Airfix 2020

[Meatbox8 2,378]

On 10/1/2019 at 9:03 PM, JWM said:

You mean the Mk I?

A Mk III, V or VI preferably.

[VMA131Marine 1,977]

9 hours ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

 

Perhaps the 'new's of the HB 1/48 Lanc has put the kibosh on my suggestion that Airfix might do one....

 

If Airfix were planning a 1/48 Lanc for 2020, it would be too late to cancel now no matter what HK is doing.

[wadeocu 252]

Not sure if this has been covered, but it would be nice to get a 1/72 Ark Royal Deck Section to go with the Buccaneer and Phantom kits.  Maybe a catapult section and an add on side piece if you want to pose a Bucc taxiing by.  They could do a special edition gift set with a Rod Stewart soundtrack on CD to add sound to your vignette! 

Edited October 3 by wadeocu

[RussellE 157]

Still I am hopeful for new tools of the following in 1/72 from Airfix

 

Hawker Tempest V and MkII

Arado ar196

and a Supermarine Walrus downscaled from their 1/48 release.

 

I guess a Lysander in 1/72 is out now that Dora Wings are going to release a new one...

 

When is it appropriate to begin speculating on the next 1/24 superkit? Or should that go in its own thread?

[Work In Progress 1,889]

4 hours ago, RussellE said:

When is it appropriate to begin speculating on the next 1/24 superkit? Or should that go in its own thread?

Based on the evidence of recent working, plus their own comments about the development of the Typhoon and Hellcat, it would be reasonable to expect a variation on the Hellcat at Telford in 2021 and maybe an all-new kit in 2024.

 

1/72 Lysander:  to mirror what someone said about about Lancasters, there is no way the Dora Wings announcement would put off an Airfix Lysander scheduled for next year. Partly because they would already be committed to it and partly because it would be half the retail price (Dora Wings kit likely to be at least £25)  and would also have vastly superior distribution in the UK. 

[trickydicky210 332]

1 minute ago, Work In Progress said:

When is it appropriate to begin speculating on the next 1/24 superkit? Or should that go in its own thread?

As its well known that the 1/24 Mosquito is the most profitable kit for Airfix, it makse sense for them to issue more large kits than once every 5 years

 

Especially as the fisrt issue of the Hellcat was sold out (5000 kits i belive)

 

There are only 2 1/24 Kits available from Airfix at the moment (Hellcat & Car Door Typhoon)  - I cant recall Airfix ever noyt selling a 1/24 SPitfire  - so would not be surprised to see a new kit - they must have all the relevant info to produce a new large kit

 

So my guess would be a new 1/24 SPITFIRE 1A in time for the 80th BoB Anniversary

 

 

[Rabbit Leader 9,463]

I know this thread is all about Airfix, however I quite like the way other manufacturers seem to just announce their releases within months of these hitting the retail shelves. Airfix seem to take  at least 12-18 months, so perhaps less lead time would be something they could consider for 2020? 

[Scimitar F1 119]

I think that we will have to wait less than 5 years - much less. One thing that is apparent is that Airfix is being more prudently as a business. The 1/24 kits sell well (last two bestsellers full stop were the Typhoon and Hellcat as per the Hornby annual report) and from what a rep told me have higher profit margins. Why would it make sense to hold back and wait half a decade when the banks are banging at the door? 

 

One possible reason could be that the market cannot support more than one release every 5 years. Just a quick look at the prices of a Tamiya 1/48 Tomcat, ZM F-4 or the endless Trumpy Russia armour would suggest that this is not the case. The Hellcat is around the £100 mark and a similarly priced Sea Fury, F-86, Spit Mk I/V, IX, P-40, F4F or F4U would sell as well as, if not more strongly than, the F6F. All (bar the Sea Fury) have both US and UK users as well as multiple schemes.

 

Time will tell. If one is released next year it will be a Spit Mk1 to tie in with the BoB.

 

Will

 

 

[Meatbox8 2,378]

I reckon the next totally new 1/24th scale kit from Airfix will be either a P-47D or an A6M.  In the meantime I wish they'd get on with their series of 1.72nd scale two-stage Merlin Mosquitoes.  I've been using my magic mind meld powers on them for these for ages so they must be on the cards soon.

[Scimitar F1 119]

I have to say that would surprise me as there are already workable kits of those aircraft in 1/24 and 1/32 for that matter - would suggest that this increases the risk factor.

 

Will 

[Britman 1,335]

30 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said:

I reckon the next totally new 1/24th scale kit from Airfix will be either a P-47D or an A6M.  In the meantime I wish they'd get on with their series of 1.72nd scale two-stage Merlin Mosquitoes.  I've been using my magic mind meld powers on them for these for ages so they must be on the cards soon.

Be careful with the mind meld, you might end up with a Vulcan! As for 1/24th, I'll lob a Griffin Spitfire, 109G or maybe a nice Air Cobra. Lots of options with the latter, Russian, RAF, French and of course American.

 

Keith

[Meatbox8 2,378]

7 minutes ago, Britman said:

Be careful with the mind meld, you might end up with a Vulcan! As for 1/24th, I'll lob a Griffin Spitfire, 109G or maybe a nice Air Cobra. Lots of options with the latter, Russian, RAF, French and of course American.

 

Keith

Oh yes.  A nice new Vulcan  - with a B.1 option.

