- The Airfix Tribute Forum -

[ME163]

I hope that Airfix improves its quality since revell of germany is producing some really nice kits.  I think that airfix needs a new Hawker hunter and a new wellington.  As a  loyal customer of airfix for many many years, I have hope for hornby to revitalize the brand and to produce some really cool 1/72 scale kits. I have hope that they will do the right thing since the alternative is death for the brand and for my beloved brand of model kits. I hope to see more new kits and doing the right thing.  

thanks
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Airfix, Matchbox,Frog and lindberg....

The four horsemen of modeling

[lufbramatt]

have you seen any of the airfix new tooled kits?

the canberra, hawk, new spitfires etc are all a good step in the right direction and there are many more kits in the pipeline that will be coming out soon. airfix are developing kits of new un-modelled aircraft in parallel with replacing old tooling, so replacing all the old tools will take a very long time and is dependant on the popularity of the kits, so less popular subjects like the wellington would be well down the list. although for the nicest kits you'll have to move to 1/48th ;)

new injection moulding tools are a massive investment and take a long time to develop. hornby hasnt owned airfix for that long and the canberras which came out this year were the first new kits to be started under hornby ownership, to give you a timescale for how long the development takes.

[Ratch]

Have you not bought any new tooled kits recently  

There are plenty of reviews of the releases of them  
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and was Jerusalem, builded here
The new No. 2
Airfix Club 500287
IPMS 10983

[tempestfan]

[lufbramatt]

and dont forget the pending release of the mossie and the HMS illustrious, both big kits which would have taken many many months of design as there is nothing to "copy" as such.

its not just the research and getting the  look/accuracy of the kit right that takes time, theres many other engineering and economic issues to contend with too.

[Arpie]

In a perfect world I think we would all want our favourite subjects in high quality modern tooled kits.

Airfix's new tools have been excellent especially for the price.  I have built the Hawk and have the Canberra in the stash and both these kits have me waiting with anticipation for the forthcoming new tools .  

Whilst it would be nice for some of the old tools to be updated; the cost of developing this has to be outweighed by the income of the current mould many of which still build into nice looking models.  Airfix's policy of adding new sprues (ala Saturn V) seems to be a good compromise.
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''He changed the result by measuring it'' - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth
2009 Stats:
Built - 12
Building - 3
Stash - 14

[tempestfan]

[Loll]

I get a little tired of hearing about so called 'bad' kits from Airfix. Take a good long look at the other makes. Revell have issued a lot of kits but not many new ones, just re-pops of Matchbox and Frog for instance.
If you were to read a few reviews of the other makes (Tamiya etc) you would soon start to notice that their quality is based largely on myth and old history. These so called 'better' kits in reviews often have parts replaced with aftermarket stuff and decals too even though when the same is done with Airfix a big moan is made about the quality. The other thing very often ignored is that an Airfix kit with all the resin bits etc will still be cheaper than some so called better kits. I have built kits from all sorts of manufacturers and except for the odd awful kit, which all the manufacturers have some of,  there is in fact little difference in quality or accuracy, unless you are paying top dollar and even then price does not often equal quality but often does equal snobbery.
Airfix are still the only place to go for some models as their range is one of the largest out there.
Another benefit with Airfix and Revell for instance is that low price means converting the product as sold to a different version will not cost the earth as the basic kit is quite cheap.

One clear example of biased reviewing came with the new Wellington kit, when it was reviewed as the MPM one there were no moans about it, yet the same kit from Airfix was put down for certain errors, which were evident in the MPM kit ! Somehow people seem to be very critical of Airfix, but other makers are treated as better whatever their product is like.

I saw a review some time back for the Italeri Chinook, it was a very fair and complimentary review. Within that review it was compared to the Airfix one where Airfix was labelled inferior. It again is the same kit, but because it had Airfix on the box it was somehow 'not so good'.

There have been some very good kits produced by Airfix even before Hornby took over, where else can you get a better Tucano for instance ? a better Mk I/II Spitfire ?  Who does an Auster ? With a good long look through the products at your model shop, you will be amazed at the variation of quality within most makers ranges. Fortunately a lot of us are modellers so these things are generally not a real problem unless we have had to pay high prices for not so good kits.

