Airfix' next large scale model?

[Tony T]

22 hours ago, ade rowlands said:

...They obviously aren’t taking notes on other brands either as they still keep turning out kits with surface features I could park and lose my car in. I looked at one of the new Vampire kits the other day and was half expecting to see an X-Wing being chased by 3 TIE Fighters down one of the wing panel lines it was that deep it could have doubled for the Death Star Trench run.

 

Yes, that and the scale 1½"x3½" proud canopy framing. They really ought to tighten up those panel lines and provide flush frames, especially on jets.

 

Such a pity; so near and yet so far. 

 

Having said all that, I'd buy a 1/24th E E Lightning F.6. In fact, two. 

 

Tony 

Edited November 25, 2021 by Tony T
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[Shoggz]

Having built a number of their recent 1/48 offerings over the last couple of years, I'd say some of the comments about Airfix in this thread are a little harsh.

 

For instance, I have an Eduard and Airfix P-51-D sat next to each other and the differences are not that great.

 

Those panel line comments etc. would certainly have been valid a decade ago, but I think they have got a lot better with their most recent kits.

 

Having only ever had good experiences with their customer services over the years though, I've been bitterly disappointed to hear of Chuck's experience with them for his Hellcat build...

[npb748r]

3 hours ago, nmayhew said:

Airfix is very much a joke in other modelling groups I am a member of, and deservedly so.

like you the 70's for me was airfix, matchbox and action man (GI Joe I think to those on the other side of the Atlantic). I've not built an airfix kit since the late 80's, last build was their 1/72 chipmunk, therefore I can't really comment on how they compare today with other kit manufactures. Strangely though I'm becoming more and more drawn to building again those old 60's and 70's kits from my childhood, warts and all.  I have a terrible feeling I'm being drawn into the dark side of 1/72 old kits and need some serious help !!

[Erwin]

I stopped the hobby nearly a year ago.

 

But a 1/24 th B-P Defiant is still on my bucket list.

[Pup7309]

1 hour ago, Shoggz said:

Having built a number of their recent 1/48 offerings over the last couple of years, I'd say some of the comments about Airfix in this thread are a little harsh.

 

For instance, I have an Eduard and Airfix P-51-D sat next to each other and the differences are not that great.

 

Those panel line comments etc. would certainly have been valid a decade ago, but I think they have got a lot better with their most recent kits.

 

Having only ever had good experiences with their customer services over the years though, I've been bitterly disappointed to hear of Chuck's experience with them for his Hellcat build...

I have to agree their most recent releases in 48 such as Stuka, Meteor have been decent. Although that white plastic thrown in one bag with a funny chemical smell is a bit el cheapo. But none of them seem to have Death Star- like trenches! A bit of flash, yes. 

[Winnie]

I may not be popular after this, but I quite like some of their 72nd and 48th newer kits, there are some very fine helicopters, like the Sea King, the Lynx, The Merlin, and the likes of their Mustang and Victor, Shackleton and Lancaster etc.

 

Someone mentioned above a large Spey powered Phantom sinece they have the scans. I'll double that and say a VERY large Gnome Powered Sea King! I'd be over that like white on rice!

[Royboy]

12 hours ago, LSP_Ray said:

The next 1/24 will be the F6f-3 variant.

When interrogated at Telford on presenting the -5 Hellcat variant the then production manager announced that the -3 was not on their agenda.

Now times change and I suppose there's always a chance of it happening with new people in charge.

The policy then was new subjects and not variants. 

I think commercially it's always worth wringing out the entire value of a subject from your initial designs but of course I'm not the one in charge of the loot to do it.

I'd like to echo the thoughts on here of them producing a 1/24 Lockheed Lightning as a possible contender.   

If not Airfix then maybe Trumpeter will shove it up a scale, despite what's been said about their quality I'd still prefer Airfix to do it one day.

I think it's a British subjects turn next and I'd go with either a Hawker Sea Fury or a late mark Spitty including a nice FR47 Seafire.

It's all the dreaming that make's us just as happy as doing the modelling.....right.    

[crobinsonh]

Whilst I like the 3, new 1/24th kits, the Lynx helicopter variants, Javelin and Sea Vixen, the rest have the huge trenches already discussed. The Phantom shows all the problems for me - great shape, perhaps the most accurate in outline in any scale HOWEVER the sloppiness and missing details the absolute MASSIVE trenches on the sides of the model and a high price make mean I no longer check out new Airfix models. Come on Airfix you are so close to being a great model maker - you just need to care more.

 

With regards to the idea of a 1/24th Sea Fury - the interesting challenge maybe that I am not sure how well the 1/48th version has sold as I have not seen that many built. Perhaps that is a scale thing and perhaps the 1/24th treatment would improve the sales.

[Lee White]

Slightly  OT, are we ever going to see the finished BUFF build on your channel, Nige? 34 installments, and........

[Neo]

Im hopping for a sea furry. At this scale i want something with folding wings. Plus there is none in LSP scale from a major manufacturers

 

 I have both typhoons and i have no idea where im going to display them when completed. I might have to sell the bubble top. 

