Airfix Report

By Michael Benolkin

The Airfix booth was at the show, as usual, displaying their vast array of kits in their product line. While Airfix says that they do not currently have any new kits under development, they were encouraged by the reception for their upgraded 1/24 Harrier GR.3 kit.

This kit was on display and retains all of the original parts from the earlier GR.1 release. A new tree includes the revised tail and nose, AIM-9L Sidewinders, as well as other details needed for the GR.3. This explains why the kit will still produce the USMC AV-8A Harrier and AV-8S Matador. The decal sheet is almost as large as the box and contains all of the markings and stencilings for a Falkands era GR.3, a GR.3 of RAF 4 Sqn, an AV-8A of the USMC, a Spanish Navy AV-8S, and a Thai Navy AV-8S.

Because of the positive response with the Harrier, Airfix will be providing new parts for its 1/24 Spitfire Mk.I to render a Spitfire Mk.Vb.

For those who do not build such large scales, Airfix also plans to retool their 1/72 Lynx kit to represent the current operational aircraft.

If this trend does continue, we may see some great new variations to the Airfix line that does not involve a great deal of expense to the company, and will provide us with numerous new possibilities!