I wish Airfix produce more Gerry Anderson model kits?

[marty_hopkirk]

Originally Posted by TV21Dalek

I wonder what ever happened to the moulds for the Airfix Stingray kit? Also what happened to the moulds for the old Kitmaster Fireball... would Airfix have bought those tools as well the trains and diorama models?

Lost or destroyed eons ago.

Originally Posted by Angelo

Airfix will stick to what they know will sell.
They have 26Spitfires in their current catalogue.
Some of them are the same model just in different boxes.
They will only invest in what they know will sell.
Unfortunately those of us who would love to see new science fiction kits from them are out numbered by those after Spitfires, Messerchmits, Heinkels, Lancasters, etc.
There is a long list of aircraft waiting to be kitted that will always take prescidence over Angels, SHADO Mobiles, SID, and so on.

Correct, furthermore Aoshima have a track record in sci-fi, Airfix don't. Also the Japanese market is entirely different to the UK and European ones. I wouldn't be holding out any hope of seeing new sc-fi tools from Airfix. Whilst it would be possible to back engineer both Stingray and Fireball XL-5 it's not far off the same cost of a brand new tool, I wouldn't be holding my breath on this happening.

Marty...

[TV21Dalek]

I know what you mean about the Japanese market being different.

Yodabashi Camera in Akihabara has a model department bigger than most model shops, and they have two entire, long aisles dedicated to Gundam kits alone, with other shelves shared out between other mecha and anime kits.
Western SF TV and movie kits are pretty much limited to Star Wars, Moebius and the odd Round 2 release.

The rest of the store is the usual military, aircraft, naval and cars, with a healthy model railway section, plus collector models. When I go there it's easy to lose track of time

[Swine Flu]

I think we should re -name this tread 'Spitfire Corner'

[MADsen]

Have any one contacted Airfix direct ??

Just to see if they might do some reissues of some classical models..

[Angelo]

I have contacted Airfix a number of times through their website's "Contact Us" feature, and they have never replied!
I remember speaking to the Airfix Rep in my local model shop just before they went bust the last time.
They had just released the 72nd TSR-2 () He said he thought it was a bad idea, and a bad kit, and predicted that the company would go under.
He also said that in the twenty years plus he has worked for them, he never understood how they decided what to produce or re-release.
The reps are encouraged to get the opinions and wishes of the customers, but then Airfix ignore them or produce some off the wall item, such as the Wallace and Gromit stuff.

[MADsen]

Hi Angelo


Thats sad too hear....


I thought a big company as Airfix, was interrested in customers opinions and wishes ....

[MkIXHawk]

Ot's odd you had no response -I've always found them top be very helpful. They told me that the Eagle and Hawk Tools were owned by someone else and that the Tooling for Starcruiser 1 had been sold off when Humbrol went Bankrupt

[marty_hopkirk]

What is there to re-issue?

Marty...

[MkIXHawk]

Cosmic Clipper, Flying Saucer (if the tooling wasn't scrapped/sold off) and the 2001 Orion Spaceplane but since the Moebius issue, I would have thought the market would be much smaller PLUS, MGM would probably still demand licensing fees

[Angelo]

Originally Posted by MkIXHawk

MGM would probably still demand licensing fees

There is no doubt about that!
Boeing demands licensing fees for stuff they built in the 30s!

[TV21Dalek]

The TSR2 was actually a pretty good kit, and the current crop of new-tool airfix kits are as good as any recent offerings from Revell or Italeri. For Airfix to have any impact on the market they'd need to be excellent. They can't keep churning out the same 40+ years old kits.

Airfix need to tie up with Carlton and Granada Ventures and give us some classic models. US companies produce modern kits from 1960s TV series (NEW kits, not re-issues) so why can't Airfix?

Can you imagine an Angel produced in true 1/72 scale with the same care that they lavished on the Sea Vixen? a 1/72 Mole to the same standard as the recent Bedford twin set?
Imagine a Spectrum Saloon with a nice interior? An SPV with no gimmicky door, a 1/48 Thunderbird 4... We can dream hahaha

[Angelo]

[quote=TV21Dalek;329227]The TSR2 was actually a pretty good kit, [quote]

Did you (attempt) to build the same kit that I did?!
Blasted thing only fitted where it touched
Yes, their new stuff is good, I am excited about their 48th Lynxs, and they are slowly re-tooling their older stuff, Swordfish, Zero, Gnat(!!), but it boils down to economics.
They are under enough pressure to produce stuff that actually existed, and have been stung when they go off to do stuff like Wallace & Grommit, Dr Who etc.
If you look back over their history, you will see models in their catalogue that outside the UK may never have been heard of, but they keep on producing it, ie the Stirling, Hallifax, and other obscure(to non UK modellers) types.
I do not think we will ever see Airfix produce any new models from Gerry Anderson (Feel free to prove me wrong Airfix)

If we want to see new injection moulded mainstream releases of Science fiction models, we would have to look to the far east model companies.
Imai, out of the blue, released the wonderful 1/350th Thunderbird 2. Then stopped.

