New kit announceents

[Ratch]

What do we think about the recent spate of new kit announcements?

Not so long back the range of products for the year was announced in January with the launch of the new catalogue. By this we could work out which products were being withdrawn from the range, but after the initial excitement, modellers went into months of when will we get it / why haven't we got it type posts. i suspect some of (if not all) the non-catalogue announcements have brought new excitement in the modelling community - or has it?

[null_null981707818191]

Certainly the release as a Vintage Classic of the SRN-1 seems to have caused a definite frisson in terms of orders. And I guess releasing non-catalogue items could be deemed to be exciting... What I'd be interested in however is somehow working out whether there was any significant correlation between Wish Lists (as posted on this Forum) and new releases - whether out-of-the-blue or in the catalogue. Assuming that the forum members who post are reasonably representative of the Airfix modelling demographic, then one would hope that some of the wish-list items that crop up repeatedly might get to the top of the designer/developer 'pile' - but they don't seem to to do so... or am I missing something?

That notwithstanding, new models are of course to be welcomed!

[Shaughan]

I’ve ordered the hovercraft. One that escaped me originally. I am liking the fact that surprises happen during the year. That’s the big kid in me.

[Hendrix-367468]

looking for more Europe and Britain's latest warplanes sunglasses

[Ratch]

looking for more Europe and Britain's latest warplanes sunglasses

 

 

Let's not turn this topic into another Wish List. It's about whether you think that the additional announcements (regardless of the actual kit) are a good idea.

[Matthias Muth]

Everyday a little bit Christmas.

For me it was nice to see some kits a re back (SRN 1) or new (Sea King).

So I hope for more of these surprises.

Matthias

aka modelldoc

[Richard-368268]

I like the idea of them, none have come out so far that I've wanted, but if something did then that would be great. The only problem I suppose is that if I'm after a plane that they haven't announced and haven't made in the past then if I really want it I'll get it from somewhere else, then if they were to announce it then I might have already got it from somewhere else, and i prefer to buy Airfix, All the best,

Rich :)

[Sailorman]

I'm a bit of an Airfix "vintage kit" builder myself. Looking through the vintage kit releases I find I have almost all of them but when I see a kit I missed when I was young it gets me wanting to buy it! So yes, I look forward to these releases.

Be warned - I may swoon when the Free Enterprise Ferry makes an appearance!!

[István-369048]

I like the idea of them. However, I don't think I will get them.

[John Symmons]

Great to see some of these vintage classics being re-released, also Airfix again going very left-field with their choices of subjects, like the Artic Auster and the SRN1 hovercraft (you can't get further left-field than the SRN1). The hovercraft was even left-field when originally released, it might not have been ever ones choice, but it did initially sell by the bucket load, probably because it was simply Airfix, as boys back then collected Airfix irrespective of the subject, as I suspect they still do to this day, but at the time it was very relevant and a lot was expected of it. Another British first, but alas! One thing both these kit did is made us modelers, slash, aviation enthusiasts aware that there was more to aviation than just WW1 biplanes, Spitfires Hurricanes and Messerschmitts. I do fondly remember building both these kits especially the Auster and especially with the choice of undercarriage, great idea back then. I'm very tempted to get three of them to make all three versions. Two other recent vintage classic releases I was very tempted with and, actually make up into beautiful little models, are the Hs 123 (see my review Bully Boys from several years ago) and the 1930's Bristol Bulldog biplane, thoroughly recommended.

So Airfix keep up the good work and the surprizes, shades of the beginning of the month in the 50's and 60's when Airfix would release a new model every month without giving any prior notice of the subject matter; surprize surprize. I still remember the anticipation of the 1 hour walk to Woolworths; to save the bus fair; in case the new model was a 3/- series 2; to see what Airfix had given us this month. I'm still waiting for the re-release of the Hawker Hart, as there's a definite dearth of late 1920's and 1930's aircraft (Except from Heller) so how about a re-release of the SB4a and the DH 88 or even better a retooling especially the 88, both these aircraft being essential to the development of the Spitfire and the Mosquito. Still we can live in hope and look forward to some more surprises.

Oh! The anticipation!. It's almost giving me a heart attack just thinking about it.

Remember we do this for fun. John the Pom

 

[john redman]

I think it's a good idea because it keeps you coming back to the website to see what's up. The recent choices, Bond Bug and SRN1, are spot on - a bit left field and absent from the catalogue for a long, long time.

The latter feature is the one most likely to make me buy them.

I was impressed with the Bug that they retooled the lost transparency sprue to enable a reissue, and even put wrinkles in the sidescreens because the originals were just clear vinyl. I've not seen a build of the Hovercraft yet but this is one I haven't built since I was about 6 so it really takes me back...

[jopres57]

I'm all for having unexpected kit releases, it definitely adds a bit of extra interest to the hobby. It would be good to see more Vintage Classics, perhaps including six to twelve limited run products over the year.