Jump to content

2022 Airfix Vintage Classics


Paul821

Recommended Posts

Is there already/will there be a Ford Escort kit coming out in the projected future?  It was my first car, back in 1970, and I regret not getting the kit when they were first issued.

 

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, dambuster said:

However, as a very inexperienced modeller of 10 years old not long after this was issued in the type 3 bag (being deliberately vague) it was just sufficiently colourful without too many pieces to encourage my interests in the hobby.  I didn’t need to know whether it was accurate or not, and I didn’t look at it as an example of kit quality, it was accepted at face value.  Progressing to more complicated Airfix models a large number of small parts was not always encouraging, and often resulted in more tube cement (!) on the outside of the model than on the surfaces to be joined. The first time ‘quality’ became an issue was when my father bought me the B-17 which had sufficiently badly warped wings for him to complain to Airfix and ask for a replacement.  
 

Sometimes I think we look at the high quality zillion-part offerings of today and lose sight of the other side of the hobby - youngtsters who go through a phase of building (relatively simple) models to what they see as an acceptable standard, getting a lot of pleasure from the experience, , and it is only later in life when they have the time and resources to start to cultivate a more ‘professional’ approach involving aftermarket products and rivet-counting that such models lose their attraction - apart from the nostalgia.

 

Peter

Today's children have rather different expectations than what you or I had 50 years ago. 😎

 

Basically if things don't fit together well  in what they feel is a reasonable amount of time then the kit gets abandoned - and no further interest follows :(

 

From direct experience the epitome of the perfect kits for today's  10-years-old's are the Games Workshops' series of (mostly) Warhammer figures and vehicles. Another very successful products of this type are the HobbyBoss simplified 1/72  kits (the MiG-15 comes immediately to mind).

Among old kits the most successful with young children today are (unsurprisingly) Matchbox :) especially the original colourful editions. I have now ran out of Matchbox Mirage III kits ;)  Another great favourite was the Wimpy with its interesting revolving turrets (all gone now from my stash) 😜

 

Subject matter is another problem. Thankfully games as War Thunder, World of Ships World of Aircraft have re-created interest in military aircraft and all manner of heavy naval units :)

 

Atlantic Model's kits are marketed for nostalgic old f__ts like us. Mould age is literally part of the selling point. Airfix sells to among others unsophisticated modellers, even budding ones. The Whirlwind isn't going to facilitate further sales in those categories.

 

Cheers, Moggy

Edited by Moggy
name error
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have kids changed that much? 'Papa I simply cannot deal with this modelle - for it's panel lines are not finely recessed, nor does it have rivets! Bring forth the Pocher!'

 

Or - glue glue snap squelch - 'bang bang neeeaaaaoooowww dakka dakka' *eats mud.  Exeunt stage left.

 

That was me yesterday. Well apart from the mud. I 'ad 'oops.

 

TT

 

 

  • Like 2
  • Haha 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, AWFK10 said:

 I can't lay my hand on it right now but one of the annuals has an article on building a Roman ballista and its crew, which sounds like the one you're thinking of. 

 

Yes that's the one. It had Adolf Galland's Bf 109 on the cover, as I remember. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/2/2022 at 10:21 AM, Rabbit Leader said:

If what’s going on in the 50th Anniversary of Matchbox Group Build can be used as a gauge, then there is certainly a market for Vintage kits. Revell now own most of the original Matchbox moulds, however if they were to ever reissue these kits in similar fashion to what Airfix are doing (with original Roy Huxley artwork) I am sure they would be pleasantly surprised by the large volume of sales this would generate. 
Cheers.. Dave 

 

I would say that the 50 years old Matchbox kits of the 70's are a lot better than the Airfix kits from the 50's and 60's. And most of us probably have better experience of building the Matchbox kits during the 70's than building the Airfix kits. Just take a look at the Matchbox P-51D and compare that one with the older ones from Airfix and Revell. Why Revell hasn't retired their own old mould and replaced it with the Matchbox or an new 1/72 scale Mustang is a bit of an enigma...

 

Cheers / André 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Andre B said:

Why Revell hasn't retired their own old mould and replaced it with the Matchbox or an new 1/72 scale Mustang is a bit of an enigma...

 

I totally agree, Revell’s 1960 era Mustang looks more like the four legged variety than that powered by the mighty Merlin! 

  • Like 1
  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Andre B said:

Why Revell hasn't retired their own old mould and replaced it with the Matchbox or an new 1/72 scale Mustang is a bit of an enigma...

I have been wondering the same as well as why they still use their ancient, but when compared to their Mustang shapewise decent, Bf 109E with a Matchbox one nor never released ex-Frog Bf 109F they likely have molds.

 

Cheers,

 

AaCee

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Andre B said:

 

I would say that the 50 years old Matchbox kits of the 70's are a lot better than the Airfix kits from the 50's and 60's. And most of us probably have better experience of building the Matchbox kits during the 70's than building the Airfix kits. Just take a look at the Matchbox P-51D and compare that one with the older ones from Airfix and Revell. Why Revell hasn't retired their own old mould and replaced it with the Matchbox or an new 1/72 scale Mustang is a bit of an enigma...

