WnW lead designer goes 1/144 with new company - Beacon Models

[Putty Animal]

News just in, and very good news for people like me who have a passion for 1/144.

A new company called Beacon Models has introduced itself and announced its intention to produce a range of modern high detail kits representing all of the key aircraft which took part in the Battle of Britain.  
 

https://beacon-models.com

 

One notable member of the team is Bryan Wall, former lead designer from Wingnut Wings.  Initial development may turn to crowd funding to begin with, and the opening phase for this is expected to happen soon during the northern hemisphere winter:
 

We're planning to launch a crowdfunding campaign in late autumn, and the idea is that we'll be developing a complete collection in one box. Depending on how much backing we get, we're planning to develop the following kits which will be included in the box collection:

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1A

Hawker Hurricane Mk.1

Bolton Paul Defiant Mk.1

Bristol Blenheim Mk.1F

Messerschmitt BF109E-4

Messerschmitt BF110C

Junkers Ju87 Stuka

Junkers Ju88

Dornier Do17

 

Heinkel He111
 

 

Blenheim Mk If....   Woot!  

Edited October 9, 2020 by Putty Animal

[SAT69]

I wish them the very best and hope they expand their product line to include airplanes from different eras.

[Dave Fleming]

I like 1/144th and these look very interesting

[WLJayne]

Hi All,

 

Will here, I'm the other half of this operation and very happy to answer any questions you might have. This has really blown up and we're really happy! Bryan and I met at IPMS Telford last year and we got on well as we're both plastic kit designers and knew many of the same people. It was at Telford that I started thinking about a BoB collection in 144 as there were some great models on display in that scale but much that was clearly missing, and I started developing the idea over the winter and talking to hobbyists. When Bryan got in touch with me in Spring after Wingnut Closed its doors, I put the idea to him and he was very enthusiastic about it. The rest has happened from there! 

 

We have a Bf109E in development and will show you more on that very soon. As mentioned above we have other subjects on the list which are also sorely needed in 1/144. For our first kickstarter we will just be doing the spit and 109 as well as some add ons and accessories that we think you'll like. Once we have established a network of suppliers we can rely on and delivered that first kickstarter, we'll get cracking on the others as quickly as possible.

 

We're planning to launch the Kickstarter in November, and we're really grateful for all the support we've been getting so far, it's so encouraging!

 

 

[Adam Poultney]

I've been talking to the guy running this via Instagram, and I've been offered a pre production sample to build. I'm looking forward to reviewing this and if this all goes well and more products are developed, I think this could be a new favourite brand. I am a big fan of 1:144 scale due what I like to build being mainly heavy bombers (v bombers) and some aircraft in the matching scale would be very good. 

He has also said that 1:144 heavy bombers are definitely 'on the cards'. 

[Trenton guy]

Can’t wait, especially for the bigger stuff.

[Ray S]

This sounds a very interesting project, and I wish them well. A 1/144 collection would be good. I will start saving now, methinks!

 

Good luck to you Beacon Models.

 

Ray

[WLJayne]

5 hours ago, Ray S said:

A 1/144 collection would be good. I will start saving now, methinks!

Thanks Ray! A lot of people have expressed interest in our collector's approach to production. It's the norm in 1/700s ship, so it makes sense for other small scales like 1/144 aircraft.

 

Will.

Edited October 10, 2020 by WLJayne

[keefr22]

On 08/10/2020 at 15:30, Adam Poultney said:

He has also said that 1:144 heavy bombers are definitely 'on the cards'. 

 

Excellent, hope they come to fruition, I've long hoped somebody would produce a modern range of 1/144 WW2 heavies (starting with a Stirling and Halifax please....!!)

 

Keith

[One 48]

Not my scale, but best wishes to this venture, horrible to lose WnW and see jobs there go too, but anyone who can bounce back with something new this way has my respect and well wishes.

Hope its a big success for fans of this scale, who knows, may lead on to bigger (scale) things?

[Putty Animal]

1 hour ago, keefr22 said:

 

Excellent, hope they come to fruition, I've long hoped somebody would produce a modern range of 1/144 WW2 heavies (starting with a Stirling and Halifax please....!!)

