Aftermarket parts and decals

[Ratch]

Going off on a tangent because it seems an OK place to suggest it have Airfix themselves not considered doing more "after market parts" sold apart from the kits?

I know you can get most things on eBay or other sources but potentially Airfix are missing out on revenue. "German tail insignia" sold from a UK website in context shouldn't be an issue if they allow pics of their models with other makers decals added.

I've often wondered why when Airfix do such good decals do they repeatedly re-box the same kit rather than just release decal sheets and do a longer production run with the same box. The 1/72 Spitfire Va was a perfect example. Its just a Spit IIa with different decals. Why not just issue the decals? Equally why do one box with a Blenheim 1 bomber and another box with the Blenheim 1 fighter when you have the parts to do either in both issues. Really all you need are additional decals that could be sold here. The cost of the different boxes and more shorter production runs must add cost to the kits. 

I've struggled sometimes finding extra ordanance. The 1/72 Wellington comes with 6x 250lb bombs but can take 18 (a Swordfish helped me out with 6 extra bombs). A sprue of British general purpose 250 and 500lb bombs would be handy. Ditto the new Buccanneer: you can have an open bomb bay but no bombs provided. A small sprue of British 1000lb bombs would be really useful especially with the new tool Vulcan on the way. That could take A LOT of 1000 pounders. Resin bombs are outrageously expensive compared to the cost of a a full aircraft kit (literally you can buy a 1/72 spitfire for less than a few Brassin resin bombs) and often don't look as good as injection moulded ones anyway.

Likewise I find airfix pilots very good quality for the price. Being able to buy a dozen hard plastic crew could be really useful especially for aircraft that don't routinely come with crew. 

 

[Ratch]

Airfix's policy is that these subjects are best covered by the Cottage Industries and do not offer a significat return for them. Airfix decals are produced by Cartograf, Airfix buy them in, they are not produced by Airfix themselves. They did dabble with PE for the Operation Herrick 1/48 vehicles but don't expect any figures on their viability.

[peebeep]

I think it's simply a business model that doesn't work for them. It's been tried before by them and my impression was that it was not exactly successful. If your strength is producing a good basic kit, it's perhaps best to stick with your strength? Decals used to be a huge gripe in days gone by, even in the early days after the Hornby acquisition of the company, it's now become a strong selling point. And why sell the customer a decal sheet when you can sell them a whole kit? It's basic marketing. I doubt Airfix would do accessories piecemeal, it's something you have to pile resources into for small returns. Where it does work is when you can do a package, such as the resupply sets. Missing out on revenue, how? If your organisation is geared up and maxed out to churn out complete kits there's no capacity for doing accessories, you'd have to plough resources into it. I would imagine their business plan and model is hitting all the targets and there's no need to modify it.

[Peter s]

Thats probably their logic too. I've spent a small fortune on Xtradecals though.... Hannants have had a lot of revenue pass through their books. 

I bought the resupply set for my Lancaster as the Lanc was big enough to justify it & I quite like building the vehicles. You're not going to spend that to get a couple of bombs to convert a Spit into a fighter bomber though. I've just searched for "1/72 1000lb bomb" on eBay and got very little. I did find a single 500lb bomb for £5.25 plus £3.00 shipping. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EDB672121-Eduard-Brassin-1-72-Spitfire-500lb-Bomb-Set-Eduard/193407339378?epid=7012046058&hash=item2d07f9cb72:g:tiYAAOSw3BBehgbu

Forget that! Its more than a whole Spit kit.

Thats why I think there's a market for a smaller simpler set of extra bombs. As I said from my projects the two I've found hard to source in affordable quantity are British post war 1000lb bombs and Brit WW2 250lb ones. If you want to do a Black Buck Vulcan you'll need something like 18x 1000lb bombs. I've got a few surplus from the F4 (built with the rocket option) but another 4 F4s is an expensive way of getting bombs  😆 

[Ratch]

Peter, you've just demonstrated that there is a market, but at a cost.

[peebeep]

WWII 250/500lb bombs

 

Post WWII 1000lb bombs

 

Every time this question crops up I think if it were a money spinner they'd be doing it, but they don't, therefore it's not likely to be a money spinner. Or it might take too many resources away from the main objective.

[Peter s]

This is me very much having the benefit of hindsight.... multiple airfix kits now use or could very easily use the British 1000lb bomb. Buccaneer, Phantom, Hawk, Harrier and I think its the same bomb on the A4 (And someone at Airfix HQ must be wondering about a new tool 1/72 Hunter surely?) If the bombs / matra pods were an individual sprue with only the bombs and matras on them (and airfix do do small sprues) you wouldn't need to include them in the individual kit toolings. 

I think Paul Brown is right and clearly the sums don't add up. I picked up a "high tech weapons pack Airfix" made in the mid 90s on eBay which even had PE in it. They have made extras in the past but the drawback with that set was the sheer size of it. You had about 4 of every weapon NATO made. Pricey if you just want a few extras. They were well made extras though.

 

Ps Thanks for the David J Parkins link. I used to use his Firing line 120mm stuff a lot 10 years back. He was a nice guy and made good models. 

[peebeep]

I picked up a couple of the weapons sets before they became collectible, subsequently you have to pay a premium if you want one now. I've always been in the habit of saving any unused weapons for the spares box, one of these days I met get around to making up some moulds for casting in resin. The advent of 3D printing makes production of scale weapons at home quite feasible and some of the aftermarket guys are using it.

[Peter s]

Me too. My battle of Britain project means two Blenheims done as fighters. Thats 4x Brit 500lb bombs in the box. I did the old JU88 A4 earlier in lockdown, didn't like the look of the bombs in the kit and re-armed it with 4x 500kg donated by 2 new tool Bf110s. I've seen some incredible 3D printed models on eBay... entire Thor and Bloodhound missiles. General purpose bombs should be childs play for those guys.