Rant over now where did I put that Hong Kong bus kit ...... ?
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                    LOLL-DECALS at Hotmail.co.uk

[ME163]

[Ratch]

[tempestfan]

[Loll]

Yes there is a very good 1/48 Lightning, I wish Airfix would re-release it !    
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Pax Britannica

                    LOLL-DECALS at Hotmail.co.uk

[BAC]

Interesting points about the Defiant.

It's only because of having the internet over the past few years have I realised about all the inaccuracies. Yes it's always been a basic kit that has sink marks, rivits etc. But as a model aircraft without having something to compare it too (net, books, Hendon's example) it's just a little fighter with a bomber turret.

I remember as a kid thinking it was the best small (Series 1 -whatever that was!) aircraft kit. For the same price I could have a boring Spitfire/Hurricane/Me109... But this Boulton Paul (I'd never heard of them) Defiant had a moveable turret with moveable guns, and the kit came in black so no painting needed. How great was that! You could slap it together, bung the stickers on and fly it around in time for tea -and medals!

Sure as a minor type there maybe other aircraft to be re-tooled first but for me re-making the Defiant would be a high priority.

Imagine kids today having a well designed easy to put together kit that's got a turret! Us older more critical/cynical (grumpy?) types get an accurate kit too!!

Bring it on!
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If you can't Dodge it, Ram it!!!!!!!!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Tooling up for a new 1/72 Defiant kit would be madness in my opinion.....I would like to see the MPM 1/72 Defiant in an Airfix box and I would be quite happy to pay a tenner for it, especially if it came with the shark-mouth decals!  

Likewise I'd be quite happy to buy Trumpeter, Revell or Dragon (among others) 1/72 AFV kits reboxed by Airfix and provided with new British & Commonwealth decal options.  In my opinion Airfix should refresh their range as quickly as possible.  

As for biased reviewing, frankly I've not seen any yet.....I've seen plenty of bad reviews, where the reviewer seems to have tipped the contents of the box onto a table, taken a picture and made some notes, and then published 'as is'!    

Please don't just make statements that this or that reviewer is biased against Airfix.....Show us a link!  

FWIW & All the best
Sgt.S
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[thomasweir]

[hewman100]

have to agree with tempestfan, the Airfix 'Heavies' are a market to work on. Let's face it the Lanc has been given the limelight but who else does the others?

The Sunderland is ripe for a re-vamp, especially as there is another one in the scale from one of the Czech firms muted with all the bells and whistles.

An updated Halibag and Stirling would certainly be winners with the old guard, and would redress the balance against their more successful conterpart.
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Bubbly!

[jezbrook]

Hornby is pressing ahead with new moulds. I have seen three of 2010's range, one was a retool of an existing aircraft and one was a new aircraft to the range. There will probably be more.

Whilst I feel Airfix should have state-of-the-art Wimpy and B-17 kits in its range once again, Hornby does have to weigh up the cost of producing new ones when it can get good polybagged ones for a lot cheaper.

I certainly don't think we can complain about the new models they have produced so far, particularly after the famine years at Humbrol.

jezbrook

[dancho]

If they did a new Mirage III it wouldn't hurt my feelings...
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“Build what YOU want, the way YOU want to, and above all, have fun.”
- Al Superczynski (1947 - 2007)

[skipperjjt]

I apologise if I hurt some folks feelings in advance,but,the simple answer is Hornby has done remarkably well thus far in the short time that they have been at the helm of Airfix.I too would like some of the kits you are talking about especially the Sunderland ,but it all takes time ,and in case it has bypassed some folk the financial movers and shakers of this planet are not so quick to invest these days.So at a time in our societies history when instant gratification ,and , the phrase "I want ",  rather than "I would like" reign supreme, can I on behalf of Airfix  say please have some patience, so far I think they are doing a good job.
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"always going forward,still cann't find reverse"

[hewman100]

You are quite right skipperjjt, that these things take time and Hornby have done a fantastic job.
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Bubbly!