Any Chance Airfix would do a 1/48 Scimitar???

[alt-92]

Allow me to clarify. 
The two stage Mossie (even with it's incorrect bay doors) came in stock a week ago at AMS (probably the biggest kit seller in NL). 

Two standard shipping boxes from Airfix, 16-20 kits each. Those were gone in three days.

 

On the other hand, the Swift FR.5 they can't shift for bits and finally ended up in the discount section. Now, granted, it may sell much better in the UK, but to depend on the UK market of enthusiasts for niche types seems a somewhat flawed long-term strategy.

I doubt the owners would approve of that.
 

[Lord Riot]

A 1/48 Scimitar would indeed be superb, and while they’re at it perhaps a 1/48 Swift, or is that too much to ask for?!
 

 

[Colin W]

14 minutes ago, Lord Riot said:

1/48 Swift, or is that too much to ask for?!

Falcon Vacform Swifts

F2 in record breaking guise and FR5 2 Squadron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RichG]

18 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

I doubt the owners would approve of that.

 

Actually Airfix's parent company, Hornby Hobbies, have been making model railways that are exclusively British (of all eras) since 1901... surely their business model must be coming to the end of its trial period? 

 

Rich

[alt-92]

1 minute ago, RichG said:

 

Actually Airfix's parent company, Hornby Hobbies,

Hornby PLC presently majority owned by British turnaround specialist Phoenix Asset Management.

Just saying  
Good thing they managed to benefit from the effects of Covid and made a profit for the first time in 8 years...  

---

 

Anyways. Who knows, maybe they will do it although don't expect it for the next 3 years.  From idea to product on the shelf takes about 1.5  years. 

 

 

[RichG]

Its an ill wind...😉

[Denford]

33 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

Anyways. Who knows, maybe they will do it although don't expect it for the next 3 years.  From idea to product on the shelf takes about 1.5  years. 

Longer than that according to Airfix themselves.  To quote, as far as I can remember 'The very smallest takes at least a year to tool, though much preliminary work will have already been done'.

I have no doubt Airfix have studied all possible subjects and first eliminated 'outsiders' eg No reliable data, poor past sales history (Helicopters, WWl etc). 

This then still leaves a substantial list of potential subjects including re-works for which varying amounts of 'preliminary work' will have already been done,

This list will be so long (just try it) as to make it impossible to predict which will be chosen!  One can only presume, by intuition and past release patterns, that there must then be a 'mix' of subjects (eg can't be all Cold War jets) and chosen within what the budget will allow.

Again impossible to predict what will come next, and for every subject chosen, many must be left in the 'pool'.

However they do seem to have started a line of 'entry level' kits (first Spitfire Vc with Tempest to follow).  Won't go 'off thread' as to speculate which might be next....

[John B (Sc)]

Giorgio - I agree, the Hindustan Marut was an interesting aircraft.  (Wasn't it  designed in part by Kurt Tank, after he left Argentina ?) I'd like to see a kit of that, and of the developed Ajeet in 1/48th scale.  (Someone made a 1/72nd kit of that, can't recall who)

[Seahawk]

On 10/14/2021 at 8:34 PM, Denford said:

If Cyber-Hobby can tool a Sea Vixen (now being sold by Revell) why could a Scimitar not be tooled by anybody else.?

Please, please, please not Cyber-Hobby: all their FAA attempts have been grotesque travesties (Sea Vixen, Sea Venom, Sea King, ….).  First class choice of subject, excellent engineering, lamentable likeness to real thing.

 

Agree your general thrust: a while back Airfix seemed to delight in throwing a left-field choice for the real enthusiasts into each year’s release programme (Welcome and well done as it was, I don’t think a retooled JP3 would have topped many wants lists).  Nowadays and for the foreseeable I reckon they’ll be sticking more to the economically safer mainstream.  I too think Sword is the best hope - but that’s a hope, not an expectation.

[Denford]

Agree entirely, though can't actually stop Cyber-Hobby tooling a Scimitar.  Just that they are the most likely to do so, though in 1/72, whereas the thread is 1/48.

