Jump to content

New Tool Airfix Vulcan 1/72 - Black Buck rebox announced


Adam Poultney

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, fightersweep said:

....So if I wanted to build XL426, could I buy this release or would I need to wait for another version? (Not a Vulcan expert)

 

Steve

From what we've seen so far, everything is there to build XL426 except the correct engine nozzles. The Olympus 200 and 300 series nozzles are very different. The kit cads have 300 series, XL426 has 200 series. It's pretty much a case of waiting for sprue shots.

 

Cheers,

  WV908 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Magic! Thanks for the info. I'll await the sprueshots, but I would be surprised if both nozzles aren't included. Like everyone else here, really looking forward to this kit!

 

Steve

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, fightersweep said:

Magic! Thanks for the info. I'll await the sprueshots, but I would be surprised if both nozzles aren't included. Like everyone else here, really looking forward to this kit!

 

Steve

They've said the first boxing will include bombs and Blue Steel, so it will at least have 300 series exhausts

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Schemes have been announced -

 

XM594 in Gloss camo with white undersides and blue steel

XM602 in Anti-flash White - conventional payload bay 

 

Both 300 series Airframes for this release then.

 

Cheers,

  WV908

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Adam Poultney said:

Link?

Hopefully it includes 201s anyway

Airfix website is currently down, so didn't get chance unfortunatley. It's on the Vulcan product page.

 

Cheers,

  WV908

Edited by WV908
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, WV908 said:

Airfix website is currently down, so didn't get chance unforutnatley. It's on the Vulcan product page.

It's really taking a hammering today.  Might just have something to do with the new releases ^_^

  • Like 1
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/28/2019 at 12:54 PM, AMB said:

When Airfix unveiled this model at Telford, I was deeply disappointed and underwhelmed  at yet another Vulcan! Okay, the tooling is much better than the first release and there is all that internal detail....which will not be seen when built!  Any modeller worth his salt will have made a decent job of Airfix's first Vulcan release. I have one built and another in my stash and I have no intention of paying £60 for yet another!  Sorry, but just my feelings that there is no innovative thinking or imagination from Airfix to bring us something not already done before.

Then go for 1/48th.

 

Does anyone know how much the odds have increased for Airfix doing a Vulcan in 1/48th because they've done the groundwork for the 1/72nd? In other words, does the decision to go ahead on the 1/72nd increase the chances of releasing a 1/48th?

 

There must be a market there.

 

Thanks all,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, MarcV said:

Then go for 1/48th.

 

Does anyone know how much the odds have increased for Airfix doing a Vulcan in 1/48th because they've done the groundwork for the 1/72nd? In other words, does the decision to go ahead on the 1/72nd increase the chances of releasing a 1/48th?

 

There must be a market there.

 

Thanks all,

I don't believe that they will do 1/48 but I'd welcome it.

 

Icelandic Fine Arts and Lost British Projects both have 1/48 Vulcans, resin and 3D print respectively. 

Both aren't perfect in shape at all but both could probably be built up into decent models by a good modeller. IFA one looks far better shapewise than the LBP which is more of a huge desk model type model than a kit. Both will cost as arm, a leg, six kidneys and your firstborn. LBP one I think is about £350 off the top of my head. For the amount of work it needs it feels a little steep. 

An injection one would be amazing. In that size it would be quite a niche, only for the more serious modellers and Vulcan enthusiasts, so perhaps we could get a Vulcan B.1? One can dream right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, MarcV said:

Does anyone know how much the odds have increased for Airfix doing a Vulcan in 1/48th because they've done the groundwork for the 1/72nd? In other words, does the decision to go ahead on the 1/72nd increase the chances of releasing a 1/48th?

I'd estimate those odds as still very low, sub 10% in the next five years, on the following reasoning:

  • It's just too big and expensive a proposition for the mass market that their injection-moulding business model relies on
  • While there IS a market for a large scale Vulcan two feet across, that market is extremely small in terms of units needed to amortise a full set of injection tools. Maybe 500 to 1000 units worldwide over a couple of years? 
  • The Vulcan is just not a Premier League type in the way that the iconic WW2 heavies are. V-bombers are justifiable in 1/72 and smaller because they have a track record of selling, but in 1/48 it would be obviously a better commercial risk to do  a 1/48 Lancaster any time  before doing a 1/48 Vulcan, and I don't see any sign of them doing that either.
  • It would be a really eccentric use of design time while they have a stream of heavy-hitting, big-selling fighter types needing attention in 1/24 any time they can afford to throw a large R&S and tooling investment into the market for big expensive prestige project. And that's a market they understand far better, and clearly have an intention to continue pursuing.
  • They know that others are already out there doing kits in alternative production methods and media which are far more suitable for very low runs, and those kits will likely mop up much of the pool of available and well-heeled super-enthusiat Vulcan buyers long before Airfix could get there.

 

Edited by Work In Progress
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just thinking......

Prediction, and a bit of wishful thinking, for late 2021 or 2022: Black Buck set with the new Vulcan (nice if they had an option for Shrike missiles) and a Victor K2 in. 

 

Black Buck Vulcans are popular so more realistically I can see a rebox of just the Vulcan for black Buck, schemes for all 6 aircraft would be nice but I think they wouldn't do that. 

