DavidJC Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 I reiterate; no company can sell that which they fail to produce.But any company can fail on which they produce to sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Morrison Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I reiterate; no company can sell that which they fail to produce.But any company can fail on which they produce to sell. Unfortunately, you're quite correct. However, while the market can be uncertain, the only way to prosper is to take chances. While it is a guarantee that a given company will not be able to sell that which they don't produce, they certainly can profit by producing a desired product. One executive at Revell of Germany told me last year that sailing ship model kits will not appeal to RoG's customers in Europe, and that they need at least 500 sales to make a profit of a new kit. I belong to a global ship modeling club in which most members build sailing ships routinely. The club numbers over 20,000 members. There is certainly a tremendous potential for a given manufacturer to reap a fortune in profits if they offered kits of sailing ships that have never been offered before. It is a large enough potential customer base that has largely been ignored by the manufacturers. Airfix could lead the way in reaching this potential huge customer base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 One executive at Revell of Germany told me last year that sailing ship model kits will not appeal to RoG's customers in Europe, and that they need at least 500 sales to make a profit of a new kit. That's a remarkably low figure, and either the cost price of Revell kits is very low, or the figure is incorrect. I suspect the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidJC Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 One executive at Revell of Germany told me last year that sailing ship model kits will not appeal to RoG's customers in Europe, and that they need at least 500 sales to make a profit of a new kit. I belong to a global ship modeling club in which most members build sailing ships routinely. The club numbers over 20,000 members. There is certainly a tremendous potential for a given manufacturer to reap a fortune in profits if they offered kits of sailing ships that have never been offered before.I agree with Ratch. The figure of 500 sales seems remarkably low, are you sure that's correct? I can't believe that it is. Figures aside, as far as hard sales go the Revell executive is the person in the know, I'd suggest. Again, too, I'd have to query the commitment of 20,000 members all wanting their own model produced. Whilst there'd undoubtedly be a solid core of one ship or another supporters - let's say of those members the figures showed that the Cutty Sark was amongst them - how many of those members would really put their money where their mouths are? As I've mentioned before, I can hear the teeth-sucking now: 'Well I would bu-u-uttt'. I almost lost £50 deposit once when a group I belonged to at that time clamoured, and I mean clamoured 'we want a social'. A straw poll suggested that an evening cruise around the Solent taking in parts of the New Forest (Bucklers Hard where ship modellers will recognise) etc with a cream tea and/or chicken and chips was overwelmingly the best choice. Based on that, I paid £50 deposit and then started to ask people for their ticket cost. 'Err - thing is'. "Ah - sorry, I have had an unexpected expense.' 'Um - my car tyre needs replacing and I can't afford both'. 'I would but my budgie's beak will need clipping that day'. 'Oh I wish we'd had more notice I'd have loved it'. (I pointed out that the proposal had been made in March and the night out was to be June). And so it went on. Thankfully I got my deposit back; imagine if I had invested more and not received a penny. I stated, caterorically, my disgust and vowed I wouyd never, ever, get involved in trying to organise anothger social again. Whilst I grant you that this is a poor example, neither does ii doesn't rob me of my point. I'd make a final observation in this post which I have touched on before. If any one group of supporters are that confident that any one model would sell if made, why not deputise to a manufactuerer and invest your own money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 I agree; 5_000 shots seems more like breakeven for a brand new steel tool, even if you can use lidar scanning to produce a 3-d scan that can be used to produce CAM designs for the tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebeep Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 even if you can use lidar scanning to produce a 3-d scan that can be used to produce CAM designs for the tool.If you're thinking a LIDAR scan is a means to producing a tool quickly and cheaply, I'd have to demur. It provides you with data that needs to be interpreted and turned into workable data for use with CAD/CAM CNC. A LIDAR scan can virtually guarantee you accuracy of outline, but scanning a 1:1 artifact results in a hell of a lot of 'noise' that has to be edited out by a skilled techie with knowledge of and/or good references on the subject. I'd bet most techs would prefer to work up a computer model from first principles rather than edit scanned data and it's probably quicker. I think this was touched on in one of The Workshop blog