2ndRateMind

Yeah, I agree with all of this. But why are niche markets, niche? Because they are not marketed/supported/evangelised by the major players, like Airfix. And why not? Because they are niche. It's a chicken and egg thing, and my suggestions were aimed at putting together a coherent, consistent offering among all scales. Maybe some will end up needing to be dropped, as unprofitable. But I still contend that Airfix is better off looking at what the market(s) is/are buying, before deciding their production, than looking at all their tired old tools and bringing zombie products back from the dead. And, this was the sentiment that caused me to start this thread, not a hankering after any particular scale. Best wishes, 2RM.

Indeed. Anyone who has served in the forces will know that war is 90% boredom, 10% action. At most! And, I should declare an interest. My grandfather served on an MTB during the second war. It would be a small tribute to his gallantry to model his command. Cheers, 2RM

Interesting about the 1/32nd scale figures. I didn't know that. As for scales, I think we need be specific around 1/72nd, 1/76th, etc. As I understand the issue: HO scale is 1/87th. OO scale is 1/72nd, but adapted to run on HO track. The Airfix miniatures are 1/72nd. My own inclination, given to tearing down the mistakes of the past and rebuilding on solid foundations, is inclined towards ignoring 1/87th and standardising on 1/72nd. Including the track. I don't see any issue that commends 1/76th, for any reason. As for soldiers in hard plastic, in 1/72nd scale. Other manufacturers have done it. And I have enough faith in Airfix to think that they could do it too, and better. Thanks for a useful contribution, Jonathan. Best, 2RM.

Yes, I do. Fighting soldiers are attractive toys, but limited in their diorama potential. Best, 2RM.

So, this is a strategy thing. I understand the desire to maximise revenue out of old tools, and re-release old models, but the world has moved on, since then. So; I commend the following ideas to you, for your criticism and improvement. 1. Look at what Tamiya did with 1/35th scale, drop 1/32nd, and build kits and figures to complement. 2. Expand the modern 1/48th range. A 'Prince Harry' Apache helicopter would be a good start. So would be a challenger tank. And some Taliban insurgents, and 'technical' trucks with mounted armaments. 3. Do some stuff in 1/56th 28mm scale. Loads of scope here in bothe the historical and fantasy realms. 4a. Drop the polythene plastic for the 1/72nd figures, and make them again in multipart hard plastic, which is more readily modelled/converted/painted. 4b Make some nice HO/OO buildings for railways, together with a whole load of civilian diorama pieces. 5. Do some stuff in 1/150th N Scale 6. Do some stuff in 1/220th Z scale 7. Do some stuff in 1/300th 'micro armour' scale. 8. Above all, do not repeat the failed experiments of the past. Best wishes, 2RM.