Airfix

[Old Wombat]

There's also the fact that the cost difference between tooling up to manufacture a 1/48 kit is not significantly more expensive than tooling up to manufacture a 1/72 kit, & the cost difference of styrene is a relatively insignificant cost either way (compared to the tooling up).

Therefore, the cost of producing a 1/72 kit is not that much less than producing a 1/48 kit, which is why there are so many "expensive" 1/72 kits hitting the market, that many here are complaining about the prices of (& not just Airfix, either, I note). However, for Airfix (or any other manufacturer) to keep bringing out 1/72 kits so cheaply they have to cut their profit margins to the bone (& that is a sure-fire method of going bust rather quickly), whereas they can get away with a more reasonable profit on a 1/48 kit.

Thus allowing them to keep paying their staff & show a profit to their investors, without whom they would cease to exist (again). So, obviously, they'd rather sell more 1/48 & 1/32 (they should really all go 1/35) kits, so they can stay solvent.



I prefer to build 1/48, these days, because I find them easier to build & I can see the results without having to squint or use a magnifier.

I still build 1/72 for some aircraft, though, especially 4-engined bombers & some less important (to me) twin-engine aircraft.



I also have a stash of 1/35 helicopters, which I'll get around to building ... one day.

[DogfighterZen]

I don't know if you've seen this blog,
but it has a lot of Chaimite info, as
well as all kinds of other stuff:

http://rodasdeviriato.blogspot.pt/search?q=Chaimite

Drawing found on web:
You cannot view this attachment.

Thanks, Jon!
I didn't know that site but it's actually the first time i'm researching stuff about ground vehicles so i'm not surprised.
That book may be my best bet for accurate references for the conversion.

Regarding this scale talk, MY 2 cents are that the bigger scales are more rewarding when you want better detail and generally an easier build. There are new or recent 1/72 kits that have a high level of detail but when there's stuff like the Dream Models UH-1Y costing 57€(postage included), just 3€ less than the KittyHawk kit in 1/48, which has much more detail, the only thing i can see that would make me buy the smaller kit is its size because of the space it takes up on shelf or cabinet.
Not that i live in a hangar but space isn't an issue for me at the moment so, as i'm getting older and my eyes are starting to complain and, accepting that all other faculties will probably begin to deteriorate sooner or later, i've also been buying more 1/48 kits to mitigate the probable frustration that will come with the degradation of my faculties.
I will try to build most if not all of my 1/72 kits but i've also been shifting priority to the bigger kits especially for my favorite types as i want to go all in with some of them with aftermarket stuff.
This is just my perspective and i know that there are many factors that come into play regarding personal preferences so i say, to each their own.

[jcf]

except that they've dropped the non air 1:48 kits, and didn't continue with them. 
ive a stack of the Warriors, and several of the patrol groups,  patrol vehicles, bikes and ( i think)  2 Merlins.

I wanted the CVRT family in 1:48, as that would cover from the 50s up, and would have happily got Centurions, and Chieftains, ( tamiya have beaten them with the Chally 2) considering how many users of the Cent they could have had a field day 
yes it would have been for wargaming with, but that means they will sell multiples of multiples, as i need a troop of Cents for ANZACs in Vietnam, at least a troop for anti monster roles, multiple AVRE versions for both green and Berlin Bloc , and possibly a couple of 105mm gun tanks for RA obs, and RE use. and as all of the above would have been different marks... sales

but meh

Basically because sales were far less than predicted, of course the subjects were very
likely a factor*, so the business case would have been weak. Also as there was no way
to know where Tamiya might take their line, there was the possibility of ending up in a
direct competition with the same subject.

*The irony being that the Tamiya Chally 2 was in line with the Airfix kit subjects.

[Rick Lowe]

@Steel Penguin:

Check out Thingiverse, there are a number of folk on there with Cold War designs to print for free - I found a Fox, and IIRC there are a number of the CVRT family also.
And Stalwarts, Pigs, lots of Brit Cold War stuff!

