RussellE

it's harder than you might think to modify the old tooling even though it's metal off. Without access to the original templates used to create the tools (remember these would have been made with pantographs not CAD/CNC) it is very difficult to modify them. Even digitizing the tooling is not an accurate science and has a degree of error which would be unacceptable at our scales... It's often easier just to create a new tool (using CAD/CNC) with today's tech, rather than trying to re-engineer old tooling made with yesterdays tech... In other words, keep plugging for a newly tooled 1/24 spit 😆 Done correctly with today's tech, many Marks could be got from the one set of tools. 😉

yup, 1,000GBP is not much to invest from a corporate POV, the real cost comes when converting those drawings from lines to a fully surfaced 3d CAD model, and then breaking it down into individual parts, then taking those parts and designing an injection molding tool around them. This all happens before steel is even ordered, let alone cut, and the cost of this design process can run into the 10's of thousands of pounds/dollars... 😮 I've shared some pics of my trip to the NMM's KGV builder's model here: http://modelshipwrights.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=features&file=view&artid=4668 BTW the typo on the title picture is not mine 😛 Enjoy 😎

FYI, most of the significant RN vessels' plans are held by the National Maritime Museum (NMM). These are the plans used to construct the vessels of the RN as far back as the mid 1700's. Access to these would eliminate the need to LIDAR any models. The challenge though, is that the NMM charge quite a hefty fee to secure copies of the plans. For a complete set of battleship plans from WWI or WWII you'd need to shell out around 1,000 GBP. How do I know this? Because I asked... 😬 The builder's model of HMS King George V is in the NMM, Greenwich and is 1/48 scale and around 5 metres long! If you ever get the chance, I highly recomend going there just to see this model! It is superb! 😎

Interesting proposal but that brings up an old argument regarding accuracy and fit of models of such vintage. Let's say an excited child (or whoever really) buys an ancient 1/600 model and is disappointed with what's in the box let alone the end build: is he going to try another? If Airfix are going to develop ships then for what it's worth i I do think they should embrace any new popular scale. That said I remember saving my pennies and buying and completing HMS Daring which I quite enjoyed doing, but even then I was disappointed in the small size and tiny fiddly parts. Hi David. I am guessing you're referring to the original 1/600 HMS Daring based on the 1949 class, not the excellent 1/350 Type 45 kit? 😎 Perhaps to avoid any bad experiences for newbies, "extreme vetting" 😉 of the 1/600 range is required to "weed out" any poor fitting or difficult kits and only release those friendly to inexperienced modellers?

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. Agreed Paul-I'm not too familiar with 1/76 but 1/600 is rarely, if at all listed in retailers catalogues.

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?

Hi Nick. Airfix have a Type 45 already in their range, https://www.scalemates.com/kits/142704-airfix-a12203-type-45-destroyer so why would we go somewhere else to get one? I have one in my stash, lined up to be built this year and the LHS has one on the shelf that I'm also considering buying. I'm aware there is a type 45 available from another "brass instrument" player, but having seen the reviews, personally I prefer Airfix's offering. Just hope Airfix bring the 45 back at some point in the near future. 😉

Well, looking at this year's catalogue, it's clear that they've ALL but (3) gone! I am sad to see the recent 1/350 offerings not listed at all. I just hope that when circumstances allow, Airfix can return to this segment, re-releasing the Type 45 along with some new 1/350 kits, for example the upcoming Type 26/31 frigates and the new QE class carriers.

great to see this thread still kicking along-there must be some interest out there in ships then...

