With thier recent apparent demise I thought it appropriate for a little homage…
We all have built them, but how well do we know them?
Identify this kit…
Oo! I know I know!
TSR.2, right!
Where’s the wings?
I dont think i have ever built one of there kits. Buy i’ll agree with thehannaman[:D]
TSR.2, easy one though tbh[:D]
Do I feel an Airfix GB coming on…?
How many folks out there have built and rebuilt and built again the airfix Tigermoth? I know as a kid I built at least one every 6 months just because.
Might be fun! I’m game.
Of course Airfix might say “Thanks guys. We coulda used a big GB 6 months ago though!” LOL
Done!
If the Airfix GB becomes a go, I’ll enter with a 1/72 IL-28 Beagle.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
The GB sounds interesting but I’ve never built an Airfix kit before… Can someone recommend a good WWII bird in 1/48th? I’ll see if I can get my hands on one.
I have missed this, what happened to them?
Matt,
Humbrol, Airfix’s owner, went into adminstration due to “severe cash flow pressures” and a disruption in supplies from its main manufacturer in France.
See the full story:
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1862483,00.html
They certainly were never up to Tamigawa standards, but they produced many subjects that nobody else ever released.
Hope that someone buys all their molds and releases what they can.
I have never done a group build before but this idea for Airfix is one I would join in.
I have been building them since the early 70’s and have at least 50 in my stash. Just got to love
the variations and odd subjects they offered.
Count me in.
Steve.
Well, that stinks. I really liked their kits, they’re not detailed or aything, but they are fun to build and display. Their B-17G, C-47, He-111H-4, and about 10 Spitfires/Me-109s are above me as I write.
But, I think the brand name is too valuable to lose, so they’ll probably be back up in a few months.
The Spitfire F.22/24 is probably the best, the new Eduard Spitfire F.22/24 is in fact a re-boxing of the Airfix kit, but with PE, masks, etc by Eduard.
The Airfix 1/48 Kittyhawk, and one of their Spits (can’t remember which) are actually Arii kits, reboxed.
The Buccaneer, the Lightening, the Mosquito, all excellent 1/48 kits too. Others too, but that’s something to be getting on with.
Also hope that they will be back in a few months. They are a brand that I grew up with & are part of my childhood.
For all some of their kits being basic, their 1/24th scale Superkits were years ahead of their time.
Thankfully have got myself a fair stash of Airfix kits in my to be built pile. Am currently working on the 1/24th scale Sea Harrier. It’s a bit large [swg]
If it’s any help the Harrier SIG of the IPMS have some interesting information on the 1/24 Harrier, if you’re at the Nationals, could be good to chat with them.
Thanks for the info. I read a build article for it in a magazine a few months back which answered most of my questions on it. I was dreading doing the surgery needed for the forward fuselage, but in the end, it went well. Other than replacing the kit intakes with Heritage Aviation ones, it is going to be pretty much out of the box.
My local brach of Modelzone has it on sale for £29.99. With the current Airfix situation, I am tempted to go an get another one just in case.
Even though things look very black for Airfix at present it may well be that someone will take over the brand name and hopefully continue the range. Again perhaps the new owner will refine the range and eliminate some of the older kits which are long past their sell-by date. e.g. The Mig15 and the Tiger Moth in 1:72 scale. Hopefully also the Humbrol paints range will continue.
There are one or two relatively new forums which are continuing on the AIRFIX name notably the
http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/index.php?c=3
Well worth a vist if you have time. It is very good for the history of AIRFIX kits.
I am a keen Airfix fan and have been ever since the range started in the early fifties. But then my modelling of 1:72 scale goes back to 1935.
Ron.
This really blows! I grew up building Airfix kits and I built a lot of them. Maybe they were not the best kits but they did have a pretty wide range of subjects. I hope somebody buys them and puts them back into production.
Cheers,
Eric
Count me in on a GB.