Little joy for WW1 modellers from Nuremberg toy fair

[Dave W]

The Nuremberg toy fair is on where the world's model companies unveil their new releases for the year. According to a list loaded on another hobby site there's little joy for WW1 aircraft modellers this year.

Wingnuts does not display at Nuremberg so they are not factored into the lists but of the companies showing at Nuremberg Eduard has announced the SE5a and a Profipack Albatros D.Va.

Interestingly Fly has announced a Ansaldo S.V.A. 10, an Ansaldo S.V.A 5 floatplane and a Ansaldo S.V.A 9, all in 1/48th scale.

Given the 100th anniversary of WW1 we might have hoped more model companies would embrace the significance of WW1 aviation but apparently they continue to ignore it.

Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia

[petrov27]

Hmm, was thinking Hasegawa might do a 1/16 DrI to match that Camel from last year but not terribly surprised.

Disappointing, but still:
WNW continues to crank out stuff (this in fact might play into why other big name kit companies are not doing new kits in 1/32 maybe? Fear WNW will do the same subject?)
Aviattic is throwing their hat into the ring and releasing a full kit this year
Special Hobby just released a WW1 kit - the M1C, maybe they will come up with another late in the year?
Eduard just came out of WW1 retirement to do the SSDIII - that may be it from them but at least something?
Merit has shown up outta nowhere to do 1/24 kits - not sure when they are supposed to come out but maybe this year?

So I am still feeling fairly positive about what we are seeing released these days

[Dave W]

Good points Petrov and I should have clarified my post by stating there's little joy for WW1 modellers from the commercial mainstream manufacturers this year.

Aviattic's full kit will be eagerly welcomed of course but they are at this stage a limited run model company, albeit of the highest quality. Special Hobby, also welcomed, leans toward limited run subjects. Eduard are slowly nudging back toward WW1 subjects bless them!- and Merit's announced 1/24th kits are at this stage just a promise and an unknown quantity.

That said I agree we have much to be excited about for WW1 subjects especially with the Wingnuts programme but for the 1/48th and 1/72 WW1 modellers, there's nothing for them from Wingnuts and sadly the mainstream guys ( Airfix, Revell etc) continue to ignore WW1. Airfix's 2015 release programme is fantastic with many great and appealing new releases in 48th and 72 scales, but no WW1 whatsoever. Sad.

Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia

[WarrenD]

If not a single product was released this year for WWI a/c modelers, we would still enjoy an embarrassment of riches. Twenty years ago we didn't have diddley-squat, and now we have huge stashes of kits in all scales. I'll never live long enough to build half of what is in my stash as it now stands.

Just my two kopecks.

Warren

[Derrick]

Although they don't have any first world war aircraft on that site , the 1/350 scale ships look interesting. I always wanted to try building one. Also a 1:144 scale corvette like the Canadian navy used,would be tempting. I remember touring the HCMS Sackville when I was a kid.

[Berman]

Both Aviattic and Lone Star Models will be coming out with 1/48th scale WWI aircraft kits. Grey Matter Figures has a 1/48 Siemens Schuckert glider bomb. Plus items from Copper State.

[rhwinter]

I won't tune in with this "bottle half full" versus "half empty" thing. What I wanted to post is that WNW's Felixtowe early and late were awarded with the "Model of the Year" medal from "Modell Fan", the leading German language modelling magazine.

[PiotrM]

Hello
Mirage Hobby announced at Nürnberg 1/48 Halberstad CL.IV HFW (kurz) fuselage version.
New tooling for the main body of the Halb. CI.IV aircraft plus new extra parts.
BR
Piotr

[Kai]

Wingnut wings complete and utter brilliance is a double edged sword.

They completely dominate the 1/32 WW1 aviation market in a way no other company manages in any other market. They've got the resources, the money, the time & the desire to make any model they fancy.

This makes it very, very difficult to compete against them. Special Hobby's Bristol MC1 is a great little kit, beautifully made, but it's a limited run kit and hence lacks the engineering, detail & ease of WNW. But the price more than makes up for any shortcomings and I hope it's been a success for them and they follow it up with more WW1 subjects.

Look at Roden, who previously carried the flame for 1/32 WW1 modelling. I remember their Albatros being reviewed in Windsock as the best thing since sliced bread. Now it's completely outclassed and sells relatively cheaply. They simply cannot compete & have exited the 1/32 development market.

So with WW1 aviation modelling still being a small niche, and WNW taking up a great big slice of that niche - in 1/32 anyway - there is simply insufficient residual demand for anybody to compete with WNW, other than the odd limited run kit.

We'll see all sorts of Spitfires, P-51's. 109, 190's, etc, as the market seems absolutely massive for WWII kits, to say nothing of the jet market.

I'm extremely happy & glad that WNW have given us models we'd never dreamed of only a few years ago. But it also means they've largely killed the competition stone dead.

[Nigel Jackson]

I wonder, Kai, if the dominance you mention might not work in a positive sense in another way. Through WNW, we have a magnificent and expanding range of pretty much state of the art models. We now see these advertised in glorious colour and the subject of builds in the model building magazines. More and more people are having their eyes open to the aircraft of the Great War.

Yet, not all can afford or have the space to buy and display in 1/32 scale. Doesn't this, and the interest created by WNW, provide the opportunity for a 1/48 mainstream player to surf the wave and offer us an alternative. Gaspatch have shown to magnificent effect what is possible with their superlative Salmson. No doubt Eduard, despite their apparently limited plans, are closely monitoring the sales reaction to their SS III. Revell, too, having clearly weighed up the 1/48 Great War possibilities have released for us the former Eduard Brisfit and Dr.I.

Surely a time will come when the world is full of Spitfires, Fw 190s and Tiger tanks!

Best wishes
Nigel

[lcarroll]

Although they don't have any first world war aircraft on that site , the 1/350 scale ships look interesting. I always wanted to try building one. Also a 1:144 scale corvette like the Canadian navy used,would be tempting. I remember touring the HCMS Sackville when I was a kid.

I'm presently working on a 1:350 conversion of Mirages's Kit of this, (quite a struggle for me in this tiny scale!) Is there a 1:144 Model on the market now??
Cheers,
Lance

[Kai]

Nigel,

I think you are absolutely right, there is no real leader in the 1/48 or even 1/72 market as there is in the 1/32 market.

If somebody is brave enough to focus on WWI aviation, they could do very well. Maybe even licence WNW's kits and scale them down? That would help WNW by bringing in additional revenue, allowing them to keep costs down for their customers, whilst not being in direct competition.

We have to remember though that WNW are underwritten by PJ's gazillions, so there was no financial risk as such and they did not have to go looking for money to borrow. Getting business finance these days is not easy and I'm not sure a bank would see WWI aviation modelling as a business they would want to invest in!

Still, the likes of Eduard can pop out a new kit at a relatively small marginal cost - compared to a start-up - so we'll have to wait and see.

[Derrick]

I thought it was said somewhere that Special Hobby was working on a Albatros III. Has there been any news about that ?

[dtomko]

Years ago Special Hobby was going to release a Fokker D.III in 1/48.  Could that be what you're thinking of, Derrick?  I don't know if they are still going to do it.

Drew