articles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 I agree; 5_000 shots seems more like breakeven for a brand new steel tool, even if you can use lidar scanning to produce a 3-d scan that can be used to produce CAM designs for the tool.I think the break-even when they did the 1/72 TSR2 was in the region of 10,000 (they actually produced 16-20,000) and that was on a comparatively cheap and more popular subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Morrison Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 I agree; 5_000 shots seems more like breakeven for a brand new steel tool, even if you can use lidar scanning to produce a 3-d scan that can be used to produce CAM designs for the tool.I think the break-even when they did the 1/72 TSR2 was in the region of 10,000 (they actually produced 16-20,000) and that was on a comparatively cheap and more popular subject.I agree that the 500 number seems low, but that is exactly what he said. I also understand the comments about the risk of failing to sell a newly manufactured anything. But, every manufacturing company of anything has had those failures. Indeed, that is a part of the risk involved with capitalism. Capitalism means taking risks. Investors do not usually get rich by focusing only on Blue Chip stocks, any more than they do by investing only in low-yield savings accounts. One must take chances, albeit educated chances. Therefore, I challenge Airfix and any other plastic model manufacturer to conduct surveys in the MSW site, Fine Scale Modeler site, etc (those sites with huge populations of members). And, I would invest my own money in this endeavor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebeep Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 I'm afraid I can't take that figure of 500 at all seriously. For the sake of argument let's assume the R & D/tooling cost is 100,000 Euro (I've no doubt it would be much bigger than that). They would have to sell every kit at 200 Euro just to break even. Er, right. Even large lkits usually have a run of a few thousand, your Revell man might have said 500, but he probably meant 5000. The first run on the Airfix 1/24 Mosquito was 3000 I believe, can't remember the RRP, I think it was about 120 GBP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Maybe he said he needed to sell another 500 to break even 🤐 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Morrison Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Maybe he said he needed to sell another 500 to break even 🤐All I can say with certainty is that he said "500". As I have previously stated, that number seems low to me as well. That said, let's move on. Manufacturing companies need to either stay current with the times in terms of quality, scales, and manufacturing technologies. Airfix seems to have done so, at least concerning airplanes. However, they really have done nothing to cater to the ship modeling community, staying with old molds and outdated scales. Nor, have they added anything new to their line of kits or updated the kits already in their inventory. They simply offer the same kits repeatedly, whether they are the 1/600 series RN of WWII, one ship of WWI, one modern (1960's) Soviet ship, one ship from West Germany, and one U.S. aircraft carrier, or their venturing into the world of 1/350 ship models with three rather mediocre releases of contemporary RN warships. Their once outstanding line of sailing ships has fallen by the wayside with nothing new in over fifty years. It is no wonder that their ships do not sell. Builders and collectors either have them all or have moved on to other companies' offerings. They have offered nothing new to entice ship modelers, nothing at all. When they do release a ship or two, they are the same tired old products of yesterdecade, with no upgrades, no retooling, no anything. It is a bad joke. Airfix has neglected their ship modeling customer base, and that base has largely moved on. It is a real shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailorman Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 William, I would go a step further. I have recently managed to obtain an Airfix kit of the Ford Escort. I marvel at the level of detail that was incorporated into that model all those years ago. Compared to that, the ship models are basic to the extreme. I've always felt that the ship kits left a lot to be desired ....Surely Airfix could today do a lot better!You would have thought a good kit of HMS Queen Elizabeth would sell. Once the research for a 1:350 kit is done produce a 1:600 version. That way the reasearch is not used for a one-off kit but for two. Come on AIrfix ..... you know you can do it! (And once your at it an RMS Queen Mary - save me having to scratchbuild it 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Morrison Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 William, I would go a step further. I have recently managed to obtain an Airfix kit of the Ford Escort. I marvel at the level of detail that was incorporated into that model all those years ago. Compared to that, the ship models are basic to the extreme. I've always felt that the ship kits left a lot to be desired ....Surely Airfix could today do a lot better!You would have thought a good kit of HMS Queen Elizabeth would sell. Once the research for a 1:350 kit is done produce a 1:600 version. That way the