Tamiya Spitfire V- new 1:48

[NPL]

Now, Tamiya has issued their new Spitfire Mk.I 1:48, what is the chance that it will be followed within a year by a Mk.V (and I am in no doubt that it will be a 'b')? 100% maybe. In 2017 Airfix withdraw their almost new Mk.I. In 2019 they are doing the same to their Mk.Vb. Guess that Tamiya has something to do with it. Otherwise it seems a strange decision.

 

Anybody who will disagree?

[Wez]

16 minutes ago, NPL said:

Now, Tamiya has issued their new Spitfire Mk.I 1:48, what is the chance that it will be followed within a year by a Mk.V (and I am in no doubt that it will be a 'b')? 100% maybe. In 2017 Airfix withdraw their almost new Mk.I. In 2019 they are doing the same to their Mk.Vb. Guess that Tamiya has something to do with it. Otherwise it seems a strange decision.

 

Anybody who will disagree?

Airfix cycle their range in an out of circulation so I don't see anything untoward there, just normal practice and nothing to do with whatever Tamiya or others may be doing.

 

As for Tamiya releasing a Mk.V, I'd be very surprised if they didn't, personally I'd prefer a Vc though.

Edited January 9, 2019 by Wez

[Troy Smith]

10 minutes ago, NPL said:

In 2017 Airfix withdraw their almost new Mk.I. In 2019 they are doing the same to their Mk.Vb. Guess that Tamiya has something to do with it. Otherwise it seems a strange decision.

This has been discussed, seems the new Airifx policy is to a a run of a kit,  sell it out, and then when demand grows again, rebox it with new decals.   

Avoids holding lots of stock and discounting, plus it creates demand, and means modellers are more likleuy to buy it when available rather than wait for it to end up being discounted. Also means the Airifx collectors buy it again.   

This happened with the Sea Vixen, now being reissued,  and the Sea Fury sold out I think.    @Ratch  maybe able to explain it better

[NPL]

1 hour ago, Troy Smith said:

This has been discussed, seems the new Airifx policy is to a a run of a kit,  sell it out, and then when demand grows again, rebox it with new decals.   

Avoids holding lots of stock and discounting, plus it creates demand, and means modellers are more likleuy to buy it when available rather than wait for it to end up being discounted. Also means the Airifx collectors buy it again.   

This happened with the Sea Vixen, now being reissued,  and the Sea Fury sold out I think.    @Ratch  maybe able to explain it better

 

This is all true, but the timing... And to release a kit in 2015 and cancel it again in 2017, this is extraordinaryt exept if it didn't sell well, and a Spitfire Mk.I?

 

No, this is not normal, it's a very strange way of doing business. OK, Airfix perhaps.

[NPL]

By the way, has anybody noted the strange thing with the ailerons where it seems as if somebody had a later version of this in mind. Compare the upper surface to the lower.

[Ratch]

2 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

This has been discussed, seems the new Airifx policy is to a a run of a kit,  sell it out, and then when demand grows again, rebox it with new decals.   

Avoids holding lots of stock and discounting, plus it creates demand, and means modellers are more likleuy to buy it when available rather than wait for it to end up being discounted. Also means the Airifx collectors buy it again.   

This happened with the Sea Vixen, now being reissued,  and the Sea Fury sold out I think.    @Ratch  maybe able to explain it better

If you look at the patterns of availability, most Airfix product is available for three years from the New Tool issue. Then it is either rested, has a change of decals or is re-issued as a new variant. This way they generate repeat purchases. 

[Thomas V.]

Undoubtedly Tamiya will release Mk.Vb/Vb Trop, but when remains truly a lottery, Tamiya has probably the most dubious release policy of all major manufacturers.

We are waiting for more than a decade for F-16D/F-16I, Il-2M, Fi-156C-1 etc..etc..maybe a year, maybe a decade.

[Work In Progress]

20 hours ago, NPL said:

 

This is all true, but the timing... And to release a kit in 2015 and cancel it again in 2017, this is extraordinaryt exept if it didn't sell well, and a Spitfire Mk.I?

 

No, this is not normal, it's a very strange way of doing business. OK, Airfix perhaps.

