Hornby (therefore Airfix) in trouble

[Weaver]

All the new armour seems to be 1/48.

And it doesn't sell. I've bought a load in the various sales and I can't shift it on ebay even after Airfix have stopped selling it, and at times when other things are shifting. Not sure what the problem is: maybe it's the scale, or maybe it's the fact that it's all strongly branded with Operation Herrick (UK's involvement in Afghanistan) and that isn't popular with people. You'd imagine that military modellers would be immune to the latter though.

[Weaver]

I know that Airfix don't do a lot of armour but if they'd lose their 1/32nd range & move into the common 1/35th scale, they may sell more of them.

Then there is their 1/76th stuff, it may work for model railways but ...

All the 1/32nd and 1/76th stuff is existing tooling from decades ago, so trotting it out every now and again is a low-risk strategy. I agree that they're flogging a dead horse with the 1/32nd stuff though: armour modellers are more into dioramas than any other group so they need products from different manufacturers to match scales more than most.

[jcf]

All the new armour seems to be 1/48.

And it doesn't sell. I've bought a load in the various sales and I can't shift it on ebay even after Airfix have stopped selling it, and at times when other things are shifting. Not sure what the problem is: maybe it's the scale, or maybe it's the fact that it's all strongly branded with Operation Herrick (UK's involvement in Afghanistan) and that isn't popular with people. You'd imagine that military modellers would be immune to the latter though.

Biggest problem, subjects are modern, very British and thus, aside from the Land Rovers, consequently considered as obscure. 

According to some who track such things Tamiya's 1/48 scale line haven't set the world on fire sales wise, and the couple of others
who also got into 1/48 pulled out after a couple of releases. The 1/35th armour modelling hardcore didn't take to the smaller scale
and not enough of the 1/48th aircraft builders would make the move outside of their comfort zone, regardless of how many times
you see them posting on the forums about 'Hey, is such and such vehicle available in 1/48th? I'd like to pose it with an airplane."

[Weaver]

All the new armour seems to be 1/48.

And it doesn't sell. I've bought a load in the various sales and I can't shift it on ebay even after Airfix have stopped selling it, and at times when other things are shifting. Not sure what the problem is: maybe it's the scale, or maybe it's the fact that it's all strongly branded with Operation Herrick (UK's involvement in Afghanistan) and that isn't popular with people. You'd imagine that military modellers would be immune to the latter though.

Biggest problem, subjects are modern, very British and thus, aside from the Land Rovers, consequently considered as obscure. 

Sad isn't it? Merkavas and Marders are non-American things used by only one country too, yet there seem to be insatiable demand for them...

...not enough of the 1/48th aircraft builders would make the move outside of their comfort zone, regardless of how many times you see them posting on the forums about 'Hey, is such and such vehicle available in 1/48th? I'd like to pose it with an airplane." 

Different subjects might address that, i.e. more airfield vehicles in 1/48th, like Airfix's recent WWII set. You don't tend to see tanks on fighter airbases that much...

There's actually been a bit of a push for compatibility the other way though, since some battlefield helo kits are made in 1/35th rather than 1/32nd so they can be posed with AFVs (which is, of course, real-world credible)

[jcf]

Tamiya do the Citroen TA, Austin Tilly, Jeep, VW Kubelwagen, 1942 Ford sedan, GM CCKW fuel truck,
Type 95 Kurogane (which Hasegawa also does) all of which are posable with airplanes, I've seen all
of them built at shows, but primarily as stand alones.

[zenrat]

Airfix also need to stop tooling up new car kits in 1/32.  Cars are modelled in 1/25 (preferably) or 1/24 unless they are slot cars.

[PR19_Kit]

Airfix also need to stop tooling up new car kits in 1/32.  Cars are modelled in 1/25 (preferably) or 1/24 unless they are slot cars.

That's why they're doing them in 1/32. Because they can use the same moulds to produce Scelextric cars, which was impossible until Hornby bought out Airfix.

[dadlamassu]

I do not buy as many Airfix or other plastic kits as I used to. There are several reasons but the main one is the demise of the simple pocket money kit for my grandchildren to build.  They do want a Spitfire but not one with 23 parts in the cockpit. 

So what do I buy them?  Quick build clip together kits from "The Works" - £2-3 each with paint and a paint brush.

The ones I look for are indeed the ancient kits because the 4-8 year olds can build them.  The more complicated and accurate the kits the fewer will be sold as there is a  market, if the way the clip kits fly off the shelves is anything to go by, which lies with simple introductory kits for children.  Many moan about children not getting involved in making models but the very models on sale put them off. 

Kits aimed at Wargamers are handy - Armorfast simple quick builds are very good and not much more expensive but no paint and no stickers!

[Steel Penguin]

the other problem with the 1:48 armour is,   what armour ?  we've landys, great for lots ( UNIT, post apoc, police work, farming etc),  quads (farms and err), the jackal and coyote ( post apoc, but only at a push) and Warrior which covers end of cold war onward, but no actual armour, no CVRT scorpion etc, no Chally 1 or 2,  nothing like the Fox, Ferret etc.  If you want them you have to look at resin and in various scales ( 1:56, 1:50, some 1:48).
ive got over a dozen warriors  both for real ( wargames use) and whif, but combined arms is kind of difficult without combined.

[jcf]

From da Beeb:

Hornby shares soar as boss is derailed
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35576892

[Nick]

And a different look at it from NewsThump:

Corbyn to nationalize Hornby
http://newsthump.com/2016/02/15/jeremy-corbyn-pledges-to-nationalise-hornby/   

[jcf]

 

[Weaver]

From da Beeb:

Hornby shares soar as boss is derailed
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35576892

Good.

[sandiego89]

Reissue the U-2 please.  I'd by a few, as would others....Kit probably has the entire last run in his rafters....

-Dave

[NARSES2]

Yup shares rose 37% at one point yesterday with the resignation of the CE and the Chairman taking over the running of the company. Up another 8.6% this morning in early trading