Is Airfix one of the worst brands? How I improved the 1/48 Airfix Sea Fury
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- Опубликовано: 12 июн 2024
- One thing is consistent with Airfix kits. They have a lot of areas they need to improve in. Panel lines, fit issues, short shots and missing components are only a few.
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I don't build plastic models, but I watch everyone of your videos because your build and paint process is a form of story telling.
Thanks Dave. That's how it started for me watching Plasmo do his thing. Then before I knew it I was building again
Airfix- cons: too numerous and tedious to name, pros: iconic, cheap, easy to access in the UK, made many childhoods more interesting- who really cares if the fit isn't perfect if it brings some joy to someone at least 👍
Plus great smelling glue and parts stuck to one's fingers. (1963)
Cheap?
Well.... cheaper than tamiya
Cons ? Mostly the same as any other brand out there at some point .....
Challenging build, fantastic result. I enjoy your Canadian subjects and especially the historical commentary. My father-in-law served on the Warrior and his photo album confirms that the Seafire had tender landing gear. There are a few photos of crashed SFs but to be fair just as many Fireflies. Also a few landings described as “deck pecking”; pretty tough on propellers! Please keep building Canadian planes and help us to honour the men and women that have served in the forces.
I love Airfix. Been building their kits for sixty years now. Some of their offerings especially in 1/48th during the Heller years were consigned to the fire bucket. But thats a whole other story.
Thanks for another great video, hope you had a good holiday season
I am bound to finish the same Sea Fury, which I got ad soon as It was released. I see the short shot problem on the tail fin has bene solved. Kudos to Airfix for providing a new whole sprue for free. The fit was good but the molding on the cowling components was poor and some panel Lines were inconsistent. A good model but there Is q lot to improve in terms of quality control. Good job though!
*😲🤩🤩🤩 fabulous build, your Sea Fury is at the top!*
Nicely done. Completed the same aircraft in 2021, but made masks for the larger fuselage and underwing markings. Posed in-flight and used MRP for the grays.
I'm jealous as MRP is not readily available here in Canada.
yes airfix is one of the best brands, i have 5 airfix ww2 planes on display and they’re pretty easy to build
Really looking forward to see that Hellcat build and what you can bring out of it. I'm about to start one soon.
It is going to get a lot of 3D printer love. I've already planned to do a lot of replacement stuff for the pit.
Airfix is definitely not a AAA company. Some of their recent kits I've built are better than others such as their 1/48 Hurricane, P-40 and 1/72 Lancaster and their decals are usually pretty good. You have to admit they do produce subjects that are not done by others and their kits are relatively easy to obtain at reasonable prices in Canada, where as some brands in Canada are very difficult to obtain, expensive and few are stocked. If only Tamiya could produce some of the subjects Airfix has.
I agree, being British, and not at all biased, they have never tried to be the best of the best like Tamiya, Eduard, Zoukei Mura, Wingnut Wings etc but have aimed at the volume market where price and quality are more middle of the road. I think they naturally compete with Revell gmbh and Italeri and maybe even Hasegawa to a point. It is the subjects that make them special, they bring us lots of unique British subjects and the odd other nationality which is what I like, Vulcans Victors and Valiants all in 1/72, I didn't think that would ever happen, Lancasters, Whitleys, Wellingtons and Blenhiems as well it's a treat to see what they wil bring out each year!
The problem is Tamiya won't produce most of the subjects that Airfix has done and if they did they would cost at least 50% more or even double .
I've built it with zero issues with the cowling so not sure what happened here. Turns out a nice looking Sea fury. Better than the old Hobbycraft and in front of the Trumpeter kit as that also has a lot more issues.
Nice build I have this one to do I got there new mosquito in 1.72 scale can't wait to see what you bring us in 2022
Right now the start of 2022 will be the Eduard Zeke, a Panzer IV and the completion of the B-17 from HKM. I need to clear up the back log :)
Been looking through the comments and I do not find a single alternative recommendation for an acceptable Sea Fury FB11 model kit. One thing I have learned: Some people spend their lives pole vaulting over mouse turds.
…found the Airfix employee. :)
@@JJ-cf7nb Pole vault team captain
@@craigwest8386 Craig, Craig, Craig. You came along with no point to make but just needed to insult everyone who you don’t agree with. So much hurting behind that keyboard. Good luck buddy.
@@JJ-cf7nb Don't be obtuse. The point is, recommend a proper 1:48 scale Sea Fury FB11 if you don't like the Airfix one. The producer of the video did a great job building this one. For crying out loud, this is a $20-$30 model airplane we're talking about here, not major investment in any sense of the term.
Nice perspective and bang on . The bottom line is there ISN'T a better Sea Fury kit .
She came out nice in the end, like the exhaust work at the end. The Canadian scheme looks really good too.
Nice build and finish. And complete agreement on your assessment of Airfix. Many of their newer kits are quite decent but then let down by a really dumb problem area. The canopy of their newish 1/48 Bf-109E comes to mind. It fits like it’s for a completely different kit.
I had that exact experience a few years ago with that 109. Couldn't figure out what was going on.
