Airfix

[zenrat]

I might even buy a Lincoln.  Especially if it was one of these...

[Captain Canada]

Still nothing new at my LHS, going all the way back to the fabric-winged Hurricane. The new import system is working really well !

[zenrat]

My LHS also has nothing recently retooled.  The NSLHS (Not so local...) has had some of the new Hurricanes but not sure about Blenheims.
From my conversation with the guy in the LHS it seems that the local supplier is the one who decides what goes to which shop.  And I suspect that even then the new stuff goes straight out to customers who have preordered from the shop.
If Airfix extended their "free postage for orders over..." deal to overseas buyers i'm sure they'd get a big take up.  I'm never going to order from them at the current rates but if buying (say) $150 worth of kits got them sent to me free it would be a different matter.  Especially if they combined it with a private warehouse system like Hobby Link Japan Use.

[Thorvic]

My LHS also has nothing recently retooled.  The NSLHS (Not so local...) has had some of the new Hurricanes but not sure about Blenheims.
From my conversation with the guy in the LHS it seems that the local supplier is the one who decides what goes to which shop.  And I suspect that even then the new stuff goes straight out to customers who have preordered from the shop.
If Airfix extended their "free postage for orders over..." deal to overseas buyers i'm sure they'd get a big take up.  I'm never going to order from them at the current rates but if buying (say) $150 worth of kits got them sent to me free it would be a different matter.  Especially if they combined it with a private warehouse system like Hobby Link Japan Use.

Not going to happen, when distributors buy the rights to distribute for a certain region, they are not going to be impressed by being undercut buy their potential customers getting a better deal direct. That's why Airfix/Hornby took steps to curtail UK retailers doing direct export to overseas customers. Not so good for the modeller but that's the business and how it works. We have similar issues with imports, Aviation Megastore in Holland gets a lot of European or even Worldwide exclusive deals to distribute certain smaller ranges, but their Mailing charges generally add a third or more to the items being bought.

About the only way you can get round it is asking one of us lot to pick up the items for you and post them on, but again our prices include 20% VAT for starters plus similar P&P charges which puts off most.

Todd, try contacting the Distributor directly to find out what's going on, as it looks like you have 3 in Canada

http://www.airfix.com/stockists/north-america/

[zenrat]

Thanks Thorvic.
Australian distributors are here http://www.airfix.com/stockists/australasia/

[Green Dragon]

I went into Hobbycraft recently with over £1000 to buy a load of kits (Lightnings, Blenheims and Hurricanes etc.) and they had nothing new tool later than Mustangs and F-86's. Left having bought nothing.

Paul Harrison

[PR19_Kit]

I went into Hobbycraft recently with over £1000 to buy a load of kits......

£1000? Wow........... 

[Weaver]

I went into Hobbycraft recently with over £1000 to buy a load of kits (Lightnings, Blenheims and Hurricanes etc.) and they had nothing new tool later than Mustangs and F-86's. Left having bought nothing.

Paul Harrison

Should have let Airfix know: for that kind of custom, they should have flown you to their HQ and put you up in a five-star for the night.

[Aircav]

Has anyone else noticed the new EE Lightning F6 artwork on the box, no tailpalnes. 

[PR19_Kit]

Has anyone else noticed the new EE Lightning F6 artwork on the box, no tailpalnes. 

That's the little known reduced stability version, the F6B, only flown by 74 Sqdn. out in Singapore.....   

I got one today from what passes for an LHS in these parts.

[kitnut617]

Has anyone else noticed the new EE Lightning F6 artwork on the box, no tailpalnes. 

Apparently it's been rectified now

[Aircav]

Has anyone else noticed the new EE Lightning F6 artwork on the box, no tailpalnes. 

Apparently it's been rectified now

That'll mean all the boxes with out are now collectors items. ;-)

[PR19_Kit]

Has anyone else noticed the new EE Lightning F6 artwork on the box, no tailpalnes. 

Apparently it's been rectified now

That'll mean all the boxes with out are now collectors items. ;-)

That'll be mine then. 

[Supertom]

Speaking of Airfix, us Yanks will probably have to rely on your Brits to supply us. From what I've heard from a small LHS owner, Hornby intends to bypass the distributor and distribute to the shops directly, but are have also proposed increasing the minimum order. This means only the major shops, who already charge higher prices, will be able to afford to order them. The majority of the small shops have refused to play along and as such the new stuff hasn't shown up. The Lightning F.2a came out, what, December? We haven't seen it yet. And now the F.6 is out 

[Captain Canada]

Yup it's a big cockup on the part of Hornby. From what I've heard they went single-source to NA to an outfit too small to handle it. Nothing new here in Canada for months now. Stupid.