discussion Airfix Calalogue

[Guest]

Wel I just had a quick nip down town to my local model shop. Yes I know I'm spoilt, isn't it nice to be able to nip out and buy a paint brush and have a browse through a well stocked model shop? I know I'm lucky!

Anyway, as I was there I noticed a 2008 Airfix Catalugue so I thought I'd pick up a copy for a browse.

Firstly it's big, glossy and very well put together and for 3.99 puts most of the alternatives to shame. I gave up buying the Tamaya one when it reached a fiver many years ago! Apart from that it really is a very impressive range. I know all the knockers out there will jump on the Japanese bandwagon but this is British and so, as far as I am concerned, deserves to be supported. There are a lot of the old favourites, which are probably well past thier best as regards crispness of moulding and detail but there are a very commendable number of new releases as well. A lot of new aircraft, a lot of new armour and a lot of good ideas such as the Dr Who stuff and the Wallace and Gromit stuff. Not to mention the 1/24th Mossie which is going to be a cracker, and the 1/72nd Type XXIII U-Boat which is a first.

Added to that the Humbrol paint range now includes acrylics and a new set on mini sprays, which I personally think are brilliant and the whole catalogue really brightened my day. (I got wet on the bike going so I wasn't in the best of moods when I got home) Plus parking cost me a quid for a bike for about 15 minutes, etc...etc...

Anyway, I'm going to sign up for the Airfix Collectors club because I want to support them and see them being successfull and I hope that a lot of the members here also do what they can to support our own products. I know it is all kept afloat by Chinese money but at the end of the day if that's what it takes to get it all back on track then we have to admit it is better than it going to the wall completely.

I really wish them all the best.

 

[Guest]

im looking forward to getting it as well, i noticed it on the hannants newsletter the other day.

iv heard they are re-releasing the TSR2!

 

[wonwinglo]

I agree entirely Richard,the present owners Hornby Trains have put a lot of money and expertise into this venture,once more those precious historic pieces of tooling are safe in one large heated building instead of lying outside a French factory corroding away as they were,they have been cleaned up and labelled for the near future,Airfix is an institution in its own right and if Hornby had not come to the rescue then we would probably never ever seen Airfix products again on the model shop shelves.

Really good to see the Airfix club up and running again and yes it really is worth supporting.

For those that say that these kits do not fit together as well as others,then please consider that we now have a chance once again to build models to a better standard than we did in our youth,see yourself as a model builder reproducing a piece of history,if a bit of filler or trimming is needed then this is a small price to pay for what is on offer,after all we are model builders not just assemblers and can now make a far better job,and then we will have a whole new generation of kits to support these oldies,the new Canberra kit on its way,this new Mossie for which the tooling has cost a small fortune,plus other novelty subjects as well.

We are even getting the TSR.2 in due course which sadly had a bad start when the original Airfix went under,so plenty of golden opportunities for everyone.

This is a really exciting time for the company and they will get my support in their venture to make available once again these pioneering models.

A big thankyou to Hornby !

 

[Guest]

Yes, yes, yes...we can all wax lyrical about Airfix being British (or should that be BLitish)...and yes we all know how to use filler!

For me the resurrection of Airfix can only succeed if they really do address the quality issues. It is as simple as that. Tamiya etc. would not have had a look in if they had sorted there moulding techniques and dated original moulds way back in the late 70's.

After all, if you buy a car you don't expect the doors to be too small for the opening, or the engine to poke out through the bonnet! Or should we get a welding torch out and have a go?

I am however looking forward to the 1/24 stuka, it will go nicely with the 109 i built a few months ago.

Does anyone know if it is a brand new mould? Or if there are any reviews of the actual kit around.

 

[Guest]

Tiger, join the club, go on you know you want to really!!!

 

[Guest]

It is a possibillity....If and only if, this Stuka has all the hallmarks of quality that is the norm for even the cheapest manufacturer these days

I still need to find out if this is a new mould or the old one with a shiney new box (god forbid!)

 

[Guest]

terry,

as far as i know the fit of the 1/24 Ju-87 was pretty good anyway, even if the moulds are 25+ years old!, the only major issue is the fit of the wings to fuselage.

 

[Guest]

Airfix 1/24 RAF DH Mosquito Fighter (20002) | Antics Online

OUCHY!

There me going on about a Stuka!!!...Silly me! for some reason i got it into my head they were making a new mould. It is in fct the new mozzy that is totally new .

(or possibly old mould that never went into production back in the seventies...rumours abound!)

 

[Guest]

They are also releasing a 1/48th TSR2.

I've just joined the club, £22.99 well spent plus free members only kit, quarterly magazine etc..etc..

 

[Guest]

im looking forward to getting it as well, i noticed it on the hannants newsletter the other day.iv heard they are re-releasing the TSR2!

i already said that Richard lol.

might have to joing the club as well, i was going to a while back, about 2 days before they whent into administration so i missed out on that lol.

