Airfix Gone Bust?

[Guest]

According to Hannants(sat 12/8/06) Airfix and Heller have gone bust. But Hannants are now saying that Heller is up and running and NOT closing down. However, there still remains the question mark hanging over Airfix. I guess it's a case of wait and see!!

[Guest]

As it stands at the moment heller have gone into administration !! not liquidation or bust ! I think its a case of lets wait and see! On a personal note this will be a sad sad day if the worlds greatest model manufacturer ceases to be (Airfix) Gone will be the schoolboys or girls joy at buying a plastic kit! I remember my Char painting a sr71 in " power ranger colours" as thats what she wanted. This maybe an end of an era but also an end to imagination or vision ! we wait with baited breath

[wonwinglo]

Without going into too much detail there have been problems now for some time,everyone was just hoping that they would pull through, with a brand new range of products which were promised and shown in mockup form,it is no secret that the old range of revamps were something that just could not go forever and the reps were getting cheesed off with very little new to offer to retailers,but on the other hand heavy investment in new tooling is bound to take its toll in what has now become a highly competitive business.

I doubt whether the name of Airfix will vanish altogether,the name alone must be worth a small fortune.

At the moment it is difficult to establish exactly what is going on with this truly pioneering company,sadly it cannot rest on its past laurels and badly needs new products quickly if it is to survive.

[Guest]

What i cant believe is that they release a tsr2 and you cant buy it anywhere apart from ebay for £40.00 + quid why doesnt a person with some insight into the modelling community take over rather than the accountants who call the shots ! A bit of faith and some customer insight works wonders

[Guest]

Airfix have fired the imaginations of generations since long before mine. It would be incredibly sad if they were to go out of business now.

We know there are morkets out there, you only have to look at all the resin and PE stuff being produced nowadays and the success of Tamiya, Trumpeter etc shows that companies can remain afloat in this business.

They need to look forward pretty quickly though.

[wonwinglo]

That was the biggest mistake that Airfix made,not releasing larger quantities of the TSR.2 kit,by doing only a relatively small number of kits they lost out on scores of more sales,Hannants did the large decal sheet which nobody can use because they cannot get kits,it is a crazy situation,they should have forgot the silly limited run rubbish and just gone for a high production run,they would have sold in every model shop in the country and around the world as well easily.

Sorry,Big mistake Airfix.

[Guest]

I know I would have loved to get my hands on the 48th TSR.2. I have the vac kit but must wait untill I have some more experance for that. We wait on this side of the pond also.

[Guest]

my daughter also has the contrail 1/48th vacform

[Guest]

If Airfix will be close down, it would be a great lose to the community.

Theyr models are history. I can remember, 30 years agom when i glued my first Airfix kits together.

But realize: they are still selling the same models with the same design as 30 years in the past! I think, they "missed the train", which others took, with creating new models, new design an so on.

Another point: If i count the model-shops today, and compare the count with the shops in the 80´s, there are many gone. Okay, i can speak here only for germany, but i think it would be similar everywhere. The reasons are different, but maybe one is the same everywhere: How many kids are making models today? 30 years ago, we haven´t had any computers ore play-stations....:thinking:

And if one of the kids today will be interested to build a model, i think he would prefer a high coloured Star-Wars model before an old styled Spitfire.

With all this thoughts in mind, i regret to say, that the era of Airfix and Heller has gone. They had some chances, but didn´t take one of them.

Have a nice sunday!

Ralf

[Guest]

A piece of British history lost for good?

Lets hope that someone takes over the brand and gets all those ill fitting parts to fit, updates to todays technical requirements, and gives us product that we want.

From my childhood Airfix was just about the only plastic model maker. So it didnt matter that nothing fitted properly and the models had no bells and whistles. Airfix never really got out of the 1960's quality and ideas wise.

I tip my hat to the passing of Airfix, the bell has tolled.

[wonwinglo]

You can only push old tooling to the limit for so long,modellers have tolerated the ill fitting parts for years simply because then there was very little else on offer in the shops,now the situation is so very different,not only does the model builder demand better fits but extra detail as well,it is both these things that sell models these days as proven by Tamiya and other kit manufacturers.

