AIRFIX ROUNDUP

HAVING BEEN forced to delay several projects due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Airfix is rapidly getting back on track with its 2020 kit releases.

Products for August/September will include maritime, aircraft and armour subjects, mixing both current items and the welcome return of several ‘golden oldies’ as part of the Vintage Classics range. The 1/600 HMS Victorious and Admiral Graf Spee, both regarded as being among the best of Airfix’s older maritime offerings, are joined by the 1/350 Type 45 Destroyer and 1/120 Endeavour Bark. The last of these releases coincides with the 250th anniversary of Capt Cook’s famous voyage to the southern hemisphere.

There’s also the resumption of the firm’s Dogfight Doubles, with its MiG-17F Fresco/Douglas A-4B Skyhawk combo – the first such product in four years. It will feature markings for a 921st Air Regiment, Vietnam People’s Air Force MiG-17 and VA-93 ‘Blue Blazers’, USS Bennington (CVS-20) A-4B airframe respectively.

Arguably, though, the highlights are the 1/48 Folland Gnat (subject of this month’s cover build, see Mighty Midget), which features two new schemes, and the re-boxing of two American armoured vehicles: the M-18 Hellcat tank destroyer and the M7 Priest self-propelled howitzer. Both military subjects are repackaged Academy kits with new decals and artwork. August/September releases are listed below, while those scheduled for July are in this month’s Recently Released (p.126); further details on these and other Airfix products are at: www.airfix.com