 

[Guest]

Richard here is a little thread on the ARC about the members 1/48 spit kit:

Airfix Club Supermarine Spitfire MkXVIe kit in 1:48 - ARC Air Discussion Forums

 

[Guest]

i already said that Richard lol.might have to joing the club as well, i was going to a while back, about 2 days before they whent into administration so i missed out on that lol.

The old one was 1/72nd, what I said was that they are releasing a 1/48th kit of the TSR2.

Thanks for the ARC link the kit sounds intersting. I will enjoy doing a direct comparison with the Tamiya 1/48th Spit I have on my shelf to see just how they stack up nowadays against the Japanese cometition.

 

[jspitza]

That's great news! guess what I bought Sat? An Airfix BF109F! And guess what I'm doing tonight? Fixing the seams! I love Airfix-a true classic and I can't wait to purchase more......

 

[Guest]

I actually had a look through the catalogue in a bit more detail last night and I have to say I am very surprised at the amount of new models in the line up. A lot of investment has gone into this company which must be quite a gamble in this day and age.

Not only are there a lot of new 1/76th armour models but there are a whole new range of pre-painted kits and mini kits, designed to get the youngsters interested.

The new Canberra in 1/48th itself must have taken considerable resources to develop and there are even two new 1/400th scale model ships in the list.

I'm sure Tiger the 1/24th Stuka will be the same mouldings as before because I just wouldn't expect them to be able to produce new moulds for the entire range over night. They have done an amazing job of revamping and updating the range as it is but there are also a lot of the old favourites in there, obviously showing thier age when compared with the best of Japanese/Chinese.

At the end of the day though when did you last see a Japanese/Chinese model of a Bedford Refeuler, a Churchill Bridge Layer or a Landrover Ambulance? We really don't want to loose a home grown company such as Airfix that knows the UK market and is prepared to produce models that appeal to us specifically.

I can't wait to see the new Mossie though.

 

[Guest]

Did anyone see 'The Money Program' on BBC2 just before xmas?

It was exclusively about Airfix since its take over by hornby and featured some in depth analysis about the business in general and how it can operate in the modern world. Actually, it was this program that got me interested in doing some scale modelling!!

Anyway, in a test of 25ish youngsters, they all prefered making airfix kits to playing on the playstation which I think is good news.

There is also a good review of the brand new airfix 1:72 nimrod in Feb's scale aviation modeller magazine. Its generally given a thumbs up!

I do wish however that Hornby were manufacturing in the UK and not in China. I run an engineering business in the UK and it is very very difficult to compete with the manufacture costs of China. Personally, I will try and hold on to as long as possible before moving production to Asia. Then again, getting anything manufactured here in the UK is really difficult and there is just very little incentive to do so.

Anyway, I am really pleased to see the TSR2 in the line up. RAF Museum Cosford is 5 mins away from me and the TSR2 is my favourate exhibit (I am a very frequent visitor).

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Guest]

Hello dsamuel

We had a thread about that programme some time ago which was interesting the sad part I thought, was/is all the rescued molds maybe it would have been better if they didn't have them and new kits would have to be produced not old.

Unless they can be repaired so the major flaws can be addressed

 

[Guest]

Bunker quote-

'At the end of the day though when did you last see a Japanese/Chinese model of a bedford Refeuler, a Churchill Bridge Layer or a Landrover Ambulance? We really don't want to loose a home grown company such as Airfix that knows the UK market and is prepared to produce models that appeal to us specifically'

Careful Bunk.....they are watching....you'll be giving them ideas!

PS. The Bedford link takes me to sunny Spain. Not only are your posts interesting, informative, and helpful....you also get a free holiday......HOOORAAAH!

 

[Guest]

At the end of the day though when did you last see a Japanese/Chinese model of a Bedford Refeuler, a Churchill Bridge Layer or a Landrover Ambulance? We really don't want to loose a home grown company such as Airfix that knows the UK market and is prepared to produce models that appeal to us specifically.

I can't wait to see the new Mossie though.

I remember that little Churchill Bridge layer! It's all coming back to me now! I really enjoyed those little 1/72 vehicles, very small but you could cram a lot of them into a little diorama on a shelf and still had enough detailed bits to make a nice model out of.

Has rose tinted memories of those kits!

 

[Guest]

I remember that little Churchill Bridge layer! It's all coming back to me now! I really enjoyed those little 1/72 vehicles, very small but you could cram a lot of them into a little diorama on a shelf and still had enough detailed bits to make a nice model out of. Has rose tinted memories of those kits!

When i was 8 or 9the 1/72's seemed huge.....*wipes a tear from his eye

 

[Guest]

When i was 8 or 9the 1/72's seemed huge.....*wipes a tear from his eye

That's true, I used to think the Airfix Short Stirling was a huge kit after my normal Saturday evening offerrings of Spits, 109's and Mustangs etc.. ...and to come equipped with a bomb tractor wow!