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Airfix 2019


jenko

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21 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

The currently available Airfix 1/72 Mosquito was released in 1972 and is therefore 46 years old. It has definitely seen better days and the lack of any cockpit, wheel well, or bomb bay detail means it should be a distant second choice to the Tamiya kit. It probably sells because the Tamiya Mossie is not as widely available in Europe and there aren't any other real competitors except for the Revell/Matchbox B.IX, which is similarly lacking in detail (I haven't forgotten about the Hasegawa kit, but it is less available than even the Tamiya and is not as accurate). Airfix should release new kits in 1/72 and 1/48, being as the original 1/48 kit was released in 1980, and the later releases with the two-stage Merlins weren't that well done.

Indeed.  The other issue with the Hasegawa kit is the price.  Ridiculously expensive at forty odd quid.  In addition the Airfix kit retails for about £13-14 for a 45 year old kit.  Too much for my money when you think the excellent Tamiya models are only a couple of quid more.  If Airfix marketed a two-stage Mossie for the same price as the Tamiya kits, which would be on a par with their Beaufighter models, I think they'd sell a lot of them.  They seem to like issuing moulds that can have additional parts for multiple releases, the Lancaster B.II for instance, so there isn't really any reason that I can think of that would prevent them from producing a new tool of both single and two-stage versions. 

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10 minutes ago, Denford said:

I agree with much of what you say.  However you didn't mention prices which are (in UK - Hannants - but see below) Hasegawa £40!, Tamiya £17 and Airfix around £10.  The box was also much more compact.

The kit was very good for its day and it may well be that the last production run was large because Airfix thought it would go on selling.  Look at the above prices to see what I mean!  Now if there is still significant unsold stock, then re-tooling would reduce its value to almost nil: this would be true for any commodity.  This is perhaps why some seemingly obvious subjects aren't retooled.

However as of now Hannants have nil stock: do they know something that we don't know or are they merely awaiting a delivery?  Or is it 'squeezed out' of Airfix's programme by other subjects?

Hannants (and Airfix) currently have the Airfix Mossie listed at £12.99 which is only a few quid cheaper than than the hugely superior Tamiya kit.  I know which one I'd spend my pennies on.  Plus, of course, Tamiya do a bomber/PR version.  You could be right about stock levels though and it's not that it's a bad kit.  I wouldn't hesitate to build one if someone gave me a kit as a present, but a new tooling of a new mark/marks which nobody else has done since Matchbox seems like no brainer to me.  After all, the Mosquito is legendary aircraft up there with the Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane (don't get me started on a tin wing Mk1 Hurricane though!). 

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I can't resist giving my twopenn'orth on the talk about Airfix doing a Mosquito with two-stage Merlins.

 

Firstly, the current Airfix moulding is way past it's best.

Secondly, if it's only 4 or 5 quid less than the Tamiya (which is way better - in both detail and ease of assembly), which one would you buy?

Thirdly, Tamita did separate noses for the various versions; what if Airfix also did separate engine nacelles? All variants could be modelled

Finally, is this a hint? https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/news/aerodrome/de-havilland-aviation-museum-review-part-ll

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1 minute ago, Beard said:

I can't resist giving my two-pennall the talk about Airfix doing a Mosquito with two-stage Merlins.

and me with the Balliol.

 

Trevor

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6 minutes ago, Beard said:

But at least there has been a recent kit of the Balliol.

and if rumours are to be believed our European friends may be doing a Mossie!

 

Trevor 

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11 minutes ago, Max Headroom said:

and if rumours are to be believed our European friends may be doing a Mossie!

 

Trevor 

Yep, both AZ and Special Hobby have said they're going to do one but I'd much prefer an Airfix one. Much as you'd much prefer an Airfix Bailliol.

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3 hours ago, Denford said:

I agree with much of what you say.  However you didn't mention prices which are (in UK - Hannants - but see below) Hasegawa £40!, Tamiya £17 and Airfix around £10.  The box was also much more compact.

The kit was very good for its day and it may well be that the last production run was large because Airfix thought it would go on selling.  Look at the above prices to see what I mean!  Now if there is still significant unsold stock, then re-tooling would reduce its value to almost nil: this would be true for any commodity.  This is perhaps why some seemingly obvious subjects aren't retooled.

However as of now Hannants have nil stock: do they know something that we don't know or are they merely awaiting a delivery?  Or is it 'squeezed out' of Airfix's programme by other subjects?

That Hasegawa price is ridiculous! The kit could be had for 1600 Yen in Japan when it was available, which is maybe a little more than the Airfix kit sells for. Some of the recent special editions with extra parts were selling for double the cost of the basic kit but that's still not totally unreasonable. 

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On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 5:53 PM, Denford said:

 Coincidentally 'Airfix Workbench' have had two successive postings on the de Havilland Heritage Museum prominently featuring the Mosquito.....

With all due respect, it surely is just that - coincidence! Are we really getting to a stage now where someone merely photographing aircraft at a museum is going to give rise to fevered speculation about a new kit!null.

