"Where is the kit of....."

[James Staley]

Sometimes I wish I could just round up all of the major kit makers, grab them by the collar and demand to know, "WHY HAVEN'T YOU RELEASED A 1/48TH SCALE LANCASTER BOMBER?! A 1/48TH SCALE F-82 TWIN MUSTANG?

I think you get my point. These are sujects that are very well known, and yet the manufactures seem to completely ignore them and it doesn't make ANY sense to me! I mean, "come on guys". The only 1/48th Lanc kit in 60 years has been the old Tamiya kit. Why doesn't "RevelloGram" have out a quarter-scale Lancaster: they've got out every thing else in 1/48th! And you can't tell me that a Monogram 1/48th F-82, with all of the detail that Monogram is famous for, wouldn't sell like hotcakes to hungry folks!

I some times wonder if these companies are run by MODELERS or BUSINESSMEN IN SUITS who are clueless about what MODELERS want?!

The purpose of this topic is to hear what kits/subjects you think the kit makers are ignoring that you would like to see get made.

JS

[rcaf_100]

I some times wonder if these companies are run by MODELERS or BUSINESSMEN IN SUITS who are clueless about what MODELERS want?!

They are run by businessmen who care about what the average Joe wants to buy and slap together, very rarely what the modelling community wishes.

Thankfully, it is starting towards lean to the latter of the two.

Anyways, as for kits I would like to see produced, how about the NA-64 Yale.... (I'm biased...I own a real one... )

Of course after that there's the Avro C-102 Jetliner, the Fleet Fort, the Harvard Mk I, the Canadair North Star, and the Avro CF-100 Mk 1-3.

I could go on, but let's give other people a turn...

[kempmonster]

James,

I agree there are some kits I would really like to get my hands on like 1/48 F-21 KFIR or 1/48 Skycrane

a Black Widow would be nice or some other odd kits something other than another Phantom or BF109.

Steve

[PlasticWeapons]

Where are the MiGs?????? (MiG-23, -25, -27 etc.) Since this is the prop forum: a decent 1/48 Stearman!

Edited March 7, 2010 by PlasticWeapons

[Learstang]

How about a Lincoln in 1/48th scale? Or in 1/72nd scale for that matter. An aeroplane that as far as I know has never been kitted in any scale is the Boeing Monomail. That's one I would love to see in 1/72nd scale (my favourite scale).

Learstang

[rcaf_100]

How about a Lincoln in 1/48th scale? Or in 1/72nd scale for that matter.

+1

[Dave Williams]

Remember, if some of us think a particular kit might be a big seller, doesn't mean it will be. There have been a lot of flops, especially of big kits. The 1/48 Ju-52 didn't do that well, and I've heard the 1/48 Catalinas and RA-5C weren't big sellers either. Probably if someone had asked prior to release, who wants a 1/48 Ju52, PBY, or RA-5C, there would have been a number of hands, but when the kits came out, many people weren't buying. Some surely did, but perhaps not enough to justify the tooling costs.

That's why many companies make "safe" kits like more 109s, or Spits, P51s, F-16s, etc. Even though they have already been kitted, people will still buy another one if they think the new one is better.

[pbishop]

I still dont understand why there are no CP-107 Argus kits in any scale.

[toadwbg]

Considering tooling can cost upwards of tens of thousands of dollars for Injection moulded kits, you bet your sweet ash tray those companies are run by "the suits".

[John Thompson]

Well, I for one would like to see a brand new, accurately-shaped 1/72 Yak-1b. Amodel would seem to be the natural source for this, since they've already done a very good Yak-1 (full depth rear fuselage), and could probably put together a decent Yak-1b with relatively little difficulty.

Another one that would be very welcome would be a 1/72 Polikarpov I-153; here it's ICM who should consider this, since they've already done a great job on the other Polikarpov biplane fighters and the late I-16 types.

