Airfix

[nev]

Oh, and the decals have got better too.  Readable stencils on the Canberra, and nothing out of register! (although there have been a couple of reports of the Balkenkrauz on the 109G being slightly out)

[Mossie]

I agree with Nev on the packaging, the new red boxes jump of the shelf at you & the artwork is fantastic, lots of action & battle scenes!  The full colour artwork is good & some have criticised them in the past for not including names with the paint callouts (a little moot I think since they've provided conversion charts), but now they've addressed it.

Indeed, the new, sturdier boxes are a welcome development. Overall I am impressed by the new 1/72 Canberras.

Managed to resist getting hold of one the new Hawks the other week, I'm sure I'll capitualate at some stage!

Oh go on, you little devil....

Trouble is, I just know that whichever kit I go for, I'll get ideas for the other mark!  I know, I know, buy both!

[Captain Canada]

The decals that came with my Devastator are beautiful, that's for sure !

[NARSES2]

Quote from: Mossie on Today at 11:52:23
I agree with Nev on the packaging, the new red boxes jump of the shelf at you & the artwork is fantastic, lots of action & battle scenes!  The full colour artwork is good & some have criticised them in the past for not including names with the paint callouts (a little moot I think since they've provided conversion charts), but now they've addressed it.


Indeed, the new, sturdier boxes are a welcome development.

I wholeheartedly agree, Airfix have got someone on marketing whom understands what " sells " on the boxes, can't fault them.

Got to agree that the "presentation" has improved considerably, especially the tray type boxes (Revell please take note).

As fot the marketing, it's Hornby, always has been fairly good and they are trying to get the brand established across all their ranges.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Adding my voice to the 'chorus of approval' for the presentation & packaging. Also would like to mention (again), the phenomonal service from Airfix (direct). A few weeks ago, I ordered my 1:72 PR9 Canberra on the Saturday morning and it was in my hot and sticky hands at lunchtime Tuesday. Brilliant !!

Ian

.....now about the 1:72 B2/B6

[Weaver]

I was also impressed by the Canberra boxes: it's a shame they couldn't think of anything more useful to put on the bottom than a Revell-style advert for Airfix Club though. I havn't tried building them yet, obviously, but the Canberras are seriously impressive inside the box too: decent instruction booklet, glossy COLOUR painting profiles, huge and high quality decal sheet... You feel like you got your money's worth, which is what always bothers me about things like the "box-inflated" Bird Dog (which seems to consist mostly of fresh air): you can just imagine some kid looking at it and thinking "is that it?".


Am I right in thinking that the B(I).8-style interior is wrong on the PR.9 though? I always thought the latter's Nav sat front-and-centre in his coal-hole....

[nev]

Thats what I've read elsewhere, although tbh, once you've painted it black and closed it up, will you be able to tell?  There's other little things like the PR9 box top showing the yellow/red wing walkways, but not the instructions, and not on the decal sheet (luckily they are on a MA decal sheet I have)

[NARSES2]

Something else I've noticed about these new kits whilst building the PR XIX. The sprue gates are different. They look quite thick until you realise that the "round" part flattens out "chiesel" like to the attachment point. Quite a neat idea even if it did take me ages to notice and wasted effort in unecessary cleaning up

[Barry Krell]

The engineering of the parts is good too - the Spitfire PRXIX seems to clip together.

[NARSES2]

It does. Really nice build, hopefully bodes well for the Spit IX and other new kits in the future.

Now I've got used to these "new style sprue gates" they are a fantastic idea. Part seperation is easy, peasy with very little clean up and what there is seems to lie on the inner faces of parts where possible. Great engineering - well done Airfix/Hornby 

[Thorvic]

It does. Really nice build, hopefully bodes well for the Spit IX and other new kits in the future.

Now I've got used to these "new style sprue gates" they are a fantastic idea. Part seperation is easy, peasy with very little clean up and what there is seems to lie on the inner faces of parts where possible. Great engineering - well done Airfix/Hornby 

Maybe not, the Spit XIX and Canberras are done by Trumpeter, the Spit IX from what i recall was done in India, which required a little tweaking before its released (thus the delay as was due before the XIX)

G

[Barry Krell]

I've heard a whisper that it (the Spitfire F.IX) is from a die cast mould, which would explain the woeful prop and the lack of interior detail.

[thedarkmaster]

It does seem that if any of these kits had come from any other manufacturer then these faults would be commented upon as an aside but as it's Airfix then people have to pull it apart ! Why is this why isn't any offering from Airfix good enough ?

Maybe we should get Airfix bashing as an olympic sport ? I think Many people would be glad if Airfix had failed and not risen again so they could remeniss on the woeful kits of thr past and how good the none Airfix ones today are !

[nev]

It does seem that if any of these kits had come from any other manufacturer then these faults would be commented upon as an aside but as it's Airfix then people have to pull it apart ! Why is this why isn't any offering from Airfix good enough ?

Personally I think its the exact opposite.  If Trumpeter had released these Canberras complete with their numerous minor faults (wrong cockpit, heavy panel lines, wrong fin, missing stencils and more besides if you speak to Canberra experts) it would be lambasted in all 4 corners of the internet as an unbuildable POS.

But its Airfix, and UK modellers expectations of Airfix are lower than a snakes belly.  There are several reasons for this.  Nostalgia is one.  Then there is the mainly UK subjects they do that no-one else has kitted.  And the fact that 98% of Airfix kits are so bad that these post-Hornby productions are like gold plated uber-kits.

And I've not even mentioned the "new" 109.....

[Barry Krell]

98% are bad?  That's not a fact, that's merely a subjective opinion.  Old, yes, bad, not necessarily. Their Spitfire mk Ia is still one of the best kits of the type despite it's age. 

What you think is bad could be another's little cracker.