Airfix 2020

[VMA131Marine]

1 hour ago, RussellE said:

Pray tell, on what information do you base this? & What 1/350 kits will they be releasing? 

I have almost all of the Flyhawk 1/700 kit releases (just missing HMS Lance and the new Scharnhorst) and can say that the kits are exquisite. The details on even the tiniest of parts are amazingly crisp and my question would be why can’t other longer established companies achieve that level of detail.

 

First 1/350 kit is slated to be the (WWII) HMS Prince of Wales.

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/flyhawk-model-fh5000-hms-prince-wales--1124312

[RussellE]

51 minutes ago, VMA131Marine said:

I have almost all of the Flyhawk 1/700 kit releases (just missing HMS Lance and the new Scharnhorst) and can say that the kits are exquisite. The details on even the tiniest of parts are amazingly crisp and my question would be why can’t other longer established companies achieve that level of detail.

 

First 1/350 kit is slated to be the (WWII) HMS Prince of Wales.

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/flyhawk-model-fh5000-hms-prince-wales--1124312

Sorry for the confusion: I was only wondering how you knew of their intentions to move into 1/350 kits, not questioning their quality. 

But! This is good news on two fronts: one is that they are going 1/350 because hopefully they'll upscale their HMS Illustrious WW2 carriers from 1/700 to 1/350; & second because, as you've mentioned they are good quality. 

Interesting though, that they chose to go with HMS Prince of Wales first, since it seems Very Fire are also planning to release a new kit of same. Unless they are from the same tooling???

[Ratch]

I thought this was the Airfix fantasy thread not the Flyhawk one 😜

[Torbjorn]

They’ve been retooling the most prolific one-prop fighters lately. Why not the P-47?

[Meatbox8]

43 minutes ago, Torbjorn said:

They’ve been retooling the most prolific one-prop fighters lately. Why not the P-47?

I reckon a P-47 must be on the cards at some point.  Maybe a P-51B too?  Actually there's quite a few of that genre that Airfix don't have a modern tooling of.  Kittyhawk, Fw190D, Tempest, Hellcat, Corsair to name a few.  Staples for any major kit manufacturer, I'd have thought.  Personally I'm not too bothered because there are plenty of decent kits of these types available elsewhere.  What I'd really like to see is a two-stage Mossie.  A popular type which is under represented.  A Beaufort would be nice too.

[Max Headroom]

The Hellcat must be due for an appearance in a smaller scale, as all of the  Research is there.

 

@Meatbox8 P-51B is a good call, but Airfix could blindside us with an Allison engined pony! The fourth production example exists ensconced safely in a US museum and could be accessed if they ask nicely enough. I would buy several.

 

Trevor

[Adam Poultney]

A TA152 would be nice

[Ozzy]

1/48 Bf 110 would be fantastic, just before the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

3 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

1/48 Bf 110 would be fantastic, just before the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

But theres a very good Eduard one?

Jonners, being contrary

 

[Adam Poultney]

2 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

1/48 Bf 110 would be fantastic, just before the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Could be good but it's a little big. I'd pass on that one unless the price was very good.

 

[Adam Poultney]

3 minutes ago, Jon Kunac-Tabinor said:

But theres a very good Eduard one?

Jonners, being contrary

 

Bit pricy though me thinks. If Airfix could offer one at 2/3 the price that would be good. I'd pass though because I would rather use the space for a model that big on other things. 110s weren't small

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

1 minute ago, Adam Poultney said:

Bit pricy though me thinks. If Airfix could offer one at 2/3 the price that would be good. I'd pass though because I would rather use the space for a model that big on other things. 110s weren't small

£29.95 from Hannants. Seems a bargain when you consider the Airfix Blenheim is £36.99. The Airfix Sea Fury is £25.99 to give an example of a large-ish single piston engine kit.

If you are on a budget then all will be pricey of course. If not then Eduard's price seems very good considering it will have PE and canopy mask. Why would Airfix do one at 2/3rds the price? Especially given you'd pass on it regardless it seems.

cheers

Jonners

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

1 hour ago, Max Headroom said:

The fourth production example exists ensconced safely in a US museum and could be accessed if they ask nicely enough

Yep just 220 miles from me, lovely place to visit. 

