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Airfix for 2019


Julien

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Deal me 3 Buccaneer's and 5 MiG-17's face up please.  The Spit and Tiger Moth are nice but bringing back the Sea Vixen is great.  I never got one the first time around so I'm really looking forward to it.  Now if they'll only reissue the Jav.  And, please Mr. Airfix shrink these both down to 1/72 PLEEEESE!

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19 hours ago, Ratch said:

I doubt the moulds have moved. Airfix are probably buying in the kits bagged and just putting them in a red box.

You will most likely be right, the boxes will State „Made in Korea“ like on the B-17 from the same source. Interestingly, the workbench doesn’t name Academy but refers to them as „one of our modelling associates“. A hint to an intensified cooperation? A two-way deal may well make sense.

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I know a Airfix have a huge cultural impact in UK. I'am Britophile. But re-release of ancient kits i hate.  This is big problem and Airfix isn't one who make this...  When a have an "attack of nostalgy" i don' t bought the same kit when I build as Kid, but the same type with the same camo... But many people ( a laic Public)bought kits from the "traditional company" - and sometimes the SAME kit. Yup, a two decades old kits (Tamiya, Revell, Accurate)etc. this isn' t problem. But 40-60 years moulds ? Yup, sometimes it is a only choice (WW2 allied Heavy bombers,) but when You can leads childern to scale modeling, this is a bad choice... Nostalgia is good, but not in scale modeling...

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3 hours ago, fightersweep said:

Jetstream and Dominie at £11.99 each. More than happy with that!

Those prices just killed a lot of Ebay sales, £11.99 with a brand new usable decal sheet and spares part support rather than £25-£30 with a promise of "looks complete but no returns" .

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13 minutes ago, AlCZ said:

I know a Airfix have a huge cultural impact in UK. I'am Britophile. But re-release of ancient kits i hate.  This is big problem and Airfix isn't one who make this...  When a have an "attack of nostalgy" i don' t bought the same kit when I build as kit, but the same type with the same camo... But many people ( a laic Public)bought kits from the "traditional company" - and sometimes the SAME kit. Yup, a two decades old kits (Tamiya, Revell, Accurate)etc. this isn' t problem. But 40-60 years moulds ? Yup, sometimes it is a only choice (WW2 allied Heavy bombers,) but when You can leads childern to scale modeling, this is a bad choice... Nostalgia is good, but not in scale modeling...

 

Each to their own though. I think nostalgia has a part to play in modelling. There are enough threads about it here on Matchbox, Airfix, Frog etc. I love building the kits I built as a kid, so therefore, it has to be the same kits otherwise it wouldn't be same. I'll happily build new kits too, but I still get a kick when I crack open a 1970s Matchbox kit. It's a bit of a modelling comfort blanket.

 

Steve

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4 minutes ago, gavingav said:

Those prices just killed a lot of Ebay sales, £11.99 with a brand new usable decal sheet and spares part support rather than £25-£30 with a promise of "looks complete but no returns" .

 

I know! Great isn't it? I do collect old kits too, but sometimes I just want to build them, and I don't like paying £30 - £40 for an old series 2 kit that I'll no doubt ruin! 🤣

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I think the decal options for the Vintage Classics are the same schemes as the original releases, so no repeat of the inaccurate Black scheme for the Dominie from it's last release I hope!

 

Hopefully they remember the Heron originally had an RAF Queens Flight option!

 

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1 hour ago, AlCZ said:

 Nostalgia is good, but not in scale modeling...

I beg to differ....

 

Nostalgia is always good if it generates sales. 

 

What we sometimes forget in the microcosm that are forums is almost all model companies are out to make money.

 

The older Airfix kits are now clearly delineated under the vintage classics sub brand. So the risk of a child ‘unwittingly’ purchasing one is reduced. Although having helped around 100 young people to build newer Airfix releases such as the Gnat and new tool Spitfire and Me109 as part of make n take and watched them struggle with those kits. I’d sagely observe that an older simpler kit would ‘probably’ be a better introduction to modeling.

 

Kids when they start off want to build as fast as possible because they are interested in the end result not the build process. 

 

So something simple that gets you to an aeroplane shape as fast as possible is what you want. That or a Bandai level click together product...

 

 

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4 hours ago, tempestfan said:

You will most likely be right, the boxes will State „Made in Korea“ like on the B-17 from the same source. Interestingly, the workbench doesn’t name Academy but refers to them as „one of our modelling associates“. A hint to an intensified cooperation? A two-way deal may well make sense.

Yes the association with Academy goes back to 1999 with the B-17, 2009 for the 1/700 Titanic and 2012 for the 1/400 one. This year will see a much greater co-operation.

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1 hour ago, Plasto said:

What we sometimes forget in the 

So something simple that gets you to an aeroplane shape as fast as possible is what you want. That or a Bandai level click together product...

Airfix also entered in the click together market with their Lego style easy builds. A great idea for the younger market.

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Yes and no... Quick Build which is Airfix Model / Lego Cross over product is ok but it’s not the same as say a Bandai Gunpla kit. Quick build is more at the  Lego end of the spectrum Gunpla more at the model kit end...

 

 

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2 hours ago, Plasto said:

... Although having helped around 100 young people to build newer Airfix releases such as the Gnat and new tool Spitfire and Me109 as part of make n take and watched them struggle with those kits. I’d sagely observe that an older simpler kit would ‘probably’ be a better introduction to modeling.

 

Kids when they start off want to build as fast as possible because they are interested in the end result not the build process. ..