Very true, I keep buying new Airfix kits and then not finishing them because of some big fit issues during assembly. The P-40 had a great cockpit but during fuselage assembly the nose area had massive gaps and misalignment. The P-51 had some very strange engineering that caused a big ugly area at the radiator exhaust and at where the horizontal stabilizers meet the tail. They try to do some clever Tamiya type engineering but their tooling quality isn't good enough to pull it off.
My Mustang went together just fine 🙂
Another great build! I really love your oil technique and how easily you presented it.
To weather natural metal areas, check out the Tamiya Weathering Master sets, I often use set D dor exhaust on jets.
Unless it is an aircraft I am really passionate about, life is too short for crap kits especially for those like myself who only get 2 to 3 hours at the bench per week.
I recently looked up at my shelf of doom and decided to bin them. It made me feel like I turned a corner in the hobby and started enjoying it again without having those awful kits staring me down.
Hi Sean, I do exactly the same thing. I feel so much better!!
Those are pigments are they not?
@@TheModelGuy techically they are but the have a different texture, similar to women's make up. They are much easier to control than pigments and don't make a huge mess. They actually come with an applicator that is very similar to what would would find in make up sets.
@@seanfoster3052 I bought a set for jet engines but haven't used them yet. I'll have to try then
Excellent finish on the Fury, especially that exhaust. I guess I can count myself lucky for not having built an Airfix kit before, as they don't offer anything I would like to build.
Which prompts the question what do you like to build ?
LOL, I love the Red Green Reference!!!
Nice looking build after your mods. I'm on the same boat as you with Airfix, however, I've heard some kits are better than others. I just have not found an Airfix kit that I like yet.
Great work as always! ✌
Thanks WGM! I’ve heard some rumours of these good airfix kits but haven’t seen them yet in person. Maybe my standards are too high
I wouldn't say that this one is one of the best kits from Airfix...
They definitely have better ones.
But I agree, it is unfortunate when you have to shave and rescribe a kit.
It sure looks like a Sea Fury in the end! 🙂
I'm building the Airfix Fairey Battle in 1/72 scale. The kit is from 1978. When building such old kit you realise how good modern kits are, dispite some detail faults.
My first kit was an airfix lightning (The starter kit version) and recently I bought it again (not the starter, an actual f6 kit with new tool) and im going to rebuild it because this kit has a lot of memories (even tho i go for more detailed kits like tamiya, trumpeter or takom)
Never really had big issues with Airfix kits. And the new moulds are great. I think it all comes down to the skill of the modeller to use their experience and just enjoy any teething problems.
I don’t think it’s good quality control to assume customers are going to be okay using their skills to fill massive gaps, replace missing items not modelled (gunsight!) and filling short-shots.
...and this bloke just likes to moan. Glass half empty. Glad he won't be inviting me to any house parties.
Nice build, Airfix can be hit or miss. The newer kits are really nice, I've had no fit problems. The 1/48 Stuka and Mustang are both pretty good.
I've built their new Mustangs and they have the same issues. Especially where plugs go into place. You have to cut them square so they fit properly. They also have the same grainy plastic.
The new Stuka is amazing.
@@TheModelGuy I see your points, I get the impression most of their kits are so-so. I quickly have learned to watch videos and read stalemates.
What happened to the live NYE hang out?
post the link if it's still on.
The issue that bothered me the most was the vague instructions for the engine cowlings. It’s possible to assemble them upside down and back to front in any number of ways. I feel that better design - offset notches or tabs for instance - would have also helped prevent that happening
I heard somewhere, that the wide panels, etc is that the Airfix kits are designed to be painted with brushes. Thus a newbie will lose a lot of detail.
I'm proudly an assembler lol. Airfix need to up their game 100% even though they have over the last 10 years they still lag behind.
And the Airfix Sea Fury is half the price of the Trumpeter version.
They're definitely stuck in the early 90s with their engineering. Tamiya set the standard back in 1994 with their Mustang fit and design. Airfix is still napping.
Great video and build as always Robbie. I must admit that the news that the kit is so poorly designed depressed the shit out of me. I'm an Aussie living in Canada and build Australian aircraft. I bought this kit recently with the plan to build it to the box art scheme. I have a quasi personal connection to the story behind it also. I lived on the RAN airbase the Sea Fury took off from the day it shot down the unmanned Auster aircraft when I was a boy, albeit a good 20 years later. My father was an RAAF ATC seconded to the Navy. Later in his career he worked at the Aerodrome the unmanned Auster took off from as a civil ATC. At both jobs the story behind it was legendary. I'm just finishing up the same numbered aircraft in it's Korean markings (which was most likely RAN Sea Fury VX730, as this was one of several designated K 109 and is a museum piece in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra). This of course had invasion stripes and a Grey nose as Uncle Sam's knuckle heads had a hard time distinguishing allied aircraft from the enemy and tended to shoot first and not ask questions. Anyway digressions aside this build is the Trumpeter 1:48th and is an absolutely beautifully engineered kit. No complaints at all. Subtle riveting and crisp, clean fitting parts on good styrene. I really appreciate your time and patience and for sharing your frustration with this build. I'm frankly astonished by the crappy quality and a cursory look at some of the photos of other builds online show the glaringly bad raised riveting and weird, wide 'die cast toy' quality panel gaps you mentioned. The fuselage one is bizarre. Definitely would have been a no thanks decision whether to purchase this one..! Cheers. Love your work and enjoyed it irrespective.
