Airfix 2019

[PLC1966]

33 minutes ago, jenko said:

To be honest I do think the big news at Telford this year will be 1/24 scale. Going by past results, think left field and fighter size and you won't be wrong. 

 

Me 262

Sea Fury

Meteor

 

Also I can see the 1/48 range being extended by subjects they have done in 1/72.

 

Dick

1/48 down to 1/72 please.......Meteor, Sea Vixen, Javelin & Sea Fury please.....

[trickydicky210]

New 1/24 Spitfire mk1 for 2019/20 in time for 80th Battle of Britain anniversary?

 

just a thought?

 

Rich

[fightersweep]

8 minutes ago, trickydicky210 said:

New 1/24 Spitfire mk1 for 2019/20 in time for 80th Battle of Britain anniversary?

A new Mk 1 would be fantastic, especially if the options were provided for the early Mk 1s too, like a Watts propeller, early canopy etc.

[jenko]

10 minutes ago, PLC1966 said:

1/48 down to 1/72 please.......Meteor, Sea Vixen, Javelin & Sea Fury please.....

Or as we call them …. the yoyo scales 

[SleeperService]

2 hours ago, PLC1966 said:

1/48 down to 1/72 please.......Meteor, Sea Vixen, Javelin & Sea Fury please.....

 

2 hours ago, jenko said:

Or as we call them …. the yoyo scales 

Fair's fair!

So 72 to 48th...Jet Provost, Vampire Trainer and RAF Ground Vehicles set. 🤗

[Stew Dapple]

I would be cautiously optimistic both ways; I'd like to see a 1/72 Sea Fury and I imagine if sales of the 1/48 kit have been good it would be an intelligent move for Airfix to kit it in the proper scale  Also I would very much like to see a scaled-down Walrus so I could make a model of one of the ASR birds that operated out of Dundee. For the reprobates who like weird scales the Vampire T.11 and Jet Provost, as Sleeper Service suggests above, would probably be popular releases in 1/48

 

In all the cases above the research part of the R&D has already been done; the kits themselves would have to redesigned appropriately for their new scale, but it would still be cheaper than starting from scratch so might prove an attractive proposition for Airfix...

 

I think a 1/48 Wellington might be a pitch too far though... but if we are thinking about big kits a new 1/72 B-24 Liberator would be a worthy addition...  

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

 

[Chewbacca]

22 hours ago, fightersweep said:

I think a new 1/24 Spitfire would sell extremely well for Airfix. As much as I would love a new Mk 1a, I suspect that Airfix would choose the Mk IX. Yes, it would be another 1/24 Spitfire, but not a mark kitted by them or anyone else. A popular mark, lots of colour scheme choices and the aftermarket bods could have a field day with conversions (Mk XIV anyone).

 

I know Trevor Snowden wanted to see this, so it's a kit I would put money on seeing at some point in the future. A new tool 109E in 1/24 would kill my wallet as well. It's taking me years to bash the old kits into shape.

If it has to be another Spitfire derivative, how about a 1/24 Seafire.  I know I'm biased but FAA subjects do seem to be popular at the moment as evidenced by the F4-K, Sea Fury, Walrus etc and to my knowledge no one has done one.  In fact in continuing that theme, how about a 1/24 F4-K?

[bigbadbadge]

I have to chip in again with a plea to Airfix for  a 1/24

 

Tigermoth 

Gladiator 

 

They would be amazing superkits and think they would sell very well. 

All the best 

Chris 

[fightersweep]

2 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

If it has to be another Spitfire derivative, how about a 1/24 Seafire.  I know I'm biased but FAA subjects do seem to be popular at the moment as evidenced by the F4-K, Sea Fury, Walrus etc and to my knowledge no one has done one.  In fact in continuing that theme, how about a 1/24 F4-K?

No objection there. Even better, include the extra parts to enable either a land based or carrier based Spit to be built. How about a nice Seafire III, or a hulking great 1/24 Seafire 47? Yum!

 

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

I have to chip in again with a plea to Airfix for  a 1/24

 

Tigermoth 

Gladiator 

 

They would be amazing superkits and think they would sell very well. 

All the best 

Chris 

I would buy both of those in 1/24 with no hesitation...probably in multiples.

 

Steve

[Plasto]

I suspect any Spitfire / Seafire in 1/24 would sell to enthusiasts if it was similar in detail to the 1/24 Typhoons.  Spitfires are perennial sellers. 

 

I suggested a Mk 1a as it would:

 

Replace the classic 1/24 kit.

Be possible I think with some well designed tooling to produce a Va / Vb for relatively few tooling changes thus maximising the base tooling. (Perhaps if you were very clever you could get a IXc as well). 

