Hopes Dashed! No more WWII WNW kits

[mozart]

15 hours ago, ringleheim said:

I can only speak for myself but my interest in "between the wars" anything is pretty much zero.

The Golden Age of aviation! Just wonderful. 

[Artful69]

2 hours ago, PhilB said:

I can empathise with the disappointment amongst some but this is just a reality check.

I remember the posts when the Lancaster was first announced and how it quickly went off into excitement about other WW2 subjects without any form of concrete evidence to back that up.

It's a natural thing to do and when things like this topic come to light some might even feel betrayed in some way.

It's all of our own making and perhaps things went too far with the dreams of other WW2 subjects.

What quickly develops into a "me want" thread can be a big let down if it comes to nothing.

Feet on the ground and deal with it I think is the best policy.

But it's not wrong to think about what might have been.

 

Very Phil-o-sophical

 

I had a bout of disappointment a few years back when Revell announced the He-219 after the Ju.88 and He.111 ... instead of a Do.17z.

I all feels quite silly now ... but at the time I had a right old sook ... wanted to tell Revell to shove the He.219 right up the - well ... you can guess.

 

I don't recall WNW saying they were branching off into anything in particular ... and the Lanc was certainly a shock to me.

 

It would be nice if Ol' PJ got excited about a Mk.I Spitfire at some sort of airshow and thought about doing a Battle of Britain remake to go with his Dambusters one.

Or started drooling over a Wimpy while researching Dr.BW.

 

Just sayin'

 

Rog

[kkarlsen]

That is Great news indeed, maybe WNW will eventually come around to some of the airplanes that I actually have an interest in.

B.e.2c, Vickers Vimy, Avro 504, DH.4 and especially the Seaplanes, German Friedrichshafen FF.33 & 49, British Short 184 and the more obscure Curtiss F and MF flying boats.

 

Sorry, but I have almost no interest in any of the fighters or the many German reconnaissance aircraft:

 

Cheers Kent

[LSP_Ray]

Although this thread is already close to status, I will make one comment:

The reason PJ strayed with the Lanc is due to his involvement in the Dambuster film as he dives full in on the subject matter, just like the Lord of the Rings saga. That focus is why he wanted the Lanc. Now that's done, it's back to business as usual. 

If he decides to create the penultimate BOB film, then those that want more WWII stuff can start hoping.

[LSP_K2]

6 hours ago, vince14 said:

Ah, but WNW never said they wouldn't do a Dr.I (or a Camel for that matter) - they always said things along the lines of 'we have no current plans to do so'. It was the modelling community which turned that into 'never going to happen'.

 

Bingo! Give that man a cigar. This has been my recollection too, no plans to do them, but wouldn't rule it out either. (I was always confident they'd eventually do a Dr.I though, as well as some SPAD's and Nieuports.)

[airscale]

6 hours ago, vince14 said:

 the effort required to get the Lancaster up to their standards has been a real strain for the business, and is an experience they do not want to repeat.

 

 

..this is pretty much what Richard said at Telford - the surface finishes with stressed quilting & rivets is enough to have put them off anything with that kind of structure

 

sadly, it's a one-off

 

Peter

[19squadron]

6 hours ago, airscale said:

 

 

..this is pretty much what Richard said at Telford - the surface finishes with stressed quilting & rivets is enough to have put them off anything with that kind of structure

 

sadly, it's a one-off

 

Peter

yes and Daniel Craig said he'd never do another Bond flic after Spectre such was the effort.....

 

time and space always give perspective, the thing now is to appreciate what WNW and all who work there have done in bringing the Lancs into being!

Edited November 10, 2019 by 19squadron

[cbk57]

It does not matter what WNW says, so long as they keep making 1/32 planes.  They do what they want and we will have to see what we get.  This is probably the most daring company in the business I have no complaints.

[is it windy yet?]

On 11/9/2019 at 8:33 PM, D Bellis said:

And how many times did the Wingnut Wings folks adamantly insist that they would NEVER do a Dr.1:

 

Yeah. 

D

WNW has a poor track record about being truthful in casual conversations with the general public. I was texting today with Mr. Tamiya today.  He laid out his business plan for the next 6 years. But of course I can’t disclose.

[The Dude]

The way I see it is Mr. Jackson is a fan of plastic models, particularly WWI AC in 1/32. He had the money to start a company to cater to what kind of models he likes. He put together a top notch crew to get it set up and make things happen with a high level of detail and precision. He probably figured that if it became a world wide phenomenon across the modeling community then fantastic! If not and it lost money then it would become a 'side business' where the write off would balance out some of the positives of his movies. Who knows, maybe he has a hidden weak spot for the Fairey Gannet and has plans to drop a 1/32 scale one out on us in two years? I have read several threads about other companies on the teetering edge of financial ruin if the next kit they put out ends up being a flop. Its nice to have a cushion and a good business plan...

 

Now My question to everyone is- If you had the same resources as Peter Jackson would you produce what you like or cater to the comparatively small community of the online modeling forums? For me, I say Go Peter Go!

 

Whether most of us realize it or not we are in the golden age of 1/32 modeling and probably modeling in general.  Sadly there aren't enough youngsters coming up behind us to fill in the void. I am 47 years old and am one of the younger ones in my large model club. Besides, most of our stashes will out last us anyway. You don't know how many estate sales from modelers that have passed away that I have been to and heard plans from the family "That he intended to build them all but only built 4 a year" while i stare at a garage full of about 1000 + kits...It kinda puts things into perspective.

 

Edited November 11, 2019 by The Dude

[CATCplSlade]

Just now, The Dude said:

 Sadly there aren't enough youngsters coming up behind us to fill in the void. I am 47 years old and am one of the younger ones in my large model club. 

 

You guys still keep ignoring the enormous Asian modeling community that exists. Tamiya and the rest don't just sell to the U.S. and Europe. There is a greater world of modeling beyond us; it may not all be WWI and WWII subjects but it outstrips both of those genres and is growing. The biggest sellers at my closest LHS are giant robots (and automotive still) kits.

[LSP_Mike]

The one plane I wish they would do: Beaufighter TFX. Then stay WWI.

[GrahamF]

On 11/9/2019 at 11:01 PM, nmayhew said:

 

But there were only about 30 aircraft total!

 

what can you possibly want that they haven’t made??

 

Oh that's easy, WW1 Trench railway rolling stock and  petrol locos at 1:19 Scale.

Graham

[ninjrk]

On 11/9/2019 at 3:33 PM, CATCplSlade said:

 

Both of those observations are strictly your own opinion. I am sure Mr. Jackson is confident enough in himself that he does not need to release a model kit to boost himself in any way; he has already proven himself long before WNW came about.

 

As for hope: That is on those who made the foolish assumption that the Lancaster was any kind of promise of things to come. VW is considering reinventing the iconic Microbus as an electric vehicle. As a lifelong VW fan I am under no delusion that this also means they might reissue the Karmann Ghia or the Type 3 series in the future, nor will I be pissed if they never do.

 

As stated, companies don't exist to serve your needs. They provide a product and the public can buy it or not. Just because you might think WWII a profitable route to go down doesn't mean anything to them as it is their business and their choice.

Perhaps I'm missing something but I've always understood that the Lancaster was done simply because Jackson is a huge fan of the Dambusters and hence that particular plane.  WNW itself is dedicate to aircraft of the Great War and have the mandate to do so.  They are doing a one-off outside of their mission statement purely as a passion project.

[LSP_Mike]

Correct.

Being that WNW kits are the top of the mark, modeler people naturally would like to see them branch out. Their created niche is WWI, anything else is gravy as far as I am concerned.