Calling all plastic kit fans...

• Guest 655

  • Registered: 13 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 10,247
  2 December 2009     17:5234233
  #1      
  its quite a few years since I made a plastic kit now but I still get the odd urge to indulge...
  
  I started as we all did with the 1/72 scale kits of Spitfires and ME109's from Aifix and over the years upgraded to Tamya 1/35 armoured vehicles and their superb 1/48 aircraft kits. I remember the Tamya 1/48 Lancaster, the Hasegawa Mk 5 Spitfire in 1/32, very well indeed, the latter I bought when in brighton at my first ever Conservative Conference....
  
  But among my favourites were the excellent Airfix 1/24 scale kits, superdetailed of course to make simply outstanding examples... The first two were the Mk 1 Sptfire and a ME109E, then we had the Stuka, Mustang and the Hurricane then the FW190, being at the time the pinnacle of what was available.
  
  But now Aifix, owned by Hornby, are going one better.......
  
  They are producing a Mosquito in 1/24 scale...... wingspan c.25 inches..... a brand new kit.....
  
  Take a look via this link (it take a while to load but stick with it, its worth it).... Go down to the CAD video which takes you through the construction sequence. http://www.airfix.com/mossie/
  
  I want one, just have to find the time to make it - a big project....
  
  PS - Tamya have produced a 1/32 Spitfire mk 9 as well and that also looks brilliant.
  
  Things are looking up for model makers....
• Terry Nunn

  • Location: London Road, Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 4,321
  2 December 2009     20:0734242
  #2      
  Did you ever do Keil Kraft Barry? Ah! the cut fingers with the broken razor blades.
  
  Terry
  Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
• Guest 658

  • Registered: 13 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 660
  2 December 2009     20:1234243
  #3      
  Barry you have been on the arrse again havent you.
  beer the food of the gods
• Guest 651

  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 5,673
  2 December 2009     20:1334244
  #4      
  Hornby at Margate is opening their shop for the Sat and Sun running up to Xmas... may have to pop in
  Been nice knowing you :)
• howard mcsweeney1

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 62,352
  2 December 2009     20:3034247
  #5      
  don;t buy anything from their kamikaze range, you have to keep going back to buy more.
• Ross Miller

  • Location: London Road, Dover
  • Registered: 17 Sep 2008
  • Posts: 3,709
  2 December 2009     22:5734259
  #6      
  I use Hannants for many of my kits, if not them e-bay, some overseas manufacturers I buy direct from the manufacturers on-line, but I also use the model shop on London Road for paints etc.
  
  Link to the mossie here http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/?FULL=AX25001
  "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
  
  "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
  While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
• Guest 645

  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 4,463
  2 December 2009     23:1334263
  #7      
  Went to an auction recently where loads of unused sealed boxes of planes of airfix models were up for sale.They went for peanuts about £12 for the job lot.I'll look out for them at the next auction on Wednesday 9th Dec and post whats up for sale.Let me know if anyone is interested and I will put an absenteee bid in for you.
  Marek
  I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
• Guest 655

  • Registered: 13 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 10,247
  3 December 2009     09:1834270
  #8      
  Hiya Guzz - yes I did spot this news on ARRSE..... it brought back so many memories.
  
  Terry, never did Keil Kraft but I did get many a cut finger from trimming and shaping plastic kit parts....
  
  Ross, so you are a kit fan too....what do you indulge in? any favourites? Nice to see that action scenes are re-appearing on the boxes. The box art was a great feature of Airfix, ruined when they had to appease the pc lobby and remove the background to the actual aircraft. I remember the Short Sunderland box art in action against a U-boat before they had to change it. The later bland boxes may well have had something to do with their decline.
  
  Marek - that sounds a bargain, you need only to look at the prices now of even the small 1/72 kits to see that.
• Ross Miller

  • Location: London Road, Dover
  • Registered: 17 Sep 2008
  • Posts: 3,709
  3 December 2009     20:0934288
  #9      
  Barry, I do mostly 1/35th WWII soft skins and artillery pieces, particularly UK ones. other than that I build the odd 1/32nd scale car or commercial vehicle to complement the scalextrix set and the occasional 1/35th tank again mostly UK ones as they are less well represented and generally more interesting.
  "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
  
  "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
  While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
• Guest 641

  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 2,335
  3 December 2009     20:5434293
  #10      
  The last kit I built around 8 years ago was a 1/35th scale Zundapp BMW R75 motorcycle & side car in a Winter setting, I scratch-built the crew with one seated the other walking carrying a jerrycan. Its in the attic amongst others, with a good few kits to be assembled, one day .......
• Guest 655

  • Registered: 13 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 10,247
  3 December 2009     23:0234304
  #11      
  Some of my favourite Tamya kits, Ross, are the 88 Flak, LRDG jeep and SAS Pink Panther. Did a diorama using the 88 with a German machine gun group some years back. Their Matilda was one of my favourite Brit tanks....
• Guest 693

  • Registered: 12 Nov 2009
  • Posts: 1,266
  4 December 2009     13:2834346
  #12      
  I was a huge fan of modelling kits - my favourite was a replica of the AVRO Lancaster (Dambusters variant) brought out by Revell in the 60s. It took a while, but I did complete it, and it was a work of art when it was finished. As part of my online business, I did stock Airfix kits a few years ago until they went bust, but when they were rescued by Hornby small businesses such as mine were discouraged by minimum order threshold of £500 - Hornby are just not interested in small retailers, and it's rather soured the model kits market for me; Airfix used to be a decent seller for me - these days my biggest toy sellers are diecast model civil airliners, and I get excelent support from my wholesaler, who used to be a company director with.........Airfix!
  True friends stab you in the front.
• Guest 641

  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 2,335
  4 December 2009     18:4634371
  #13      
  I used to make 30mm lead miniature diorama's for clients and museums, once we had just finished 'Culloden' which had around 150 plus figures. A week before delivery it was pointed out that the tartan was the wrong clan It took a few late nights to put that right
• Ross Miller

  • Location: London Road, Dover
  • Registered: 17 Sep 2008
  • Posts: 3,709
  4 December 2009     19:0434376
  #14      
  The next project I have lined up is a British 3.7" HAA Gun from Accurate Armour with 1 or possibly 2 AEC Matadors as the gun tractor and ammo tractor.
  
  As an alternative I also have a M4 High Speed Tractor 8" howitzer combo still to build
  "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
  
  "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
  While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi