking about the Fonderie Halifax, it is not a vacuum but almost nothing fell right on his place.

banana shaped fuselage, stuka revised wings and so on...

I missed the Blenheim to my great sorrow, and they are very expensives in convention.

I'll be glad to have a good Halifax too, not to mention the Stirling, she has an unimitable appearance.

Did you saw the Stirling of Mr Megas Tsonos in the Meng review.

Very inspiring but I'm not sure that I can do it, but let's try...

So I'm working on my Lancaster for this while

And still paying St Airfix for a nice inspiration.

Corsaircorp

[Graham Boak]

There's something even more basic: in the UK the dominant scale has long been 1/72, going back at least the mid-1930s.  This is partly a matter of size and cost.  On the other hand, in the US, where much of the early plastic kit industry happened, houses were larger and wages higher, so 1/48 became the dominant scale.  In general, the US market was and is not drawn to large British subjects. Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito OK, but what's a Wellington?

[corsaircorp]

21 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

There's something even more basic: in the UK the dominant scale has long been 1/72, going back at least the mid-1930s.  This is partly a matter of size and cost.  On the other hand, in the US, where much of the early plastic kit industry happened, houses were larger and wages higher, so 1/48 became the dominant scale.  In general, the US market was and is not drawn to large British subjects. Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito OK, but what's a Wellington?

Ok, I agree,

but A typhoon in 1/24 is a little bit more bigger, not to mention the Stuka.

I know all this Financial risk and so but I just feel sad and frustrated about the lack of such historically important Aircraft.

Let's hope for 2017 a Meng 1/48 Stirling and a Trumpeter Hampden just as a beggining

corsaircorp

[Bigglesof266]

Although in air plastic modelling hiatus for decades, my observations before and since concur with yours Graham, with a caveat.

 

The much larger AU plastic model market 'then' vs today was drawn to British subjects, and 1/72 totally dominated. The former is less so now. The now much proportionately (been a doubling +10% of our population in those years) less active market comprising predominantly adults has seen 1/48 predominate, along with wider subject interest spread given cultural changes so radical in that time, we're almost American.

 

I own/live in a largish home by British and larger than average Australian standards today. Unless building just the one or two, or contracted builds which I don't do, I can't think where I should find room to store a complete basic collection of RAF BC types in 1/48. Housing 1/48 WW I & II fighters and 1/72 bombers is challenging enough. I was contemplating a B-29 in 1/72, but even my enthusiasm for that was soon dampened by a "where could I display, or store without it being a dust collector, something that size?" reality check.

 

I'm guessing the same sentiment applies to RAF BC types in 1/48 rendering them a select niche market subject?

[Giorgio N]

There's no lack of Bomber Command aircraft kits, there is maybe a lack of these types in 1/48 scale. The same however can be said of many other larger aircrafts of the same era. Even fans of US bombers most of the times have to deal with Monogram kits and little else. Clearly Monogram issued their 1/48 WW2 types with their home market in their mind, there would have been little point in Airfix issuing say a 1/48 Hampden

[Albeback52]

While WWII RAF Bomber Command subjects are among my favourites, I would neither thank anyone for,  nor would I buy 1/48 kits of large subjects like a Halifax,Stirling, Lancaster etc. Two reasons - possible cost and availability or otherwise of display space. 1/48 is fine for aircraft of relatively modest proportions like the Blenheim, Mosquito, Hampden but once you get to larger aircraft, that's where I have to draw the line. 1/72 is good enough for the heavies. Even if Airfix were to announce a 1/48 Avro Vulcan this weekend at Telford, I would not buy it. As Giorgio rightly points out, there is no actual lack of RAF Bomber Command types albeit mostly in 1/72. This is all right by me

[corsaircorp]

1 hour ago, Albeback52 said:

While WWII RAF Bomber Command subjects are among my favourites, I would neither thank anyone for,  nor would I buy 1/48 kits of large subjects like a Halifax,Stirling, Lancaster etc. Two reasons - possible cost and availability or otherwise of display space. 1/48 is fine for aircraft of relatively modest proportions like the Blenheim, Mosquito, Hampden but once you get to larger aircraft, that's where I have to draw the line. 1/72 is good enough for the heavies. Even if Airfix were to announce a 1/48 Avro Vulcan this weekend at Telford, I would not buy it. As Giorgio rightly points out, there is no actual lack of RAF Bomber Command types albeit mostly in 1/72. This is all right by me

Ho dear,

A 1/48 Avro Vulcan. That's a pretty fine idea !

Save one for me if you don't buy it

Sincerely

PS, not yet dared to dream about it....

Corsaircorp

[Giorgio N]

A 1/48 Vulcan may sound like a brilliant idea and yet when there was one available they didn't really fly off the shelves that fast. Aeroclub had one years ago in their range and according to John Adams the last few remained unsold for well over a year. The same kit is now fetching crazy prices on E-Bay though

 

 

 

 

[JohnT]

I think we may yet see them.  Being of advanced years I recall 1/48 Spitfires looking "too big".  Way back in the early 1960's 1/72 was the accepted scale to manufacture and build aircraft.  True, Aurora, Monogram and some US companies did 1/48 but UK companies stuck with 1/72 or box scale if before the fifties.

 

Then things changed.  I remember Revell turning out a 1/48 Doolittle Mitchell, Monogram stuff appearing more frequently and then, shock, Revell 1/32 Spit, 109F and P40e.  

 

Slowly inexorably more and more bigger scale models appeared. I think the trend continues.  1/32 B17 and Lancaster anyone?   I would have laughed if you had told me thirty years ago that we would have those two in that scale as well as 2 of the He219 along with a Mitchell, all the Battle of Britain types bar the Dornier and Defiant.  Meteor, Mirage, F104, I could go on and on and on.

