Re: Predictions for Airfix 2014 releases
Posted: July 3rd, 2013, 3:51 am
I've already done several of my predictions (as opposed to my wish list) on the other thread (I'm a bad boy) but to summarise:
Aircraft (1/72 except where stated; I don't really know or care much about the 1/48 market, let alone other scales):
1) At least one new Spitfire, very possibly a couple, but I couldn't make a guess on what mark or what scale(s). I don't know enough about Spitfires to make any reasonable deductions. Furthermore, we know (because Airfix have said so) that there will be a new 1/24 kit next year, and I'd say it's quite probable (for a number of reasons) that it will be a Spitfire of some sort. Remember: Airfix have stated that they want eventually to have a kit of every Spitfire mark in their range, but I don't believe that they have said they will all be in the same scale.
2) There will be a new 1/72 Defiant. See other thread for the detailed reasoning. A strong contender for the new 1/24 kit, too.
3) Very likely there will be new Lancaster variants, since the new kit is tooled up in such a way to make that very easy for Airfix to do.
4) I'm going to go out on a limb and say a Harrier GR.5. It would be a very simple modification from the recent GR.7/9 kit, and the decision to release the GR.1 and GR.3 this year indicates that Airfix have decided that the Harrier is one of their "iconic aircraft" (like the Spitfire) and want to have the "full spread", so to speak. Which leads to the question of ....
5) ... the twin-seaters. Depends a great deal on how they have designed the GR.1 & GR.3 kits. The GR.7/9 kit is not really easily modifiable into a T.8/T.10, so I really don't know how likely a T.2 or T.4 would be. This is probably more of a "wish" than a solid prediction.
6) RAF and RN F-4 Phantom. There's no market competition and hasn't been for some time, so far as I'm aware. Ticks a lot of the right boxes, but whether they will arrive next year or just within the next couple of years I am less certain ....
7) A new German bomber kit, something appropriate for BoB. I'd say a Ju88 is most likely.
8) A new Allied fighter kit, something appropriate for D-Day (that isn't a Spitfire). A P-47 seems most likely.
AFV (1/76):
1) No real "predictions" here, because I can't really fathom Airfix's intentions with these kits. Are they intended for kids only? For wargamers primarily? The Cromwell seems a "serious" display kit, the King Tiger much less so (but still has a lot of fine detail). They've reboxed their old Sherman as an "M4A2" when it's clearly nothing of the sort, and redone the Panther artwork but still left it in North Africa, suggesting that the marketing people really have no clue at all -- making it very hard to guess what they might be planning! The most I can say is that I think a German subject is less likely (because they just did one) and a Sherman V would tick a lot of appropriate thematic boxes. I can only hope that it would be more like the Cromwell kit and less like the KT kit.
2) They'll re-issue the Crusader kit, because they haven't done it yet and there aren't many other possibilities.
AFV (1/32):
1) With the re-issues of Monty's Humber and Rommel's Halftrack this year, re-issues of the Crusader, Lee, Grant and 17-pounder don't seem hugely improbable. I'd guess the Lee and Grant are most likely. I don't really expect to see anything new in this scale (ever).
Other Stuff:
1) Who knows? I'm sure there will be cars and stuff, but I really neither know nor care. Maybe more Afghanistan stuff in 1/48, this year's releases seem to be popular. New space stuff? Hard to say, if the re-issued Saturn rockets etc. have sold well, they might want to commission something new, but I'm not sure what. IF (and it's a big if) they can negotiate something appropriate with the rights holders, they probably would want to do some new Gerry Anderson stuff. (Probably not re-issues of the Eagle/Hawk kits, since Round2 in the US have the moulds.) This is only a "prediction" in the sense that "if they can, they will". Plenty of subjects to choose from!
Aircraft (1/72 except where stated; I don't really know or care much about the 1/48 market, let alone other scales):
1) At least one new Spitfire, very possibly a couple, but I couldn't make a guess on what mark or what scale(s). I don't know enough about Spitfires to make any reasonable deductions. Furthermore, we know (because Airfix have said so) that there will be a new 1/24 kit next year, and I'd say it's quite probable (for a number of reasons) that it will be a Spitfire of some sort. Remember: Airfix have stated that they want eventually to have a kit of every Spitfire mark in their range, but I don't believe that they have said they will all be in the same scale.
2) There will be a new 1/72 Defiant. See other thread for the detailed reasoning. A strong contender for the new 1/24 kit, too.
3) Very likely there will be new Lancaster variants, since the new kit is tooled up in such a way to make that very easy for Airfix to do.
4) I'm going to go out on a limb and say a Harrier GR.5. It would be a very simple modification from the recent GR.7/9 kit, and the decision to release the GR.1 and GR.3 this year indicates that Airfix have decided that the Harrier is one of their "iconic aircraft" (like the Spitfire) and want to have the "full spread", so to speak. Which leads to the question of ....
5) ... the twin-seaters. Depends a great deal on how they have designed the GR.1 & GR.3 kits. The GR.7/9 kit is not really easily modifiable into a T.8/T.10, so I really don't know how likely a T.2 or T.4 would be. This is probably more of a "wish" than a solid prediction.
6) RAF and RN F-4 Phantom. There's no market competition and hasn't been for some time, so far as I'm aware. Ticks a lot of the right boxes, but whether they will arrive next year or just within the next couple of years I am less certain ....
7) A new German bomber kit, something appropriate for BoB. I'd say a Ju88 is most likely.
8) A new Allied fighter kit, something appropriate for D-Day (that isn't a Spitfire). A P-47 seems most likely.
AFV (1/76):
1) No real "predictions" here, because I can't really fathom Airfix's intentions with these kits. Are they intended for kids only? For wargamers primarily? The Cromwell seems a "serious" display kit, the King Tiger much less so (but still has a lot of fine detail). They've reboxed their old Sherman as an "M4A2" when it's clearly nothing of the sort, and redone the Panther artwork but still left it in North Africa, suggesting that the marketing people really have no clue at all -- making it very hard to guess what they might be planning! The most I can say is that I think a German subject is less likely (because they just did one) and a Sherman V would tick a lot of appropriate thematic boxes. I can only hope that it would be more like the Cromwell kit and less like the KT kit.
2) They'll re-issue the Crusader kit, because they haven't done it yet and there aren't many other possibilities.
AFV (1/32):
1) With the re-issues of Monty's Humber and Rommel's Halftrack this year, re-issues of the Crusader, Lee, Grant and 17-pounder don't seem hugely improbable. I'd guess the Lee and Grant are most likely. I don't really expect to see anything new in this scale (ever).
Other Stuff:
1) Who knows? I'm sure there will be cars and stuff, but I really neither know nor care. Maybe more Afghanistan stuff in 1/48, this year's releases seem to be popular. New space stuff? Hard to say, if the re-issued Saturn rockets etc. have sold well, they might want to commission something new, but I'm not sure what. IF (and it's a big if) they can negotiate something appropriate with the rights holders, they probably would want to do some new Gerry Anderson stuff. (Probably not re-issues of the Eagle/Hawk kits, since Round2 in the US have the moulds.) This is only a "prediction" in the sense that "if they can, they will". Plenty of subjects to choose from!
I could make a million guesses, and give good reasons for all......how about a real clue, Mr. Airfix...? 