reasearch is not used for a one-off kit but for two. Come on AIrfix ..... you know you can do it! (And once your at it an RMS Queen Mary - save me having to scratchbuild it 😉 Who better than Airfix to begin an extended series of 1/350 and 1/600 models of the 20th century Royal Navy (at least!), instead of leaving it to the Chinese? Who better than to begin an extended series of RN navies during the Pax Britannica, the French Revolution & Napoleonic Wars, and the ships of the Anglo-Dutch Wars? We are talking about over 400 years of Royal Navy dominance and fame, all ignored by the lobe British producer. It's like they have forgotten their heritage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 Who better than Airfix to begin an extended series of 1/350 and 1/600 models of the 20th century Royal Navy (at least!) It's like they have forgotten their heritage!I'm afraid that when we look at the release dates of Airfix ships then maybe they have...Classic Ships (various scales)1955 S.S. Southern Cross 1.4801962 Endeavour 1.1201963 Royal Sovereign 1.1681964 HMS Revenge 1.1441965 HMS Victory 1.1801966 PS Great Western 1.1801967 Cutty Sark 1.1301969 Discovery 1.144 HMS Prince 1.1801970 Mayflower 1.961972 Wasa 1.1441973 St. Louis 1.1441980 HMS Bounty 1.87 1/6001960 HMS Cossack HMS Hood HMS Tiger HMS Victorious1961 HMS Campbeltown HMS Daring HMS Nelson SS Canberra1962 Bismarck HMS Warspite RMS Queen Elizabeth1963 HMS Devonshire SS France1964 HMS Hotspur HMS Suffolk RMS Mauretania Scharnhorst1965 HMS Ajax1966 HMS Ark Royal1967 MV Free Enterprise II1968 HMS Fearless Tirpitz1969 RMS Queen Elizabeth II1970 HMS Iron Duke HMS Leander1971 Graf Spee Rommel1972 HMS Amazon HMS Manxman1973 HMS Belfast Moskva1975 Narvik Class Destroyer Prinz Eugen1978 USS Forrestal1981 HMS King George V1982 HMS Repulse2004 Queen Mary 2 1/3502009 HMS Illustrious2010 Trafalgar Class Submarine2012 HMS Daring Type 45 No Classic Sailing Ships for 37 years = genre abandonnedNo 1/600 since 2004 (although the scale was effectively abandonned in 1982).A dabble in the water with 1/350. Nothing for 5 years, maybe sales failed to meet expectations. I'd love Airfix to resurrect the 1/600 and CSS ranges. Make the scale/genre their own. Expand the 1/350 range (maybe the Queen Elizabeth carriers will re-open the series). One of the strengths of Airfix was its broad product range, and it could be again. I sincerely hope it does again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven_kerfoot Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 I have to say that the issue that is effectively ignored here are the legacy sales. Lets say for example that Airfix manufacture a new kit and release it for sale. Lets say they don't sell the molds to anyone, don't allow it to be sold under licence and it is a subject which isn't covered by any other manufacturer. The 1/350 HMS Illustrious is a prime example. All three Invincibles are available in 1/700, but I can't see anyone else producing the kit in 1/350. So it is sold by Airfix for three years and then rested. A few years down the line it can be issued again, and rested, and repeat as often as you like. There are only a certain number you can sell at any one time, but given that renews itself every so often, (people take up modelling, young modellers progess to more difficult subjects, modellers move from one sort of subject to another) then a kit which is well designed and manufactured can have legacy sales for decades. The list above shows kits which were first produced in 1960 and which were still in production fifty years later. I understand that firms need to make a certain quantity of sales to make kit production worthwhile, but with such a long life, it shows that the long term approach pays dividends. What I don't understand about the approach Airfix have taken in, say, the Illustrious for example, is the lack of vision. The model was produced of one of three ships in the form she took before converting the helicopter carrier. It would be reasonably easy to use so much of the model and produce Invincible and Ark Royal. In fact, lots of the people who bought the Lusty would love to build all three. So that's three kits from one, albeit with some development. Then of course there's the issue of the ships at various times in their life. The Illustrios sold by Airfix is probably the most bland version of the ship. No Sea Dart, no Phalanx and the foredeck flushly covered. The domes which once adorned it are gone, in fact, so much could be done to make this a completely different model with only a few new parts. When producing a kit like this, surely variants that can be made of it must enter into the minds of those at Airfix. That cuts the cost of the second or third type of ship kit, in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Morrison Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Who better than Airfix to begin an extended series of 1/350 and 1/600 models of the 20th century Royal Navy (at least!) It's like they have forgotten their heritage!I'm afraid that when we look at the release dates of Airfix ships then maybe they have...Classic Ships (various scales)1955 S.S. Southern Cross 1.4801962 Endeavour 1.1201963 Royal Sovereign 1.1681964 HMS Revenge 1.1441965 HMS Victory 1.1801966 PS Great Western 1.1801967 Cutty Sark 1.1301969 Discovery 1.144 HMS Prince 1.1801970 Mayflower 1.961972 Wasa 1.1441973 St. Louis 