Thanks Simon, I'll have to find that 1/48 Trumpeter Sea Fire to compare. Just need to dig more without being extorted! I have the two other RCN markings to still do, but that Australian all blue one looks sexy
@@TheModelGuy Yes I collect die casts as well and have the aircraft you mentioned in 1:72nd scale, RAN Sea Fury 115. A warbird in Arizona these days (I think...) I plan to build another of these Trumpeter Sea Fury II's in this scheme one day. Agree the blue scheme looks terrific. The RAN adopted this late in the Sea Fury's service, and kept this in some of their rotary aircraft with white tops for the next 30 odd years. Be aware the "Oxford Blue" they initially used is a perculiar colour which appears dark purple under certain lighting conditions. A very subtle but noticable phenomenon, and why the RAN changed to the royal sea blue the USN employed soon after. I was building a 1/72nd PM Models Sea Fury as 115 I abandoned when I acquired thie Die Cast (very rare), as well as a 1/72nd Westland Wessex and discovered this. You can see in old RAN colour photos this also. Originaly thought it was the old colour film stock but def the paint! Think I'll build that little kit the RCN Sea Fury now after that, after all I am a 'Canadian-in-law' 😁.
The Trumpeter 1/48th has a well engineered cowel but it has fitting problems too. The bottom "lip" shorcuts the bottom of the wings by about a milimetre, something I realized too late. Oddly, it has beautiful access panels for an exposed engine, much better design that the Airfix, but no engine included in the kit! Still, the Chinese have crushed the English with this kit in both quality and price.
A final word, I also recently aquired an Airfix 1/24th P-51K Mustang (Canadian markings ironically) I plan to eventually build as an RAAF CAC C-18 (The Australian manufactured Mustangs) and am loathing the prospect of facing the issues you have with your Hellcat you mentioned in your vid. I have no problem with customizing, scratch bulding and after market parts, It's the time wasting I hate also. The challenge is fun but the time - you never get it back. Oh well. Cheers mate. Long time follower and absolutely love your channel. Looking forward to what you bring us next.
What brand of decals please? They look really good.
These are Funkdecal
@@TheModelGuy They look very good. Do they have the peel off layer that Eduard decals have?
@@thethirdman225 no these are standard decals.
Great video but poor sound record level and volume.
Good result despite the issues, nice work.
Thanks Grant!
I'd be interested to see your approach to a larger, older kit such as the AMT/ERTL Valkyrie or one of the "cheap nasty" offerings like the TA183 by PM Model (pretty much all their kits are no detail and cheap). Good video as always I might add!
We only have so much time...and I don't want to waste it on poor kits :)
So the ease of building a kit is more important to you than the subject ?
@@jimmytgoose476 That may be subjective. For example, I like a lot of Luft 46 aircraft and early jet x-planes. In that regard, subject is greater than ease of kit.
But if I wanted to build a 109, it becomes accuracy (I'm not all that fussy, if it isn't obviously different) + ease of build as I have a vast choice.
All in all, non comparable as I pick based on subject and then pick based on choices available. I'll almost always pick injection kits over resin and white metal if available as long as they fit well.
Totally hear you on Luft 46 ; I'd rather scratchbuild or kitbash than dump a load of cash on a mediocre or even unbuildable resin kit . For me, the subject is the important bit . If the kit is sub-awesome the question to ask is "is it easier than scratchbuilding?" ; if so, then it's down to whether you think its worth the price . I do actually have a kit that is SO shit that it actually wouldnt be any harder to scratchbuild and i was amazed to find it's still listed on Hannants site and is now £51.60 ....🤯🤯
I built this kit last year. I recognised that there where a lot of moulding deformities. This is common in a lot of their older kits however, the new kits like the Beaufort, mosquito and Sherman firefly are actually pretty good somewhat budget kits. I don’t want to sound like one of the airfix fanboys like you said but living in the uk, airfix is the leading model brand in model shops in the uk. I know it’s no tamiya but it is a pretty good brand for what it is
There's far too many times when Tamiya ain't Tamiya ...
I always liked the Sea Fury. Thanks for the intel on this kit.
That is one very nice build. I prefer it when the kits you build are 'difficult ' as it allows you to demonstrate your modelling skills.
Easy kits are boring to watch.
Have you ever built the 1/48 Seafury from Hobby craft out of Canada back in the 1990s ?
Yeah and being a kid at the time I'm sure I just slapped it together!
Amazing result, and I couldn't agree with your airfix assessment more. you get what you pay for I guess.
This is actually a pricey kit. You can get an Eduard weekend kit or Tamiya 1/48 stuff cheaper
Neither Eduard or Tamiya do a Sea Fury .
Hi, I know where you are coming from with Airfix (and I'm British and grew up with their kits). I'm just building their 1/48 Vampire F.3. The top fuselage half at the nose must be a good 2-3mm wider than the bottom and needed super glue to get it together. I was then wondering what this had done to the profile for the nose cone to match up but luckily that appears to be ok. So it just appears to be a molding issue and may just be mine.