[TV21Dalek]

Imai also reissued their FAB1 with an accurate interior, proper hubcaps and resin figures of Parker and Lady P... oh and the canopy was clear, not blue-tinted. They also did a decent larger scale Mole.

(I bought the anime (Stratos 4 - as in the German vier, making it Stratosphere... nice pun) version and it seemed okay to me. Not up to Tamiya fit quality but hey. )

[Glenn Allen]

I think the reason Airfix have not re-issued those kits is , The U.K. market and Numbers ... money wise , set up and production , Airfix would have to produce a large number of each kit , say a 1000 ... would they be able to sell a 1000 kits , maybe .. I find it very hard to find Sci Fi kits in my local model shop , In Japan there is a huge market for these type of kits .. Thankfully we have Garage kits here in the U.K.

[marty_hopkirk]

Originally Posted by MkIXHawk

Cosmic Clipper, Flying Saucer (if the tooling wasn't scrapped/sold off) and the 2001 Orion Spaceplane but since the Moebius issue, I would have thought the market would be much smaller PLUS, MGM would probably still demand licensing fees

Not a lot then. I don't recall the flying saucer myself, was that an Airfix kit? As you say the Moebius Space Clipper has made the re-issue of the Airfix one superfluous and redundant. There is also a debate around if the models per-se from 2001 were ever subject to copyright. Experts like Scott Alexander say the models are not, but any film tie graphics and links to the movie are. Airfix in any of their incarnation of the kit have never mentioned the movie - so this would support Scott's view and it would appear it does not need licensing.

Originally Posted by TV21Dalek

The TSR2 was actually a pretty good kit, and the current crop of new-tool airfix kits are as good as any recent offerings from Revell or Italeri. For Airfix to have any impact on the market they'd need to be excellent. They can't keep churning out the same 40+ years old kits.

Airfix need to tie up with Carlton and Granada Ventures and give us some classic models. US companies produce modern kits from 1960s TV series (NEW kits, not re-issues) so why can't Airfix?

Can you imagine an Angel produced in true 1/72 scale with the same care that they lavished on the Sea Vixen? a 1/72 Mole to the same standard as the recent Bedford twin set?
Imagine a Spectrum Saloon with a nice interior? An SPV with no gimmicky door, a 1/48 Thunderbird 4... We can dream hahaha

It would be nice, but ain't gonna happen - Airfix have made thier direction quite clear and sci-fi is way down list to the point it has allbut but dropped off the bottom.

Marty...

[Angelo]

Originally Posted by marty_hopkirk

Not a lot then. I don't recall the flying saucer myself, was that an Airfix kit?
Marty...

Nothing to get excited over I'm afraid

[Glenn Allen]

I remember this , cut one up for detailing on a another kit..

[Swine Flu]

isn't the TSR2 kit a partnership between Airfix & a Japanese manufacturer?
As it's also from an cartoon series.
Think that the future is to work with another kit producer like they did with Fundimensions in the 70's
Also would love to see some Joe90 hardware such as the MIG, dynamite truck & hover tank which I think would appeal to military modellers

[FALLINGSTAR]

Originally Posted by Angelo

Nothing to get excited over I'm afraid

Actually - I've got that saucer and it's quite nice. It seems to have had a bad rap over the years which I think is unfair.

I'd like to see that reissued and the Cosmic Clipper too.

[FALLINGSTAR]

Originally Posted by TV21Dalek

Imai also reissued their FAB1 with an accurate interior, proper hubcaps and resin figures of Parker and Lady P... oh and the canopy was clear, not blue-tinted. They also did a decent larger scale Mole.

(I bought the anime (Stratos 4 - as in the German vier, making it Stratosphere... nice pun) version and it seemed okay to me. Not up to Tamiya fit quality but hey. )

You're most probably aware but Imai also released a newly tooled accurate Fab 1 as well.

Then the moulds were bought by Aoshima. Some people I've told this too have been very surprised when I've told them, and they didn't realise there was a much more accurate Fab 1 than the old motorised version available - so I thought I'd mention it just in case.