1.1441980 HMS Bounty 1.87 1/6001960 HMS Cossack HMS Hood HMS Tiger HMS Victorious1961 HMS Campbeltown HMS Daring HMS Nelson SS Canberra1962 Bismarck HMS Warspite RMS Queen Elizabeth1963 HMS Devonshire SS France1964 HMS Hotspur HMS Suffolk RMS Mauretania Scharnhorst1965 HMS Ajax1966 HMS Ark Royal1967 MV Free Enterprise II1968 HMS Fearless Tirpitz1969 RMS Queen Elizabeth II1970 HMS Iron Duke HMS Leander1971 Graf Spee Rommel1972 HMS Amazon HMS Manxman1973 HMS Belfast Moskva1975 Narvik Class Destroyer Prinz Eugen1978 USS Forrestal1981 HMS King George V1982 HMS Repulse2004 Queen Mary 2 1/3502009 HMS Illustrious2010 Trafalgar Class Submarine2012 HMS Daring Type 45 No Classic Sailing Ships for 37 years = genre abandonnedNo 1/600 since 2004 (although the scale was effectively abandonned in 1982).A dabble in the water with 1/350. Nothing for 5 years, maybe sales failed to meet expectations. I'd love Airfix to resurrect the 1/600 and CSS ranges. Make the scale/genre their own. Expand the 1/350 range (maybe the Queen Elizabeth carriers will re-open the series). One of the strengths of Airfix was its broad product range, and it could be again. I sincerely hope it does again.Airfix used to offer arguably the best and most interesting range of sailing ship models, but how many releases of the same ships can we purchase? We need others! And, the range of 20th century RN ships was excellent but Airfix failed to keep pace with new technologies and new standards of detailing. Also, the Chinese manufacturers have taken over RN subjects offering a far greater range with far greater levels of detail. Airfix needs to step up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven_kerfoot Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Airfix used to offer arguably the best and most interesting range of sailing ship models, but how many releases of the same ships can we purchase? We need others! And, the range of 20th century RN ships was excellent but Airfix failed to keep pace with new technologies and new standards of detailing. Also, the Chinese manufacturers have taken over RN subjects offering a far greater range with far greater levels of detail. Airfix needs to step up!I have to say that while there are quite a few 1/700 ships available, mostly of WW2 and WW1 battleships and carriers, (mostly the same ones in the guise of different ships of the same class or at various times in their lives) the ships available only scratch the surface of the RN ships, even in just the twentieth century. Take WW1. With the exception of the three last battlecruisers, the dreadnought and the QE class, how many other ship classes have been covered? Hardly any from what I've seen, especially in 1/350. The same is true of WW2. There still isn't a Nelson class 1/350, an Indomitable class carrier in 1/350, any of the other carriers apart from the Ark Royal. The Furious for example is an amazing ship, and the differing rebuilds she had in her life make it the ideal example for a model. Even post-war there is such a lack of ships covered. How good would it have been for various ships to have been manufactured by Airfix, all on a theme. The one I'd pick is the Falklands. The Illustrious could be retooled to be the Invicible. Then there is the Fearless, Hermes, perhaps the Bristol and County class destroyers. Naturally the Type 42s, and any number of frigates. None of these are available in 1/350 as dar as I'm aware. The common theme also gives a modeller something they can use in dioramas, or just to encourage them to collect. I think the main problem with Airfix's releases of ship kits over the last twenty years has been the age of some of the kits, the lack of commonality or theme, (ie one WW2 ship, the Iron Duke, one liner and a sailing ship for example) and a lack of vision. I know what I'd do if I were producing ship kits. Firstly a large kit which will be very popular, a 1/350 HMS Vanguard. the battleship, not submarine. Second, a large modern kit, HMS Ocean in 1/350, then reissue the Illustrious, but as she was when launched. That will take us up to the new carriers being in service, a model of HMS Queen Elizabeth in 1/350 with a reissue of the Daring class destroyers in 1/350. Follow that with the modrn Bulwark/Albion in 1/350. I realise it all costs money, but none of those kits are available from anyone else, all would have a long life with reissues and the modern ships being in service, (apart from Illustrious/Invincible) and the Vanguard would become a classic instantly. Some manufacturers sell ship kits and do so very well along side their aircraft and tank ranges. With the superb kits Airfix are turning out now, I can't see why they can't do the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Meister1707820176 Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Jonathan,I maintain that the manufacturers cannot expect to sell products if the don't offer new kits. How many HMS Victories, Cutty Sarks, etc are we expected to purchase in order to show that they sell? I already have almost every sailing ship that Airfix has manufactured; I don't need to keep buying them. I need new products!I've said much the same thing about aircraft, all the P-51's, Spitfire's etc that keep getting pumped out year after year. The die hard's take it rather personally and offer up all sorts of silly excuses. What they are too zealous to understand is, I don't need