Another annoying bit that I also found on the Beaufort and is also done on the Vampire is separate wing tips. On both kits they have been a thicker section than the main wing. Ok, a bit of sanding fixes it but why Airfix?
Rough surface texture isn't just Airfix. I am also building the Zvezda/Revell Boeing 777 and the whole kits needs sanding so I can get a decent paint finish.
Also, Airfix are no longer a 'pocket money' product. The Vampire set me back £30, for this kind of price you can almost get an Eduard Profipak with a few bits of resin, PE and a mask set. I guess if you want cheap you can still get their 'classic' range but we are talking about models that were made as far back as the 50/60s.
Like you, I'm not really mocking Airfix but why can't they produce a nice polished product like Tamiya or Eduard?
Despite my comments, i am really looking forward to their forth coming 1/48 Avro Anson. My late father flew these in South Africa during the war so have a soft spot for them. I do have the Classic Airframes one in the stash but all that internal framing is resin and rather delicate. He also flew Airspeed Oxfords and I have the Special Hobby one of those too. Maybe Airfix will step up to the plate.
As for the rest of their 2022 range? Meh! Not really interested in the Buccaneer and yet another Spitfire albeit in 1/24. Not very original but I am sure it will sell very well indeed and after all there's no point in producing a kit that will only appeal to a minority of people.
Your Sea Fury turned out really well but really you shouldn't have to buy resin parts because the kit parts don't fit. Buy resin if you want to upgrade a kit yes but not because of poor design.
Well, keep up the good work and I look forward to your next build.
Best wishes, Mark
You have to wonder why their costs are going up but quality isn't. The ARMA 1/72 Hurricane is more detailed than Airfix's 1/48 offerings and goes together with zero issues.
Costs go up for the same reason as everything else . A good part of the cost of a kit is the packaging , labour costs and logistics , a surprising amount compared to tooling and plastics . People deserve to be well paid and fuel keeps going up . Kits of the future will probably be digital files downloaded to a local producer (or even home produced) which will be cheaper but we aren't close to it yet .
when build my aircraft if looks like a sea fury, spitfire what ever it is that good enough for me there’s never going to be a perfect model that’s my opinion beside that amazing job love watching your vids
Does a duck's quack echo in Airfix panel lines?
Farts do lol
Most impressive...here in England I too have 'assembled' a few kits which seemed to be several kits mixed together if you know what I mean......on the other hand I built two Tamiya aircraft recently, normally I am an AFV man, but venture into things like a 1/200 Bismark.....could not believe the size of the box when it arrived....but looks good...1/6 motorcycles, and even a Zombie Hunter bus which I made from a Greyhound bus kit....much more interesting....the Tamiya planes were the 1/48 Spitfire MK1 and a Zero in 1/72....very very nice....nowhere near your standard though....but then I am a cyclops.....only one eye..
Those 1/200 ships are insane. Small Soldier did the HMS Hood and had it at a show last year. Had to rent a truck I think to get it there.
@@TheModelGuy Oh yes indeed. They might be big, but an insane number of very small parts....The other bonkers kit I made was a 1/16 Panther tank...full interior, full ammo stowage, everything, the engine alone had 130 parts and was so beautiful I left it out, once in you would hardly see it, and gave it a display stand....I think the Panther had around 2,300 parts, of which just building the tracks took up 776 parts....each link had two seperate guide horns and a joining pin, and 97 links per side....but wow it looks so good...painted up in ambush colours...I own a Music Shop, but it has lots of model kits scattered around, and people find it more interesting than most shops....
@@cliverockability3829 if I could get kits and picks in one place I’d be set!
I’ve seen the 1/16 Panther at a show and it was huge. The guy had it all blown apart so you could see all the modules and such.
Are you on instagram or anywhere? I’d like to see your stuff
@@TheModelGuy Not really thought of putting my kits up anywhere, but you can look up Thief Asleep on RUclips and see me playing drums in my studio above the shop...I will see what I can do with the kits though....
Perhaps Airfix should run their preproduction items through you!
Thats weird about the cowling mine fit 100% without that gap.
Maybe they corrected it in later pops?
So did mine. Perfect fit. Plus the plastic wasnt grainy like in the Sea hurricane.
Beautiful build 👌
Thanks dude! I'm glad you enjoyed it
1:48 was never there strong suit there 1/72 scale stuff is pretty good tho
Looks awsome... great job.
I hear you there. I buy Airfix kits because they produce subjects that the other kit manufacturers don't make.
However even an Airfix single engine aircraft kit in 1/48th is incredibly pricey here in New Zealand. Tamiya and Hasegawa retail for less and the Chinese manufacturers such as Trumpeter retail for even less.
I was so looking forward to Airfix's new release F-86 and was disappointed to see the soft detail on another youtube channel. I'll stick with Hasegawa's F-86 despite it being older. Even Monogram's ancient F-86 has sharper detail!
Was that a nod to AvE?
Further back, Red Green.
@@allanpeters I hadn't thought about Red Green in a looong time. It was the reference to "safety squints" that caught my attention.
@@matthewmorvant9003 You could be right on that one, I thought you were referring to the handsome/handy reference.
@@matthewmorvant9003 That was AVE alright.