It's absolutely normal. Look at the Revell Hunter. There's only so much working capital, production capacity, distributor interest and ultimately shelf space in shops. They sell a batch and then if they re-manufacture it immediately it would have to be at the expense of something else coming out.  It is in no-one's interests for Airfix or any other manufacturer to continuously manufacture all its tools. That era passed in the 1970s when model kits were a genuine mass market hobby with the broad public, rather than being a niche specialist interest as they are today.

The faster it sells, the quicker it disappears, by the way - your assumption is 100% wrong

Edited January 10, 2019 by Work In Progress

[NPL]

3 minutes ago, Work In Progress said:

It's absolutely normal. Look at the Revell Hunter. There's only so much working capital, production capacity, distributor interest and ultimately shelf space in shops. They sell a batch and then if they re-manufacture it immediately it would have to be at the expense of something else coming out.  It is in no-one's interests for Airfix or any other manufacturer to continuously manufacture all its tools. That era passed in the 1970s when model kits were a genuine mass market hobby with the broad public, rather than being a niche specialist interest as they are today.

The faster it sells, the quicker it disappears, by the way - your assumption is 100% wrong

OK, maybe, time will show!

[RichG]

17 minutes ago, Work In Progress said:

They sell a batch and then if they re-manufacture it immediately it would have to be at the expense of something else coming out

I agree although Airfix seemingly have been doing second runs (maybe more) if a product sells out the initial production run quickly. Quite reasonable I suppose when there's an obvious demand with a best seller to be satisfied. It's certainly rare to see a particular product in its original form - even a Spitfire - in the catalogue beyond much 3 years these days.

 

Rich  

Edited January 10, 2019 by RichG

[Work In Progress]

In relation to the Tamiya Vb question, yes I will be very surprised if we don't see one in the next couple of years, as it will probably sell more than the Spit I, just as the full size did! You get so many alternative marking options, for a start, and it served so widely in so many theatres of war.

[German Armour]

I would probably buy a couple if they came with clipped wing and/or cool pain scemes.

It's one of my favorite spitfires beside the Mark. XVI w/ clipped wins and any with bubbletop.

[NPL]

1 hour ago, RichG said:

I agree although Airfix seemingly have been doing second runs (maybe more) if a product sells out the initial production run quickly. Quite reasonable I suppose when there's an obvious demand with a best seller to be satisfied. It's certainly rare to see a particular product in its original form - even a Spitfire - in the catalogue beyond much 3 years these days.

 

Rich  

 

However, that may be Airfix's politics -- strange to somebody -- but at least Tamiya is not part of this 'tradition'. I believe that their earlier Spitfires were in production without interruption for more than twenty years, and their magnificent Mk.IX has been there for ten years. 

 

As I se/saw it, Airfix is simply delivering a winner in Tamiya's hands, a winner without competition. But peace on earth, if that is what they want.

[Wez]

53 minutes ago, NPL said:

 

However, that may be Airfix's politics -- strange to somebody -- but at least Tamiya is not part of this 'tradition'. I believe that their earlier Spitfires were in production without interruption for more than twenty years, and their magnificent Mk.IX has been there for ten years. 

 

As I se/saw it, Airfix is simply delivering a winner in Tamiya's hands, a winner without competition. But peace on earth, if that is what they want.

You have to consider the size of Airfix's inventory compared to Tamiya's, the former's is much larger.

 

I think you're reading far too much into Airfix's decision to withdraw the Spitfire.

 

I do think the success of Airfix's more accurate Spitfire compared to the original Tamiya offering may have spurred them on to replace theirs though.

[Plasto]

1 hour ago, Wez said:

You have to consider the size of Airfix's inventory compared to Tamiya's, the former's is much larger.

 

I think you're reading far too much into Airfix's decision to withdraw the Spitfire.

 

I do think the success of Airfix's more accurate Spitfire compared to the original Tamiya offering may have spurred them on to replace theirs though.

Tamiya has a much larger product portfolio in 1/48 scale aircraft. If you take all plastic models into consideration I think Tamiya’s would be larger also...

 

Either way. I suspect the Airfix 1/48 Mk1 Spitfire will resurface next year for the BoB 80th anniversary.

 

 

[NPL]

13 hours ago, Plasto said:

Tamiya has a much larger product portfolio in 1/48 scale aircraft. If you take all plastic models into consideration I think Tamiya’s would be larger also...

 

Either way. I suspect the Airfix 1/48 Mk1 Spitfire will resurface next year for the BoB 80th anniversary.