[Work In Progress 1,889]

1 hour ago, trickydicky210 said:

As its well known that the 1/24 Mosquito is the most profitable kit for Airfix, it makse sense for them to issue more large kits than once every 5 years

 

So why do you think they don't?

 

On sale for September 2020? No way. The Hellcat was announced in late November 2018 and appeared for sale in June 2019. Airfix literally does not have the design capacity to release an all-new 1/24 aircraft kit only one year later.  The interval between Typhoon and Hellcat was there for a reason. 

Edited October 3 by Work In Progress

[Scimitar F1 119]

That may be the case (hence my qualification with if...) but is not an immutable law of physics. They could hire more staff, sub-contract out the work or they may have already been working on it since 2018 - remember the Hellcat was fully baked at Telford last year but we had to wait to June. Reinforcing success is also a good practice in both conflict and business - they could redeploy staff as well. 

 

Will

[stever219 1,371]

51 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said:

I reckon the next totally new 1/24th scale kit from Airfix will be either a P-47D or an A6M.  In the meantime I wish they'd get on with their series of 1.72nd scale two-stage Merlin Mosquitoes.  I've been using my magic mind meld powers on them for these for ages so they must be on the cards soon.

I don’t want to build your hopes too high but Airfix were at the de Haviland museum at Salisbury Hall earlier this year IIRC: SH is home to Mosquito B. Mk. 35 TA634 as well as W4050 and FB. Mk. VI TA122.  I don’t recall seeing images of the aeroplanes plastered in LIDAR targets but we don’t know what happened when no-one was taking pictures.  Fingers crossed here: I’d really like a state-of-the-art 1/48th PR. 34.

[Meatbox8 2,378]

57 minutes ago, stever219 said:

I don’t want to build your hopes too high but Airfix were at the de Haviland museum at Salisbury Hall earlier this year IIRC: SH is home to Mosquito B. Mk. 35 TA634 as well as W4050 and FB. Mk. VI TA122.  I don’t recall seeing images of the aeroplanes plastered in LIDAR targets but we don’t know what happened when no-one was taking pictures.  Fingers crossed here: I’d really like a state-of-the-art 1/48th PR. 34.

One can live in hope.

[Truro Model Builder 3,449]

They were LIDARing the Chipmunk for their new 1/24th scale kit.

 

Or just measuring the single-seat Venom... hopefully (please).

[percival p. 9]

The box art for the Mig 17 gives a hint to a new F 4b, so that's good enough for me.

[Richard Humm 168]

18 hours ago, wadeocu said:

Not sure if this has been covered, but it would be nice to get a 1/72 Ark Royal Deck Section to go with the Buccaneer and Phantom kits.  Maybe a catapult section and an add on side piece if you want to pose a Bucc taxiing by.  They could do a special edition gift set with a Rod Stewart soundtrack on CD to add sound to your vignette! 

If they're going for the 70s nostalgia market, a Rod Stewart cassette should be the musical accompaniment.

[Albeback52 1,923]

12 hours ago, percival p. said:

The box art for the Mig 17 gives a hint to a new F 4b, so that's good enough for me.

Does it? The Airfix Blenheim 1 kit gave a "hint" of a Ki-43 Oscar! Haven't seen the new Airfix kit yet though!

I don't honestly think a (hypothetical) Airfix F-4B would offer anything significantly different or better than what is already available. And, let's face it, good F-4 kits are not exactly rare!

 

Probably why they (thankfully) haven't added to the seemingly endless stream of F-14s,15s,16s,18s already out there too!

 

Still, this IS a speculative thread........

 

Allan

 

Ps, I'd much rather see Airfix issuing new 1/72 kits of the Jaguar GR1/T2 and, Tornado GR1/4/F3

Edited October 4 by Albeback52

[Meatbox8 2,378]

14 hours ago, Richard Humm said:

If they're going for the 70s nostalgia market, a Rod Stewart cassette should be the musical accompaniment.

As it's Rod Stewart that would suit me as I no longer have the means to play a cassette!

[Meatbox8 2,378]

17 hours ago, Truro Model Builder said:

They were LIDARing the Chipmunk for their new 1/24th scale kit.

 

Or just measuring the single-seat Venom... hopefully (please).

Do they have a two seat Venom?  Would much prefer an NF.3.

[Rickoshea52 743]

What I’d like to see (if the tools are still around) is a Vintage Classics release of SS Canberra. 

[Albeback52 1,923]

1 hour ago, Meatbox8 said:

As it's Rod Stewart that would suit me as I no longer have the means to play a cassette!

What's a cassette?

 

Allan

 

ps - JUST kidding!

[percival p. 9]

5 hours ago, Albeback52 said:

Does it? The Airfix Blenheim 1 kit gave a "hint" of a Ki-43 Oscar! Haven't seen the new Airfix kit yet though!

I don't honestly think a (hypothetical) Airfix F-4B would offer anything significantly different or better than what is already available. And, let's face it, good F-4 kits are not exactly rare!

 

Probably why they (thankfully) haven't added to the seemingly endless stream of F-14s,15s,16s,18s already out there too!

 

Still, this IS a speculative thread........

 

Allan

 

Ps, I'd much rather see Airfix issuing new 1/72 kits of the Jaguar GR1/T2 and, Tornado GR1/4/F3

I don't really think it's a hint, it's just wishful thinking. I'd like an F 4 and would prefer to give my money to Airfix.