New from Airfix 1/24 Mosquito FBVI for 2015

[fightersweep]

I'm confused here!

 

Where does this assumption come from that the Mosquito was a poor seller? As someone in the trade, I can assure you that the Mosquito sold extremely well! The whole reason they were selling for high sums on Ebay, was due to the fact that all production runs had sold out and there were none left to be had on the shelves! 

 

When the kit was released, it arrived in our warehouse more or less at the same time as the release of the Tamiya Spit IX. As head buyer, I knew that the Mossie would sell well, but my boss said that the Spit would easily outsell the Mossie. Within the first three months of mail order sales, we had sold five times more Airfix Mossies than Tamiya Spits.

 

I couldn't get them in stock fast enough!

 

Regards;
Steve

 

PS: I have no idea why the aftermarket people didn't support the Mossie as well as the Typhoon. My thoughts are that maybe they were unsure how popular a 1/24 release would be. After all, everyone is only interested in 1/32 right? 

[Anthony in NZ]

I see there is a pile of Paragon 24th Mossie bits on ebay at the moment. Our own Rich has them listed in the ebay link on this site. Now they are items that wont be coming back from what I have heard and they make a vast improvement on the kit IMHO

 

Cheers

Anthony

[Edgar Brooks]

Where does this assumption come from that the Mosquito was a poor seller?

Generally, there is no such assumption, but idle speculation is not for me.

The joke, really, is that Hornby never actually expected it to sell well; they produced it as a statement of intent. At a Hornby board meeting the MD asked how they could show that they were serious, and Trevor (jokingly, as he thought) said that they could do the kit that Airfix had never been able to; when he explained the response was, "Right, we'll do it."

The sales, rather to Hornby's surprise, showed that there is still a market for 1/24 scale, and the Typhoon is the direct result of that; there is also another kit in the works, due in about 3 years, but, understandably, Hornby are tight-lipped about what it will be, though, at Telford, they did say it isn't a Spitfire.

[Artful69]

Generally, there is no such assumption, but idle speculation is not for me.

The joke, really, is that Hornby never actually expected it to sell well; they produced it as a statement of intent. At a Hornby board meeting the MD asked how they could show that they were serious, and Trevor (jokingly, as he thought) said that they could do the kit that Airfix had never been able to; when he explained the response was, "Right, we'll do it."

The sales, rather to Hornby's surprise, showed that there is still a market for 1/24 scale, and the Typhoon is the direct result of that; there is also another kit in the works, due in about 3 years, but, understandably, Hornby are tight-lipped about what it will be, though, at Telford, they did say it isn't a Spitfire.

 

 

I love stories like that one ... someone just throws a random idea out there ... and before you know it - it's a best seller. Books and all sorts have gone that way ...

 

Just goes to show! ... Popular subject, Decent tooling ... and an ear for the market, should see you straight.

 

How anyone could think that the kit wasn't a popular seller ... I'll never know - it sold out of it's first run here in Aus', pretty much as soon as it arrived.

 

One of my suppliers says that they were on their 5th re-order before enquiries slowed down.

 

A pity we have to wait 3 years for another kit 

 

Rog

Edited January 1, 2015 by Artful69

[Anthony in NZ]

Well if you aske me there are plenty of people prepared to pay for aftermarket for this kit. I mean just look at one of Rich's auctions for Paragons exhaust and inner shrouds. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Paragon-24007-1-24-Mosquito-Exhaust-Stacks-Shrouds-Spark-Plugs-RARE-OOP-/381104724321?ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:3160

Lets hope some of the AM guys see this interest and invest a little in her...

 

Cheers

Anthony