 

Allan

 

 

ps - new Mosquito  multi variant kits would of course be very nice. Preferably 1/72 because some of their 1/48 kits are now getting a tad expensive (for my very limited budget!)null

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26 minutes ago, Albeback52 said:

....  Are we really getting to a stage now where someone merely photographing aircraft at a museum is going to give rise to fevered speculation about a new kit!null.

Did someone mention new Mosquito ?????? :dog:

Cheers... Dave (and his easily excitable dog).

 

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Love a 1/48 Airfix Mossie (just because it's Airfix) but I would like the Mk XIII thimble nose in the box somewhere (as there doesn't seem to be conversion kits for this around)...

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36 minutes ago, Grey Beema said:

Love a 1/48 Airfix Mossie (just because it's Airfix) but I would like the Mk XIII thimble nose in the box somewhere (as there doesn't seem to be conversion kits for this around)...

Airfix did actually produce the NF 30 variant in  both 1/72 & 1/48 scale. I believe this has the requisite modified nose. Both however are not easy to come by nowadays. Turn up on eBay from time to time at fairly reasonable prices.

 

Allan

 

Allan

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23 minutes ago, Albeback52 said:

Airfix did actually produce the NF 30 variant in  both 1/72 & 1/48 scale. I believe this has the requisite modified nose. Both however are not easy to come by nowadays. Turn up on eBay from time to time at fairly reasonable prices.

 

Allan

 

Allan

 

Actually the NF 30 has the larger Universal nose. Thimble noses were smaller and more pointy.

 

Personally I'd love to see a new Airfix Mossie. In 1/72. Here's hoping...

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The MkXIII had the universal Bull Nose not the Thimble Nose that I called it earlier.  As said Tamiya did a 1/48 MkXIII and they do come but on eBay now and then but never when I look.  Pity there is not an after market Bull nose I could just graft on a MK IV kit...  Unless someone knows better....

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11 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

That Hasegawa price is ridiculous!

Hopefully some Eastern European companies (Hobby 2000 in Poland and Fly in Czechia) now reboxed Hurricane Mk. I with a bit more reasonable prices (Hobby 2000 for almost 11 pounds). Maybe more will follow?

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1 hour ago, IanC said:

 

Actually the NF 30 has the larger Universal nose. Thimble noses were smaller and more pointy.

 

Personally I'd love to see a new Airfix Mossie. In 1/72. Here's hoping...

I stand corrected Ian!:thumbsup:.

 

Allan

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4 hours ago, Albeback52 said:

With all due respect, it surely is just that - coincidence! Are we really getting to a stage now where someone merely photographing aircraft at a museum is going to give rise to fevered speculation about a new kit!null.

Well, yes. This is the Rumourmonger section after all.

 

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12 minutes ago, Truro Model Builder said:

Well, yes. This is the Rumourmonger section after all.

 

:lol::lol: Silly me!!

 

Allan

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How many noses did the Mosquito have? What I understand all three modell's from Airfix, Matchbox and Tamiya hade the correct nose for the Swedish S 30 Mosquito. Or... ?

 

Cheers / André

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9 hours ago, Albeback52 said:

Airfix did actually produce the NF 30 variant in  both 1/72 & 1/48 scale. I believe this has the requisite modified nose. Both however are not easy to come by nowadays. Turn up on eBay from time to time at fairly reasonable prices.

 

Allan

 

Allan

They produced an NF30 in 1/48 but the 1995 retread of their 1/72 Mossie was an NF XIX. Pretty much the same, with the universal (bull) nose but retaining single stage Merlins. 

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13 hours ago, Albeback52 said:

With all due respect, it surely is just that - coincidence! Are we really getting to a stage now where someone merely photographing aircraft at a museum is going to give rise to fevered speculation about a new kit!

 

Absolutely!   That's exactly what this thread is for...!   :fool: 

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In choosing subjects Airfix seem to pick 1) Something nobody would ever have imagined: Kate, Seagull, and even Whitley 2) Something many have been requesting for a long time: Defiant, Phantom and now Hunter.  A 2 Stage Mosquito certainly falls into the latter category: possible release is enhanced by my snapping up the last of the Attack Squadron 2 Stage engines and the Tamiya kits to go with them....

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41 minutes ago, Denford said:

A 2 Stage Mosquito certainly falls into the latter category: possible release is enhanced by my snapping up the last of the Attack Squadron 2 Stage engines and the Tamiya kits to go with them....

In that case, the next release will almost certainly be a two-stage Mossie!

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8 hours ago, Enzo Matrix said:

Absolutely!   That's exactly what this thread is for...!   :fool: 

Ok! Last time I was at East Fortune, I saw somebody photographing Concorde, Comet 4, Avro Vulcan, Jaguar, Twin Pioneer,MiG -15...................!😂😂😂😂

 

 

Allan

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Just going back to prices of current Mossie kits, if Airfix was to make a new one l would think the price would be more in the Beaufighter bracket i.e. over £20 so more than the Tamiya kit. OK if it is a 2 stage Merlin that would encourage sales so modellers would pay more.

 

Robert

 

 

 

 

 

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