A 'restraint' for anyone looking to tool a Scimitar on limited run, is that it is large, at least beyond the size of endless Spitfires, 109's and the like.  However 'larger' subjects viz Varsity, Harrow are beginning to appear.  The nearest (in size) equivalent, the F3H Demon, was ironically about as sucsessful.  However it did appear in a variety of colors and finishes, whereas the in-service Scimitar was of one style only.

[Scimitar F1]

At Telford I had a long chat with Raymond Chung from Kinetic/Lucky Model who, IMHO, blends business with a desire for accuracy well. He has studied what sells and his answer was the number of paint schemes and therefor boxings . One data point was his Su-33, one scheme, 3 year’s worth of sales of that was beaten in months by the multi-scheme F/A-18.

 

This is the problem with the Javelin (that was heavily discounted by Airfix - I got two for £20) and Sea Vixen and the Scimitar would be in the same bracket. The number of people who buy one is limited and if you do you only, typically, buy one. Many of those are effectively collectors.

 

That said the same rules do not apply for more limited run manufacturers like Armory, Dora, Wingsy etc. Plus you can also do some ‘what if’ schemes - a Rhodesian Scimitar anyone in green and brown.

 

That said I predict that we will see a 1/48 Scimitar within 2 years at Telford 2023.

 

Will

[Seahawk]

1 hour ago, Scimitar F1 said:

This is the problem with the Javelin (that was heavily discounted by Airfix - I got two for £20) and Sea Vixen and the Scimitar would be in the same bracket. The number of people who buy one is limited and if you do you only, typically, buy one. Many of those are effectively collectors.

 

That's the trouble with so many of the "licence to print money" suggestions we enthusiasts put forward: when (or, more likely, if) a manufacturer listens to our siren voices, he finds that, once he's satisfied the enthusiast "one to build and one for the stash" market, there's very little room to sell any more.  

[AntPhillips]

Going back to the late 90's early 2000's, Fine Scale Modeler ran a survey for most wanted kit and for several years on the trot, in the 1/48 scale poll the NA Vigilante came top, about the same time Trumpeter came on to the scene and jumped in and produced a kit, they must have thought it will sell like hot cakes, but apparently it didn't do that well, just goes to show that not every modeller is prepared to put their money where their mouth is. 

[Graham Boak]

6 minutes ago, AntPhillips said:

, just goes to show that not every modeller is prepared to put their money where their mouth is. 

I don't think that's fair (although possibly true).  I think it shows that those modellers who buy magazines and feel interested enough to ask for specific subjects are not representative of the buying public.  Which is a lesson for internet modelling sites, for which the same is surely true.  Whether it is six or sixteen or sixty who want a Scimitar (name your own favourite here), that leaves an awfully large market that doesn't.

[viscount806x]

8 hours ago, Seahawk said:

Welcome and well done as it was, I don’t think a retooled JP3 would have topped many wants lists.

Beauty is in the eye of the many many beholders. You might be shocked at the numbers....

[Wulfman]

No !

 

Wulfman

[Paramedic]

On 10/14/2021 at 4:38 PM, Ben Brown said:

Sorry, everyone. It’s probably my fault Airfix hasn’t released a Scimitar, yet. I haven’t gotten around to building my Dynavector kit, and if my past history is any indication, Airfix will probably release their own about the time I get about halfway through mine. 😉

 

Ben

 

It´s funny but it is also true..

 

[Giorgio N]

On 10/17/2021 at 10:53 AM, Scimitar F1 said:

That said I predict that we will see a 1/48 Scimitar within 2 years at Telford 2023.

 

Will

 

Prediction based on something you may know ? If so, then I'll be happy to see it happening ! I do own the Xtrakit 1/72 offering but should something better appear, I'll gladly wait before starting this kit...

 

[franky boy]

Would love this to happen but I can’t see it. 
 

Here’s hoping. 
 