Much as I'd like to see the re-release of some of the 1:600 warships. There's only about half a dozen people on this thread who seem interested. 60 posts in 10 weeks isn't exactly indicative of massive interest. I like what Ratch suggested: Keep the original 1/600 series and the original sailing ship series as "entry level/kitstarter" kits to encourage newbies/younglings into the hobby-done at minor expense since the tooling already exists. And then expanding the fledgeling 1/350 range and rebranding it as say, "advanced level" for the more experienced modellers. Currenlty consisting of the Type 45, Trafalgar class and the Illustrious class, careful selection of topics may include the new OPV's, QE CV's and the type 26/31. These are highly visible on the public radar (for good or bad) whilst not directly competing in the same market segments far east model companies seem to be proliferating. 😀

I know, right? 😆 From one inncoent little question wondering where the ships had gone, to a healthy debate about whether or not ships are still a popular topic to model. Great to see! 😎

Having read through the ensuing comments, I think I need to clarify my original question: Airfix have many ships in their tool bank, but why are only a few available? If they want to be seen as a kit maker that offers ships shouldn't they offer them available as pre-order even if they are not currently available? This applies especially to the newer 1/350 scale kits as this is the preferred scale of most ship modellers nowadays and should be the scale of choice for any new ship toolings by Airfix!

Therein lies the problem: if you don't make a serious effort to be "seen" as a contender in a particular market segment (in this specific case RN 1/350 warships), and if it looks like you're giving it up, then potential customers won't even bother to look into whether or not you can service their needs/wants and will automatically go elsewhere. Airfix of the 60's and 70's was known for more than just planes-their 1/600 ship range was fairly popular. Where tools for ships already exist, whether they be sailing, 1/600 or 1/350 it is not the huge outlay to mold more product that new tools cost. In fact, molding more product allows you to recoup more of the initial tooling cost by garnering sales. Given financial circumstances at the moment, I can see why new tooling would be avoided, but why remove almost every vessel from the range shown on this website, even if currently unavailable? Surely the "pre-order" button on unavailable kits would serve to let the public know, Airfix are still serious about this market segment? If it can be done for other kits in the range that are currently out of stock, why not ships?

Indeed F111-C dude, ships are the most complex models to design/tool/and build, but people still do design/tool/buy and build them. Jonathon Mock, I agree with William Morrison. We can't be expected to buy in volume kits that have been around for decades. Airfix made some promising progress entering the 1/350 market with 3 kits, but 2 of which are now missing from the range? As an avid ship modeller, my scale of preference is 1/350, as are most other ship modellers these days-poll after poll proving this. There are huge gaps in the 1/350 market in terms of the RN, but I feel Airfix have missed a golden opportunity in this segment. The market has been crying out for years for a 1/350 Ark Royal (WW2) and now Merit have just released one. If sales are good (which they appear to be as almost everyone I know in the modelling community has one in the stash or on pre-order) you can bet Merit (or Trumpeter) will follow up with more. Having said that, there's still plenty of "pie" to slice up in the 1/350 RN market: HMS Furious/Courageous/Glorious; all the escort carriers from WW2; pre-dreadnoughts and WWI grand fleet ships; all the light fleet carriers post WW2 including HMS Hermes of Falkands fame (and still extant in service as INS Viraat); Ark Royal IV/Implacable; Illustrious and Implacable classes from WW2; Type 42 Destroyers; Type 26 frigates; County class cruisers; Leander class cruisers... and the jewel in the crown, the Queen Elizabeth class carriers. Now, I understand that Airfix's design department is infinitely small and to produce a ship model requires a huge amount of rescources, but there are ways around this: Release modern ships where CAD and drawings and extant examples exist; outsource the CAD work and so on (Dragon do this). Airfix have proven this can be done otherwise there would be no Illustrious/Daring/Trafalgar kits. If Airfix don't enter this market segment, you can bet someone else will-and that's precisely the point I'm trying to make: if you don't have the product range, how can you achieve the sales? 😎

Okay Mr Airfix what's going on? You showed such promising signs by entering the 1/350 market with the Daring Class destroyers, Trafalgar class subs, and the lusty and the 1/700 Titanic. But now it seems this has all gone out the window and there's nothing but a handful of ancient 1/600 kits and the sailing ship range. Come on Mr Airfix, time to get back in the game and get those 1/350 kits back in the stores. Sure keep the 1/600 stuff for the nostalgia, but give us the 1/350 range!