Many of the older designs,could easily have been prepared for the market with brand new tooling and not just a new set of decals.

The writing has been on the wall for some time now, but sadly they have neglected to take notice and just plodded on regardless.

I hope that at least the household name can be saved, with a new company producing exciting kits to meet todays demands.

[Guest]

My point is some of the Airfix Models have never dated that much -

I can state the Airfix 1/600 Scale model of HMS HOOD ,

although a little difficult to fit the decks together ,

is a superb kit -

I have a superb model of her on a glass shelf in the livingroom -

none better in that scale to my knowledge ........ and the HMS Hood Association website confirms that -

But some are plainly tired old models from 50's and 60's -

I disagree that youngsters would not want to build WW2 Aircraft etc

as these are still popular - otherwise Manufacturers would not be in business -

I do think - however the popularity of Models has gone down ,with the young -

they are far more diversions - Alcohol being one of them ,

- this author has seen in his work younger and younger examples of that of the last few years :emo10:

and in my opinion - I agree with the gentleman from Germany -

there are far, far less Model Shops than they used to be .....

E-Bay and the Interent have also helped to undercut Airfix as you can buy

cheaper better Models online than from a Shop -

but the main problem is marketing and updating the models -

and that takes time and money -

a vicious circle - the Japanese Models are world class - Tamiya , Hasegawa etc are all producing Models that people want

Resin Manufacturers are producing Kits of ships that never were -

eg 1921 British Navy

Design G-3 Battlecruiser by IHP Models of America ( sells for £ 75 )

and these are popular - also the larger scale models are very much in demand

Airfix would be very much missed as i built these great kits when I wasa young boy ( I am now 40 )

reagrds David

[wonwinglo]

Airfix took some wild gambles, of interesting subjects that even today sales never paid for the production costs,the Fairey Rotadyne,Bristol Belvedere were two classics that if they had not been selling Spit's,Bf.109's,Lanc's,B-17's by the squillion then they would have been gone long ago,the bread and butter types were the backbone of the company,but here is the twist,whilst the keen scale modeller was eager to build one of each subject, the main source of income for Airfix like many other kit manufacturers was little 'Johnny go forward as a fighter pilot' clutching his pocket money,what a sad state of affairs when alcohol takes precedence to building things ? but you are right this is one of the facts of life today coupled with other distractions that are ready made.

Society has gone through so many changes,pre television everyone sat around a table making things,now the TV is the centrepiece of the room in most homes,a distraction for many but certainly part and parcel of the gradual decline in ordinary kit sales,what has taken over is the serious model builder with surplus income,prepared to enhance his kits with expensive aftermarket products,go to any large model show and look at the age group walking around with arms full of goodies,thankfully there are exceptions to this rule and we have many here on Sale-Models,these are our future modellers and we need to look after them.

The whole marketplace has changed dramatically,even in the past 5 years or so,the sad decline of the high street shops ( around here there are closures every week in all fields,as everywhere ) massive overheads can be axed with a warehouse full of kits sold via the net,who can blame the retailers for taking this route ? but the knock on effects have some sad consequences.

There was just something about going into Woolworth's in those days,and seeing a gem of a model in a plastic bag to buy,I doubt whether that magic will ever be realised again,but I do know that many here share those thoughts.

'Airfix' you were a true pioneer,if you do vanish it will be in product only as the name will live on forever.

Bravo to those that still build in the spirit of the days of those first kits !

[Guest]

even though i have a thing about Airfix's mad moulds and new kits are just old kits re-issued they still hold a place in my memory and it would be dissapointing to say the least if they go down.

i just signed up on their website so i can get a 1:72 limited edition Handley Page Jetstream

http://airfix.com/cs/shop/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=79&strPageHistory=cat

£6.99 for a lovely jet you cant go wrong!

this will be the first airfix kit i have baught in over 10 years so lets hope it proves itself and bring back my faith in them!

[Guest]

I've just bought a TSR2 on Ebay. 21 quid so not cheap but it may be a piece of history in itself.

I don't know when but my intention is to enjoy building it and relive some of my old pocket money days. (Plus I bought another one to keep lol!!!)