[Steel Penguin]

Rick Lowe
thanks for the tip, ill have a look , but for resin i usually get the Empress miniatures stuff, good for wargaming, being solid resin,  tricky to chop and change,  being solid resin. 

[Rick Lowe]

You're welcome - it depends on what you want it printed in, of course; it'll come down to whatever you have access to, but the filament can be fine, especially for wargaming.
Cheaper, too...

And yeah, there's often trade offs...

[Nick]

At last weekends Brampton show I spotted several of the 1/48 British Army figures sets on a traders stand. Models For Sale had the Infantry Patrol set priced at £4 each which shows how poor the demand is for this scale of armour.

[Rick Lowe]

And yet the Tamiya stuff continues to sell well. Allegedly.

[jcf]

And yet the Tamiya stuff continues to sell well. Allegedly.

It does but the numbers are subject dependent, you can probably guess which ones sell the most.


Airfix's choice of Operation Herrick as the specific subject of that series of kits was a self limiting
decision.

[Rick Lowe]

It does but the numbers are subject dependent, you can probably guess which ones sell the most.

Yeah, I bet I can, too...

[Steel Penguin]

it didnt help the airfiix figures were a very vinyl-y plastic,  which isnt the best in the world to work with.

[Rick Lowe]

it didnt help the airfiix figures were a very vinyl-y plastic,  which isnt the best in the world to work with.

True, but they always have been - despite the plethora of complaints about it over the decades.

[jcf]

it didnt help the airfiix figures were a very vinyl-y plastic,  which isnt the best in the world to work with.

The Airfix 1/48th scale modern British Army figures are multi-part injection moulded polystyrene.

[Steel Penguin]

thats odd, unless i got a less than stellar QCed set,  as those look like the ones i remember getting, ( mike had the radio man, and the mine sweeper i think) but im certain mine were very glossy plastic that feathered like crazy when i tried to remove the  mould lines, from the one i converted,

[Beermonster58]

There's also the fact that the cost difference between tooling up to manufacture a 1/48 kit is not significantly more expensive than tooling up to manufacture a 1/72 kit, & the cost difference of styrene is a relatively insignificant cost either way (compared to the tooling up).

Therefore, the cost of producing a 1/72 kit is not that much less than producing a 1/48 kit, which is why there are so many "expensive" 1/72 kits hitting the market, that many here are complaining about the prices of (& not just Airfix, either, I note). However, for Airfix (or any other manufacturer) to keep bringing out 1/72 kits so cheaply they have to cut their profit margins to the bone (& that is a sure-fire method of going bust rather quickly), whereas they can get away with a more reasonable profit on a 1/48 kit.

Thus allowing them to keep paying their staff & show a profit to their investors, without whom they would cease to exist (again). So, obviously, they'd rather sell more 1/48 & 1/32 (they should really all go 1/35) kits, so they can stay solvent.



I prefer to build 1/48, these days, because I find them easier to build & I can see the results without having to squint or use a magnifier.

I still build 1/72 for some aircraft, though, especially 4-engined bombers & some less important (to me) twin-engine aircraft.



I also have a stash of 1/35 helicopters, which I'll get around to building ... one day.

I don't, as a rule , complain about prices. There's no point as, even I realise that a price is set at a level that will (hopefully) see a good return on their investment and, ensure a decent profit. That's just good business sense. I simply don't buy if I find the price exorbitant for my budget and, if I cannot find a cheaper option then I do without.  Which, if a lot of customers do likewise is equally likely to have a detrimental effect on a company's profit margins?

I don't build 1/48 aircraft. I stick with 1/72 as I think it's the perfect scale for even very large types. Any aircraft kits I have that are larger than 1/72 were received as gifts. That will not change!   . I do however think that 1/48 is a nice scale for AFVs etc. I can accept why you think Airfix should adopt 1/35 though as, it's now really an industry "standard" scale.