[Adam Poultney]

2 minutes ago, Jon Kunac-Tabinor said:

£29.95 from Hannants. Seems a bargain when you consider the Airfix Blenheim is £36.99. The Airfix Sea Fury is £25.99 to give an example of a large-ish single piston engine kit.

If you are on a budget then all will be pricey of course. If not then Eduard's price seems very good considering it will have PE and canopy mask. Why would Airfix do one at 2/3rds the price? Especially given you'd pass on it regardless it seems.

cheers

Jonners

I thought they were about £38?

Maybe I'm wrong

[Denford]

2 hours ago, Meatbox8 said:

I reckon a P-47 must be on the cards at some point.  Maybe a P-51B too?  Actually there's quite a few of that genre that Airfix don't have a modern tooling of.  Kittyhawk, Fw190D, Tempest, Hellcat, Corsair to name a few.  Staples for any major kit manufacturer, I'd have thought.  Personally I'm not too bothered because there are plenty of decent kits of these types available elsewhere.  What I'd really like to see is a two-stage Mossie.  A popular type which is under represented.  A Beaufort would be nice too.

I'll tread warily around the P-47.  The Tamiya rendering is superb and unlikely to be bettered, so some other benefit eg lower price would need to be offered.  Loon offer a correction set for Fw190D so there are possibilities there; even an issue with the Ta152 tail!

 

To me the real chance is with the F4U: Revell is 'cheap and cheerful', and Tamiya a good rendering.  Neither have folding wings, something Airfix have always provided where present on 'the real thing'.  But there's more than that: FAA wings were clipped, others not, and these are the parts which would have to be separate to fold!  So it's easy: separate sprues for the parts that fold and separate issues of FAA and other users.

[Graham Boak]

Obviously it bears repeating, but no mainstream model company refused to make a model of a subject because someone else had made a better one.  The question asked internally is whether they would make money on it, or not.  I think that the P-47 is one of the iconic WW2 subjects, if not perhaps in the top ten then close.  Inside Airfix they would be wondering just how close, and the decision would rest on sales figures of other types and company finances of which we are not aware.   However one, two or twenty internet modellers showing thumbs down are unlikely to influence their judgement.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

What about the Inter-war fighters of all nations ?  Would they be a viable option for Airfix to re-do or do if not done before ? I see enough builds to think there must be some sort of market for them. 
 

Dennis

[VMA131Marine]

3 hours ago, Meatbox8 said:

Maybe a P-51B too?  Actually there's quite a few of that genre that Airfix don't have a modern tooling of.  Kittyhawk, Fw190D, Tempest, Hellcat, Corsair to name a few.

Oh, for an accurate P-51B in 1/72! The AZ/KP kit is the best of those available (http://www.hyperscale.com/2015/reviews/kits/kpm0032reviewgp_1.htm) but even it has some flaws. Airfix could clean up with this subject if they got it right.

 

Re; Kittyhawk - If I were Airfix I would just rebox the Special Hobby kit. It's fantastic.

 

Re: Fw190D - If Airfix provides the open wheel well with the visible engine components they could do very well with such a kit

 

Re: Tempest - The available kits are quite lackluster. There is definitely room for improvement

 

Re: Hellcat - Well, they have all the data they'll ever need so why not!

 

Re: Corsair - Revell did a new tool Corsair series and they were a distinct step backwards from the current best-in-class Tamiya. Sure, the Tamiya kits don't make money for Airfix but Airfix will really have to be on top of their game to top them despite the fact that the Tamiya kits are 15 or so years old now. Now if Airfix wants to give their 1/24 F6F a companion 1/24 F4U then I'd be on-board.

[percival p.]

My guesses would be for a Ki-100 (because they can scan it at Cosford), a Douglas Skyknight (because I fancy one), a Mistel Ju88a4/Bf109f4 (because I read about it years ago) and a Tornado (because of the reference to P45's flying about). The first three in 72nd scale. The Tornado in 48th scale would be enough of a big deal for them to announce it at Telford.