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by Neo

[npb748r]

the general lack of new 1/32 kits being released from Far Eastern companies plus the lack of availability of existing kits (at least here in the UK) makes me wonder if we will see a new 1/24 aircraft from them in the short to medium term.  I'm normally a glass half full person and no expert but it sort of feels like we might be on a downward trend ? Manufacturers like Hasagawa and Trumpeter seem to be no longer supplying the full range of existing kits, thankfully the Eastern European manufacturers continue to release not only new kits but new subjects. If these weren't being produced the supply side of the market would seem a little stalled ? It's not clear to me what the demand side looks like, those of us on forums like this one clearly want more but beyond this, is there still demand ??  With prices of what seems like everything increasing (here in the UK it's not clear how much is Brexit related and how much is Covid so not sure what it's like in other countries) coupled with the energy prices sky rocketing,  for those of us living on a pension or on average to low wages I'm sure money will now be prioritised on essentials. I hope I'm wrong but I suspect the answer to the question in the title of the thread is nothing planned at present. 

[Warbird]

8 hours ago, nmayhew said:

As an Englishman there will always be a warm nostalgic place in my heart for Airfix (and Matchbox for that matter) - they are what I grew up with in the late 70s when every corner shop in every sleepy little village had kits for sale.

 

Now, putting down those English rose-tinted spectacles...

 

Airfix is very much a joke in other modelling groups I am a member of, and deservedly so. With the exception of their 3 modern 1/24 kits there is nothing in their aircraft catalogue that is worthy of consideration; and even then I have seen quite a few builds of the Typhoon and the Hellcat which show enough to put me off starting my Tiffie.

In their 1/72 and 1/48 kits, their engineering looks like it is a generation behind - I love the Star Wars trench run analogy! - and their quality control is legendary for all the wrong reasons.

 

The only cause for optimism I can see is in armour, and shown in their new 1/35 Cromwell - I am a keen armour modeller and by all accounts (experts on Missing-Lynx), this is a pretty decent kit.

 

Despite all their problems they still have an ultra-loyal following here which i find a mixture of annoying and sad to be honest - they can't all be people of my generation (born '72), so there must still be lots who just don't know any better, brainwashed by the Florys of this world, and those who no doubt chant "gloss before decals" lol.

 

The F6F-3 seems most likely next 1/24 release to me, and provided the kit didn't have more Flash than Gordon (see what I did there, or am i just showing my age again?) I might consider it.

 

But unless they completely change their modus operandi and up their game, I just don't see AIrfix in my aircraft modelling future (small 'f') in any way, beyond being the butt of Star Wars jokes, and t-shirts at modelling shows ("Airfux").

 

Nick

 

 

Start your Tiffie... I just finished mine and it was a very enjoyable experience. Surface texture lacks finesse and there is for sure room for improvement with regards to molding quality but engineering is first class. More pics in RFI soon.

In your list you missed the 1/24 Stuka, which is still a winner I think.

Tristan

 

[LSP_K2]

While I've yet to start on the Typhoons, they certainly appear to me more than satisfactory OOB. As to old Airfix, I too was weaned on them, and still have a fondness for some of their old box art, though the kits themselves I can handily do without.

[Nigels modelling bench]

I think we should also consider here that as we all like to complain about trenches, soft plastic, poor quality control and rough surface texture, overall, Airfix do get their overall shapes spot on. As mentioned earlier in this thread, their Phantom could be the best shape-wise on the market. Having built the new Vulcan, that is great, if not for the soft plastic and sink marks everywhere.

 

I actually believe if they could produce all their kits with the same materials, design and quality as the Victor, we would buy a lot more of them.

[Tony T]

1 hour ago, Nigels modelling bench said:

I think we should also consider here that as we all like to complain about trenches, soft plastic, poor quality control and rough surface texture, overall, Airfix do get their overall shapes spot on. As mentioned earlier in this thread, their Phantom could be the best shape-wise on the market. Having built the new Vulcan, that is great, if not for the soft plastic and sink marks everywhere.

 

I actually believe if they could produce all their kits with the same materials, design and quality as the Victor, we would buy a lot more of them.

 

On Airfix, the titchy Phantom lacks the inlet bypass louvres and yet has panel lines trenches three times as big. WTF?  The canopy suffers from the kiddies-must-have-proud-canopy-frames-to-paint ghastliness from bygone era kits, so I'm pleased the Buccaneer turned out way better. That's a nice kit.

The Airfix Victor gets my vote, though again someone hammered down scale lumber where near-flush canopy framing exists, although the rest is so nice you did us proud.  

 

I remember going from Airfix to Hasegawa in the 1970s, which seemed like an exotic avenue: flush engraved framing on jet canopy parts and a harder plastic with wheel wells (yay!). Airfix have caught up with the need for wheel wells etc., but those canopy frames —— aaaaarrrrrgh!!!!

C'mon Airfix, we love you, but up your game with clear parts, maybe providing the kiddy version and grown-ups version on the same clear sprue. 

 

And I'm still up for a brace of 1/24th E E / BAC Lightnings! 

Tony