Short Skyvan - Airfix "Vintage Classics" reissue...oh boy.

Sometime in the past Airfix realized that it was good to bag the parts:

Still did not bother to correct the mistakes on the newly-printed instructions (blue and red arrows are mine). Way to go, Airfix!:

The really well-printed decal sheet, but with the same boring Greek option that has been around for decades, and a "fake camo" subject that would be a nightmare to paint, with a "mouth" that has to follow compound curves...good luck with that. Of all the many extremely beautiful schemes this airplane wore during its long line, even airline liveries...those choices? Really?:

Same ole' same ole'. A little flash here, a little flash there, a sink mark somewhere:

Defective transparencies...again, and this time with a missing part! 

As you open the plastic bag beware that Airfix is Airfix, so look for those loose parts:

Why, Airfix, so generous...I guess you are sending 3D-printers to your customers?:

And the cherry on top of the cake, deformed fuselage sides...

Sigh...

Was this the product of a partial cooling system failure/blockage that prevented that particular area from cooling thus the plastic remaining soft as the sprues were removed form the molding machine? Or the parts being removed too soon from the mold?

WTF, Airfix! QUALITY CONTROL!!!!

I just wrote to Hannants -from whom I bought the kit- to see what solution they offer to replace the deformed fuselage sides and the missing light "lens" in the clear sprue.

As a decades-long loyal Airfix customer, with scores of their kits built during my life, and many of them posted in this very blog*, I see with sadness this industry giant struggling to keep relevant.

 But..is it just me? Let's see what the Net is saying..

*These are some of the Airfix builds posted here. Many of them had to be modified to reach their modeling potential, most are civil conversions that Airfix never offered. Some are old kits that need some TLC, some are new kits that are really nice, and some are old and utterly despicable kits that don't deserve to be built, much less re-issued (the Rotodyne comes immediately to mind). It can't be said that I didn't support Airfix...as far as I could:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/02/civil-grumman-duck-172nd-airfix-ready.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2019/09/avro-anson-london-school-of-flying.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2025/03/sopwith-pup-civil-conversion-of-airfix.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2019/07/civil-avro-anson-modified-airfix-172.html 

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2015/04/savoia-s79-corsa-adaptation-from-172nd.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2014/07/172-airfix-fairey-rotodyne.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2025/02/fairey-rotodyne-modified-airfix-172nd.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2014/07/172-airfix-de-havilland-dh-88-comet.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-bristol-tourer-conversion-from-f2b.html 

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2020/02/handley-page-o700-airliner-conversion.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/12/anson-johnson-1949-mustang-racer-airfix.html 

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2020/10/ford-trimotor-corrugated-wonder.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2022/02/hawker-hurricane-civil-trial-platform-g.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2024/04/de-havilland-dh4a-vintage-172nd-airfix.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2022/11/bristol-bulldog-civil-conversion-of.html

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2023/08/hi-time-ii-mustang-reno-racer-academy.html

 

 Airfix just released what looks to be a very detailed and well-molded kit of the Junkers Ju-52...with no civil options whatsoever, of course, so far...sigh...

As I am tired of converting military models to civil ones dealing with all kinds of issues (just click on the corresponding links above) -corrugations being the most difficult to work with- I will give it a pass until new molds/parts come to the market. If ever. 

 

 

To be continued?...