david evans1707819943 Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Pease excuse my yearly rant. I expect no new Queen Elizabeth carrier again in 2023. It's such a tragedy after are much respected and loved monarch has passed away. Surely it would be a fitting to have the Royal Navy flag ship modelled in her honour even in 1/700 scale. But I suppose yet another Spitfire is going to be newly kitted again. If Airfix is going to as usual produce aircraft kits a Jaguar GR3 or a new Typhoon GR4 would be welcomed. I'll as usual have to wait for a foreign manufacturer to produce a model of Q E class carrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurricane Boy Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Hi Dave Are you getting ahead of yourself or do you know something I don’t about the 2023 Airfix releases?Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david evans1707819943 Posted January 5, 2023 Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 Hello Tim,Just something I overheard on the Airfix stand at Telford. The staff were saying it was far too large to produce in 1/350. And the previous models that had been displayed were scratch built from different kits from different plastics. Also it's not commercially viable during these times. So we will be treated to classic ship releases from the sixties I supposeRegards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurricane Boy Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Hi Dave Thanks for sharing your sources. So it does not sound likely. A 1/350th or 1/600th QE received a fair amount of support on the Wishlist section of the forum for certain.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 This is old news. The model at Telford was totally scratch-built by Dave Coventry (founder of the Airfix Tribute Forum). I was told that the hull for QE was too big to reproduce in 1/350 so I suggested 1/600 (the best scale for ships). If Airfix had not done any development on this project before the passing of her majesty, then it won't be forthcoming in 2023. If they had, it will be announced in January 10th. Not long to wait now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailorman Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 Looking forward to see what's in the magician's hat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham_walker1 Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 1/600 is dead scale for a long time now and it will never come back only fossils would want it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 This fossil still builds 1/600 ships. Not everyone has room for 1/350 juggernauts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebeep Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 Not everyone has room for 1/350 juggernauts. The writing was on the wall for 1/600 years ago, 1/700 is the accepted smaller scale. Even Matchbox embraced it back in the seventies. Airfix are caught between a rock and a hard place because of their extensive back catalogue, whilst establishing a new range at 1/700 would take time. They could make a start with a 1/700 QE class carrier. wink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 Everyone I know says the parts are too small in 1/700. I won't buy in that scale. I may be a nautical dinosaur but 1/600 is the scale for me. Other manufacturers do ships in that scale. Matchbox used to do ships in 1/570 too - should we look on that as a perspicacious move? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebeep Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 I get where you're at, but the fact is that 1/700 is where it's at and has been for some time. If you want an idea of the state of play do a search on Hannant's, first for 1/600 and then 1/700. The latter overwhelmingly prevail in numbers. The kits I've got and a couple I've built in 1/700 have never struck me as overly problematical in respect of parts size, but obviously that's a personal thing. The only non 1/700 kits released in Matchbox boxes (apart from the corvette) are from the time when Revell held the Matchbox title/rights and are not Matchbox tooling. The rights expired some time ago and nowadays Revell release all the Matchbox tooling they own as their own brand. According to the listing in my little Matchbox bible there were two 1/720 Revell tooled kits released as Matchbox products, the USS Arizona and USS Franklin. I'd be interested to know if there were others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 10, 2023 Share Posted January 10, 2023 Just because the Japanese flooded the market with 1/700 doesn't make it attractive to me. They generally don't kit subjects I want, so I have no interest in their corrupted scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david evans1707819943 Posted January 10, 2023 Author Share Posted January 10, 2023 Told you so very disappointed againDave Evans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven_kerfoot Posted January 10, 2023 Share Posted January 10, 2023 If you look for them, there are some 1/600 kits out there in addition to Airfix. However, 1/700 will be favoured by most given it is half the size of the 1/350. 1/600 will always platy second fiddle to 1/700, just as 1/400 has to 1/350. Given that I make kits in all those scales I can't see the problem, but as I'm often lectured, can't make kits that are too niche and worldwide 1/600 certain equates to being niche. Weird that some who lecture the niche argument can't accept it when it comes to their own particular peccadillos.But I digress. You won't get a 1/350 carrier Queen Elizabeth/Prince of Wales from Airfix. For the company, even the type 45 destroyer and HMS Illustrious n 1/350 were a struggle, and you can see that from the lack of detail on the latter in particular. Had they the vision, they'd have made a base kit that could have been added to for all three ships of the Invincible class, instead they produced the Lusty as she finally appeared and if you look at that kit it would be all but impossible to convert to the other ships, or the Illustrious with Sea Dart, etc.So too big to produce the QE/POW in 1/350? I have a 1/350 Nimitz, Enterprise and a few other leviathans of the USN, plus the Russian/Chinese carrier started before the Cold War ended, so these ships can be made in 1/350, but it won't be by Airfix. Watch Trumpeter, after all, they made the RN cruisers over the last few years and on this very site I suggested Airfix could make those mid-sized ships in 1/350 and sell them to so many people crying out for ships from the Senior Service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 10, 2023 Share Posted January 10, 2023 My oh my Steven, you certainly have a big and persistent chip on your shoulder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven_kerfoot Posted January 10, 2023 Share Posted January 10, 2023 My oh my Steven, you certainly have a big and persistent chip on your shoulder. Sorry, call out to a moderator, no insults of a personal nature thanks. Can't be having that. Oh, you are a moderator, go figure :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 10, 2023 Share Posted January 10, 2023 I get it - you need someone you perceive to be in authority to rail against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven_kerfoot Posted January 10, 2023 Share Posted January 10, 2023 I get it - you need someone you perceive to be in authority to rail against. You're a moderator on a forum for Airfix, and yet you see yourself as an authority figure? Oh dear..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 No Steven, you seem to see me as that. I just mentioned once that I didn't see your pet project as mainstream. Get over it. We cannot all want the same things, accept that others' views may differ from your own. I do not work for Airfix. I'm a modeller like everyone else here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven_kerfoot Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 No Steven, you seem to see me as that. I just mentioned once that I didn't see your pet project as mainstream. Get over it. We cannot all want the same things, accept that others' views may differ from your own. I do not work for Airfix. I'm a modeller like everyone else here. Nice to be told what I think. Sorry I'm not engaging in your little rant or telling you what to do, not my style. I've seen your models...best leave it at that. Chin-chin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 Thanks for the compliment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven_kerfoot Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 Thanks for the compliment. I meant every word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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