Very beautiful ❤️
Ya Airfix .... The thing is they do subjects I am interested in building, so I keep buying their kits. My Sea Fury has a large short shot on the leading edge of the tail. It is fixable, but why should I have to fix a part that never should have been boxed up. That is the part that real annoys me, if it is defective don't box it up for sale. But Airfix does not seem to get the concept of customer satisfaction. On the other hand why should they care? People like me keep buying their kits. Never the less excellent work as usual. You mentioned there was a problem with the Fundekals, what was it and it looked in the video as if there was ring on the outside edge of the roundel. Is this so? Thanks for the video.
Hi Gerry. The Fundekals started lifting off a few days after they were applied. I had to get a replacement set.
I try to avoid airfix but I wanted a stuka 87B in 1/48 . Not built it yet but I've heard it's not a bad a kit at all
It's a really bad kit the one i had a go at had really bad fit of parts. It ended up in the bin 😕
The Stuka is fine, any competant modeler can build it 🙂
Happy to be a an "assembler"
Good stuff
How perfect do you want it?
I don't want to get bogged down on correcting issues with the kit that shouldn't have made it past QC.
The crazy thing is their plastic was a higher quality in the mid 70s lol
And that's about the decade they are stuck in. The Tamiya P-51D set the bar in 1994. Tamiya also seems to get better with every new release too. Airfix seems stalled.
The plastic Airfix is using today is way to soft.
Their decals however, are really of great quality….
BTW, nice all those cockpit details but what will be visible of it?
Just enough of the pit is visible to make it worth it.
Agree with your assessment of Airfix kits. They can be a challenge to work with and is a significant let down on the newer tooled options. However, I feel that for their price point they are what they are. But if Airfix want to compete with the plethora of newer manufacturers offering nicely detailed kits at a good price, they really need to up their game.
Price wise their new stuff is quite expensive. You can get Eduard weekend kits for less.
I'm thinking shipping and transport costs would have a part to play with that. I'm probably lucky in that where I'm living, Ireland, means that Airfix and indeed Eduard or Arma Hobby kits can be comparably priced. However, a lot of the newer tooled Airfix kits can be quite expensive as they increased charges after July this year.
Totally agree with you mate i have 2 kits left in my stash of theres and when i done them thats it! Until they up there game im done! Considering there meant to be a ‘every modeller’ company they dont make it easy for new comers to the hobby. Great work though mate you managed to bring it to a better standard than when you started it!
They're getting quite pricey too. I can get an Eduard weekend kit to for $10 less at better quality.
@@TheModelGuy if you went up abit to £30 in eduards with there profile you get a great kit and some basic PE! You can get better and cheeper Tamiya kits! Its a shame really they seamed to be getting better and something just went wrong!
@@SullysScaleModels 100% right. Airfix fans will say they're great cheap kits but they're not cheap. For that same price point of $40 CAD there are a lot of better options. You can even drop a scale and get ARMA stuff. They're detail surpasses Airfix's in 1/48! They need to really wake up. Just a few small quality changes would see them improve vastly.
@@TheModelGuy yep!! And indont know why they have done all this re boxing as well?! With crap old kits that just make the look worse! I will say i have made a couple recently that are actually decent models to build but i think im done now eduard and Tamiya all the way for aircraft for me i think!
@@SullysScaleModels I am redoing my Seafire build and that means revisiting Airfix again. But this time I have both kits needed to make the conversion very simple. Not a kit bash like the first one.
I feel like this is a tad harsh. Of course they aren’t Tamiya… nobody is! Try building one of Airfix’s 80s releases though… Then I think you’ll appreciate how far they’ve come 🤣 Also, if all of us were to stick to just building Tamiya, we would all be a lot poorer and have a very limited collection! Airfix can at least be commended to moulding a varying degree of subjects which haven’t had a modern kit in the mainstream before; Javelin, Beaufort, Valiant, Sea Vixen to name but a few!
It might be a tad harsh, but maybe they'll take a look at one thing they can improve in their next design
I'm sure they have never watched my videos anyways....or since the Tiff debacle
Tamiya aren't all that great .
Try build an old heller kit it's exactly the same 😔😔
I prefer airfix kits, due to the fact there easier to put together for me atleast. My eyes get crossed when using other brands but thats only my experience
Have you tried any other company tho? Airfix kits like to have gaps and bad fit. Tamiya? Stuff falls together. Sure, costs bit more but it'd be 10x easier to build
@@beaverchicken Unless you buy good old tamiya, old tam kits are even cheaper than airfix and they still got great fit and decent details. Altough i prefer a bit more challenging builts (not by bad fits) just harder overall assembly with more parts, eduard is my go-to.
@@beaverchicken yeah I've had some bad experience with tamiya in the past, but I guess its partially my fault at that time I was more inexperienced. I'll try to build more Tamiya kits in the future.
@@pvt.potato1943 just make sure you get actual Tamiya, not something like an italeri rebrand
@@subodai85 how do I tell?
People seem to have this rosetinted glasses view of Airfix, but for me as an adult modeller they sure are often the cheap option, but you certainly get what you pay for with all the problems with every single one of their kits. i personally rather pay more for quality(wich i know always isent an option)
You can get older, nicer Tamiya kit for $10 less.
