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More on Airfix 2017


Denford

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Not sure if it's the same thing, but the guy who does the Airfix artwork has posted a gorgous Shackleton AEW.2 illustration on Facebook for viewing at Telford SMW, however he has confirmed that it is not for an up and coming kit box illustration.

Edited by 71chally
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After seeing the upcoming Phantom I pointed out to the Airfix team at Telford that there are other Museums other than Yeovilton, Duxford and Hendon to do their research in.

Can we lock them up for a night in the 'experimentals' and adjoining' hangars at Cosford to seek inspiration?

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Perhaps for 2018/19 would be when they'd do updated/revised toolings such as the metal wing Hurricanes. That way they would push out new products with lower expense?

 

On the other hand, if more new items are still on the way, I will of course be rooting for a Vulcan or Javelin in 1/72. I'd say a Javelin is more likely as they probably would dilute sales of the Victor if the Vulcan came out at the same time.

Edited by Supertom
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4 hours ago, Aeronut said:

After seeing the upcoming Phantom I pointed out to the Airfix team at Telford that there are other Museums other than Yeovilton, Duxford and Hendon to do their research in.

Can we lock them up for a night in the 'experimentals' and adjoining' hangars at Cosford to seek inspiration?

 

 

They do the Swift for example that was Tangmere (I think )  and others; a lot depends on their relationship with the Museum and the flexibility of the museums to allow these guys dedicated access to those subjects. Some places the Elf & Safety brigade won't let people near their exhibits regardless of the reason, others they exhibits are crammed in and not possible to access fully in situ or to be easily moved out. I think Airfix have a good relationship with Cosford too (don't forget they did the Valiant and TSR2) they may well have already been there and done that or are doing so this week !, but we won't actually know till we see the Workbench post announcing the new kit B)

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4 minutes ago, John said:

All the new tolling announced so far is due Q3/4 of 2017. We'll surely see something a bit earlier in the year to keep the pennies flowing into the Airfix bank account.

 

John

Good point, can we expect something from left-field for Q1?

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Re the yearbook, there WAS a small kit catalogue for 2016. Very much like the very first one of 1962 in landscape format. But as an avid Airfix collector.... of their catalogues I am very pleased that there will be one for 2017.

 

As for other kits not announced maybe a 1/72 or and 1/48th new tool Hunter( No Hunter in Airfix range would be like no Spit or Hurri... I said this a couple weeks ago saying a Phantom should be in the Airfix catalogue... and look what happened...)

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I'm assuming, due to the new artwork being in the calendar that came with AMW, that the Spitfire PR.19 is being reissued - but will this be the 1/72nd or 1/48th kit?

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10 hours ago, Britman said:

A relatively cheap release could be a metal wing version of their lovely Hurricane. 

 

Yes, that and a Mk V Spit are obvious and I would think relatively inexpensive follow-ups.

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28 minutes ago, Wez said:

I'm assuming, due to the new artwork being in the calendar that came with AMW, that the Spitfire PR.19 is being reissued - but will this be the 1/72nd or 1/48th kit?

 

Hopefully the 1/72, and hopefully the decal artist will remember to put an instrument panel in, and get the roundels the right size. I wonder if it's a co-incidence that the BBMF aircraft has just been painted in the same scheme as shown in the calendar? (and there is another scheme you can paint that aircraft with those markings if it is)

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48 minutes ago, Paul J said:

Re the yearbook, there WAS a small kit catalogue for 2016. Very much like the very first one of 1962 in landscape format. But as an avid Airfix collector.... of their catalogues I am very pleased that there will be one for 2017.

 

 

I picked one up, it seemed to be being given away as a freebie.

 

Re early kits, as the Shackleton is a recent tool, we might se the AEW early in the new year.

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1 hour ago, John said:

All the new tolling announced so far is due Q3/4 of 2017. We'll surely see something a bit earlier in the year to keep the pennies flowing into the Airfix bank account.

 

John

I wouldn't be too sure.  Airfix have only a very few 'designers' and of them two will have been fully occupied with B-17 and Victor.  Assuming these were complete (from the design point of view) late summer\early autumn, and the lead time is at least a year I feel there will be little truly new in the first half of 2017.

To be rather pedantic, there is no 'Airfix bank account'.  It is all Hornby Hobbies, with revenue coming from the subdivisions within it. 

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1 hour ago, Denford said:

I wouldn't be too sure.  Airfix have only a very few 'designers' and of them two will have been fully occupied with B-17 and Victor.  Assuming these were complete (from the design point of view) late summer\early autumn, and the lead time is at least a year I feel there will be little truly new in the first half of 2017.

To be rather pedantic, there is no 'Airfix bank account'.  It is all Hornby Hobbies, with revenue coming from the subdivisions within it. 

Your forgetting those designers will have done the design work for those kits probably 6 months ago they would be doing the ground work for other projects whilst waiting for the tooling test shots, and the feedback revisions for the earlier projects, thus we already have the research, CAD and Lithograph of the Phantom, Sea Fury, Walrus and Me262. We know there are further announcements due before end of the year, although its is likely the earlier kits will be the Alternative versions of some of the existing range such as the AEW Shackleton and maybe the RAF Flying Fortress, some have mentioned further Stuka variants, RN Sea King in ASW fit maybe and we also have the possibility of existing kits being rescaled - 72nd Sea Vixen perhaps, 48th Swift.

 

We'll just have to wait and see what other goodies they have in store for us in the coming weeks

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I'm assuming that any catalogue for next year may be a bit on the thin side, considering the recent announcement by Hannants to them (by Airfix) of "..over 100 kits being dropped from the current range..." and thus now retailing as Limited Availability on the former's site? I can't give a linky for this as it was announced via email but I'm sure some of you may also have seen it?

 

 

EDIT: Hannants page for this

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/manufacturer/airfix/products?search_direction=asc&product_category_id=108

Edited by jasman71
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Expect a more pro-active catalogue with kits only lasting a year or two as current (unless a bread & butter kit like the Lancaster and Spitfire), So when sales dip they disappear until enough interest or a special occasion warrants a limited re-issue.

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Hornby have already stated that their product range will feature a greater emphasis on sales-driven items, i.e. it will have to sell, and not just on its first appearance. I strongly suspect that from 2018 this will mean a less varied range, with more emphasis on popular subjects. One of Airfix's strengths is the company's attempts to engage the non-modelling majority and get the kids in; however, this is also a disadvantage when it comes to deciding subject matter, as it needs to release more items that are better known outside of our own circle.

 

These decisions were made long after the company decided what was going to be in the 2017 line up. 2018 will see new moulds for sure, but I would imagine more in the Spitfire/Hurricane line than the Tempest/Buffalo line.

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13 hours ago, Geoff_B said:

Your forgetting those designers will have done the design work for those kits probably 6 months ago they would be doing the ground work for other projects whilst waiting for the tooling test shots, and the feedback revisions for the earlier projects, thus we already have the research, CAD and Lithograph of the Phantom, Sea Fury, Walrus and Me262. We know there are further announcements due before end of the year, although its is likely the earlier kits will be the Alternative versions of some of the existing range such as the AEW Shackleton and maybe the RAF Flying Fortress, some have mentioned further Stuka variants, RN Sea King in ASW fit maybe and we also have the possibility of existing kits being rescaled - 72nd Sea Vixen perhaps, 48th Swift.

 

We'll just have to wait and see what other goodies they have in store for us in the coming weeks

Don't entirely agree.  For finite resources ie designers, only so much can be produced: fewer larger or more smaller subjects.  2016 has seen B-17 & Victor, both large, hence fewer new subjects.

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