Airfix

[Mossie]

I do feel sorry for the poor sod who was stuck with building the original Airfix Tiger Moth for the box-top. 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/170912-airfix-01015-de-havilland-tiger-moth

And on that subject I am delighted to see that Airfix retooled the Tiger Moth, and it now looks like the one at my local airfield.  But it seems that they are doing a switcheroo and reissuing with new decals and a £4 price-hike.  Seriously, the kit itself should be £4 if they want any newbies to have a go at the hobby.

I recall a story of the guy who used to build the kits for Airfix's box-top shots, he was often told just the day before!  As a result, many are poor jobs and some of them aren't painted on the reverse or undersides.

When I was younger, this would probably encourage me as I'd get frustrated if I couldn't at least approach the standard on the box.

[NARSES2]

To be honest I prefer the artwork, Airfix are trying to emulate the impact of the Roy Cross artwork and are succeeding I think. I actually find the model photos can actually be off putting,

Totally agree

[Old Wombat]

Many of the built kit box tops also seem to have been of pre-production runs of the kit (not Airfix, some of the Japanese manufacturers, I think ... ) & have less detail than that of the kit in the box.

I only found that out after years of not buying said kits because of the poor detail on the box top.

[PR19_Kit]

I do feel sorry for the poor sod who was stuck with building the original Airfix Tiger Moth for the box-top. 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/170912-airfix-01015-de-havilland-tiger-moth

And on that subject I am delighted to see that Airfix retooled the Tiger Moth, and it now looks like the one at my local airfield.  But it seems that they are doing a switcheroo and reissuing with new decals and a £4 price-hike.  Seriously, the kit itself should be £4 if they want any newbies to have a go at the hobby.

I recall a story of the guy who used to build the kits for Airfix's box-top shots, he was often told just the day before!  As a result, many are poor jobs and some of them aren't painted on the reverse or undersides.

When I was younger, this would probably encourage me as I'd get frustrated if I couldn't at least approach the standard on the box.

See post #4030.

[Weaver]

Prices really are getting crazy though the HLJ sales can be a good cheap source of Hasegawa now and then. Got the 1/72nd Me262 with resin WGR rocket pods limited edition for around £8 including postage from Japan to the UK a while ago. UK price was around £35.
Recently pre-ordered three Mirage 4000's for just under £100 but it's rare for me to do that anymore as I like to eat food! Was going to get the Anigrand kit but that's about £47 each.

Revell are starting to up there prices too much now. £18.99 for a 1/72nd Hunter is too steep and charging 50 euro's for that Haunebu I is crazy when you can still get it from HLJ for£25 plus postage.

Paul Harrison

Some of this is down to the way exchange rates have shifted since the Brexit vote, which is making imports more expensive and domestic products relatively cheap by comparison. If you look at Armourfast, for example, a UK-based company, their prices seem very reasonable now. If this change is permanent, you might well see more production moving back to the UK from places like China and India.

[Green Dragon]

Didn't know Armourfast was UK based, thanks Weaver. Think I'll be buying more of their stuff when I get the urge to do something without wings!

Paul Harrison

[Weaver]

Didn't know Armourfast was UK based, thanks Weaver. Think I'll be buying more of their stuff when I get the urge to do something without wings!

Paul Harrison

It's decent stuff. The construction is simplified for wargames use, the main sign of that being the one-piece track-and-wheel pieces. These need careful painting, but then again, if you arn't doing it in parade-ground trim, half of it would probably be covered in mud and dust anyway. The detailing is acceptable and they also sell a range of resin/white-metal accessories by EWM that you can use to 'busy them up' a treat. 

[Green Dragon]

Any wheeled or tracked stuff I do Is usually for background dressing so they sound perfect for that.

Paul Harrison

[NARSES2]

Got my Airfix update this morning and I notice they are promoting the re-issued figure sets - British Infantry, British 8th Army, German Infantry, Afrika Korps, US Paratroops and US marines. Now the boxes for all say 1/72 ? I don't remember the ones I have actual experience of being anywhere near 1/72, they were all marketed as OO/HO back in the day. Also some of the latter sets were significantly larger than the earlier sets. Obviously eat their greens 

Are Airfix pulling a crafty one here ?

[Weaver]

Got my Airfix update this morning and I notice they are promoting the re-issued figure sets - British Infantry, British 8th Army, German Infantry, Afrika Korps, US Paratroops and US marines. Now the boxes for all say 1/72 ? I don't remember the ones I have actual experience of being anywhere near 1/72, they were all marketed as OO/HO back in the day. Also some of the latter sets were significantly larger than the earlier sets. Obviously eat their greens 

Are Airfix pulling a crafty one here ?

Well, no more crafty than Revell issuing their old B-57 as 1/78th in one boxing and 1/80th in another. The Glencoe Retriever Rocket is allegedly 1/72nd scale, but if that's 1/72nd scale then so am I...

[Mossie]

Latest Workbench, shows test sprue shots for the 1/48 Hunter F.6.  Also new decal options for the Vampire T.11 and Lightning F.6.
https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/news/workbench/classic-jet-powered-aircraft-of-the-royal-air-force

The sprues have the two jetpipes, with and without the airbrake and Matra pods so expect a FGA.9 in the future.

[The Wooksta!]

All you need for a an FGA9 in that case are the little blisters that go on the wing above the outer pylons.

Not my scale, but it's looking very good indeed.

[Mossie]

The big 230 gallon tanks too, they weren't on those sprues.

[The Wooksta!]

They were only used for ferrying.  You could largely get away without them.

[Mossie]

Not on the FGA.9, they were a standard feature.  I don't think I've seen a period photo without them.