James 

[Giorgio N]

On 10/16/2021 at 9:21 PM, John B (Sc) said:

Giorgio - I agree, the Hindustan Marut was an interesting aircraft.  (Wasn't it  designed in part by Kurt Tank, after he left Argentina ?) I'd like to see a kit of that, and of the developed Ajeet in 1/48th scale.  (Someone made a 1/72nd kit of that, can't recall who)

 

Special Hobby issued a 1/72 Ajeet Mk.I not too many years ago, that is sure a cool subject but not a Marut... There was a resin Marut kit in 1/72 years ago, never seen any in 1/48 though

Yes, the Marut was designed by Kurt Tank, so this alone should make it an interesting subject. The type also saw combat and served for a decent number of years, it was not considered a huge success and the project was seriously hurt by the availability of a suitable engine but still the Marut served its purpose for quite some time. Actually its service was overall more interesting than many better known types

[Giorgio N]

On 10/17/2021 at 10:37 AM, Denford said:

Agree entirely, though can't actually stop Cyber-Hobby tooling a Scimitar.  Just that they are the most likely to do so, though in 1/72, whereas the thread is 1/48.

A 'restraint' for anyone looking to tool a Scimitar on limited run, is that it is large, at least beyond the size of endless Spitfires, 109's and the like.  However 'larger' subjects viz Varsity, Harrow are beginning to appear.  The nearest (in size) equivalent, the F3H Demon, was ironically about as sucsessful.  However it did appear in a variety of colors and finishes, whereas the in-service Scimitar was of one style only.

 

US Navy types in general have quite an enthusiastic following in the modelling community, guess that their colourful markings more than compensate for the overall poor and short careers of some of them.

Not that all these have been always well treated by model companies, the Demon itself has only recently become available as a decent 1/72 short run kit (interestingly the same type has been better treated in 1/48...) but at least kits have been around for some time, even if not all good.

[RichG]

On 10/17/2021 at 9:53 AM, Scimitar F1 said:

This is the problem with the Javelin (that was heavily discounted by Airfix - I got two for £20) and Sea Vixen and the Scimitar would be in the same bracket. The number of people who buy one is limited and if you do you only, typically, buy one. Many of those are effectively collectors.

That maybe and not doubting the logic here, but interested to understand why Airfix would choose to re-release this kit again so recently if there is little market after the enthusiasts have had sated their appeite - it's back in in their range at a £65.99 RRP (although available elsewhere online for under £50) so hardly a cheap kit aimed at a casual buyer. Hard to say without knowing the actual sales figures, profit margins etc - perhaps it was popular but they just produced too many? Anyway clearly there's a good market in plastic kit futures for investors...  🤔

 

Rich

Edited October 18, 2021 by RichG

[RichG]

1 hour ago, Giorgio N said:

Special Hobby issued a 1/72 Ajeet Mk.I not too many years ago, that is sure a cool subject but not a Marut... There was a resin Marut kit in 1/72 years ago, never seen any in 1/48 though

Sorry to go off topic slightly. With the proliferation of kit manufactuers in countries like China and the far-east in general, it does prompt me to wonder why there hasn't been any firms emerge in India (as far as I know). Particularly given the provision of things like injection moulding services for the likes of Airfix, the skill base there and the potential home market with both indigenous and overseas military subject matter in use, not to mention heritage, all of which which often generate interest in model making. I've come across quite a few Indian modellers on-line. Maybe its a sleeping tiger waiting in the wings to delight modellers; I would imagine at which point Ajeets and Maruts in all scales would soon be available (and maybe even a Scimitar... phew back on topic! 😉). 

 

Rich

Edited October 18, 2021 by RichG

[Ben Brown]

On 10/17/2021 at 4:53 AM, Scimitar F1 said:

 

 

That said I predict that we will see a 1/48 Scimitar within 2 years at Telford 2023.

 

Will

Hmm, I guess I need to get cracking on my Dynavector kit, then! 🤔

 

Ben

[bentwaters81tfw]

3 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

 

Prediction based on something you may know ? If so, then I'll be happy to see it happening ! I do own the Xtrakit 1/72 offering but should something better appear, I'll gladly wait before starting this kit...

 

Xtrakit is not that bad, maybe a little basic, but scrubs up OK. Just take care over the intakes/splitter plates, and cut the engine face moulding in half for a better fit.