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Airfix 1/48 Warrior Etched Brass Slat Armour.....Why isn't there any?


Sgt.Squarehead

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The 1/48 Warrior is one of the nicest AFV kits that Airfix have ever made for themselves, marred only by the bloody awful slat-armour.....How come no aftermarket manufacturer has gone for this, surely it would be a decent seller?

 

I know I've whinged about this many times before, but I've just bought an equivalent set for a BTR-70 in 1/72.....So I've got the hump about it again at the moment.  :unsure:

 

Who should we nag to get a set made? :shrug:

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I think the answer is simpler than you think - the 1/48 armor market is limited at best, and manufacturers of aftermarket don’t think it is worth the effort to make products for it. If Tamiya stopped flogging 1/48 kits, I think the market would disappear altogether. While they may have been nice kits, I don’t think Hornby considered the 1/48 vehicles and figures a success - none of them are in the current lineup. Good luck with your Warrior. 

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Bigger question is why no 1/72 slat armour!!!. You sort of can build the Airfix warrior without the slat armour, search for warrior in Estonia, current warriors are exercising there without slat armour but still most of the features of the Airfix kit, it is mainly about what you have to leave off rather than add.

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1/48 scale is a niche market and aftermarket stuff is limited across the whole scale (there's more available for WWII German vehicles of course), The Airfix Warrior is a nice kit but no-one sees the viability of developing an aftermarket bar armour set for the small number of modellers who would be interested enough to purchase it - remembering that most kits are sold to non-specialists who have no interest in (and limited knowledge of) the potential for aftermarket sets. Thus, you are catering for a niche group within a niche scale.

 

Airfix didn't intend to expand their 1/48 armour range beyond the Warrior - all the kits were intended to support their 'Operation Herrick' range of helicopters (just as the Bedford and Albion were supporting pieces for their Battle of Britain campaign).

 

Bar armour is something the 3d printing crowd might take an interest in. It's something that can be designed at home, is relatively simple in shape (plenty of repeated patterns) and with the excellent quality of home printers these days, easy enough to print out at home. 

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20 hours ago, Old pro said:

Save you a bit of time as pictures are rare,

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=simon.barnes.140&set=a.10224910525015104

 

there are also some of warriors floating round UK without bar armour but the seem to be in the original sand colour.

 

Can't see that page at all.  :(

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  • Sgt.Squarehead changed the title to Airfix 1/48 Warrior Etched Brass Slat Armour.....Why isn't there any?
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It is a pity that there is no more 48th stuff...

I think it perfectly adds to my 48th aircraft modelling.... 

 

A Challenger would be great as long as there are real ones around... yes I know, not in Afghanistan....

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I suppose it depends on your preferred subject areas. Tamiya have just released their 99th 1/48 scale military vehicle kit so there's lot's of speculation as to what the 100th kit will be.

 

If modern stuff is your thing, then Tamiya's choice is limited (Humvee, M1A2 Abrams, T-55, Japanese Type 10 MBT, Type 16 MCV and Komatsu LAV).

Micro-Mir offered a BTR 60 at one time and new boys Suyata (they may be connected with Takom) have announced a T90 MBT and Gaz Tigr patrol vehicle as a dual kit combo at some point in the future.

Kitty Hawk offer a a pair of modern Ural Trucks (an aircraft starter unit and a cargo truck as two kits in one box).

 

Gaso-Line/Quarter Kit/Pro Model are a French company that have long produced high quality 1/48 scale items in resin - their modern kits have a distinctly French theme, which is to be expected.

 

For modern stuff you need to think more creatively. There are 'true' 1/48 scale  and 1/50 scale resin vehicles available from some of the '28mm' wargames companies. A lot of them only produce 1/56 scale vehicles but a few have decided that 1/50 and 1/48 are a better choice. Empress Miniatures mainly produces 1/50 scale models in their 'Ultra-moderns' range  but also carry some of the older HLBS range which are true 1/48 scale. Spectre Miniatures also releases stuff in 1/50 scale as did Evil Bear Miniatures at one time.

 

 

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