Maybe new, accurate 1/72 La-5/La-5F/La-5FN kits? AML's recent releases are pretty challenging to build, and are somewhat "off", shape-wise. Probably too much to hope for now, though! Or how about the La-9 and La-11?

Спасибо!

John

[Matt Roberts]

As for the Catalina and Ju-52, I've read that in Europe the Ju-52 has sold very well, and neither kit has been out of the catalog since thier release either in Revell USA or Revell Germany boxings, by that standard they have been better sellers than the Helldiver, Me-410, F-86D, or F-84E/G have been since they have had periods out of the catalog - though nothing like the F9F Panther....took that one about 15 years to return to the catalog and it's gone again. Perhaps the standard of selling well and paying for itself in 2...3...even 5 years may be a wrong way to look at 'success'. The only recently tooled R/M kit that I can think of that has not left the catalog in the last 10-15 years continuously has been the F-15E.

The interesting rumor I have heard is that Trumpeter is looking at 3 new tooled RAF WW II bombers - what they may be who knows. I'd like to think a new Lancaster and Halifax may be out there - though expensive, and my hope would be a Blenheim.

I do wonder how many commercially viable new tooled subjects there are left in the WW II area in 48th. Some Japanese bombers, though how many there would be versus a viable 72nd kit, Sally and Nell in particular, the RAF subjects I mentioned above, alot of Soviet subjects like the Tu-2 and PE-2 though Zvesta seems to be starting to work thru the Great Patriotic War subjects, and as for Luftwaffe about all I can think of would be the Me-210

Edited March 8, 2010 by Matt Roberts

[Jennings]

I have repeated this story many times, and it's still true: "Everybody and his brother" wanted a 1/48 PBY. It was at or near the top of every "most wanted kits" list for years and years. And yet, it's the worst selling large 1/48 kit Monogram ever did. That came to me from someone in Monogram, not hearsay. So much for popular want lists.

This is a business, and decisions are (usually) made, at least in part, on what they're pretty sure will sell. The OP asks why there is no 1/48 Lancaster. Funny, I thought there had been a 1/48 Lancaster around since 1975! How many do you see built at contests? One a year, maybe? A 1/48 F-82 would undoubtedly be really neat. But sell like "hotcakes"? There are exactly two color schemes (natural metal and gloss black) and one user (USAF). IIRC there were only about three squadrons that ever flew them. Add that all up and you'd have a real dog of a sales prospect for the long term.

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, just to try to interject a bit of realistic thinking. I love to daydream about what would be cool as much as anybody, but don't get caught in the "If I want it everybody else must want it too" trap. It just ain't necessarily so.

J

[phantom]

TRACKER C-1 / CP-121 style. THen they can make all the different types.

[rcaf_100]

I still dont understand why there are no CP-107 Argus kits in any scale.

They're not injected, but Welsh makes a resin CP-107 Argus Mk 1 and 2 in 1/144

http://www.welshmodels.co.uk/MT144page.html

Mk 1: http://www.welshmodels.co.uk/MT23R.html

Mk 2: http://www.welshmodels.co.uk/MT24R.html

I'm not fond of the price tag, but if you really want one, then that's what you gotta pay.

[pbishop]

Not crazy about 1/144 or resin, and I agree the price is not too convincing either. Doesnt even look like it has a clear windscreen. Thanks for the link though, if ever I get desperate..... Didnt even know that one was around.

[splatcat]

From what I have seen the PBY is a very nice kit. The major problem it has is that it was released at a time when many of us had to scale back our modeling purchases big time. So its still on my want list but the funds aren't there. I always wanted a Grumman skyrocket but I don't make thise decisions.

[Old Blind Dog]

I'd love to see a new-tool P-35 Seversky in 1/72 or 1/48 (or, heck! even 1/32; the Williams Bros. kit is how old now?)

Also (and it's a pipe dream, I know); a new-tool Navion or a Twin Navion. (Didn't Aurora do a 1/48 Navion back in the 60s?)

