Limbo Models

[Kurt H.]

In the Kinetic C-17 thread Paul Boyer joked about creating a company called "Limbo Models" - the idea being to actually release all the announced but never released kits.

 

Rather than hijack that thread I figured a new thread would be more fun., and bring this idea to a wider audience.  What are other vaporware releases that just such a hypothetical company could release?

 

Many eventually did come out. I remember in the early days of internet forums there were  people who "knew someone who knew someone"  that were certain a particular  kit  would  be released soon, or a friend of a friend heard something from someone who worked at a museum that a "group of Asian gentlemen" were at a museum measuring some aircraft that was a sought after subject.

 

I remember persistent rumors of:

 

Tamiya 1/48th B-17G     (20 years later HK Models  released a 1/48 B-17)

Tamiya 1/32 A-10 (Trumpeter made a big splash with this kit in the early 2000s)

 

 

As far as actual announcements which never came to light? 

 

I remember reading on other forums about a start-up called "SM Models" was going to release a 1/32 Spey Phantom which was never heard of again

 

I am sure there are others but I can not remember them. Do you?

 

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Kurt H.

[Scott Smith]

Tan Models also announced the Spey Phantom and an F-111 in 1/32 

A year ago the Trumpeter 1/32 Devastator would have been a 20 year running joke. But damned if it didn’t finally happen. 

[KursadA]

i had almost forgotten the “group of Asian gentlemen measuring an airplane”  trope - thanks for bringing the memories of the heated discussions in late 90s - early naughts Hyperscale and ARC! My favorite was the Vigilante that was rumored to be coming every year, but never came(*). There was also the persistent rumor of an Accurate Miniatures F-100, which was going to be the Hun to end all Huns. We are still waiting for that one. 

 

(*j Until Trumpeter made it, and nobody even cared for the kit after a couple of years. I even vaguely remember Darren Roberts getting tired of the wait and making one from a Revell Mig-25, but I can’t find it now.

[habu2]

Dragon/DML canceled several "manned space exploration" kits they had announced, and that I had pre-paid for through online vendors.  Specifically, the 1/72 Apollo Saturn 1B and a 1/48 Apollo "stack".  My payments to vendors were later turned into store credits.

[Scott Smith]

28 minutes ago, habu2 said:

Dragon/DML canceled several "manned space exploration" kits they had announced, and that I had pre-paid for through online vendors.  Specifically, the 1/72 Apollo Saturn 1B and a 1/48 Apollo "stack".  My payments to vendors were later turned into store credits.

Wow. Those never made it to market?  I wondered why I never saw them for sale.   I built the 1/72 Saturn V along with the Space Shuttle and stacks and almost preordered them as well.  

[habu2]

1 hour ago, Scott Smith said:

Wow. Those never made it to market?  I wondered why I never saw them for sale.   I built the 1/72 Saturn V along with the Space Shuttle and stacks and almost preordered them as well.  

 

Was looking forward to both kits, the Saturn has never been done in that scale, although Apogee did a "flying" model rocket in 1/70.  I had also ordered the David Baker book on the Saturn 1/1B, it almost didn't make it to print after the first publisher (Haynes) dropped it.  The 1/48 Apollo stack hasn't been done since the Revell kit in the late 60s, and it was mostly a Block 1 design, not accurate for what actually flew.

 

Anxiously (nervously?) waiting the release of the announced Atlas Agena kit in 1/72 from Horizon.....

[Kurt H.]

On 9/6/2023 at 11:58 PM, KursadA said:

(*j Until Trumpeter made it, and nobody even cared for the kit after a couple of years. I even vaguely remember Darren Roberts getting tired of the wait and making one from a Revell Mig-25, but I can’t find it now.

 

I realized I was among those who would join the chorus of those who wanted a 1/48th RA-5C. When It came out I never got one. So I had to make it right and it showed up today. It has a copyright date of 2004 ... so it is nearly 20 years old.  I remember the kit was not well received at the time ... and it was really expensive for a 1/48th scale jet. But the cool thing about trumpeter is that most of their kits seem to always be available, so I was able to do my duty and get one after whining that I wanted it all those years ago . Hopefully I'll get to it someday. 

[Stephen]

Accurate Miniatures 1/48 Bristol Beaufighter VIc & TF.X announced but never heard of after Tamiya announced their kit.

 

Tan Models 1/48 Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B 

[VADM Fangschleister]

I had a long ago brief email exchange with Trumpeter back in the early 2000's about a 1/32 F-106.  The respondent told me that Trumpeter would definitely be producing that kit.  I do not intend to make this a wish list entry...the emails really happened.  Then, I believe Kitty Hawk intended to do a 1/32 T-38 but went OOB.  Their 1/32 F-5F has the complicated canopy bits...and I would guess that although the two aircraft are completely different, the canopy bits are almost identical.  

[Charlie D.]

Dragon 1/48 B-26K (it even showed up in a promotional flyer)

Revell (prior to the merger) announced a 1/48 fictional/conceptual Stealth Fighter that never came to fruition

rumors for years that Monogram tooled up some parts for an F-86L/K to use with some of the D parts.