 

Its also in the mind of joe public the classic BoB Spitfire with brown and green camo and RAF roundels so I’m sure you’d pick up sales to non enthusiasts. Airfix have a good reputation with Spitfire kits and there is plenty of reference material plans and LIDAR subjects in existence..

 

But I’m also cognisant that a 1/24 kit is an expensive thing to engineer and tool. 

 

 

 

 

[fightersweep]

I wouldn't complain at a new tool 1/24 Spitfire Mk Ia. I've got 13 of the original kit in the stash, so a load more won't hurt. I just can't help thinking that if Airfix did do a new tool 1/24 Spit, that they would go for a Mk IX. 

 

Personally, I would love a new Mk Ia or Mk XIV. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[Stew Dapple]

The 1/24 Spitfire 1a was a remarkable kit at the time and a rite of passage for several generations of modellers since its first release in 1970; even now it is still a good kit but it does show the signs of being a product of its time. A new-tooled version would have the sort of broad appeal that Plasto mentioned; I built the old one in the 80s and would certainly shell out for a new-tooled one if it was forthcoming...

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[RussellE]

On 6/30/2018 at 6:09 PM, fightersweep said:

I think a new 1/24 Spitfire would sell extremely well for Airfix. As much as I would love a new Mk 1a, I suspect that Airfix would choose the Mk IX. Yes, it would be another 1/24 Spitfire, but not a mark kitted by them or anyone else. A popular mark, lots of colour scheme choices and the aftermarket bods could have a field day with conversions (Mk XIV anyone).

 

I know Trevor Snowden wanted to see this, so it's a kit I would put money on seeing at some point in the future. A new tool 109E in 1/24 would kill my wallet as well. It's taking me years to bash the old kits into shape.

I'll second that! 😎 with one exception: Airfix will release the Mk IX but cleverly tool it in a way that the other marks (Mk I, V, XIV) can be released in ensuing years from the same set of tools using interchangeable inserts! 🤗

Edited July 1, 2018 by RussellE

[VMA131Marine]

I've worked it out; it's going to be a 1/24th Boulton-Paul Defiant Mk.I

 

Face it, this is a kit that is desperately needed!

[Dave Fleming]

If I was going to do a 1/24th kit, I'd go for a Hawk - the Red Arrows factor would hopefully ensure extra casual sales, the size would encourage multiple builds and there is lots of scope for different decal options.

[Ratch]

1 hour ago, VMA131Marine said:

I've worked it out; it's going to be a 1/24th Boulton-Paul Defiant Mk.I

 

Face it, this is a kit that is desperately needed!

You may remember that the Defiant won the Most Wanted 1/24 Kit in the 2008 ATF Poll

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=9694&p=97424&hilit=defiant#p97424

[VMA131Marine]

38 minutes ago, Dave Fleming said:

If I was going to do a 1/24th kit, I'd go for a Hawk - the Red Arrows factor

How well did the Revell 1/32nd kit do? I bought quite a few of them in the Red Arrows boxing, but that was only because they were heavily discounted. I don't think the casual buyer is going to drop 100 quid on a 1/24th Hawk kit unless .... let's say they take a page out of Meng's playbook and make it in multicolour parts that assemble without glue. I know what you are thinking, but hear me out. The Meng 1/48 P-51D is an easy assembly kit that still rivals the Airfix kit for detail and accuracy; in some ways, it is better. Combine that with the way Meng and Academy have done multicolour parts in some of their ship kits and you have a kit that assembles easily and that the casual buyer can be proud to display without a lot of effort. The rest of us will prime, paint, and decal as usual. Another good example is the way Bandai does their Star Wars and Gundam kits. The only issue that I see is that the plastic Airfix uses on the kits they mold in India is not really suitable for this kind of kit; it's too soft. The plastic on the UK molded kits is much better for this purpose.

[VMA131Marine]

27 minutes ago, Ratch said:

You may remember that the Defiant won the Most Wanted 1/24 Kit in the 2008 ATF Poll

Just so long as Trumpeter don't upscale their horrible 1/48 Defiant kit to 1/32. Ugh! Actually, this might be on Special Hobby's radar after the 1/32 Whirlwind fighter.

[AlCZ]

Be realistic. All is prepare for "car scale" Tempest. In this gigantic scale airfix need a hit...and no very british but only in UK popular type...(Seafury; Hawk etc...). Spitfire Mk IXc...is potentional bestseller.

[Plasto]

Why would a Mk IXc be a better seller than a Mk i / ii or Vb in 1/24?

 

I think the 1/24 Typhoon proves that if the subject is well rendered it would sell and being a Spitfire any Marque would probably sell well with a broard consumer base. The more esoteric the subject the narrower the consumer base is..

 

Without getting back back to the unpopular sub topic of Hornby business realities.. If ‘Airfix’ were to do a new 1/24 kit I think it would need to be something that would sell well both to enthusiasts and to a lesser extent joe public.

