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Airfix 2020


jenko

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A P-47 that Airfix might find worth producing is the P-47N. The Heller and Italeri kits of that variant are pretty awful, and it's still a Thunderbolt to the general public.  There aren't the variety of colour schemes that there are for earlier P-47s, admittedly.

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18 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said:

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.

Trumpeter  did a 1/24 Fw190D-9

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/trumpeter-02411-focke-wulf-fw190-d-9--114372

 

as has been said before, a 72nd Mosquito with a two stage option would be a good option, the only other 72nd Mosquito worth mentioning is the Tamiya, a search on scalemates shows a Hase kit, (which I know nothing about) but both seem to be 20 years old.

 

Airfix must have a fair stash of Mosquito data as well given the 1/24th kit, and the Swedes used it... ;) 

(as any kit which can have a Swedish option that Airfix does it seem to end up with Swedish decals) 

 

A 1/48th Hawker  Typhoon is also a good option, lots of data from the 1/24th kit, and the only is the ancient Mono/Revell kit, or the usually overpriced Hase kit even in the Italeri and Eduard boxings,  and it lack the correct wheel well.

 

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If we follow the recent trend for Airfix over the years, we are possibly likely to see just a handful of complete new tools and a smattering of new decals or new versions of recently tooled kits. With that formula in mind I’d say we’ll have one 1/72 biggie (Telford announcement) a couple of 1/48 new tools and no more than 2-3 1/72 kits. 


I’d like to think that the star will be a 1/72 Herc, Hawker Hart and Vampire families in 1/48 and (hopefully) Anson and Chipmunk (to test the 1/48 market) in 1/72. 
 

A smattering of reissues of various new tools (RAF Bucc, FGA.9 Hunter, Wellington Mk.II) and various new decal options will help pad out a new Catalogue. 
 

Probably nowhere close to being right, but I’d buy a few if they oblige.

 

Cheers.. Dave

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11 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

I’d like to think that the star will be a 1/72 Herc

Well that would make sense since Zvezda has announced a new tool 1/72 C-130 (version not specified) for 2020!

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9 minutes ago, Adam Poultney said:

I would not complain if we got a 1/48th Typhoon/Tempest

Eduard just retooled their 1/48th Tempest.

 

Though @Rabbit Leader  has reminded me,  a 72nd Sea Fury and 72nd Hunter F.4/F.5 would be good ideas,  no decent 72nd Sea Fury available, and no early Hunter. (Revell never bothered to do one) and the main research for both has been done.

 

 

Given they did do a Yak-9 back in the 60's, and still no modern kit of one, and there are now lots of documented interesting Yak-9 schemes, I know this has been @John Thompson  hobby horse for years.

 

 

 

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12 minutes ago, VMA131Marine said:

Well that would make sense since Zvezda has announced a new tool 1/72 C-130 (version not specified) for 2020!

Whoops I didn’t know that, however we could just have another Shackleton situation with the Herc if that’s the case! 

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26 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

Given they did do a Yak-9 back in the 60's, and still no modern kit of one, and there are now lots of documented interesting Yak-9 schemes, I know this has been @John Thompson  hobby horse for years.

Along with heaps of colour schemes the Yak-9 also operated with a wide variety of armament for use in anti-tank, light bomber and long-range escort roles giving even more variant possibilities...

 

and availability of good references is not a problem either 😉

Edited by RussellE
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4 minutes ago, Phas3e said:

I say get in before Eduard do a 1/48 Typhoon.

They already re-box,  with some additions the Hasegawa kit.   I'd be very surprised if they do a new tool kit of one. 

 

3 minutes ago, RussellE said:

Along with heaps of colour schemes the Yak-9 also operated with a wide variety of armament for use in anti-tank, light bomber and long-range escort roles giving even more variant possibilities...

This is true, but these require some careful tooling, or picking of which variant to tool,  as the cockpit moved back on some Yak-9's, and there are other variant issues, like wing tip shapes,  smallish changes in real world engineering, but whole new wings unless you want to do separate tips. 