 

Other reboxes I think we'll see, possibly B2MMR/K2 and then 558 (I'd like one with decals for all the schemes 558 wore)

Edited by Adam Poultney
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/7/2020 at 3:44 PM, Work In Progress said:

I'd estimate those odds as still very low, sub 10% in the next five years, on the following reasoning:

  • It's just too big and expensive a proposition for the mass market that their injection-moulding business model relies on
  • While there IS a market for a large scale Vulcan two feet across, that market is extremely small in terms of units needed to amortise a full set of injection tools. Maybe 500 to 1000 units worldwide over a couple of years? 
  • The Vulcan is just not a Premier League type in the way that the iconic WW2 heavies are. V-bombers are justifiable in 1/72 and smaller because they have a track record of selling, but in 1/48 it would be obviously a better commercial risk to do  a 1/48 Lancaster any time  before doing a 1/48 Vulcan, and I don't see any sign of them doing that either.
  • It would be a really eccentric use of design time while they have a stream of heavy-hitting, big-selling fighter types needing attention in 1/24 any time they can afford to throw a large R&S and tooling investment into the market for big expensive prestige project. And that's a market they understand far better, and clearly have an intention to continue pursuing.
  • They know that others are already out there doing kits in alternative production methods and media which are far more suitable for very low runs, and those kits will likely mop up much of the pool of available and well-heeled super-enthusiat Vulcan buyers long before Airfix could get there.

 

Adam, WIP,

 

Thanks for your answers. While it would be a sizable kit, it wouldn't be any bigger lengthwise than for example than the old Monogram B-58, or the 1/72nd B-52s. I don't think design time really would be much of a factor because the whole thing has been LIDARed and designed for 1/72nd already - it should be pretty much upscalable as is. Concerning units required to be sold to turn a profit, I would think a potential market of 1000+ (depending on the price) should be present.

 

But for now I bought myself copy number 44 of the HPH 1/48 B-52 so I should be busy with that for a while.

 

Regards,

 

Marc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/8/2020 at 6:33 PM, MarcV said:

I don't think design time really would be much of a factor because the whole thing has been LIDARed and designed for 1/72nd already - it should be pretty much upscalable as is.

Model designs for injection moulding don't photocopy up and down in the way you think they do. The surface does, to an extent, but every single part as to be created anew - and if you're moving from 1./2 to 1/48 there are far more of them. They went into some considerable length explaining this when they did the 1/48 Defiant, and why it's not just a 150% version of the 1/72 kit

Edited by Work In Progress
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How realistic is it to expect Airfix will release an 'alternative variant' boxing (K.2 plus MRR) in a couple of years?

 

I'd like to make a K.2 one day but I'm wondering if I should buy the forthcoming kit plus aftermarket or wait for a possible new boxing.

 

Jay

Edited by Mountain goat
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Mountain goat said:

How realistic is it to expect Airfix will release an 'alternative variant' boxing (K.2 plus MRR) in a couple of years?

 

I'd like to make a K.2 one day but I'm wondering if I should buy the forthcoming kit plus aftermarket or wait for a possible new boxing.

 

Jay

That's my prediction. At least three boxings in the next few years.

 

The first release which is blue steel/regular

 

B.2MMR/K.2 and maybe regular bomber with 201s if the first one disappoints us and doesn't include them. I think most if not all of the K.2s (there were only 6) had 201s.

 

Black Buck with 607 and 597 as those were the only two ever to drop bombs/fire missiles in anger. That covers shrike missiles on 597. 

 

XH558 would sell I think, but I would probably give that a miss. I'd be tempted if they did 558 through all its colour schemes and configurations from entering service to K.2 to VDF and VTTST

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/7/2020 at 1:57 PM, MarcV said:

Does anyone know how much the odds have increased for Airfix doing a Vulcan in 1/48th because they've done the groundwork for the 1/72nd? In other words, does the decision to go ahead on the 1/72nd increase the chances of releasing a 1/48th?

On that logic I can confidently look forward to the new 1/72 Sea Fury, Javelin, Sea Vixen, Walrus....   Happy days indeed! 

 

Oh, wait...  ☹️

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Seahawk said:

On that logic I can confidently look forward to the new 1/72 Sea Fury, Javelin, Sea Vixen, Walrus....   Happy days indeed! 

 

Oh, wait...  ☹️

Indeed - they have upscaled quite a few subjects (Defiant, Ju87, Blenheim to name three) but i'm not aware of any that started life in 1/48 appearing in 1/72 (in the new company)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, 71chally said:

Lightning F.2A/F.6 was one, about 15 years between them but parts breakdown and design very similar.

Thank you, my point also. The groundwork of mapping and digitising the whole thing has already been done which is an undeniable head start. Obviously not everything is directly up or downs-scalable but a lot of the legwork has already been done. This aside from the fact if a market exists or not.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, MarcV said:

 This aside from the fact if a market exists or not.

 

 

...and therein lies the rub.

Airfix need to make money, not lose it. 
Hence the reason you're seeing a lot of 1:24 re-issues of vintage moulds & reboxings for BoB.

 

I understand the wish lists, but sometimes I get the feeling some people need a patch for Commonsense.dll .

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

Airfix need to make money, not lose it. 
Hence the reason you're seeing a lot of 1:24 re-issues of vintage moulds & reboxings for BoB.

And tbh most who buy 1/24 kits are likely to fall into the category of fairly advanced modeller so should have the skills to build them, so while it would be nice to see new kits, the old ones are adequate for now- although I have no doubt they will be redone within the next few years

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To circle back to the original premise of the topic:

a 1:72 scale V-bomber is big enough for 80% of modellers interested in this aircraft - as you yourself can attest to @Adam Poultney ;)  - and from a business perspective it makes perfect sense to keep it at 1:72 considering the other releases were the same scale.

It's on my personal wish list, but it'll have to wait for an upcoming house renovation before I can find the space for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...