Bad news for Airfix and Humbrol
Discussion
Bad news in one way, certainly. My first ever kits were Airfix and really got me into engineering I guess. Shame about the lost jobs. However, the fit and finish, (particularly the awful moulding lines), on the later kits was appalling - light years away from Tamiya, and others', standards. Even the painting guidelines were crap.
A rescue would be good but the place needs a major quality shake up. They really do not deserve to survive putting out the stuff they have of late.
A rescue would be good but the place needs a major quality shake up. They really do not deserve to survive putting out the stuff they have of late.
There is nothing inately wrong with Airfix kits. It is true that their mouldings are not as precise or as crisp as some of the other manufacturers, but that is nothing new. Even 30 years ago. Tamiya and Hasegawa were producing much better models than Airfix. However, Airfix were and still are MUCH cheaper and affordable than the quality Japanese manufacturers, For youngsters getting into the hobby they were ideal - being cheap and expendable - and still being close enough to the real thing thing to satisfy everyone but the most demanding of customers. Added to that, many of their range were and are unique - no one else has EVER modelled a Hawker P1127 for instance.
Many of their moulds are very old, dating back to the early 1960s and many feature raised rather than recessed panel lines. Raised panel lines were more popular with kit manufacturers until the mid 1970s. Recessed lines are now virtually de-riguer in all new models (including Airfix kits).
Also, bear in mind that as the hobby changed in nature during the 80s and 90s, new manufacturers arrived on the scene with short run injection moulding methods. I have recently bought a Valom Armstrong Withworth Albermarle bomber for instance which has been manufactured this way. It has nicely recessed lines and appears to be overall accurate in outline. However, Valom kits are aimed at advanced modellers and I expect that there will be fit issues to contend with. Having said all that, no one else makes an Albemarle and I was prepared to pay the asking price of over £20 in order to get one - even if it will require patience and hard work to get it right.
I have just completed the Airfix B-26 Marauder kit from 1973. It is very detailed (by Airfix standards) but it features outmoded raised panel lines and the quality of the fit was inconsistent - good in some areas, poor in others. However, with a bit a patience and pre-planning, it went together well enough. I only have to put on the decals now. At the end of the day, it is still the best 1/72 scale Marauder available and it only cost £9.00.
Many of their moulds are very old, dating back to the early 1960s and many feature raised rather than recessed panel lines. Raised panel lines were more popular with kit manufacturers until the mid 1970s. Recessed lines are now virtually de-riguer in all new models (including Airfix kits).
Also, bear in mind that as the hobby changed in nature during the 80s and 90s, new manufacturers arrived on the scene with short run injection moulding methods. I have recently bought a Valom Armstrong Withworth Albermarle bomber for instance which has been manufactured this way. It has nicely recessed lines and appears to be overall accurate in outline. However, Valom kits are aimed at advanced modellers and I expect that there will be fit issues to contend with. Having said all that, no one else makes an Albemarle and I was prepared to pay the asking price of over £20 in order to get one - even if it will require patience and hard work to get it right.
I have just completed the Airfix B-26 Marauder kit from 1973. It is very detailed (by Airfix standards) but it features outmoded raised panel lines and the quality of the fit was inconsistent - good in some areas, poor in others. However, with a bit a patience and pre-planning, it went together well enough. I only have to put on the decals now. At the end of the day, it is still the best 1/72 scale Marauder available and it only cost £9.00.
Edited by Eric Mc on Saturday 2nd September 11:14
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