@@TheModelGuy i hear you and the big Airfix fanbase keep saying ojn check out this brand new tooling kit its amazing they have changed, brand new tooling, 2cms of flash, sinkmarks on everything, ejectorpins on all major shown surfaces. just wanna chuck it in the garbage immiedtly lol
@@TheModelGuy agree completely. Airfix seems to be getting by on nostalgia.
Way too much effort involved in correcting issues for my modeling money, but you turned out a good looking finished product.
Depends how much you want a Sea Fury.....
You made decent work of that! Nice build, airfix not withstanding ;)
Amazing I hate the living hell out of this plane tho cus I get clapped every time I see it in war thunder
But you did an amazing job
Airfix do a very good range at reasonable prices. I mainly make 1/72 kits and find the satisfaction of making a less than “perfect” kit work adds to the attraction. I could pay three times the price for a Tamiya kit but all I’d end up with would be a more modelly model - let’s not kid ourselves that any model actually looks like a real plane.
Lets hear it for the one kit Airfix made that is definitely superior to it's Tamiya counterpart : ladies and gentlemen, THE SEA HARRIER !! Yaaay !!!
I steer well clear of Airfix and always will for the very reasons layed out in this video
You are missing out on some great kits of iconic subjects .
Marvel's 👍
They're not all bad. I quite like their Hurricane and P-40B kits.
I have done three of their Hurricanes. No serious issues with the trop or Mk I. But the Sea Hurricane kit I just had was a disaster. It was a darker grey than the Airfix blue which may of meant it came from a different factory? The upper wing halves would not sit in place at all. And when I did get them to curve, there was a 2mm step at the trailing edge.
@@TheModelGuy Seems like it's best to check reviews before buying.
@@TheModelGuy Darker grey? That's one of the last UK injection moulded ones, the lighter stuff is the Made in India.
Funny how everyone claims bringing back production to the UK would be much better :D
@@whtalt92 so get the Indian stuff for quality.
Got it :)
@@TheModelGuy I dunno, I'm more used to Valom, Mikro-mir and AMG stuff. Maybe it's just part of the hobby dealing with the occasional issues?
I have purchased Airfix on and off for 50 years. Even as a kid I felt they were always lacking proper detail and quality. Revell were always better in my opinion.
When Tamiya entered the market Airfix were blown out of the water.
They have improved but for me they still carry that stigma from years past.
Tamiya don't deserve their reputation . They have made plenty of mediocre or decidedly crappy kits that are still in production and many of the more recent ones have simplified or missing details .
@@jimmytgoose476 Maybe so. I remember my Dad bringing home both Tamiya Lancasters in the 70s. They looked amazing. He only made one and it was incredible. He passed away last year so I gave the remaining model to a lad at work to complete.
The Lancaster being one of their prime crappy, most mediocre kits ! Yes, it can be built into a terrific model but it's at least as much work as any Airfix kit of the era (say, the 1/24th Ju87) . Poor fit , especially of the engines which are also mis shaped . Horrible surface detail , particularly on the huge upper wing . The dorsal hatches are mismatched . Then there is the largely fictitious and hopelessly simplified interior . Monogram's B17 is a similar vintage but is far superior in every respect of accuracy, details and ease of build, not in the least of which is price - usually half of a Tam Lanc . That Tamiya have kept such a meh... kit in production for so long and felt they could charge £100 does them no favours .
@@jimmytgoose476 My Dad made the 72nd Lanc G George. He was superb with kits. That Lanc actually looked good to my 11 yo eyes.
Awww....mate ! Sounds like you had the relationship with your dad i wish i had with mine ....
Do any of his models survive ? About 20 years ago one of the guys in our model club brought in several crates of 1/48th models that had been built in the 70s by a former Spitfire fitter, then recently departed . We all helped ourselves and the ones that i picked up -a Monogram Airacobra , Otaki Ki61 and Otaki Corsair - still have pride of place alongside my own . They are only average models but it's where they came from .
A sad case of CAD whizzos instead of competent modelers at Airfix?
I just think their standards are low.
Brutal
I am done with Airfix kits....except, maybe, their upcoming 1/24 Spitfire release. You did a great job on this kit.
I have their 1/24 Hellcat to build this year. It's been stalled for a while.
I'm just not looking forward to all the clean up
That's your loss ; they make many good kits that are unique .
@@jimmytgoose476 Thanks for the reply. Yes, they do make some unique kits which is a positive point. Their current range of 1/24 aircraft I have bought: Hellcat, Typhoon etc. Their price point for 1/48 kits is quite good, is another positive. I just have a hard time with the trench size panel lines.
The last 1/48 Airfix kit i built was the Spitfire XII and i was very happy with it ; the next one will probably be the new Mustang. The panel lines on these two look fine to me but i know nothing of the larger kits . I've got a TSR2 and remember thinking the surface didn't look as refined (or accurate) as my Dynavector kit ; also the B57 looks a bit heavy but this is in the unbuilt pile and is probably destined for disposal.
Have you built any of the big kits ?
I built this Seafury as well, the Dutch Navy version. I can relate to the shortcomings of this kit. And yes, we get what we pay for. Eventually I enjoyed building this out of the box and moreover the end result. The worst thing I remember is the cowling; it required some TLC sanding before assembly indeed.
