Telford SMW 2018 - Now with pics!

[JayBee]

Eeee! You non operational Controllers working in the big smoke don't know how lucky you are, getting Ovaltine and Horlicks as a choice during a break.
Pure luxury. 

It's a London FIR thing, Jim. 

Ah yes, the old 52.30N divide. Up here we thrive on stale bread and water! 

[kitbasher]

Eeee! You non operational Controllers working in the big smoke don't know how lucky you are, getting Ovaltine and Horlicks as a choice during a break.
Pure luxury. 

It's a London FIR thing, Jim. 

Ah yes, the old 52.30N divide. Up here we thrive on stale bread and water! 

I prefer thinking in terms of 55N, Jim - it was good enough for the Romans 

[JayBee]

Ah now I understand young man. My first posting in the job was at Barton Hall, the old Preston Centre. The London FIR was most emphatically South of 52.30N.

[Howard of Effingham]

Two models I've ordered from Hannants  for pick up at SMW is the A Model 1/72 CMC Leopard 1 and 2. One of these will get done as an RAF VIP transport.

[Thorvic]

Whilst tempted by the Hannants offer as the 10% can be handy with some special purchases, I just don't have anything special I want to justify the hassle.

I will be seeing what Whirlybird, Freightdog have to tempt me, along with wondering what Mach2 will release this year but I think I may be like Chris and restocking on tools and seeing what bargain kits are on offer in terms of Naval Helicopters. It's pretty evident that the S&M Wasp is still non-existent so no need to purchase those this year and are more likely to be SMW 2019 instead 

[zenrat]

...Anyway, back to Telford, not seen many kit release rumours leading up to SMW.  I wonder if the Airfix 'big news' is, in all seriousness, a new tool 1/72 Vulcan?

Surely rumours of that would have leaked?

I'm wondering if they are going to add aircraft to their Vintage Classics range.  They will avoid breaching their "only aircraft from scanned airframes or original drawings" declaration because they will be re-popped "classics" not new stuff.
They will obviously include the Rotodyne but what else?
I'd like to see the Whirlwind chopper, Scout, Ford Trimotor, Bristol Bulldog, Beaver, Heron...

[PR19_Kit]

An interesting thought that Fred.

I wonder what triggered them off in doing the Vintage Classics in the first place after the manifest failure of the Kitstarter project as they cancelled that after only one choice was produced.

Have they improved the current range of Classics or are they the original kits just tidied up a tad?

[zenrat]

I had assumed that they had just followed the lead of Round 2 (with AMT and MPC car models), and to a lesser extent Revell, and simply cleaned up their old moulds to feed a nostalgic market.
Do we know for sure kitstarter failed?
I suspect the responses they received gave them valuable data regarding which kits would be popular if re-issued.

[Weaver]

I had assumed that they had just followed the lead of Round 2 (with AMT and MPC car models), and to a lesser extent Revell, and simply cleaned up their old moulds to feed a nostalgic market.
Do we know for sure kitstarter failed?
I suspect the responses they received gave them valuable data regarding which kits would be popular if re-issued.

They certainly got a lot of feedback on their own forum about the choice of kits they presented.

Putting birds and historical figures into a scheme that would only be seen by die-hard air/armour/warship/car builders was certainly an 'interesting' decision...

[PR19_Kit]

AFAIK they said after they produced the Bassett that they wouldn't be continuing with the idea because the response hadn't been as good as they expected.

But the management has changed since then, so who knows what the current guys think?

[Thorvic]

I suspect they realised that their old tools are no match for their new tooling's so couldn't really carry on reissuing them in Red Boxes unless they were to an acceptable standard, dated but essentially correct and buildable. However that left them with a serious dilemma, the tools represent a significant cost and a retained value, if they are left unused that value then switches to scrap value and disposal and once gone they are lost be it at as scrap or sold to a third party, thus the Vintage Classics sold with original artwork and aimed partially at the nostalgia market, keeps those older tools going and earning money as opposed to incurring storage costs.

Kick Starter was aimed at getting some of those older tools that had not been revamped or reused in 20-40 years of some of the more unusual subjects a chance of a new lease of life, however these tools needed to be checked out, cleaned up and tested, which needed funding, so kickstarter was launched to try a justify the funding by doing only what could be funded by pledges. Thus the birds and Historical figures that were long out of production but generate a reasonable collector interest were put forward and failed miserably, as aimed at the wrong crowd as the collectors don't want new kits, they want the originals !.

[Weaver]

Also, as I pointed out on their forum, the birds and historical figures are far more likely to appeal to women and girls, many of whom are into crafts generally, but few of whom build plastic models, at least in part (one assumes) because of the subject matter. Therefore the best way to get use out of those molds would be to do a deal with Hobbycraft and the like to get them on the shelves, preferably in a separate area (NOT amongst the fighter-planes and tanks), where likely buyers will see them and take an interest. Some of those buyers MAY then get hooked on plastic models in general and get 'reeled in' to the hobby. What definitely WON'T work is to offer those molds on an obscure Kitstarter scheme that is only publicised within the overwhelmingly male core demographic of existing modellers who just don't want them.

[NARSES2]

It's pretty evident that the S&M Wasp is still non-existent so no need to purchase those this year and are more likely to be SMW 2019 instead 

I have a feeling you could be sending that kit a birthday card or two.  Hope I'm wrong but it just feels that way. One of those where the gestation period just seems to get so drawn out.

[PR19_Kit]

It's pretty evident that the S&M Wasp is still non-existent so no need to purchase those this year and are more likely to be SMW 2019 instead 

I have a feeling you could be sending that kit a birthday card or two.  Hope I'm wrong but it just feels that way. One of those where the gestation period just seems to get so drawn out.

If I could find an Airfix Scout kit I'd drag my C Scale Wasp conversion kit out of loft and build it.

I bet it'd get loads of interest at Telford with people saying 'Oh, is that the new S&M kit'? 

[phoenix54]

Hi Gents, while on the subject of Telford.
It's my understanding is there will be two queues inside, one members, to the right, other non members, parallel, to the left.
Two? more till points for cash customers this year, so it should be a little easier.
IPMS are aware, and don't want a repeat of last year. A number of suggestions were made at the AGM, we await implementation.

I know many on here are long standing members of IPMS, but but for those that aren't one thing that's worth reinforcing,

there will be NO credit / debit card facilities to pay for admission, it's CASH only.

There is a cash point within the entry concourse, BUT in previous years, you got charged for the privilage.
Use one of the bank or supermarket cash points up in the shopping centre.....their free!

N.B. PLEASE................

cash customers, have the (correct, if possible) money clutched in your hot, sticky, little hand, it'll speed things up and you get in a little quicker, and reduce the queue, also remember, change IS finite! Ticket prices are displayed on the IPMS(UK) web site, PLEASE have a look.

Members, your card(s) will NEED to be seen and marked, please, BEFORE you get to the head of the queue, REMOVE it from your wallet,
purse, card holder, yadda, yadda, unless you want a very wet Green, Blue, Red or Sky Blue Pink and Rhubarb striped felt-tip 'splodge' for evermore on your inside jacket pocket! It'll save YOU time and just might mean someone else that's outside, not getting quite as wet.
I speak from experience, guess who got to do cash desk duty last year, and member admissions for the two years prior.................

Fair warning to all, DON'T push it! You just MIGHT get someone who's got out of bed the wrong side,
OR, get a formal introduction to Shropshire's finest, the 'Boys in Blue'. You KNOW it makes sense!

We're ALL very similar, Kid's in a sweet shop! Just remember, some of us were DAFT enough to volunteer............

Paul