Airfix

[jcf]

Bit of serendipity this morning as Aluminum Overcast flew over the house just before I saw the news about the
new kit. 

[zenrat]

Excellent! 

The original 'Bit O' Lace' B-17G kit was the first 'big' Airfix kit I ever built, but goodness knows how long that was ago!

Me too.  After going through a few iterations it ended up with 5 engines.

[NARSES2]

Must admit I was secretly hoping for a new tool Halifax.

However B-17 will do very nicely. I fully understand why they are doing the version they are but an early one would be nice. I just find the early versions very evocative of the 30's as well as being so elegant.

Anyone want a Revell B-17 by the way ? 

[zenrat]

Maybe they'll engineer it so it's easy for them to do a different one later - like they did with the Blenheim.

[PR19_Kit]

A non-Cheyenne tail turret could be easy to arrange with a suitable joint under the fin. Likewise an earlier nose sans chin turret and with different bomb aimer's window and nose guns.

The back-to-back waist guns on the earlier models may be more difficult to arrange though.

[KiwiZac]

I'm not likely to buy this so I felt disappointed and underwhelmed, but it's nice to see Airfix continue to unveil new releases in this way.

Now, if it was the B-29...

[king of men]

I'm not likely to buy this so I felt disappointed and underwhelmed, but it's nice to see Airfix continue to unveil new releases in this way.

Now, if it was the B-29...

I too find my B-17 needs to be met so will not be participating. But then maybe I'm not their target market in this case. And I seem to be pretty much satisfied with the Minicraft B-29 (well, there is that bloody wing seam) so I'm not sure I'd be terribly interested in one of those either, unless they could find a variant that MC hasn't done.

[The Wooksta!]

Totally underwhelmed here also, but can see the business case for one in the range.  Now if they followed it with a 72nd Attacker or Spitfire F.14, I'd be very happy.

Wonder if they'll still have their Telford anouncement?

[zenrat]

I'm not likely to buy this so I felt disappointed and underwhelmed, but it's nice to see Airfix continue to unveil new releases in this way.

Now, if it was the B-29...

I know exactly what you mean.  In my case I think i'd like a new mould Rotodyne...

[Thorvic]

This is from Simon Owen the Airfix lead researcher on his resent lectures at the RAF Museums :-

Anyone who was unable to attend the Airfix presentation at Hendon (or presumably Cosford) missed a fascinating insight into the pre-release workings of Airfix, in particular:

- They won't add new parts to old kits (specifically new transparencies for the Halifax)

- No kit will be produced unless either:

   There's an extant example that can be accurately measured or LIDAR scanned, and not all can.  For example, if it can move (because it's hanging from wires) it can't be scanned.


 Or:

   There are quality engineering drawings with profiles and sections: look at the Workbench article on the B-17 for examples of what's required.  GA drawings, even of 'Bentley Standard' just don't have the right information.

So that gives you an idea of the scope of whats going to be viable to them or not.

As too the B-17G, that replaces a tool thats no longer fit for use, in fact they had to re-box the Hasegawa kit last time they issued one, so for them its a no brainer as it back fills an important type in their catalogue, one that was used predominatly from UK bases and can be seen still in museums or even flying. Other variants may follow it depends on the kit breakdown and its way too early to see that.

I suspect thay may have another for Telford which will probably go with a Workbench post at the same time, but i suspect the Christmas period advent calendar and the 2016 range announcement will be somewhat of a non-event now

[The Wooksta!]

Airfix reboxed the Academy kit - the Hasegawa kit dates to the early 70s and was only reboxed by Frog in the UK.

[Captain Canada]

It'll be a welcome addition, as their new stuff is so nice. Perhaps this US bird will lead to a nice British type to appease the masses ?

[Gondor]

It'll be a welcome addition, as their new stuff is so nice. Perhaps this US bird will lead to a nice British type to appease the masses ?

It doesn't matter what Airfix produce as new kits, someone somewhere will be unhappy and say that they should have produced W, X Y or even ZZ at the top of their list!
Personally I am not complaining one bit as they have fallen way behind other manufactures in replacing the moulding of kits from 50 or so more years ago. A few Civilian jets in 1/144 would not go amiss once in a while.

Gondor

[scooter]

A few Civilian jets in 1/144 would not go amiss once in a while.

Gondor

More biz-jets and regional airliners would be nice, regardless of scale

[Captain Canada]

Agreed. And 144th scale airliners would be perfect for our current GB.