more of the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebeep Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I've said much the same thing about aircraft, all the P-51's, Spitfire's etc that keep getting pumped out year after year. The die hard's take it rather personally and offer up all sorts of silly excuses. What they are too zealous to understand is, I don't need more of the same. Certain subjects sell, over and over and over again. They are guaranteed turnover. Is that too difficult to understand or comprehend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Jonathan,I maintain that the manufacturers cannot expect to sell products if the don't offer new kits. How many HMS Victories, Cutty Sarks, etc are we expected to purchase in order to show that they sell? I already have almost every sailing ship that Airfix has manufactured; I don't need to keep buying them. I need new products!I've said much the same thing about aircraft, all the P-51's, Spitfire's etc that keep getting pumped out year after year. The die hard's take it rather personally and offer up all sorts of silly excuses. What they are too zealous to understand is, I don't need more of the same. @Saxony - How many different refits or marks of the SS Cutty Sark are there? (not including things like how much of her total press of canvas you fit). I can get about 30 different marks of Spitfire/Seafire, without counting things like the Va, Vb and Vc as 3 different marks, and without considering differences like camouflage styles, air forces, or indeed the post-war unit bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Further to my 13:22 on 23rd March 2017, I looked at my old tool Spitfire Vc/Seafire IIIc kit last night, and it has parts for 4 different gun fits, 3 carburettor intakes (normal, Vokes filter and an armoured intake), clipped, standard or extended tips. As a result all 4 of the kitted aircraft will look different to each other even without being painted and decalled. That's before considering that it also has 2 radiators (marked for different versions in the instructions) and undercarriage and/or flaps up/down options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussellE Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 As the OP on this topic I am surprised by the number of comments it has attracted-great to see ships still invoke a degree of passion amongst modellers.However, I must point out that 1/700 and 1/350 are the dominant scales in ship modelling and to produce new tooled kits in 1/600, IMHO , would be a poor business venture. Now, I know there are those who will argue that 1/600 would be a niche market and there would be no competition but this would be counterproductive to re-establishing a place in the ship model market. The number of 1/700 fleets around the world and hence potential sales, would surely outnumber the number of 1/600 fleets and I'd estimate even 1/350 would outnumber 1/600. This leaves a very small segment for 1/600. I for one would not be interested in a 1/600 kit after investing heavily in 1/350.Consider this: Most belligerents' ships from WWII (and to a lesser extent WWI) have been covered by other kit makers in 1/700 and 1/350, while the RN has been sorely overlooked. This situation is slowly changing for the better with more RN kits coming onto the market in recent times. Now, as a ship modeller if I am to expand my fleet and add new tooled RN ships, anything in a scale other than 1/700 or 1/350 would look odd and out of place. SCALE CONSISTENCY is the most important thing when considering a kit purchase to many ship modellers.So, as I've suggested before, keep the old tooled 1/600 series and release them as "beginner series" kits to allow newbies to cut their teeth on them.Then enter the 1/700 market as a way to test the market for a lot less than tooling 1/350 kits while still producing kits of subjects that remain untooled: For example from WWI the battle of Jutland, HMS Lion/Queen Mary/Tiger could all be done in 1/700 along with the inter war RN cruisers. Restore and add to the 1/350 range, marketing it as "advanced or professional series". Add the new type 26/31 Frigates, WWI and WWII RN submarines. Re-issue the Illustrious class with new parts to allow Invincible and Ark Royal to be modelled at various points in their careers. And the jewel in the crown could be a 1/350 HMS Queen Elizabeth/Prince of Wales, as a flag ship (pun intended 😛) Airfix kit, along with a 1/700 version to boost sales and raise its profile.As for the sailing ship range, these could be re-invigorated by the addition of multimedia: resin, white metal; photo etch, decent rigging material; and a colour booklet with a bit about the vessel, some reproduced paintings and decent illustrations of various aspects of the ships to help modellers build them. The "Classic series" perhaps?Resting the kits in cycles is important too, to allow demographics and modelling interests to catch up.Why go for second place when first prize is in 1/700 and 1/350 scale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Morrison Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 As the OP on this topic I am surprised by the number of comments it has attracted-great to see ships still invoke a degree of passion amongst modellers.However, I must point out that 1/700 and 1/350 are the dominant scales in ship modelling and to produce new