UM (Ukraine Models = ICM?) recently came out with a series of PE-2s in 1/72 (see page 11 of this month's Squadron flyer.)

cheers

Old Blind Dog

[Kostucha]

I still dont understand why there are no CP-107 Argus kits in any scale.

OH! Agreed! Though this is more of a personal comment than a good public sales pitch... new AES Op in training... history hit's home - I'd love a 1/48 Argus, Aurora, even the Gonzo... why isn't there a 1/48 Dash-8?

The interesting rumor I have heard is that Trumpeter is looking at 3 new tooled RAF WW II bombers - what they may be who knows. I'd like to think a new Lancaster and Halifax may be out there - though expensive, and my hope would be a Blenheim.

1/24 Beaufighter perhaps? If Airfix has done a gorgeous 1/24 Mosquito, how long until we have another 1/24 twin? What could be done? 1/24 Beaufighter... The 110? Even a smaller twin engine in 1/24 could be the 262. Just stirring the thought-pot a bit here

But, subject at hand... what would I like to see that hasn't been seen? Aside from those already mentioned?

1. An ACCURATE 1/24 P-51 (whether a B/C/D, Mustang III with a Malcolm hood...), but that's just a gripe...

2. 1/24 Typhoon/Tempest

3. 1/24 or 1/32 Italian aircraft (fighters, tri-motor bombers) from WWII.

That's my top 3

[Kalashnikov-47]

Read my signature block:

[tourist]

We all have wishes and preferences.

Jennings (as is often the case) got it right.

What we individually think we want and assume other modelers want can be different things.

That being said I WANT a F-82, a P-51H and a PA-48 Enforcer in 1/48 and 1/32!

A great 1/32 P-51 D is on its way thanks to Jerry Rutman (finally).

A nice 1/32 Corsair (F4U not that other thing) is long overdue.

[pigsty]

Confining myself to props, and to the realms of what's remotely possible, I'd like a Warwick, and a Whitley, and a decent Shackleton, - any sensible scale would do. Also a 1/48 Fokker G.1. A 1/48 Brigand would be nice too.

[Steve N]

I'll never understand why Hasegawa didn't do a Ki-21 when they released 1/72 new-tools of virtually ever other WWII Japanese twin back in the 90s..they did the Nick, Dinah, Frances, Nell, Peggy, late model Betty and even the Helen, but they stopped short of doing a Sally, one of the most widely-used WWII Japanese bombers. The Revell kit is decent, but long out of production and nearly impossible to find (and very expensive when it does turn up) and the MPM kit is only good for the resin interior.

I'd also love to see a new-tool of the early-model Betty. It'd be nice if Tamiya would scale down their 1/48 kit.

SN

[The Rat]

1/72nd Short Sunderland with a hull for the MkI and MkII, and we need a MkV instead of trying to find the bits to convert a MkIII. I'm certain a DHC-5 Buffalo would sell, as would a Dash-7.

[oldHooker]

The stuffed-shirts proclaim that military subjects are all that will sell; that may very well be because they're all that's on the shelves.... duuuuhhhh! Watch ebay sometime when there's one of the old Aurora Civil kits up for grabs!

Most current and past military pilots first consummated their love affair with flight in a General Aviation aircraft, and ALL non-military pilots did, so what exactly is the logic here? A great percentage of the modeling market potential is being ignored!

I will be so bold to say that EVERY seasoned Military Pilot who are/were Masters of thier war-torn domain and flew before entering the Military, stare off into the distance with a gleam in their eye and smile on their face at the thought of the Civil aircraft they made their First Solo in! But they can't have one of them sitting on their shelf.

Okay, I'm off the bandwagon; continue...

Take care,

Frank

[The Rat]

oldHooker speaks wisely. Yes, there are kits released which have not sold well, but there is nothing wrong with taking a chance. Look at the Airfix Valiant as the most recent example. They have now dropped plans for a limited edition and it will enter the regular range because the interest level was so high. I would venture to say that they could have released this kit thirty years ago with the same response and we wouldn't have needed to wait this long.