Quality?

[david_roscoe]

Will the older kits be of the same quality or can the tooling be improved to reflect the quality of more recent kits.  I would like to see a Wellington bomber released but would expect a certain standard of model build!  Any thoughts?

[Ratch]

Basically no, the tooling can't be improved. You'll get the quality of the state of the moulds today. If you ask for the Airfix Wellington or B-17 to be reissued for example, bear in mind that these moulds were retired because they were worn out. Something that only had a short run previously (like the 1/12 Boy Scout) should be in a decent condition, although the tooling will be of its time (1960s).

[Nickkk]

I think the packaging of ANY of Airfix's older kits should make VERY clear the age of the original moulds.  Revell seem to manage this with much of the ex Matchbox stuff, and their History Makers / SSR issues in more recent times.  Easy to do, and rather less misleading than a nice new airbrushed box art.  The 1/32 Aston Martin springs to mind here as marketed as a starter, with paints etc, and a nice picture, but an awful lot of work to get anything like a presentable finish - definitely would put off a first time buyer!

[Nickkk]

I think the packaging of ANY of Airfix's older kits should make VERY clear the age of the original moulds.  Revell seem to manage this with much of the ex Matchbox stuff, and their History Makers / SSR issues in more recent times.  Easy to do, and rather less misleading than a nice new airbrushed box art.  The 1/32 Aston Martin springs to mind here as marketed as a starter, with paints etc, and a nice picture, but an awful lot of work to get anything like a presentable finish - definitely would put off a first time buyer!

[C G W Bailey]

Why not re-issue the KitStarter versions in replicas of the original packaging?  This should make the age clear.  Anything that needed to be added to comply with current legislation/marketing policy could be added to the rear/bottom of the packs.

[Simon Jones1707820293]

Why not re-issue the KitStarter versions in replicas of the original packaging?  This should make the age clear.  Anything that needed to be added to comply with current legislation/marketing policy could be added to the rear/bottom of the packs.

 

 The original 70s Roy Cross style artwork would bring me in!  I wonder if Airfix still holds the rights?

 

[Gadfly]

It's becoming clear that Airfix's concept for kit starter is to run a relatively low cost project to reissue older kits with the minimum of fuss. 

 

The more stuff we ask for such as box artwork new decal schemes new parts etc makes the cost of producing the kits more expensive. For a limited run concept this means the unit price just rises. If it becomes too expensive then folk won't back it.  At some point the cost of the Kitstarter reissue is more expensive than the price of an older issue in the open market. 

[Flakjumper]

Basically no, the tooling can't be improved. You'll get the quality of the state of the moulds today. If you ask for the Airfix Wellington or B-17 to be reissued for example, bear in mind that these moulds were retired because they were worn out. Something that only had a short run previously (like the 1/12 Boy Scout) should be in a decent condition, although the tooling will be of its time (1960s).

I dont have a problem with this.Im buying up front knowing its old and I live with it (or out comes the filler etc).In an ideal world all the moulds will be cleaned up. I dont expect everything to be perfect,thats part of the charm for me.

If costs were cut further and it came in a bag with a similar top sheet even better!

£ is the bottom line. I dont have the spending power I once had,Airfix needs the money to keep producing anything....especially if made in the UK.The question is can we get a price people will pay? I hope so

 

 

[Harold Twerp]

Airfix are cutting every imaginable costs, wherever possible. They produce NOTHING NEW that can be faintly regarded as NEW, as in Modern for a start.  They should just pack all their troubled stock in an old plastic Kit Bag, and not dare to even smile as they march off, and this Marque disappears for good.

It's the Customer that counts or they won't get sales. The number of posts on 70% of the comments I've read on the suggestions for Kits on this venture, are all BEGGING for re-tooling. We should all know and realise by now that Airfix is defunct. 

What once was a highly educational experience has gone with our pasts. Another "great?" British institution gobbled up by more advanced and forward-thinking competitors. With certain exceptions, even THOSE providers are consumed by cost-cuts and the Customer is NOT getting what they want or would normally expect.