 

 

If you are keen, there is a company called Amercom (not Atlas) which makes some diecast/plastic versions of these, along with Wellingtons Hamptons and Whitleys.  They are surprisingly accurate and can be repainted and refurbished like a regular kit.

 

 

[JohnT]

I wish them every success as a new venture. Way the other end of scale for me. Even 1/72 looks a tad small though it was big enough when I was building as a youngster. It’s a good market niche or so I suspect. Whether it’s the right one time will tell. Meantime all power to them

[keefr22]

10 hours ago, Putty Animal said:

They are surprisingly accurate and can be repainted and refurbished like a regular kit.

 

 

Thanks for the info, but I've had enough of doing that with 1/43 model cars tbh. so would just like some nice modern, all plastic, kits of them 

 

Keith

[sinistervampire319]

Normally do 1/48 aircraft.
But love the 1/144 airliners and some post war aircraft. Especially the larger bomber stuff.
That said, since you are starting with WWII. How about a P-61 Black Widow?

[Tim R-T-C]

Following their social media posts - I think every conceivable type has been suggested for their inclusion!

 

However getting started with the basics is important. At present in 144th there are relatively few WW2 types readily available and big gaps in the classic ranges. Eduard make a Spitfire IX for example, but there is no Mark I or V.

 

Some old Revell and Academy/Minicraft boxings occasionally re-emerge, but many of these are 1970s moulds with only very basic details. A number of good and highly detailed models are made by Platz and Sweet in Japan but are generally only available in the UK by importing or eBay.

 

So hopefully the crowd funding works and will allow them to explore more esoteric types alongside the core ranges. I for one would love a full Italian North Africa range.

[Adam Poultney]

From Instagram

[Homebee]

Yes but... There's a recent 1/144th Awfulschmitt Emil kit.

https://www.detailscaleview.com/2019/09/armory-144-bf109e3-14304-review.html

 

V.P.

Edited October 17, 2020 by Homebee

[Putty Animal]

I’ve got the Armory 109.  It’s pretty sketchy in the accuracy and finesse departments.  Nice decals though!

[WLJayne]

Hi chaps, thanks for all the interest and support! Just dropping in to let you know that Bryan and I have decided to move the Kickstarter to early in the New Year. The deisgn side of things is going really well, but there's a ton of back end stuff which is taking longer than we had hoped. However that gives us more time to develop cool extras to include with the kickstarter rewards. In the meantime, here and some renders of the 109 :D.

[Nick Belbin]

At last!! 

Good luck with this venture and please keep us posted here - not everybody does 'social' media.

 

Nick

[rickpeck]

It would be nice if they would do the large flying boats of the 1920's-1930's . Singapore ,Calcutta  and French flying boats etc.

Good luck to them.

 

Rick

Edited November 14, 2020 by rickpeck

[WLJayne]

35 minutes ago, rickpeck said:

It would nice be if they would do the large flying boats of the 1920's-1930's . Singapore ,Calcutta  and French flying boats etc.

Good luck to them.

 

Rick

We're going to be sticking to WW2 for quite a while to build up a good collection of products and plug all the major gaps in the market, but long term, anything that's interesting is a possibility. 1/144 is quicker to develop and takes up less display space than larger scales, so it does lend itself to more niche subjects, when we can afford to do them :).

[Putty Animal]

The shape of the 109 looks really well captured.  Nice work indeed.

If I can ask, will the panel lines be as pronounced as all that on the finished model?

[WLJayne]

39 minutes ago, Putty Animal said:

The shape of the 109 looks really well captured.  Nice work indeed.

If I can ask, will the panel lines be as pronounced as all that on the finished model?

As these are digital renders, the panel lines do look sharper and deeper than they will on the real thing. Bryan and I have been designing kits for a long time and there's a bit of a "sixth sense" to knowing how to model panel lines in CAD vs what you want them to look like in plastic. We've gone with a depth and width to match Sweet and Platz kits in 1/144, as we think they're an excellent balance of fidelity and character that will lend themselves to painting. If they look too heavy in test shots, we'll shave them down, we know that panel lines are of huge importance to get right and we won't put out something we're not happy with relative to the top kits on offer at the moment .

[Putty Animal]

That’s wonderful to hear.   I’m really looking forward to helping back the project.  Can’t wait actually

Edited December 31, 2020 by Putty Animal