Airfix

[Hobbes]

The VC-10 and DC-10 on the other hand have been OOP for a while and are getting hard to find.

[PR19_Kit]

I agree that the 727 and 737 are in the current catalogue and on the shelves, but those are the ONLY airliner models they have running at the moment.

When they stopped production of the DC9 around 15 yrs ago I protested to Trevor Snowden and he said that the higher ups at Airfix didn't see a future for them '..as they didn't sell enough.....'. I pointed out that Airfix made the ONLY 1/144 DC9 at the time and they would be throwing away a monopoly. A few years worth of persuasion finally changed their minds, but they still had the original KLM and Iberia decals for exactly the reason I mentioned before. Later on they added Swissair but soon after that they dropped it again. Although there is another 1/144 DC9 available now it's very expensive and suffers errors that the Airfix model got right umpteen years before.

The same is true of their A300, no-one else ever moulded one in that scale, and although their DC10 does have a competitor in the Revell kit it looks like that one's gone now as well. The Airfix Tri-Star was good enough to get by, but the least said about their 747 the better!

[NARSES2]

im still looking forward to the newtool Lightning F2 and Hawker Hurricane Mk.I,
especially the latter as it comes with Belgian markings 

im still eager to find out what Airfix has planned in 1/72 and 1/144 (hope they re-release the VC-10 and DC-10)

The Hurricane came out last month actually at SMW as I recall, and the Lightning is expected to be released tomorrow.

Yup it did. I got 3 and they are lovely 

Got my Jan  Airfix mag today. Very good articles and adverts in it for both the Lightning and Warrior. No Fw190 G yet though

[PR19_Kit]

I just examined my Father's Day Hurricane I and agree 100% with Chris.

What a superb kit, there's NOTHING carried over from any previous Airfix Hurricanes and they've obviously taken a wholly new look at the aircraft. As others have said I can see this one being the precursor of a whole new range of Hurricanes from the way it's moulded.

Nice one Airfix. 

[Captain Canada]

Oh it's gorgeous alright. As is pretty much all this new Airfix stuff !

What a comeback....

[NARSES2]

What a superb kit, there's NOTHING carried over from any previous Airfix Hurricanes and they've obviously taken a wholly new look at the aircraft. As others have said I can see this one being the precursor of a whole new range of Hurricanes from the way it's moulded.

What's your take on the new style instructions with the coloured in parts Kit ? I know what they are trying to do, but not sure they have done it ? Maybe I'm looking at them with the eyes of a jaundiced old modeller and not those of a bushy tailed, bright eyed kid  No problem with them, just different ?

[Captain Canada]

I haven't noticed that Chris, are they like the Hasegawa ones ? Don't they put a blue colour on theirs ? Maybe I'll have to sneak out of work and go buy a new kit ;-)

[NARSES2]

I haven't noticed that Chris, are they like the Hasegawa ones ?

I've only seem them in the new Hurri Capt. They colour pieces in the instructions red to indicate that it's in its final location. The Hurri instructions also have the floor pan coloured in grey/green, none of the other interior parts though ?

[PR19_Kit]

I quite like the idea, the 'photo style' drawings make things a lot clearer when you're trying to figure where you are in the build process as it shows you the LAST bit you assembled in red. Mind you, if you habitually take no notice of instruction sheets you won't gain any advantage.  

[Green Dragon]

The 737 boxart is in Soutwest Airlines old colours and the 727 is in Air Canada's red tail scheme. I'm hoping for new tools seeing as the old kits are still in the catalogue but they'll probably be the old kits. Don't know if there will be two schemes as in the current kits.
The Airfix A300 was available from Daco in Belgium, not sure if it still is. didn't have any airline markings IIRC but Daco did some decal sheets for the kit as extras.

Paul Harrison

[PR19_Kit]

I can't imagine they'd ever re-tool those two frankly.

It's indicative of what I said earlier about their attitude to new airliner models that both decals schemes are OLD ones. Actually the 727-200 is the best there is, the Minicraft version is much more expensive and nowhere near as good. If they re-tooled the 737 they'd have to do keep it as a -200 as all the later versions have been done in much better fashion by Revell and Daco already.

