Airfix

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Stack of them in my LHS yesterday. I reduced it by one, of course.

I would expect no less of you, friend !!

Ian

[NARSES2]

You've still got an Alders???  Hull's is a disant memory.  Apart from Modelzone & Hobbycraft my ususal LMS has shut down & the other I tend to avoid.

Yup and it's the origional one, set up by old Josiah himself back in the 18**'s. Still considered a landmark in Croydon. The Airfix stuff is part of the Hornby area in the toy dept.

[PR19_Kit]

Yup and it's the origional one, set up by old Josiah himself back in the 18**'s. Still considered a landmark in Croydon. The Airfix stuff is part of the Hornby area in the toy dept.

Thank goodness, I thought the rioters had torched the place earlier on. My Nanna used to take me and brother there for 'coffee and tea-cakes' waaaaaaay back when. The whole store had a distinctive smell all its own.

[NARSES2]

Yup and it's the origional one, set up by old Josiah himself back in the 18**'s. Still considered a landmark in Croydon. The Airfix stuff is part of the Hornby area in the toy dept.

Thank goodness, I thought the rioters had torched the place earlier on. My Nanna used to take me and brother there for 'coffee and tea-cakes' waaaaaaay back when. The whole store had a distinctive smell all its own.

Kennards over the road had a very distinctive smell as they ground and roasted coffee beans. Plus they had pony rides and a very, very, naughty bored chimp in the pet shop. Parents would shield your eyes as the pony went past his cage just in case the poor old sod was "enjoying" himself 

Geez I'm getting old

[PR19_Kit]

We must have been around there at the same time Chris, I can remember all that lot too! Small world indeed. 

[NARSES2]

We must have been around there at the same time Chris, I can remember all that lot too! Small world indeed.  

Yup but I was probably still in my pram whilst you were walking    

Yup and it's the origional one, set up by old Josiah himself back in the 18**'s...

I presume you left the precise year deliberately indeterminate, in order to avoid self incrimination.....  

Geez I'm getting old

Getting?



Duncan

1862 Dunc and no I wasn't around although sometimes it feels like it  

[PR19_Kit]

Yup but I was probably still in my pram whilst you were walking    

More than likely 

I was born in Birdhurst Nursing home, now a private retirement home I understand, at the end of 1942, then went to Egypt in 1945 for a few years, so we'd have been enjoying Alder's coffee and tea cakes in the very early '50s I guess.

1862 Dunc and no I was around although sometimes it feels like it  

Surely a mistyped 'was' in there Chris?

[NARSES2]

I was born in Birdhurst Nursing home, now a private retirement home I understand, at the end of 1942, then went to Egypt in 1945 for a few years, so we'd have been enjoying Alder's coffee and tea cakes in the very early '50s I guess.

Ah the infamous "Birdhurst Rise" murders  Yup the area around there hasn't changed much. I would have been around Alders from circa 1952 although would have known nowt about it 'till 55/56 

1862 Dunc and no I was around although sometimes it feels like it 

Surely a mistyped 'was' in there Chris?

Well spotted sir - geez I am getting daft in my old age, soon be lined up with Radish 

[The Wooksta!]

Yesterday I had the privilege of fondling one of the test shots for the forthcoming Spitfire F22.

It's everything that the few pics from Nuremberg promised.  Compared to the AZ kit and the ill-fitting abortion from Xtrakit, it's streets ahead and a damn sight more accurate.  

Evidence of slide tool on the upper engine cowling.  The radiators look a little clunky but I can live with that (if not, I have a mould for resin ones).  Only one set of wheels, 3 spoke hubs - some 22s had the earlier 4 spoke wheels but these can be robbed from the PR19.  Some odd lips on the tailwheel doors.

Cockpit interior looks stunning and is the recessed style as evidenced on the P40 and the Zero.  This should mean that the interior parts will fit (unlike the Xtrakit horror where they fouled the closing of the fuselages) and also that the door will be scale thickness if you cut it open to show off the detail.  The seat is a little clunky but if you've one of the 3D Rotol prop sets (if not, why?) then you can nick the seat from that. The pilot is definitely a WWII style one but not the one that's been in Airfix kits for the past 40+ years.  Pity, I rather liked him. Closed canopy though.

Spares? Closed doors for an aircraft in flight, which is handy for some. Markings are allegedly 603 and 607 Sqns RAuxAF, the latter very welcome amongst some on Tyneside.

Bonuses?  Yes.  The wing will fit the PR19 kit, so with a new canopy, an F21 is possible.  Conversion to a Seafire F46 is also possible by snipping off the base section of the rudder (it's part of the fuselage) and replacing with a spare from the Admiral F22/F24 or a resin piece.  You will need a contraprop though, so source an Aeroclub one.

Release date is slated for April - Wonderland are quoting the 6th.  It can't come soon enough.  My initial order has been doubled.

[The Wooksta!]

New artwork up on the Airfix site

Bf 109E:
http://www.airfix.com/airfix-products/new-models-for-2012/aircraft-172-scale/a01008-messerschmitt-bf109e-a01008/

Bf 109E Trop
http://www.airfix.com/airfix-products/new-models-for-2012/aircraft-172-scale/a02062-messerschmitt-bf109e-tropical-a02062/

Chipmunk
http://www.airfix.com/airfix-products/new-models-for-2012/aircraft-172-scale/a01054-de-havilland-chipmunk-a01054/

P51D
http://www.airfix.com/airfix-products/new-models-for-2012/aircraft-172-scale/a01004-north-american-p51d-mustang-a01004/

A4 Skyhawk
http://www.airfix.com/airfix-products/new-models-for-2012/aircraft-172-scale/a03029-douglas-a4b-skyhawk-a03029/

[Cliffy B]

Tell me that A-4 is a new tool and not a re-box of a 40 year old kit!  Anyone know when they'll be out?

[Thorvic]

Oh its a new tool A-4B to allow the Argentine A-4P to be built. We saw it at Huddersfield along with the new tool Spitfire 22 and Mustang 

Sprues look good although the MK82 bombs included in the kit look a bit under scale the Brit 1000ib looks correct

[The Wooksta!]

More Spitfire goodness:

Assembled test shot:


Isn't it a thing of beauty?   

The fuselage looks a little slender, but talking to Alec Smith of Brampton IPMS (who also went Spitfire mad last year) at Huddersfield and comparing it with various other Griffon Spits, we came to the conclusion that it's an optical illusion. 

And the sprues.  This should give you a better idea of the kit parts.  What it doesn't show, unfortunately, is the inside of the fuselage and all the beautiful sidewall detail in the cockpit. Evidence of slide tool use, apparently.




More sprues of other things (ie those I don't care about) can be found here for those that might.
http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/ftopic29249-40.php
http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/ftopic29249-0-asc-60.php

[pyro-manic]

The 22 looks great - I will definitely be getting a couple of those. Same for the Scooter, and I'm hoping the Lynx will get scaled down to 1:72 as well. Not particularly bothered about the Mustang, and really not interested in the 109, but if they're good then that's good for Airfix and hopefully will let them produce more interesting kits in future (Sea Vixen, Venom in 1:72 would be brilliant).

[Captain Canada]

I'll be getting a boatload of both A-4s and F.22s !