A genuine question for Airfix

[roy_fitzsimmonds]

Are there ANY plans to introduce any NEW model cars in the coming years?

I'm not talking about reissues, rehashes or old stuff in new boxes.

Really new, proper kits that Airfix haven't done before?

 

Please, Admin, Airfix, anyone in 'the know' - please answer.

 

No answer will only confirm what the car modellers already think.

Airfix are done with cars.

[Jonathan Mock]

If anyone "in the know" knew, they'd hardly blurt out commercially confidential information in public would they? And likewise, any kit company isn't going to give its competitors a heads up on their future plans.

 

Are you speaking on behalf of all car modellers or just yourself? 

[Jonathan Mock]

I'm not a car modeller, is there a shortage of car kits on the market right now?

[Ratch]

Roy, you won't get an answer because the Toy Trade is notoriously secretive. They don't tell the opposition what they're doing until they're in a position to beat them to the punch. Those new kits that have been announced are well down the line, and it would be impossible for a competitor to develop a rival kit from scratch in the timescale before Airfix will issue their kit.

[Russ1707821018]

I'm not a car modeller, is there a shortage of car kits on the market right now?

Seems to me this depends entirely what your subject matter preference is. If you build F1 or NASCAR I suspect you are in good shape. If you prefer British Leyland cars of the 60's and 70's then your choices are a lot more limited.

[Russ1707821018]

Are there ANY plans to introduce any NEW model cars in the coming years?

I'm not talking about reissues, rehashes or old stuff in new boxes.

Really new, proper kits that Airfix haven't done before?

 

Please, Admin, Airfix, anyone in 'the know' - please answer.

 

No answer will only confirm what the car modellers already think.

Airfix are done with cars.

To be fair, Airfix have never been a big player in the market for car kits. Their originals are in the 'wrong' scale (1/32 vs 1/24), although they did rebox a number of MPC and Heller 1/24 kits. Airfix's output of car kits pales in comparison to the likes of Revell and Tamiya though their ranges aren't exactly replete with the British subjects that you might expect Airfix to do. There's always Scalextric!

[paul-muc]

@ Jonathan Mock"... any kit company isn't going to give its competitors a heads up on their future plans"How would you call the informations in "Wokbench" and "The 2016 Airfix Range Launch!"?And, BTW, would it be of interest for any competitor, if Airfix answers "Yes" or "No" to the OP?"Are you speaking on behalf of all car modellers or just yourself? "He is speaking for others too, for example for me."I'm not a car modeller, is there a shortage of car kits on the market right now?"Let me ask it in the other direction: Is there a shortage of Spitfires, Hurricanes, FW 190s and Bf 109S? No, nonetheless Airfix is presenting them, one after another. And yes, there is a shortage, if you think of other cars than just Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.@VMA131Marine"To be fair, Airfix have never been a big player in the market for car kits."I have counted 61 car kits in 32nd scale in the ATF listing. So, what is a big player?All in all: I want some more car kits in 32nd scale, because I simply have not enough storage room for 24th scale models and because those are too expensive meanwhile.I think that 32nd scale car kits in the quality of the 72nd scale aircraft kits, that is common standard meanwhile, have a market with Airfix in a stand-alone position. And, wouldn't be a Jaguar XK 150S fixed-head coupé with chrome parts, rubber tires, photo-etched spokes wheels be an instant success? But I'm dreaming on.

[Braille Dave]

It all goes back to what market research is telling Airfix- We don't have their order history, we don't know what their stock levels are- Airfix, as a business wiil produce what market research have indicated will sell in enough quantity to turn a profit...Hence the plethora of Me109s and Spitfires- there is no getting away from the fact that aircraft models SELL, as do larger scale AFVs... Equally Airfix seem to found 1:48 does well, ergo....

 

And as you quite rightly say, Bruce car modellers seem to be in a minority... There is/was a thread over at cars which went on ad-infinitum about this. Long story short, there is ONE magazine, published in the UK which is solely devoted to cars, compared to all the other genres having at least three, and in model railways case, ten! As a rule of thumb that seems fairly indicative. Even Radio Control model boating- an expensive & exclusive hobby (I can attest to this personally) has two!

 

The other thing that may well tell against cars is that which has been illustrated by Revell cancelling one of their planned car releases- because the owner of the brand wanted a vast sum for world-wide licensing- something which the car companies seem to wedded to. 

 

 

[Russ1707821018]

.@VMA131Marine"To be fair, Airfix have never been a big player in the market for car kits."I have counted 61 car kits in 32nd scale in the ATF listing. So, what is a big player?

Airfix have released 61 1/32 car kits in the entirety of their existence. A quick survey of the HobbyLink Japan website shows 73 Tamiya car kits in 1/24, 21 Formula 1 car kits in 1/20, and 9 racing car kits in 1/12 scale. These are just the ones currently available, which is a fraction of the kits Tamiya have ever released. The Revell website lists 168 available car kits, in mostly 1/24 and 1/25 scales. The back catalogue probably runs into the thousands. Even Heller had a much larger vehicle range than Airfix. So I stand by my statement that Airfix have been and still are a small player in the model car market.

[Russ1707821018]

Car modellers certainly appear to be in the minority amongst modellers and I can only guess at the possible reasons behind this, although I might suggest the availability of high-quality diecast "models" being a factor. (Motorcycle kits are more popular and these are less easy to produce as ready-built diecasts. Plus, many bikers will at least attempt to build a model of their favourite steed).

Perhaps the popularity, or not, of car modellers is worth a thread of its own?

Perhaps in the UK car modellers are the minority, but in the US sales of car models dwarfs those of aircraft and armour which is why they dominate the Revell USA catalogue.

[Jonathan Mock]

@ Jonathan Mock"... any kit company isn't going to give its competitors a heads up on their future plans"How would you call the informations in "Wokbench" and "The 2016 Airfix Range Launch!"?

I call that a release schedule, which is different to giving competitors a heads up on possible future products that make be years away.

[Drewe Manton]

It's really simple. . Airfix aren't "missing a trick" in not doing more cars. . they're using their allocated resources to produce what their research, and their position in the market place tells them will sell enough to make a decent return. If they've dabbled with some new cars in fairly recent times (the Aston Martin etc.) and now aren't - that's all the evidence you should really need for their marketing choices. Cars sell really well in America. America isn't a core market for Airfix, and the core markets they DO aim at don't really support an extended car release schedule.

It can be difficult when you're not getting what you want from a manufacturer, but sadly for you they focus on what makes good business for them. Which is sad for you, but excellent for me. On the other hand I'd really like Revell/Monogram in the states to start looking at aircraft again, but they've moved firmly away from that as a focus. Ah well.

[Russ1707821018]

. On the other hand I'd really like Revell/Monogram in the states to start looking at aircraft again, but they've moved firmly away from that as a focus. Ah well.

I'm actually surprised that Revell USA have not yet done 1/48 kits of the F-22 and F-35. They haven't totally abandoned aircraft as they did recently produce two versions of the Stearman biplane.