Has Airfix lost it?

[badbear]

Ha Ha you may be right there terry last count it was 129 quid if it gets any higher i,m cancelling my order .BB

[Lucky13]

That's quite a few % up since they first announced it....

[Airframes]

Don't blame you! I cancelled when it went up from the origianl £80 to £129 - think I'll ask Revell Germany if they'll do a new 1/32nd scale Mossie, based on their 1/48th kit, in bomber and fighter versions. Knowing them, they would probably do a superb job, and it would probably only cost around £30 to £40 maximum!!

[ian lanc]

Well Terry. I've just spent the last half hour reading all these and i'm on your side.

I wonder if Airfix do any quality control inspections ?

By this i mean drag some of their kits off the stock shelves and check for....

Completeness.
Good decals [in registrar, if not renew !]
Weither the parts are bagged or not [theres always loose/lost parts because there not bagged]
Correct kits in the correct boxes [i've had three kits in the past with the wrong kit in the box]
Instruction sheets included in the kit !

Being a Airfix Lancaster builder and let me tell you i've built a few and theres some differences in the kits and the older the kit is the BETTER it is regarding fit,mould marks,
anyone seen the clear parts on the Lancaster kit lately ! They are very very poor.

Some younger inspired kits which come with paints/brushes are useless as they are nasty brushes and tiny plactic tubs of Acrylic paint which don't cover ! WHATS THE POINT IN THAT

Boxes are also getter thinner ! [This cuts down on production costs] But allows the model kit to get crushed.

I've had that many lost/missing parts from Lanc' kits i dern't email them anymore
The best one is. i've got a Grandslam Lanc' kit and there was no fuselage sides in the kit box
I emailed them and they told me to take it back to the shop for a refund, I blo*dy brought this
while on holiday so i can't can i and they don't believe me !!! NICE, i always thought the customer was right

Oh and what about Humbrol paints !! there great [not anymore]
I've come across tins which are... Too thick, Too runny, Wrong shade,Utter rubbish,Some even stinks like sh*t.
I had a tin of H29 which made my other parts of the painted model 'crinkle' so i went and had the tin analyzed
and it was thinned with celulose not enamel !!

[Lucky13]

As for myself, I blame those tie and expesive Italian made suit wearing slimey b*st*rds that seems to run the show, but doesn't have slightest idea on how to run kit manufacturing firm like Airfix....
For them, it's nothing but £££££! They couldn't care less about quality or anything. But, how are you going to make any £££££ if you DON'T do a PROPER job?


Next time that Airfix runs the risk of going out of business, nobody are going to bother their *rses about it, I know that I won't!

[Airframes]

Me too! I've sort of got used to Airfix not being Airfix anymore, and, as you say Jan, an oufit run by £££ seeking Richard Heads who don't seem to care a flying whatsit about the customer or the product, as long as the current product run makes cash, sells out, and isn't replaced. But, when it comes to Humbrol paints, I could cry!
I'm glad you confirmed something for me Ian, as I had a suspiscion there might be at least a hint of cellulose in the current paints, wherever they are made now. They smell totally different and, as you've noticed, are either like rubber, or water, with a sort of slime in between! I've had the wrinkling effect happen too, in one case almost ruining a model I was building for someone. Only yesterday I used a tin of genuine Humbrol, presumably older stock, bought from an art shop a couple of days ago. What a joy! The normal, familiar smell, stirred without problem, mixed with other 'old' Humbrol easily, thinned without separating, brushed and sprayed like a dream. The 'new' stuff is, quite bluntly, total b*ll*cks, a definite second rate product, not worth using even as a filler! And you're dead right about the colour match also - I have at least three different 'new' Humbrol paints, where even the colours on the lids don't match, and what used to be a superb, bright silver paint, Humbrol No.11, is now a sh*te sort of metallic grey!
The sad thing is, even if the serious modellers in all of the UK pointed out to Airfix, or should I say Hornby, the problems and shortcomings, I doubt that they'd give a S**t !!
Frankly, I've given up hope of them ever making a serious comeback, no matter how many empty promises of Mosquitos and Vulcans etc.

[Matt308]

Airframes your "slimey paint" issue is not just a Humbrol issue. I have mixed paints (not Humbrol) that after they settled appeared that I had combined acrylics with oils. Settled, separated and rubbered up. Truly disappointing at $2 - $3 a little itty bitty bottle. About to make me run away from the hobby actually.

Made in China perhaps? Makes me wonder.

[ian lanc]

Anyone noticed with NEW humbrol paint tins are a THINNER metal and you can press the lid into the tinlet itself, thus' deforming the tin and not making it 'airtight'.

Production costs apply here again ! Thinner metal means cheaper production costs !!!
Yet look at the prices of the paint in some model shops i've seen a price range from 99p to £1.55p
yet the recommended price is £1.25p a tin, some model shops can get them for 45p a tin pepending
on how much they order from the trader, my local shop still sells them for 99p because he can still get
them for as cheap as they where in 1985 and has a big stock of them so theres no need to ' rip us all off '.

Humbrol paint brushes are also anther ' rip off 'some are as little as 5p a brush for the small ones, yet look how much we are charged 85p
yes i know the shop nrrds to make a bit of profit but come on, it's like bloody petrol over here in the UK ! Most of the revenue is TAX but thats a different story.



ian.

[ian lanc]

See what i mean about Airfix I've just opened up a new Lanc' kit and the clear parts are f*cking smashed ! this is because there allowed to move all over the place in the box

Even the actual big sprue parts have damaged the Decals

The parts where all over the place in the box and even one side window is missing, three damaged parts. Thankyou airfix.

WHATS WRONG WITH THEM GOING IN A PLASTIC BAG ? LIKE OTHER KIT MANUFACTERS DO

I wonder if Airfix knows about this thread

[Lucky13]

Should have the link emailed to them Ian! Hopefully get some answers.....on the other hand, who am I kidding!

[109ROAMING]

See what i mean about Airfix I've just opened up a new Lanc' kit and the clear parts are f*cking smashed ! this is because there allowed to move all over the place in the box

The lancaster kit I got about a year back and am preparing to build soon funnily enough looks similar

Tail end Charlies Turret actually is cracked in the exact same place too ,I've repaired it but it still looks Sh!t

someone in the back of the brain just called RAGE

[ian lanc]

Should have the link emailed to them Ian! Hopefully get some answers.....on the other hand, who am I kidding!

Just sent them a message via' their website about my SLIGHT problem
i'll see if they email me about the broken parts, then i'll be sending them a 'link' from this forum.

I've also just checked the rest of the kit guys and you won't believe this the fuselage halves are missing !!!! Both of them.

Give me a rope and a beam QUICK

ian

[Lucky13]

Just sent them a message via' their website about my SLIGHT problem
i'll see if they email me about the broken parts, then i'll be sending them a 'link' from this forum.

I've also just checked the rest of the kit guys and you won't believe this the fuselage halves are missing !!!! Both of them.
Give me a rope and a beam QUICK

ian

You've GOT to be kidding me!!

[ian lanc]

You've GOT to be kidding me!!

Nope i'm not kidding you this takes the bloody biscuit and are taking the p*ss, i've sent a message about it

ian.

[Lucky13]

To be honest, should I be buying a Airfix kit anytime soon (want the TSR-2 for a Swedish version), I wouldn't be surprised if I end up with a completely empty box.....
Or, just the decals and instructions and no plastic!