tooled kits in 1/600, IMHO , would be a poor business venture. Now, I know there are those who will argue that 1/600 would be a niche market and there would be no competition but this would be counterproductive to re-establishing a place in the ship model market. The number of 1/700 fleets around the world and hence potential sales, would surely outnumber the number of 1/600 fleets and I'd estimate even 1/350 would outnumber 1/600. This leaves a very small segment for 1/600. I for one would not be interested in a 1/600 kit after investing heavily in 1/350.Consider this: Most belligerents' ships from WWII (and to a lesser extent WWI) have been covered by other kit makers in 1/700 and 1/350, while the RN has been sorely overlooked. This situation is slowly changing for the better with more RN kits coming onto the market in recent times. Now, as a ship modeller if I am to expand my fleet and add new tooled RN ships, anything in a scale other than 1/700 or 1/350 would look odd and out of place. SCALE CONSISTENCY is the most important thing when considering a kit purchase to many ship modellers.So, as I've suggested before, keep the old tooled 1/600 series and release them as "beginner series" kits to allow newbies to cut their teeth on them.Then enter the 1/700 market as a way to test the market for a lot less than tooling 1/350 kits while still producing kits of subjects that remain untooled: For example from WWI the battle of Jutland, HMS Lion/Queen Mary/Tiger could all be done in 1/700 along with the inter war RN cruisers. Restore and add to the 1/350 range, marketing it as "advanced or professional series". Add the new type 26/31 Frigates, WWI and WWII RN submarines. Re-issue the Illustrious class with new parts to allow Invincible and Ark Royal to be modelled at various points in their careers. And the jewel in the crown could be a 1/350 HMS Queen Elizabeth/Prince of Wales, as a flag ship (pun intended 😛) Airfix kit, along with a 1/700 version to boost sales and raise its profile.As for the sailing ship range, these could be re-invigorated by the addition of multimedia: resin, white metal; photo etch, decent rigging material; and a colour booklet with a bit about the vessel, some reproduced paintings and decent illustrations of various aspects of the ships to help modellers build them. The "Classic series" perhaps?Resting the kits in cycles is important too, to allow demographics and modelling interests to catch up.Why go for second place when first prize is in 1/700 and 1/350 scale?As most you know by now, I prefer to model sailing ships, especially the warships of the Napoleonic War/ French Revolution, and the Anglo-Dutch Wars. I have said that Airfix once produced the most interesting range of sailing ship model kits that were much better than most other kits of that genre. Indeed, of all the old manufacturers who produced them, only Airfix consistently produced accurate models of historic ships. Heller and Revell were notorious for using the molds of one particular ship, such as HMAV Bounty, making slight modifications and re-releasing it as HMS Beagle, Cutty Sark as Thermopylae, etc. Heller was even more notorious for this practice. Only Airfix stayed true to historic accuracy.That said, I would love to see Airfix take the lead by offering actual new ship models of ships never before manufactured as model kits. Injection-molded plastic would be excellent, as would resin and mixed media kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 HMS Warrior or the SS Great Britain perhaps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebeep Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 However, I must point out that 1/700 and 1/350 are the dominant scales in ship modelling and to produce new tooled kits in 1/600, IMHO , would be a poor business venture. Now, I know there are those who will argue that 1/600 would be a niche market and there would be no competition but this would be counterproductive to re-establishing a place in the ship model market. The number of 1/700 fleets around the world and hence potential sales, would surely outnumber the number of 1/600 fleets and I'd estimate even 1/350 would outnumber 1/600. This leaves a very small segment for 1/600. I for one would not be interested in a 1/600 kit after investing heavily in 1/350........So, as I've suggested before, keep the old tooled 1/600 series and release them as "beginner series" kits to allow newbies to cut their teeth on them........Why go for second place when first prize is in 1/700 and 1/350 scale?I'm with you on this 100%. The same rationale could be applied to the military vehicle range, don't ditch 1/76, but establish a new range in 1/72. A well known competitor did precisely that when they acquired the tooling to the Matchbox 1/76 kits (that are regularly re-released), whilst a new range of 1/72 kits was steadily built up. I think there might be a perception within management that it could trigger considerable backlash from diehard Airfix fans if they were to follow this course. Whenever this has been discussed elsewhere it does tend to provoke strong reactions against the idea, but if you have a brief look at the Hannant's online catalogue it seems pretty clear the the game is up for both 1/76 and 1/600 in their respective genres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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