 

 

also my immediate reaction, but maybe if you take into consideration the whole business including Hornby and Humbrol. 

 

Another thing: If Airfix does not respond to the anniversary next year they should find a new salesperson. And furthermore, Tamiya kept their Spits available for more than twenty years and never engaged in the show of reissuing them with new markings.

 

 

[Plasto]

Yes then if you add in Tamiya RC,mini 4wd and educational the overall range is probably larger as is the turnover...

 

Airfix has its strategy and distribution plan Tamiya has theirs... 

 

The Airfix Spit will be back Next year...

 

 

[Work In Progress]

People talking about Tamiya and Airfix as comanies operating somehw on equal terms should consider that Airfix is a tiny, tiny business compared to Tamiya, and has a tiny domestic market compared to Tamiya's.

Tamiya is variously quoted in recent years as employing having between about 700 and 1200 people. Airfix employs something in the region of 10.  All of Hornby put together,  is maybe a fifth the size of Tamiya, and Airfix is only about a sixth of Hornby's overall revenue.

[k5054nz]

Well, colour me disappointed after being excited at the title of the thread and then reading the first post! 

[NPL]

1 hour ago, k5054nz said:

Well, colour me disappointed after being excited at the title of the thread and then reading the first post! 

Wrong thread?

 

[VMA131Marine]

On 1/10/2019 at 11:51 AM, RichG said:

I agree although Airfix seemingly have been doing second runs (maybe more) if a product sells out the initial production run quickly. Quite reasonable I suppose when there's an obvious demand with a best seller to be satisfied. It's certainly rare to see a particular product in its original form - even a Spitfire - in the catalogue beyond much 3 years these days.

 

Rich  

I think what you are seeing is the effect of Airfix getting an initial small batch of kits air-freighted from India, followed up a few weeks later by the main shipment by sea.

[VMA131Marine]

On 1/10/2019 at 11:36 AM, NPL said:

OK, maybe, time will show!

I think time already has! The other thing to consider is that Airfix no longer has the facilities to do large scale runs of their kits (I believe they have an injection molding machine for running test shots). Airfix has to schedule a run of a particular kit with the third party molding company in India. That company has other customers also competing for mold time so Airfix can't just get a new batch of a particular kits molded on short notice without paying a huge premium. Based on everything that has been written, it seems like the lead time for getting a run of a particular kit is upwards of 6 months to a year. 

 

In the 60s and 70s when runs of kits were typically in the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands in a few cases, a kit manufacturer could afford to have its own molding facilities because they were sure they could be fully utilized. Now, production volumes are so low that the equipment would be sitting idle most of the time representing a huge sunk cost in capital equipment, which would take years to recoup.

[Admiral Puff]

I live in hope that Tamiya will (a) issue a Mk V based on their new Mk I and (b) they will issue a Mk Vc. One of the major problems of moving from a Mk I to a Mk Vc is that the rake of the undercarriage is different one from the other; the way the u/c legs have been done in Tamiya's new Mk I is such that they could do a Mk Vb without changing the u/c at all, and a Mk Vc by moulding a new u/c part with the correct rake. On that basis, we may see both a Mk Vb and a Mk Vc. That will most likely depend on Mr Tamiya's whim at the time.

[k5054nz]

On 1/12/2019 at 10:20 PM, NPL said:

Wrong thread?

 

I saw the title "Tamiya Spitfire V- new 1/48" and expected it to be a thread announcing a new Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Mk.V kit. There was no announcement, I was disappointed. Right thread.

Edited January 14, 2019 by k5054nz

[Plasto]

5 hours ago, VMA131Marine said:

I think time already has! The other thing to consider is that Airfix no longer has the facilities to do large scale runs of their kits (I believe they have an injection molding machine for running test shots). Airfix has to schedule a run of a particular kit with the third party molding company in India. That company has other customers also competing for mold time so Airfix can't just get a new batch of a particular kits molded on short notice without paying a huge premium. Based on everything that has been written, it seems like the lead time for getting a run of a particular kit is upwards of 6 months to a year. 

 

In the 60s and 70s when runs of kits were typically in the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands in a few cases, a kit manufacturer could afford to have its own molding facilities because they were sure they could be fully utilized. Now, production volumes are so low that the equipment would be sitting idle most of the time representing a huge sunk cost in capital equipment, which would take years to recoup.

Is that correct / factual? Or is what you think is correct factual??