 

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4 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

They already re-box,  with some additions the Hasegawa kit.   I'd be very surprised if they do a new tool kit of one. 

 

This is true, but these require some careful tooling, or picking of which variant to tool,  as the cockpit moved back on some Yak-9's, and there are other variant issues, like wing tip shapes,  smallish changes in real world engineering, but whole new wings unless you want to do separate tips. 

 

Agreed. I'd be very surprised if Airfix did a 1/48 Typhoon.

 

As for the Yak-9, the most obvious variant would be the 9U. Absolutely requires considered, clever tooling to achieve maximum number of variations of this type.

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2 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

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.

A new tool 1:72 Avro 504 would be great too - reviews I've read of the old one state that it is very inaccurate, & it would be good to have an updated one with the associated improvement in detail.  There are also multiple versions and marking schemes that could be extracted from it - ranging from various trainers (especially in the previously kitted K guise) to the RNAS bombers used for the Friedrichshafen Raid in 1914, which was notable for being the first ever strategic bombing raid.

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Airfix will probably want to see how well their MiG-17 sells before embarking on other Russian types - a lead time of some 5 years before the next one reaches the shops.

There have been many ongoing calls for Airfix to tool a Yak-9.  Why not from an Eastern bloc manufacturer?  There are enough of them and most operated it.

Surely if the model is accurate, does it matter who produces it?

Excepting the title of the thread, could someone explain why it must be Airfix who produce it?

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Thanks to the 1/24 Fw190 suggestion, I’ve finally realised what bugs me about the “A Tamigawauardzda xxx makes no money for Airfix...” argument. It’s true, but neither does an Airfix one if the majority of people who want an xxx have already got the existing Tamigawauardzda one in their stash. For the argument to work, there has to be a substantial untapped demand that Airfix can reach with a combination of brand name and sales channels that the less well known and widely distributed brands don’t... and that’s not us experienced modellers. The subjects mostly need to sell to people who aren’t hobby obsessive like us. Which leads me to think that an exquisite 1/72 Mosquito, Hellcat and Hunter would work well...

 

And since this IS fantasy-land, I’ll add my annual plea for a state of the art E Type in 1/24 with some clever slide moulding to eliminate a seam behind the doors!

 

best,

M.

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26 minutes ago, cmatthewbacon said:

 It’s true, but neither does an Airfix one if the majority of people who want an xxx have already got the existing Tamigawauardzda one in their stash. For the argument to work, there has to be a substantial untapped demand that Airfix can reach with a combination of brand name and sales channels that the less well known and widely distributed brands don’t... and that’s not us experienced modellers. The subjects mostly need to sell to people who aren’t hobby obsessive like us. Which leads me to think that an exquisite 1/72 Mosquito, Hellcat and Hunter would work well...

 

I entirely agree that for a subject to sell well, it has to reach beyond the hard core, in which case sales of other companies products are irrelevant.  I rather thought that that was my point?  And that the number of people with these first-class models who will not also buy an Airfix one (an important qualification) is not large enough to significantly dent sales.   Else who bought the P-51D, A6M2 Zero, and no doubt a few others that don't trip off the tongue?  Nice kits, but better ones are available to those who look.  The P-47 fits the bill, as would indeed the Mosquito, Hellcat and Hunter.   After all, I don't expect that there are many who would expect a new Airfix Hellcat to beat the Eduard one.

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Hornby group see themselves as a High Street brand and as such we serious modellers do not have the pull we think we have. About 2 years ago Hornby stopped their consessions scheme where retailers got stock on sale or return and as a result Hornby products disappeared (almost) from the high street overnight. It’s only recently that they have started to return to non-specialist high street shops.

I work at an aviation museum and the percentage of visitors who come under the description ‘Knowlegable Enthusiasts’ is 22% and I’d hazard a guess that the percentage of serious modellers who are Airfix customers is a similar figure. Whilst museums and Hornby ignore the ‘expert’ market at their peril, they could possibly struggle on if they did as the majority of their customers   are children, families and passing trade.