 

So we might see a 1/48 Halifax and others yet.  Or 1/32?  Now there is a thought

[Seawinder]

8 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

There's something even more basic: in the UK the dominant scale has long been 1/72, going back at least the mid-1930s.  This is partly a matter of size and cost.  On the other hand, in the US, where much of the early plastic kit industry happened, houses were larger and wages higher, so 1/48 became the dominant scale.  In general, the US market was and is not drawn to large British subjects. Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito OK, but what's a Wellington?

Hmm, a bit of a broad brush, perhaps? I reside in a relatively modest home in Massachusetts, and I certainly am aware of the Wellington. I do build mainly 1:48 scale, and display space is definitely an issue for me: I don't have room for the single engine fighters I've built at this point, let alone a bunch of 2- and 4-engine bombers of any nationality. The Wellington would be about as large as I'd want to go in 1:48. I've held off buying one of the Trumpeter kits mainly because of the price.

[Graham Boak]

I don't think it possible to cover 70 years of modelling on two continents without using a broad brush.  Yes, there are and always have been US modellers with an interest in British aircraft beyond the "big four" but "In general" was what I said and I believe true.  Just as there have always been UK modellers who made 1/48 kits; a fair proportion of my own very first kits were 1/48 (Lindberg XF-92, Spirit of St Louis,  Revell S-55).  But after Airfix picked up speed the scale only appealed to a minority in the UK, if a rather larger minority nowadays.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Graham Boak
Clarifying final comment.

[71chally]

8 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

but A typhoon in 1/24 is a little bit more bigger, not to mention the Stuka.

I know all this Financial risk and so but I just feel sad and frustrated about the lack of such historically important Aircraft.

That' an interesting point actually, that there are very large 1/24 & 32nd subjects, but lots of missing 48th subjects that would be about the same finished size.

I'm still surprised that there is only one 48th injected Lancaster, it must sell well as it has been around and reissued over many years.

 

In discussions like this it's barely worth mentioning vacforms and limited run, as the average model buyer won't touch these

 

Edited November 10, 2016 by 71chally

[Giorgio N]

32 minutes ago, 71chally said:

That' an interesting point actually, that there are very large 1/24 & 32nd subjects, but lots of missing 48th subjects that would be about the same finished size.

I'm still surprised that there is only one 48th injected Lancaster, it must sell well as it has been around and reissued over many years.

 

In discussions like this it's barely worth mentioning vacforms and limited run, as the average model buyer won't touch these

 

 

It's not a matter of size only but of return on the investment (true or perceived): a 1/24 Stuka may be as large as a 1/48 Halifax (just an example, not sure if the relative sizes are these) but the Stuka is a way better known aircraft and for the same size (and likely the same cost) the Stuka is more likely to sell.

1/48 kits of large aircrafts are also expensive and therefore are not the kind of kits that modellers buy in large numbers, most modellers would likely buy a Lancaster rather than a Halifax if they decide to invest in a large 1/48 bomber.

The fact that today we're seeing more and more large kits of subjects nobody would have considered in the past is due to a number of factors, not least the fact that it's now possible to recover the investment in a mould by selling a lower number of pieces, should any of the companies working with these techniques decide that a 1/48 Halifax or Hampden may fit with their customer base, they will sure make them. Don't expect to find these kits for sale at the same kind of price that Monogram asked for their 1/48 bombers though !

[Honeybee]

At Telford during the weekend I got talking to a guy from overseas who asked about my 48th scale Halibag and B17's. He wanted to know about the build probems with the Halifax and whether or not I would like to see some new kits of 48th scale British 4 engined bombers. We discussed the available kits and he then asked what I think would be the best plane to produce a model of.  I told him that a Stirling would shoot of the shelves as at least there were injection moulded kits of the other two and only the Sanger vac form for the other. He thanked me and walked off saying you never know. Take from that what you will, I just wished I'd asked who he was.

Regards

Paul

[593jones]

4 hours ago, Honeybee said:

At Telford during the weekend I got talking to a guy from overseas who asked about my 48th scale Halibag and B17's. He wanted to know about the build probems with the Halifax and whether or not I would like to see some new kits of 48th scale British 4 engined bombers. We discussed the available kits and he then asked what I think would be the best plane to produce a model of.  I told him that a Stirling would shoot of the shelves as at least there were injection moulded kits of the other two and only the Sanger vac form for the other. He thanked me and walked off saying you never know. Take from that what you will, I just wished I'd asked who he was.

Regards

Paul

 

Now I'm not going to take that as a definite, but Yes! Yes! Please let it be definite!!!  

[corsaircorp]

10 hours ago, Honeybee said:

At Telford during the weekend I got talking to a guy from overseas who asked about my 48th scale Halibag and B17's. He wanted to know about the build probems with the Halifax and whether or not I would like to see some new kits of 48th scale British 4 engined bombers. We discussed the available kits and he then asked what I think would be the best plane to produce a model of.  I told him that a Stirling would shoot of the shelves as at least there were injection moulded kits of the other two and only the Sanger vac form for the other. He thanked me and walked off saying you never know. Take from that what you will, I just wished I'd asked who he was.

Regards

Paul

Ok, It was not me, I swear

But, I've seen and worked on a master for a 1/48 Stirling 2 years ago, but there was a lot of work to make it accurate.

Then as the time passed by, the owner of the master has reclaimed it, and I turn it back sadly.

Then, Mr Megas Tsonos publish his own 1/48 Stirling in Meng magazine.

Something lie behind...

Hope...

Sincerely.

Corsaircorp