 I think any one of the ‘big three’ subject choices ( Bf/ Me 109, Spitfire, P-51) would sell well...Imagine how a really well rendered P-51D in 1/24 would light up the forums... Same with the Spitfire and 109... 

 

 

 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

Not that I dabble too much in the ‘car scales’ however I tend to agree that a re-tooled Spitfire Mk.1 would be better placed in the current market than a IX. If I wanted a large Spit (or Mossie), I’d probably go for Tamiya’s 1/32 scale kits rather than Airfix’s 1/24 offerings. I know 1/32 is not 1/24 however the quality and fit of Tamiya’s kits are hard to beat.

 

I like 1/72 for the fact that you can place a Me163 Komet alongside a same scale Vulcan and compare the sizes of both. When it comes to these larger ‘show piece’ scales  I would tend to just buy one and (hopefully) display it alone as a Museum piece. 

 

For the record - I do have a 1/24 Tiffie in the stash and love it.

 

Cheers.. Dave

[RussellE]

3 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Not that I dabble too much in the ‘car scales’ however I tend to agree that a re-tooled Spitfire Mk.1 would be better placed in the current market than a IX. If I wanted a large Spit (or Mossie), I’d probably go for Tamiya’s 1/32 scale kits rather than Airfix’s 1/24 offerings. I know 1/32 is not 1/24 however the quality and fit of Tamiya’s kits are hard to beat.

 

I like 1/72 for the fact that you can place a Me163 Komet alongside a same scale Vulcan and compare the sizes of both. When it comes to these larger ‘show piece’ scales  I would tend to just buy one and (hopefully) display it alone as a Museum piece. 

 

For the record - I do have a 1/24 Tiffie in the stash and love it.

 

Cheers.. Dave

Now, I am by no means a spitfire "experten", much more a fancier of Spitfires if you will, but FWIW, as someone with over 20yrs tooling industry experience, I can say with certainty that with modern tooling developments and techniques the question of whether Airfix releases a new 1/24 kit of the Mk1 or MkIX first becomes somewhat irrelevant.

 

If planned correctly with future releases in mind, it is entirely possible for Airfix to tool the Mk1, MkV and MkIX from the one set of tools and the various iterations therein: A B or C. This would allow Airfix to maximize their returns from a minimal investment in one set of tools as opposed to several. Something drastically needed in HH's current predicament. 🤗

 

Numerically the most important marks were the MK.I (1,566), MK.VB (3,923), MK.VC (2,447), MK.VIII (1,658) and MK.IX (5,665) of which the MK.V and MK.IX  contributed more than half of the production total. But, you knew that already.😃

 

So with this information in hand and considering the financial restrictions on HH listed above, it would make sense to tool the most popular and populous variants from a single tooling investment (Mk1, MkV and MkIX) and in turn be able to release as many variants/sub-variants from that set of tools as possible. Which order that is, as mentioned above is inconsequential given the fact that Airfix would have a versatile set of tools that can mold all 3 allowing them to release each variant over the ensuing years. 🤑

 

No doubt I will purchase at least one of each, thank you very much! (Much to SWMBO'd chagrin and disapproving comments 😱

 

Of course, Airfix could surprise us all and releases Scruggs Wunderplane with raised panel lines and overdone rivets! 😛

[Truro Model Builder]

10 hours ago, RussellE said:

 

 

Of course, Airfix could surprise us all and releases Scruggs Wunderplane with raised panel lines and overdone rivets! 😛

 

Don't be silly. Everyone knows the Scruggs Wunderplane was fabric covered and didn't feature rivets.

 

In the meantime, if Airfix know their beans -and their designers certainly do- any new tool 1/24 Spitfire will be designed to allow the maximum possible variants from the minimum number of parts. And the aftermarket people will be more than happy to supply the parts for whatever Spitfire OR Seafire you wish to build. Mind, a Tempest would be very nice...

 

[PLC1966]

10 hours ago, RussellE said:

Of course, Airfix could surprise us all and releases Scruggs Wunderplane with raised panel lines and overdone rivets! 😛

I note your sarcasm and ignore it.  It is only right that every major manufacturer has at least seven different variants of the Scruggs Wunderplane, I vote for a Baco Foil covered Mk 27, the one with the Wind Powered Pea Shooter, an ill fated vegatarian Tree hugger friendly version.  Only one was produced but it surely deserves 1/72, 1/48. 1/24 and all scales in between models.

[cmatthewbacon]

I think they'd do better with a 1/24 Camel: British icon, could be done even better than WNW, not too huge in 1/24 scale, and they could incorporate some of the clever tricks they've developed for aligning biplane wings to make it easier to build. Plus it could be in the range forever, with little fear of anyone else bringing out a more "state of the art" direct competitor...

 

best,

M.