My point is that just because a kit manufactured by a company is available in specialist shops / on the Internet for the expert modeller the majority of Airfix’s customers will not know (or care) it exists, therefore, if Airfix produce a similar kit their only direct competition is high street brands ie Revell and even then the odd ‘same subject from both firms’ has, and will occur.

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48 minutes ago, cmatthewbacon said:

Thanks to the 1/24 Fw190 suggestion, I’ve finally realised what bugs me about the “A Tamigawauardzda xxx makes no money for Airfix...” argument. It’s true, but neither does an Airfix one if the majority of people who want an xxx have already got the existing Tamigawauardzda one in their stash. For the argument to work, there has to be a substantial untapped demand that Airfix can reach with a combination of brand name and sales channels that the less well known and widely distributed brands don’t... and that’s not us experienced modellers. The subjects mostly need to sell to people who aren’t hobby obsessive like us. Which leads me to think that an exquisite 1/72 Mosquito, Hellcat and Hunter would work well...

 

And since this IS fantasy-land, I’ll add my annual plea for a state of the art E Type in 1/24 with some clever slide moulding to eliminate a seam behind the doors!

 

best,

M.

 

10 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

I entirely agree that for a subject to sell well, it has to reach beyond the hard core, in which case sales of other companies products are irrelevant.  I rather thought that that was my point?  And that the number of people with these first-class models who will not also buy an Airfix one (an important qualification) is not large enough to significantly dent sales.   Else who bought the P-51D, A6M2 Zero, and no doubt a few others that don't trip off the tongue?  Nice kits, but better ones are available to those who look.  The P-47 fits the bill, as would indeed the Mosquito, Hellcat and Hunter.   After all, I don't expect that there are many who would expect a new Airfix Hellcat to beat the Eduard one.

 

 

Not a direct reply to the two posts above, but these have touched on something that we sometime forget

it doesn't matter how good the competition is, if the competition can't sell their product then it's like they don't exist.

Of course Tamiya and other manufacturers exist and they sell their products everywhere in the world but their distribution is not the same in every country and is not necessarily as good as that of someone else in a certain country. This is where the strength of well known mainstream manufacturers lies and why they can easily issue products that are not as good as their competition.

Not Airfix, but an example comes from Revell, who a few years ago issued a brand new Spitfire Mk.II, followed by a Vb. These kits are much inferior in mould quality and buildability to the similar variants issued by Tamiya, The Mk.II is also inferior in many aspects to the Airfix kit while the Vb is more accurate but worse in all other aspects than Revell's own older kit of the same subject. And yet Revell issued the kit nonetheless. Why ? Because they know that they can sell these anyway ! Revell's distribution in their main markets is extremely strong and any "casual buyer" (that term again...) will likely find their kit and not Tamiya's or Airfix's. Not that Tamiya and Airfix are not present in those same markets, they are, but in a smaller number of outlets.

So by this logic Airfix could easily issue another P-47 or Corsair or Hellcat even if there already are superior products on the market, as their kit of these subjects would likely be much more easily available to their potential customer in the British market (assuming this is Airfix main market).. of course if they feel that such a kit would be of interest to British buyers.

The P-47 in particular is one subject I'd have probably done a long ago, as it's a very famous type that can be seen at many airshows and that can be proposed in very colourful markings including British ones. But I'm not the one who decides Airfix strategy, so they will have had their good reasons not to issue one (yet).

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Airfix  will announce a new model at Telford which will excite many and infuriates many.

 

It will be in a scale that satisfies many and disappoints many.

 

The choice of decals will dismay many and delight many.

 

the release will be a subject that resonates with many and many will be indifferent to it.

 

In other words, the model will be ........

 

oh damn, just woke up!

 

 

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5 hours ago, Whofan said:

 

In other words, the model will be ........