I have no idea how the cowling made it into production like that. It's not a small gap. And on a kit designed in 2017
@@TheModelGuy clearly Airfix is off par with it's competition translating cad cam designs into usable sprues. I also do recall the wings attached to the sprues in a crazy way. Design does not stop there for companies like Eduard and Tamiya. BTW working a 2012 Kinetic A6, I stumble upon similar challenges... It's not as bad as I can recall The Heller Horror shows from back in the days 😂
I've done the Kinetic Hornet and their E-2. One nice thing I can say is Kinetic made some very large improvements in a short time with their kits. Unfortunately the Hornet is a very difficult aircraft to engineer the build for so I don't entirely fault their short comings on that kit.
Airfix generally get their shape and scale about right - well, they do for British types - but their detail design and manufacture leaves a bit to be desired. It seems a waste of time to do all those detail parts badly. I don’t think I’ve ever built an Airfix kit that wasn’t short shot somewhere or had sink marks. Their panel lines are usually soft and way too big, more like those old Matchbox kits of the 1970s than the 2000s and later. The one thing that bugs me the most though is their canopy detail. The frames are always way too thick an when sanded down, they don’t always look right. This was definitely the case on my 1:48 Bf-109E and it’s no better on the Hurricane.
Are they the worst? No, I don’t think so. All kit companies have made their share of duds but that said, Airfix is no Tamiya. Equally, there isn’t anything out there that quite has the Hurricane right either. So Airfix definitely has its place. I just wish they’d spend a bit less time on Spitfires and a bit more time getting models like this one right.
Until Arma releases their 1/48 Hurricane, Airfix still has the best one in the market
Yes Airfix have some well documented shortcomings and they don't seem to have any inclination to raise their game into the Tamiya league. I guess there is a business decision to stay in the lower price bracket. This said i have recently made the Tamiya P38 and the M18 Hellcat that are superb well engineered kits but its like sticking lego together. i guess its the modeler/assemble argument. I prefer to be a modeler - there is no clear answer really.
If you need a challenge try Tamiya's Sea Harrier ....it's shite 😃
Nothing wrong with "Bad Mouthing" Airfix, as thay have made some really nice kits and some absolute garbage that needs heaps of work to look reasonable.
So, same as all the other manufacturers, then....
@@jimmytgoose476 Pretty much, been doing this for 30 years and they all have the good, bad, and ugly unless you build it yourself from scratch.
With all the issues with Airfix why did you buy it? Not a criticism, just curious.
Because the Sea Fury is one of my favorite aircraft and a big part of Canadian Naval Aviation history. So it was more of a destination build than a journey build. I also have the Kinetic Tracker for next year which is going to be a destination as well :)
I hope that makes sense?
@@TheModelGuy So no other company makes this plane; that makes sense. I thought that other companies made this kit and you were after challenging yourself.
@@simonkubacki9823 Trumpeter and Special Hobby make it but it is very difficult to find here. This is the only real option I had.
@@TheModelGuy ok will keep an eye out
Well shit, if I would have known about these issues an that you don't like building Airfix kits, I wouldn't have ponied up for that 1/24 Hellcat. Oh well.
The Stuka must be 50 years old . Compare it to another kit of the same vintage, including any Japanese brand , and it won't look so bad . It is buildable, I've seen some great ones and it makes for an impressive kit . There's also the pride you'll have because other modellers will know you put some work into it .
Airfix's quality control is totally non existent nowadays, to address the problem they need to return manufacturing to the UK 🇬🇧
Nice thought but it will never happen .
After seeing this video, I'll definitely buy more Airfix kits. This Sea Fury is not a "shake-and-bake" kit but it is a big improvement over the Hobbycraft and Trumpeter Sea Fury. The grainy plastic from Airfix doesn't require a lot of extra work. The 1/24 Hellcat IS a good kit, check out Chuck's build on the LSP forum. "If you bought a model kit that comes in a box, you're also an assembler" ? Really ? What sets modellers apart from assemblers is WHAT they do with the parts that are in the box. Assemblers prefer "shake-and--bake" kits (like the kits from Tamiya) and build a kit OOB without any changes or improvements , modellers don't care much about what's in the box, because they will modify and detail the kit with aftermarket or scratchbuild parts. But there's a simple conclusion (for me anyway) from your video : You don't like kits like this Airfix Sea Fury (and I'm guessing you don't like Revell kits either) because they take more time to build. So you prefer "shake-and-bake" kits, like Tamiya or WNW. Maybe change the title to : 'Airfix 1/48 Hawker Sea Fury : not a "shake-and-bake" kit'. Or 'Airfix 1/48 Hawker Sea Fury : not for Tamiya fans'. Anyway, I'll get back to my projects, which are mainly 1/18 scale cars. Very time consuming because it requires a lot of scratchbuilding. But for me that's modelling. I prefer a Bburago Ferrari F40 from the eighties (and change / modify about 70% of the parts) over an almost ready-to-display model from BBR or KK-Scale.
All those airfix things that “only require a little extra work” add up very quickly. At their price point, there shouldn’t be the issues that all of there kits have. I never said at any point that they don’t build into nice models if you put in the time. But they do take 50% more time than any other manufacturers kits. If I was paying $20 for their kits I would expect that.