 

Cheers / André 

They damn well ought to be, being between 10 and 20 years later in conception.  In terms of fit and finesse some Airfix kits of the 70s and 80s are a lot better than their forebears, e.g. B-N Islander, B-26 Marauder, P-80 Shooting Star, F-84F Thunderstreak, the two H-53 Super Jolly Green Giant kits, S-3A Viking, Avro Lancaster B. III and A-3J-3P/RA-5C.  All still have some faults and foibles but no kit is 100% perfect or 100% accurate, not even products from the much-vaunted Japanese manufacturers.  The Tamiya Sea Harrier springs to mind as a "could and should have been so much better" kit; others will have their own betes noirs but let's save those for another day.😀

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, stever219 said:

They damn well ought to be, being between 10 and 20 years later in conception.  In terms of fit and finesse some Airfix kits of the 70s and 80s are a lot better than their forebears, e.g. B-N Islander, B-26 Marauder, P-80 Shooting Star, F-84F Thunderstreak, the two H-53 Super Jolly Green Giant kits, S-3A Viking, Avro Lancaster B. III and A-3J-3P/RA-5C.  All still have some faults and foibles but no kit is 100% perfect or 100% accurate, not even products from the much-vaunted Japanese manufacturers.  The Tamiya Sea Harrier springs to mind as a "could and should have been so much better" kit; others will have their own betes noirs but let's save those for another day.😀

 

 

 

But if one compare the 1/72 scale P-51D Mustang from Lindberg (that shapeway almost fits to the not so late Matchbox and Hasegawa kits) with the ones from Airfix and Revell from the same era Lindberg made one Mustang that was much more accurate. 

 

I agree with you concerning those Airfix kits from the 70's and 80's are the real nice ones as "Vintage kits" including the Super Mystere and F4D-1 Skyray...

 

Cheers / Andre 

 

48588119546_cf11c702ac_c.jpg

 

From top to bottom: 1955 Lindberg, 1958 Airfix and 1963 Revell...

Edited by Andre B
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, tony.t said:

I really remember enjoying the 1/72 Airfix HH-53 Super Jolly when it was new around 1981. 

 

Must look for one for a bit of nostalgia, and a 1/144 Vickers VC-10.

 

Tony 

 

What I knew that still is an rather good kit of the "Super Jolly"...

 

Cheers / André 

 

 

Edited by Andre B
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
On 10/2/2022 at 4:41 PM, Bjorn said:

Harrier is released. I am tempted... 😀

 

https://uk.airfix.com/products/hawker-siddeley-harrier-gr1-a18001v

My local hobby shop has had one for a week or more. Although it's not my scale, I've peeked inside the box, at the invitation of the store owner. The Cartograf decal sheet has about as much stencilling detail as there would be for this (or any other modern jet) in 1/72, which just means it will be a lot easier to apply! I will be very surprised if it is still unsold by close of business on Christmas Eve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/4/2022 at 9:49 AM, AaCee26 said:

I have been wondering the same as well as why they still use their ancient, but when compared to their Mustang shapewise decent, Bf 109E with a Matchbox one nor never released ex-Frog Bf 109F they likely have molds.

 

Cheers,

 

AaCee

For a long time, the Matchbox 1/72 Bf 109E was the most accurate in the scale. Matchbox did a similarly excellent job on their 1/32 scale kit. That kit didn’t have the same finesse as later kits but shapewise the only one more accurate in 1/32 is the Dragon kit.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/4/2022 at 12:13 PM, Rabbit Leader said:

 

I totally agree, Revell’s 1960 era Mustang looks more like the four legged variety than that powered by the mighty Merlin! 

I think the finished kit looks like someone has sat on it.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/4/2022 at 8:25 PM, Moggy said:

Another beautiful unique Airfix kit is the Shorts Skyvan. Among other things it has excellent fit :)

 

Cheers, Moggy

True, but you need to wear gloves so the rivets don't wear your fingerprints out.😬

  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/4/2022 at 5:34 PM, stever219 said:

They damn well ought to be, being between 10 and 20 years later in conception.  In terms of fit and finesse some Airfix kits of the 70s and 80s are a lot better than their forebears, e.g. B-N Islander, B-26 Marauder, P-80 Shooting Star, F-84F Thunderstreak, the two H-53 Super Jolly Green Giant kits, S-3A Viking, Avro Lancaster B. III and A-3J-3P/RA-5C.  All still have some faults and foibles but no kit is 100% perfect or 100% accurate, not even products from the much-vaunted Japanese manufacturers.  The Tamiya Sea Harrier springs to mind as a "could and should have been so much better" kit; others will have their own betes noirs but let's save those for another day.😀

 

 

Their FW190A/F-8 was pretty good too if I recall correctly.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said:

Their FW190A/F-8 was pretty good too if I recall correctly.

Yes, but since Airfix have retooled the A-8/F-8*, it's hard to see the older tooling ever being re-released. I have 3 in the stash, one an original 1977 issue that I got from someone else's stash.