 

I agree.  The early to mid 70s Airfix kits were a great combination of realism and buildability.  My daughter's first build was the classic Spitfire Vb which she did very competently at age 8.  A year or so later, she even beat me in a club competetion with her version of the late 70s mk1 Spit!

I find the new tool Airfix almost harder work than those from Eduard or KP.

Cheers

Will

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10 hours ago, malpaso said:

I agree.  The early to mid 70s Airfix kits were a great combination of realism and buildability.  My daughter's first build was the classic Spitfire Vb which she did very competently at age 8.  A year or so later, she even beat me in a club competetion with her version of the late 70s mk1 Spit!

I find the new tool Airfix almost harder work than those from Eduard or KP.

Cheers

Will

I agree with you, on both counts. I didn't find building the 1/72 Blenheim I an enjoyable experience. But it's curious that a couple of years ago Airfix reps were telling customers that the really old kits were never going to be released again. The company must have put some thought into that and concluded that the game wasn't worth the candle. Ancient dross like the Tiger, Sherman and SdKfz 234 falls squarely into that category, yet here we go again. I wonder what's changed their mind. I noticed that in my local Aldi this Christmas the modern Hurricane, Fw 190 and P-51 toolings sold well, while the 60 year-old Cutty Sarks were left on the shelf.

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8 minutes ago, AWFK10 said:

I agree with you, on both counts. I didn't find building the 1/72 Blenheim I an enjoyable experience.

I also agree with @Plasto and @AWFK10 and it is not just kids. As I get older I find that I have ceased to enjoy building fiddly detailed cockpits etc that will never been seen. No criticism meant but in another thread there was discussion about detailing the toilet in a kit, that would never be seen. That is not for me, I just want to build a reasonably priced kit that, look good. If  I get enjoyment out of and if there is an element of nostalgia - then great.. For me the Airfix classic range presses all the right buttons. All I need now is for someone rescue the Frog moulds from where ever they are, clean then up and let us have a Frog Classic range - that we see me happy for many years.

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Well done Airfix for the new range.  An excellent effort with your recent financial tribulations in mind.  I just wish people wouldn't keep knocking them because they did not get the particular model THEY wanted.  Let's all be grateful that they are still in business. I will be buying a FAA Bucc for sure to go with my 1/72 Phantom and Gannet on the FAA shelf in my display cabinet.

 

I have started building models again recently and bought some of those very very cheap starter kits from Lidl.  What bargains and the Hurricane I've started goes together like a dream, the detail is amazing I remember building the first Airfix Hurricane Mk.4 I think it wa,  in around 1965 and later the 1970's Series two Mk.2. They both had very little detail.  In comparison today's offerings are truly amazing, as good as any Tamigawa kit I have ever built.  

 

They've also catered for the vintage modeller like me with some of those classic releases, I paid a fortune on Ebay 10 years ago for a Jetsream so good on yer Airfix for sticking it in the eye of some of the profiteers on there.

 

Just my two penny worth, but I'm pleased with their output.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

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If I'm honest, I'm amazed that given the doom and gloom surrounding the future of the parent company that they have produced any new releases at all. I think the management team should be congratulated on both keeping the business afloat, retaining key staff and managing to get these releases over the finish line.

 

If you are disappointed that your particular choice isn't amongst these, drop them an email, but PLEASE, also remember to thank them for continuing to be still supporting our Hobby after all these years !

 

Sorry to have got on my soap box, but when you feel strongly about something, it's best not to bottle it up !

 

cheers Pat

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I can only agree with the sentiments of both Ian and Pat above around how many new kits (and therefore investment risks) Airfix have made this year, given their parent's current situation. I also agree particularly with Ian on his comments about not knocking Airfix (or any manufacturer for that matter) for not producing the kits they what.

 

Manufacturers have no obligation to produce anything for us, but they do so on the basis they believe it will sell in sufficient numbers to bring a return on the financial investment it takes, If that happens to coincides with what we where hoping for, then to quote a certain Essex born chef "happy days" but I really do not understand getting bent of shape over it if it doesn't.

 

As you may guess my interest in in 1/72 scale and so over recent years I have been slightly envious to see Airfix produce a Javelin, Sea Vixen, Meteor and Hunter in the "wrong scale" but I hoped they would be successful so they would keep Airfix in business to maybe produce something I was hoping for, Which has happened in the shape of the Buccaneer (happy days indeed as far as I am concerned), so if you haven't got what you hoped for, perhaps just be patient, you never know.

 

Having been a modeller for over 50 years I believe as a hobby,we have never had such a diverse range of kits and aftermarket accessories, all (for the most part) with more detail and thought for the enthusiast than we do now, and we should reflect more on how lucky we are and less on what we haven't got, that we think we need. It is after all a hobby we enjoy spending time on.

 

Anyway - Just my 2ps worth.

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21 hours ago, AlCZ said:

 Nostalgia is good, but not in scale modeling...

That's pretty arrogant. It may be so for you but don't presume that everyone does, or should, agree.

 

Shane

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I wonder how many modellers that express various degrees of angst/disappointment/disgust/derision* (*delete as appropriate) actually write to Airfix to give the company the benefit of their experience and highlight to them the error of their ways?  Did people send letters by the sackful before I’ve interweb? Don’t get me wrong, I accept that everyone is entitled to an opinion and all that, but the constant wailing is akin to wishing it would stop raining and not going out when it’s only a drizzle. I wonder if Tamiya get as much stick, with their meagre numbers of aircraft releases per year? 

 

I think the 2019 list has something for many and it’s great that Airfix continues. Moreover, as I don’t own my own model company nor have the funds to invest in one, I’m content to wait a year or more longer for my personal holy grails. Modellers have it good; sometimes we forget that.

 

That is all. 

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