Revell is just as bad when it comes to their own stuff. Their 1/32 Hornet is a nightmare. I’d rather enjoy my hobby then fix other peoples mistakes. I’m already repairing other peoples fuck ups enough in life as a heavy truck tech.
If you enjoy airfix, good on you. But I would not recommend their kits to anyone.
@@TheModelGuy Yes, you never said that they don't build into nice models. You're just saying that it takes a lot of time to do so, compared to other manufacturers kits. I agree with you on that. I guess it's a matter of personal preference, but I prefer to pay £ 25 for the Airfix Sea Fury then £ 41 for the Trumpeter Sea Fury. So personally I think that most Airfix kits are good value for money. Especially because I enjoy fixing the mistakes that come with these kind of kits. The 1/32 Revell Hornet requires a LOT of work just to put it together. Lots and lots of dryfitting, sanding and scraping. But it looks nice when finished. I totally respect your opinion, but I would recommend Airfix kits to anyone who's not bothered by the extra work.
Airfix have had a shitty deal in this column . They have made many excellent kits that are often the only choice for the subject - Tamiya TSR2 ? Vulcan ? Sea Vixen ? Yeah...that...
I'm not a fanboy - of the kits i have built this century two of the three most disappointing were Airfix (the third was Tamiya...) but that is balanced by several of the most satisfying also being Airfix , the Spitfire Mk. XII being my favourite. I'm very much looking forward to starting my P-51D, which i would say is a steal for £22 . And yes, i have the Eduard kit as well.
We all get different things from this hobby but dismissing a major brand's entire output sucks .
I rather like Airfix and don't agree with your negative comments
You can disagree all you like, but how can you when I am showing the fit issues and poor quality control on this kit?
I always enjoy Airfix kits certainly more than the likes of Revell and Italeri
Your description of the faults makes your model building sound so joyless
Quality end result though
Some people also enjoy watching the Maple Leafs lose. Doesn’t mean you can’t move on to better things.
I’m a Brit, and I’m here to say Airfix is an embarrassment. Not proud of them in anyway, virtually every other manufacturer leaves them in the dust. They are decades behind the rest of the industry. Their plastic is soft and doesn’t hold detail well, surface finish is always an issue and their sprue gating is atrocious. And of course massive inaccuracies and mistakes. They only seem really interested in the super new early starter type kits for people and children that don’t know any better. Sad really, even that new Vulcan they brought out with “brand new tooling” isn’t all that great. Pity really, but once Bandai make it into the aircraft market, maybe it will give them all the kick in the butt they need to compete.
You can wish all you want or just get on with modelling . How much would a Bandai TSR2 cost anyway ?
There are some fair criticisms but the comments are a colossal whinge fest . IT'S NOT A TAMIYA KIT no it isnt but it's also about 20 quid less than if Tamiya had done it . Tamiya have made PLENTY of mediocre and plain crappy kits that are still in production alongside the super stuff . Their quality is a long way from universal ; every single Brand T kit I've built has needed something extra , even the fantastic Mosquito.
IT'S NOT AS GOOD AS TAMIYA'S MUSTANG !! And it's not as good as Dragon's King Tiger either ....duh . The question to ask is "Is it better than the Hobbycraft and Trumpeter Sea Furys ?" to which the answer is "Yes."
"Life is too short for crappy kits! " Personally, if i am interested in the subject then that's all i need . I am more than capable of cleaning up parts , filling seams, fixing dodgy fit and improving or scratch building replacement bits . One thing i am not interested in is dumping north of fifty quid into a 1/48 fighter aircraft , regardless of it's "quality" .
To be honest I think Airfix deserves to be hauled over hot coals for their lack of care
But remember to remove the naval equipment
Airfix keeps on building XX century kits...and Im not talking about the models.
So do Tamiya and Hasegawa .
Just a comment for the algorithm.
Dude get the Pakistani decals and build a Pakistani Seafury
I try to watch your uploads but just find you way too negative. I build to have fun. Sure sounds like you never have fun.
I have fun building kits. I just fail to see why Airfix has not improved when so many other brands have. It's 2021 when that Hornet released and it needed a lot more work than it should have. I only have so much time at the bench and if the build turns into a slog, I have no issue moving on to something else.
The Airfix F-4 is a disgrace
Hellooooo!
If you're not really a fan of building Airfix kits then stop whining and don't build them!!
Lol "whining".
Nahh,you don’t like airfix because you’re an American mate.
I’m Canadian
Same thing to Europeans 🤣
If you don’t like Airfix Kits, don’t buy them simple.
If only we all did that, they’d go out of business and that embarrassment of a company might think about upping their game.
@Richard Beaumont It is very important to trash them publicly as well. I WAS considering to buy this one at some point, now its not in my wishlist anymore. I can say:, following your line of thouht >>> if you dont like bad reviews, dont watch them. And… don NOT make pointless comments.
how far did you have to walk to miss the point by so much? did it make you tired?
@@argento1111 You're another assembler I guess, and can not grasp the concept to modelling.
@@barpfoto What kind of statement is that? It did not translate in to English well.