 

 

 

 

1)Not one without which no line up would be complete

2)Not "iconic"

3)Not one which may be a participant in any anniversary of any kind in the foreseeable future

4) 1/12 scale Commander Spock. Modellers have been screaming for a new Vulcan . This will be a tie in with a very successful film/TV franchise and, a guaranteed,sure fire,gold mine/best seller

5)Not be most of the (some outlandish )suggestions already noted

6)Ones that nobody predicted - except me.:(1)A Valiant B2 /new tool TSR 2 double kit with multi option squadron markings and, optional buckets of instant sunshine/ conventional H E loadouts AND, (2) a set of conversion parts/decals  to turn the soon to be reissued 1967 Concorde kit into the German SST featured in the TV series "Man in the High Castle"! (Well, it DOES bear a close resemblance to the original short nosed Concorde!)

So what?This IS a fantasy thread really!! I can be as outlandish and unrealistic as anyone else!:whistle::lol:

 

Allan

Edited by Albeback52
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33 minutes ago, cmatthewbacon said:

And since this IS fantasy-land, I’ll add my annual plea for a state of the art E Type in 1/24 with some clever slide moulding to eliminate a seam behind the doors!

 

This!!!!

 

Either slide moulded as you suggest or with the sills as separate pieces from the floorpan that can be attached to the body before painting & the whole set up engineered in such a way that the interior & floorpan can still be installed afterwards.  Possibly easier on a roadster as the interior could be installed from the top (as I think I did on a Gunze curbside about 15 years ago) but the rear valance area can remain separate for assembly as the bumper would hide the seam (as it does on the real car). 

 

Given that there are now multiple 2CV & Renault 4 kits, a Morris Minor & a decent tooling '60s Aston are very strange omissions too...

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15 minutes ago, Paul H said:

Possibly easier on a roadster as the interior could be installed from the top (as I think I did on a Gunze curbside about 15 years ago) but the rear valance area can remain separate for assembly as the bumper would hide the seam.

Both the Heller and Revell roadsters you can do by completing the body shell, sliding the interior tub in through the hole where the firewall fits and then adding the seats and steering wheel from the top. I’m pretty sure the same would go for a Gunze roadster. And I second the Aston (DB4/5 for preference!)

best,

M.

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32 minutes ago, Albeback52 said:

1)Not one without which no line up would be complete

2)Not "iconic"

3)Not one which may be a participant in any anniversary of any kind in the foreseeable future

4) 1/12 scale Commander Spock. Modellers have been screaming for a new Vulcan . This will be a tie in with a very successful film/TV franchise and, a guaranteed,sure fire,gold mine/best seller

5)Not be most of the (some outlandish )suggestions already noted

6)One that nobody predicted - except me. A Valiant B2 /new tool TSR 2 double kit with multi option squadron markings and, optional buckets of instant sunshine/ conventional H E loadouts AND, a set of conversion parts/decals  to turn the soon to be reissued 1967 Concorde kit into the German SST featured in the TV series "Man in the High Castle"! (Well, it DOES bear a close resemblance to the original short nosed Concorde!)

So what?This IS a fantasy thread really!! I can be as outlandish and unrealistic as anyone else!:whistle::lol:

 

Allan

Now a TSR-2 I would buy many of!

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17 minutes ago, cmatthewbacon said:

Both the Heller and Revell roadsters you can do by completing the body shell, sliding the interior tub in through the hole where the firewall fits and then adding the seats and steering wheel from the top. I’m pretty sure the same would go for a Gunze roadster. And I second the Aston (DB4/5 for preference!)

best,

M.

 

Agreed - the OTS is relatively easy - it's the FHC where things become more interesting.  I wonder if moulding the doors & rear hatch separately (but not hinged) as Heller did with their Renault 4 might be part of the answer for easier assembly.

 

Definately thinking both DB4 & DB5, as they could be done from the same basic tooling.  There is a very obvious tie-in for the DB5 which would I am sure be very popular if properly marketed and the previously available examples are pretty poor.  However a DB4 drophead would be cool too - what with Hasegawa's Muira, Tamiya and Revell's Mini Coopers, I wonder who might then tool up a Fiat Dino coupe or Bedford VAL coach? 😉

Edited by Paul H
adding quote for clarity
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