Has Airfix lost it?

[badbear]

I know what you mean airframes take the price of the harriers in the area of 50 to 60 quid may be more i was lucky enough to find both harriers for a bargain knock down price of £25.00 each this is because the shop could not sell them at airfixes hyped up prices.

[Lucky13]

If they keep this up, the Tie Mafia, Corporate Guys, it sure as h*ll won't be a question about "if" Airfix goes nose up, but "when". This time, nobody's gonna bother their *rses...! I hope that they can sleep at night...

[badbear]

I love that avatar !

[Lancaster630]

I am glad I did actually make sense , and I whole heartedly agree with that lucky13 I hope they sleep at night, just had a count of the Airfix kits either built or unbuilt in my collection and it stands at 39 but of that many of them are the older box models only 6 carry the Hornby name all the others are Airfix proper

[Lucky13]

How many of the other manufacturers are still around today, since '52?

[Maximowitz]

What's happening is they're aiming the product at an adult demographic. How many kids these days build kits? None that I know of, they're far too busy with the Sony Playstation and Nintendo Wii's. Instant gratification, the average teenager wouldn't have the patience to open the box, let alone build the kit.

In addition the sheer expense of modelling to any high level these days rules out anyone without a fair disposable income. The times that I remember from the 1970's when you bought a kit, a couple of tins of paint and a brush and still had change from a £5 note are long gone. You need a fair old wedge in your pocket to get anywhere these days if you want to do anything other than "out of box" builds.

I'm not condoning the exorbitant price of the mossie, God forbid, but you can see the market that Airfix are aiming at. Adults, not youth.

[Heinz]

On the flipside kids and adults folk out $900aus new for a new 'game thingy' and something like $100aus for a game.

So comparitively this hobby is still damn cheap. I went to a school of 1500-1800 students and in 6 years I saw 1 model kit. That was about 2 years ago when I was finishing so its a very real fact that kids couldn't give a rats.

[Maximowitz]

Originally Posted by Heinz

I went to a school of 1500-1800 students and in 6 years I saw 1 model kit. That was about 2 years ago when I was finishing so its a very real fact that kids couldn't give a rats.

Yup, I tried to interest the two sons of my ex in model making. That was a worthy ten minutes. After gluing themselves to the box the kit got thrown in the corner while they went off and sulked. Playstation Rules!

[Airframes]

You're right Max'. Airfix are aiming at the adult market, and to an extent trying to also attract, and catch, the younger market, as was the norm many moons ago. This is evident when some of their product range is viewed, and is laudible. But, they haven't got it quite right and, in aiming at the adult market, I'm presuming they are trying to recapture the 'modeller', as opposed to the 'passing trade'. If that is correct, then they are ceretainly going about it the wrong way. To re-release old, and some very old kits, but at highly inflated prices, is bad enough. But, to then announce kits, and a release date, then stall for months, and, when the kit is released, ask an extremely high price is ludicrous. As for the Mosquito, well, enough said. I do fully understand the expense of researching, designing the components, and producing the tool, and I can accept that a new offering is not going to be dirt cheap, but, to inflate prices on kits from old tools, and increase an already fairly high price by 62% even before launch of a kit, is not the way to go if trying to recoup losses and re-build the name, and standing, of such a long established company. Especially when other manufacturers can provide equally good, and better kits, at reasonable to reasonably expensive retail prices, that have to be imported into the UK.
I truly hope that Airfix DO get it right, but, on present performance, including inconsistency and an amateurish 'aura', unless they really pull their fingers out, it's curtains!

[gijive]

As a child I made umteen Airfix kits, priding myself on finishing a model in 20 mins, no paint, just decals. Don't F@@@! it up Hornby.

[Maximowitz]

One of the problems that Airfix have is the emergence of top class manufacturers like Eduard as competition. It makes you wonder what they have planned to take that into account. If anything.

[Airframes]

I agree Max'. But, that sort of high quality competition has been there since the mid seventies at least. Airfix rose to the challenge, especially with their new range of 1/48th scale kits, which were, for the early '80's, outstanding.
But, as you say, what have they got planned, if anything?
So far, it appears that they are trying to bolster their product range with the wrong 'old' kits, and those few good 'old' kits are way over priced in comparison to the better quality opposition, whilst the 'new' kits, some of which were released then withdrawn, to be eventually re-released, with the really new ones yet to emerge, are far too highly priced for what they are, again, in comparison to the competition.
The sad thing is, the mud has stuck, as it were, and the reputation has been very badly dented, if not totally crushed. From what I've heard here on the forum, and elsewhere, Airfix now are not held in high regard, and, in many cases are thought of as a joke.
I really do hope that the present situation is a damage limitation exercise, and that they have some strong, viable, long-term plans. But, something tells me that they are pinning their hopes, and future, on one or two brand new, high-price kits that, quite frankly, I think will fail, either due to a limited market for one (TSR2), and an initial high price, that has now been grossly increased, and the kit hasnt even been previewed yet, and is 4 months late in it's announced launch.
But enough, I'm tired of the whole thing!

[Lucky13]

I think that they started on the wrong foot with the TSR2, even if a great looking bird, I had heard never heard about it before Airfix put it up as a future release. I don't know about other people, but I like to build machines that saw service and combat, that has some interesting story to tell etc. If they are to sell prototypes or machines that never came off the blueprints, I personally think that they'd have a lot more success with Luftwaffe '46 secret projects...right?
Had I been the CE of Airfix, I'd rather have put crates like Westland Whirlwind, Handley Page Halifax, Handley Page Hampden, Short Stirling, Bristol Blenheim, Fairey Battle, Boulton Paul Defiant, Fairey Fulmar, Blackburn Firebrand, Fairey Firefly, Fairey Gannet, Blackburn Skua not forgetting the de Havilland Vampire and the Venom....
As you can see, they don't exactly have a short list of machines to pick from, some of these may even exist already as kits, but then in the "multimedia section" with styrene, white metal, resin and etch and by that, cost an arm and a leg to buy and possibly some of your wardrobe...and the way that some of them build....(shock...horror)
Also, many of these wasn't only used by RAF or RN but also by others in the commonwealth.... In that, they wouldn't only interesting to the UK market only, I know for myself that I'd surely buy quite a few of them, if made as an excellent 1/48 kit....(not building in 1/72). How many of these exist already as a decent 1/72 kit?? Anyhoo, I personally think that they picked a turkey with the TSR2 and then raise the price like they did on the 1/24 Mosquito, they better be careful before they lie face down and coughing dirt. This time, people might not care half as much as they did the first time, when they run the risk of disappearing into the history books of model makers....

Shape up Airfix (and Hornby)...!

[109ROAMING]

Just a question to all you guys ,When was the last time you brought an Airfix kit off the shelf?

I think I've only ever brought one and don't plan on buying anymore anytime soon...

[Lucky13]

The last I was building 20+ years ago.....