[VMA131Marine]

Just now, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

What about the Inter-war fighters of all nations ?  Would they be a viable option for Airfix to re-do or do if not done before ? I see enough builds to think there must be some sort of market for them. 
 

Dennis

Most of them are biplanes, which seems to scare off the casual builder. Airfix has not expanded their WWI range since the Fokker E.II and BE.2c and I suspect that was the reason despite them being brilliant little kits and generally easy to build (though I have nightmares about the wings on the E.II falling off as the attachments seem so flimsy). I'd love to see Airfix do more WWI kits so I don't have to build the Roden versions which are really overengineered. A new Brisfit, Camel, Albatros D.V, DH.9, R.E.8, S.E.5a, and D.H.2 would be great.

[Acinonyx Jubatus]

Ki100 in 1/72 is a good shout, and the Mitsubishi Dinah next to it at Cosford would also be good in 1/72 scale

I cant believe that Airfix when reserching the P40 B at Duxford didn't lidar the two Curtiss hawks in the same hanger, would have been criminally negligent not to have done so IMHO,  good quality kits of these need producing in any scale

[RussellE]

19 minutes ago, VMA131Marine said:

Oh, for an accurate P-51B in 1/72! The AZ/KP kit is the best of those available (http://www.hyperscale.com/2015/reviews/kits/kpm0032reviewgp_1.htm) but even it has some flaws. Airfix could clean up with this subject if they got it right.

 

Re; Kittyhawk - If I were Airfix I would just rebox the Special Hobby kit. It's fantastic.

 

Re: Fw190D - If Airfix provides the open wheel well with the visible engine components they could do very well with such a kit

 

Re: Tempest - The available kits are quite lackluster. There is definitely room for improvement

 

Re: Hellcat - Well, they have all the data they'll ever need so why not!

 

Re: Corsair - Revell did a new tool Corsair series and they were a distinct step backwards from the current best-in-class Tamiya. Sure, the Tamiya kits don't make money for Airfix but Airfix will really have to be on top of their game to top them despite the fact that the Tamiya kits are 15 or so years old now. Now if Airfix wants to give their 1/24 F6F a companion 1/24 F4U then I'd be on-board.

There's definitely a market gap for new tools of both the major Tempest variants in 1/72. Done smartly one set of tools could do both. 

 

Another gap in the 1/72 scale is a modern tooling of the Yak-9!

 

A 1/24 F4U would be the next logical step in that scale for Airfix. 

 

As for P47 Tamiya have it covered. 

[Denford]

39 minutes ago, VMA131Marine said:

Re: Corsair - Revell did a new tool Corsair series and they were a distinct step backwards from the current best-in-class Tamiya. Sure, the Tamiya kits don't make money for Airfix but Airfix will really have to be on top of their game to top them despite the fact that the Tamiya kits are 15 or so years old now. Now if Airfix wants to give their 1/24 F6F a companion 1/24 F4U then I'd be on-board.

Again, Revell's 'cheap and cheerful' Corsair is surely not aimed at the same market as Tamiya's.  So not really a step backward.

Airfix wouldn't " really have to be on top of their game " if they tooled a version with folding wings (both clipped and standard) and issued as two separate kits - the likes of which they have often done before....

[Meatbox8]

I reckon a 1/24th Fw190D-9 would get people pretty excited.  I don't have any interest in that scale personally but I think it would be a goer. Maybe in a couple of years - maybe.

[VMA131Marine]

9 minutes ago, Denford said:

Again, Revell's 'cheap and cheerful' Corsair is surely not aimed at the same market as Tamiya's.  So not really a step backward.

Airfix wouldn't " really have to be on top of their game " if they tooled a version with folding wings (both clipped and standard) and issued as two separate kits - the likes of which they have often done before....

Revell's Corsair is cheaper, in some markets, but certainly not as cheerful as the Tamiya, which is not only better detailed, but much easier to build. Revell complicated their kit uneccessarily by designing it to produce the -1A/D and -4 variants. As a result the kit has a -1ish cockpit with no floor while the -4 Corsair had a cockpit floor and there were other significant differences. Revell managed to produce a kit that is neither accurate, nor fun to build.