[albeback]

I can't imagine they'd ever re-tool those two frankly.

It's indicative of what I said earlier about their attitude to new airliner models that both decals schemes are OLD ones. Actually the 727-200 is the best there is, the Minicraft version is much more expensive and nowhere near as good. If they re-tooled the 737 they'd have to do keep it as a -200 as all the later versions have been done in much better fashion by Revell and Daco already.

If the Airfix explanation ( "they didn't sell enough") for refusing to re-issue the airliner kits is valid, then maybe the fault lies with Airfix?  Maybe the reason "they don't sell enough" is simply because they have been peddling the same tired old models for so long that modellers simply aren't interested? I don't believe that airliners do not sell - just look at the variety of kits available.

Although not primarily an airliner fan, I will dabble occasionally. I think Airfix IS missing a trick here. My biggest personal objection to airliners generally is the silly , small scales (1/144, 1/200) that are most popular for these types. I would venture to suggest that most airliners ( at least up to 757 size) are perfectly feasible in 1/72. Anybody for a Comet 4 or BAC 1-11?



Allan

[kitbasher]

What a superb kit, there's NOTHING carried over from any previous Airfix Hurricanes and they've obviously taken a wholly new look at the aircraft. As others have said I can see this one being the precursor of a whole new range of Hurricanes from the way it's moulded.

What's your take on the new style instructions with the coloured in parts Kit ? I know what they are trying to do, but not sure they have done it ? Maybe I'm looking at them with the eyes of a jaundiced old modeller and not those of a bushy tailed, bright eyed kid  No problem with them, just different ?

Love;y Hurricane kit, jury still out regarding the style of the instructions.  Have to admit they took me by surprise when I saw them!

[PR19_Kit]

I can't imagine they'd ever re-tool those two frankly.

It's indicative of what I said earlier about their attitude to new airliner models that both decals schemes are OLD ones. Actually the 727-200 is the best there is, the Minicraft version is much more expensive and nowhere near as good. If they re-tooled the 737 they'd have to do keep it as a -200 as all the later versions have been done in much better fashion by Revell and Daco already.

If the Airfix explanation ( "they didn't sell enough") for refusing to re-issue the airliner kits is valid, then maybe the fault lies with Airfix?  Maybe the reason "they don't sell enough" is simply because they have been peddling the same tired old models for so long that modellers simply aren't interested? I don't believe that airliners do not sell - just look at the variety of kits available.

Although not primarily an airliner fan, I will dabble occasionally. I think Airfix IS missing a trick here. My biggest personal objection to airliners generally is the silly , small scales (1/144, 1/200) that are most popular for these types. I would venture to suggest that most airliners ( at least up to 757 size) are perfectly feasible in 1/72. Anybody for a Comet 4 or BAC 1-11?

While there are many airliner modellers out there, you and me included, we're a mere soupcon compared to the number of military modellers. There's only one Airliner SIG in IPMS UK but HUNDREDS of military aligned SIGs.

When the DC9 business blew up it seemed Airfix thought that the kit should sell in Spitfire or Mustang numbers, which shows they knew nothing about their markets.

The problem with 1/72 airliners is they're BIG, even a 1/72 757 is around 1.75 ft span, that's bigger than a Lancaster, and in the UK people don't have that much space. Military modellers tend to build a few big models and more smaller ones, but almost all airliners are big.

I've always done my military modelling in 1/72 and my airliners in 1/144 so I appreciate that I may well be biased, but it works for me.

[NARSES2]

I quite like the idea, the 'photo style' drawings make things a lot clearer when you're trying to figure where you are in the build process as it shows you the LAST bit you assembled in red.

OK I'll go and sit on the stool with the dunces cap on  Now you've said it, it's obvious  So I obviously didn't know what they were trying to do !

Love;y Hurricane kit, jury still out regarding the style of the instructions.  Have to admit they took me by surprise when I saw them!

Yea, they remind me of the Academy Helldiver in a way. Must admit I prefer the old days when the parts were named, you learnt things then as well as enjoying the build. I however do fully understand why they don't do that now but has anyone ever told Fujimi ?