Aircraft that don't have a plastic 1/72 kit

[steelpillow]

The Airfix de Havilland DH.88 Comet Racer could do with a good retooling. The current kit has the pilots' heads moulded in with the fuselage and wings, which are far too thick, and so on and on. Can't really call it a "scale" model by modern standards.

[McColm]

The Airfix Boeing B-29 could also do with retooling as well,  the plastic is thick all over and you can't see a lot through the glazing,  as to the Academy example that wing needs sorting out plus the interior can't be seen through the cockpit glazing either.

[NARSES2]

The Airfix de Havilland DH.88 Comet Racer could do with a good retooling. The current kit has the pilots' heads moulded in with the fuselage and wings, which are far too thick, and so on and on. Can't really call it a "scale" model by modern standards.

AZ through their KPM branding do a couple of boxings of the Comet, although my understanding is that it's one of their more "indifferent" toolings. I haven't seen one so can't confirm that at all, but it's interesting they put it under the KPM brand.

[zenrat]

Schneider Trophy aircraft are sadly lacking as modern 1/72 injection moulded kits.

Indeed and some of the Italian types would be nice in plastic rather than resin. Plus just think of the fun Eduard could have with all those surface radiators to be done in etch 

It is odd that there isn't a modern S.6 though.

Gloster iv and Short Crusader would also be nice.

Schneider Trophy aircraft are sadly lacking as modern 1/72 injection moulded kits.

IIRC there is a Supermarine S5 or 6 in a museum in Gosport/Portsmouth/Southampton which Airfix could LIDAR.

That's the S6A, N248, at the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton, a wonderful place to visit. It's not exactly the same as an S6B, but it's close.

The Trophy winning S6B, S1595, is hanging in the roof at the Science Museum in London, but it's a long way up and it'd be difficult to do any sort of scan on it.

Wiki says that its sistership's whereabouts , S1595, is unknown, but it used to be at RAF Henlow in the 70s as I measured it there prior to building a 1/48 model of it for the RAF Museum. I can't imagine anyone would have scrapped it!

Thx Kit.

[steelpillow]

AZ through their KPM branding do a couple of boxings of the Comet, although my understanding is that it's one of their more "indifferent" toolings. I haven't seen one so can't confirm that at all, but it's interesting they put it under the KPM brand.

It's pretty good actually, I have a couple in my stash. The odd minor inaccuracy that only a fanatic with good-quality drawings (cough!) would ever spot. The main problem is that some colour schemes and decals are a bit off, a problem common across the resin kits which both AZ and SBS also produce; you have to do your homework there, too. Luckily, the decal sheets are often made available separately.

KP is a separate brand from AZ, produced by a different toolmaker. The AZ guy also does the KP packaging and selling. I think the AZ guy may also manufacture the actual kits from the KP tooling, but can't quite recall.

But this is all lone entrepreneurs making short-run tooling, I was thinking mainstream/high street shops.

[NARSES2]

KP is a separate brand from AZ, produced by a different toolmaker. The AZ guy also does the KP packaging and selling. I think the AZ guy may also manufacture the actual kits from the KP tooling, but can't quite recall.

Ah, that's interesting, thanks.

I had a long chat with the older of the guy's on the AZ stand at Telford (I do like their kits) and obviously got the wrong end of the stick. I don't know who did the tooling for their Me 109's, but they are as good as any mainstream kit and his recent Kingfisher is getting there as well  . I've just learnt to check the parentage of any of their "new" releases before I buy. I still get them, it's just I know where I stand beforehand 

[Snowtrooper]

At least there are several B-29 kits, there's no injection-moulded B-32 Dominator (or Terminator, which was the manufacturer's name for it) at all.

[kitnut617]

there's no injection-moulded B-32 Dominator

Well there was, although under Lee's definition, it would be classed as a 'main stream' manufacturer. Made by Aviation USK, I've got one in the stash.

[Snowtrooper]

there's no injection-moulded B-32 Dominator

Well there was, although under Lee's definition, it would be classed as a 'main stream' manufacturer. Made by Aviation USK, I've got one in the stash.

If it's the one reviewed here then I'd say that a vacform/injection/PE multimedia kit done in a limited run 25 years ago where the injected parts are apparently only good for the parts bin (and even if kept, the instructions still tell you to scratchbuild parts) and which requires 300+ hours to complete to a display finish does not qualify...

Though, good that I ended up reading the review, I have remembered the naming confusion the wrong way: Dominator was actually the factory designation and Terminator the politically more suitable USAAF designation, which actually makes much more sense.

[Mossie]

Raytheon Sentinel and other small AEW types such as the Saab 340 AEW&C.  Only resin and vac form kits are available to my knowledge.

[steelpillow]

There have been so many visually striking prototypes and one-offs, not just American jets like the X-planes, YF-23 and so on. Here's a few visually striking examples that deserve mainstream shelf-space:
Edgley Optica: the box art cannot fail to be eye-catching 
BAC 221: Concorde wing test plane. Could add the Fairey Delta world record holder that it was derived from, as the Frog kit was beneath execrable.
Many famous pioneer designs such as those of Cody, Dunne, Santos-Dumont, etc.
Almost as many wacky but successful pioneer designs such as the Lee-Richards annular monoplane flown by famous pioneer Gordon England, or the ASL Valkyrie canard.
Westland-Hill Pterodactyl series.
Rutan & Scaled Composites types from the VariViggen to the Stratolaunch (now there's a 1:72 scale kit to die for - when trying to pick it up).
The list of "Oh, wow! That's so different and so beautiful and so exciting" kits passed over for the sake of another near-identical mark of another minor WWII fighter just goes on and on.

[zenrat]

Anigrand do/did a B-32.  But still not mainstream as per Lee's definition.

[NARSES2]

Anigrand do/did a B-32.  But still not mainstream as per Lee's definition.

By that definition, which is a reasonable one, then I doubt if more than 20% of the aircraft ever constructed have been offered in mainstream plastic ?

[Snowtrooper]

Anigrand do/did a B-32.  But still not mainstream as per Lee's definition.

...and it's still resin, not injected styrene. And handling a resin block that size is guaranteed to be "fun" especially if there are fit or shape issues, and getting the seams to hold is going to be "easy". Kudos to all who brave such monsters, but I'll never be one of them.

I would imagine that a WW2 US heavy bomber that actually flew and saw combat (albeit in small numbers) would be as inspiring a subject as some fever dream Luft'46 napkin doodle, most of which nowadays seem to have IP kits (and you can't get more mainstream than Revell who seems to wallow in these), but that's just me.

[NARSES2]

Anigrand do/did a B-32.  But still not mainstream as per Lee's definition.

...and it's still resin, not injected styrene. And handling a resin block that size is guaranteed to be "fun" especially if there are fit or shape issues, and getting the seams to hold is going to be "easy". Kudos to all who brave such monsters, but I'll never be one of them.

An Anigrand B-32 would be very heavy given the thickness of resin that is usually to be found on their kits. Eminently buildable if my experience  is anything to go by, but very heavy.

Luft'46 napkin doodle, most of which nowadays seem to have IP kits (and you can't get more mainstream than Revell who seems to wallow in these), but that's just me.

I do know what you mean, but it was one of these, the Arado nightfighter, that got me back into the hobby. So you can blame REvell for that as well