 

*With trailing edges so thick they make the kit all but unusable IMHO. but YMMV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Meatbox8 said:

Their FW190A/F-8 was pretty good too if I recall correctly.

 

Although superseded by the more recent FW-190, I think the 1977 Airfix 190 is still a really nice kit that builds up well. The 190D-9 from 1976 is also pretty nice although a bit more basic than the A/F-8, although the latter was a series one kit if I remember rightly. I certainly remember preferring both kits to the contemporary Hasegawa kits available at the time. I don't think there are many Airfix kits tooled in the 1970s that I'm not still happy to build, and that reminds me. I must track down a Shorts Skyvan. Lovely kit that!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, fightersweep said:

 

Although superseded by the more recent FW-190, I think the 1977 Airfix 190 is still a really nice kit that builds up well. The 190D-9 from 1976 is also pretty nice although a bit more basic than the A/F-8, although the latter was a series one kit if I remember rightly. I certainly remember preferring both kits to the contemporary Hasegawa kits available at the time. I don't think there are many Airfix kits tooled in the 1970s that I'm not still happy to build, and that reminds me. I must track down a Shorts Skyvan. Lovely kit that!

The Airfix 1/72 Fw 190D-9 is still quite good, although lacking internal details. Here’s mine:

Granitecon 2021

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm wondering how well, in general, vintage Airfix molds have held up after decades of use. I collect vinyl records, and the earliest issues tend to sound the best - since later reissues have to deal with inevitable mold wear. I think the same holds true for plastic models, so I seek out the earliest issues I can find, even though it means I'll have to find aftermarket decals (no problem!).

 

But, the issue of mold wear can be counter-balanced by a other considerations. For example, old plastic can become brittle - I'm dealing with this on my Monogram Hurricane build, where a prop just disintegrated. Does anyone have an opinion of the quality of plastic being used in these new Vintage Classic kits, compared to the original plastic from the 60's-70's (mostly)?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, ChicagoTom said:

I'm wondering how well, in general, vintage Airfix molds have held up after decades of use. I collect vinyl records, and the earliest issues tend to sound the best - since later reissues have to deal with inevitable mold wear. I think the same holds true for plastic models, so I seek out the earliest issues I can find, even though it means I'll have to find aftermarket decals (no problem!).

 

But, the issue of mold wear can be counter-balanced by a other considerations. For example, old plastic can become brittle - I'm dealing with this on my Monogram Hurricane build, where a prop just disintegrated. Does anyone have an opinion of the quality of plastic being used in these new Vintage Classic kits, compared to the original plastic from the 60's-70's (mostly)?

I collect and build vintage kits, primarily Airfix, Frog, Monogram and Revell. The plastic in the earliest issues is considerably harder and more brittle, however the earliest mouldings are usually but not always the cleanest. More and more flash appears in the newer moldings.

 

I have also found evidence of mold damage, for example the first issue Revell B-17F is clean on the inside of the wings, but the next issue shows that the mold was altered, probably to fix a crack, or reinforce it. It’s also more difficult to work the brittle plastic for obvious reasons. The hardest and most brittle plastic I have dealt with, has to be on the 1/48 Trimaster FW-190. It sounded like glass when parts fell on the work table! I passed it along to someone else. The oldest kit in my stash is the composite wood and plastic Maircraft DC-3 in 1/48, the grey plastic has held up remarkably well, however the clear plastic parts are dark amber and the cockpit section has crumbled into dust. That dates from 1947, so it’s the oldest plastic I have.
 

Collectors, prize first issues, but as a nostalgia builder,  I don’t mind cleaning things up when building. I recently put the original issue Airfix P-61 Black Widow together and had numerous breaks with the landing gear, propellers and cracks in the clear parts. I ended up buying a newer issue, still in black plastic and there was quite a lot of flash and bumpiness compared with the original, but less brittle. I also have a more recent Dragon kit of the P-61, however it looks a lot less like a real P-61 with perfectly smooth surfaces and overscale recessed panel lines. Looking at photos of glossy black P-61’s, they are anything but smooth and featureless. Airfix kits molded in China or elsewhere have much softer plastic and I don’t like working with it, not to mention short shots being frequent. My favourite plastic to work with is Monogram from the mid 70’s, it files and cuts easily, and is strong enough for the application.

 

Hope this answers some of your questions.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

  • Like 5
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am glad Airfix opened the Vintage line.  Already bought some and it is good to have them with fresh and more accurate decals.   Hope to get soon the F-80 and D.H. Beaver.  Hope they release the Banshee, the Skyvan and the vintage Canberras.   

 

Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, JFM148 said:

I am glad Airfix opened the Vintage line.  Already bought some and it is good to have them with fresh and more accurate decals.   Hope to get soon the F-80 and D.H. Beaver.  Hope they release the Banshee, the Skyvan and the vintage Canberras.   

 

Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

 

Make sure to check the parts as soon as you get them, I wasn’t able to get a replacement clear part, soon after the release of the classics P-61. I even offered to pay, they simply told me that no parts were available. I had to buy a bagged kit that was missing parts, for $10, but had the part I required.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
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...