Jan Etal looks at a new book from SAM Publications about small-scale model projects: Airfix Build and Convert.

Link to Item



If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Thanks Tom , glad to see this one up. Quite a few modellers might find there are some interesting surprises in the book.

Cheers,
Jan

Nice review Jan. I was thinking about what you said about it not just being a trip down memory lane, but of course it does put one in mind of the numerous articles that used to appear in Airfix and MM magazines. It is nice to see something devoted to low cost kit bashing although I guess some of it could be applied to non-Airfix kits in any case.

Interesting that the table of the release dates of Airfix AFV kits shows that 2008 was easily the year of highest output ever. I notice that on this site, however, there is still just but one lonely Airfix AFV kit review...

Jan. great review and I have to say that the book and the potential for these kits that it presents has me wanting a copy. Do you have any idea when it will be available in Canada? Any idea of the price? I notice on the cover and more so on the 17th image what appears to be the Japanese Chi Ha tank but I don't see it listed in the review text or any other pictures of it. Isn't there a section that deals with it? I have one of these kits unbuilt and would be curious about any improvements to the kit that could be made.

Regards,
AJ

I started out with Airfix models. I still have some of the Airfix model guides. Some of the kits I remember conbverting were the trucks from the Airfield Rescue set, The Scammell and I converted the Sherman to a Sexton, an M32 and a Firefly and the Pzr IV into a Brummbar and a stug IV
sadly all long lost

reading this makes me want to sign up for the Airfix Campaign

@firstcircle - Thanks Matthew, while some of us didn't have access to the magazines you mention a couple of club members that are originally from the UK had talked about them often enough. One even brought in some photocopies of articles from them at our last meetings. His only lament was that the drawings were a bit rough and not necessarily 100% accurate, scale wise.

The large number of releases (or rereleases) in 2008 are primarily due to the "restructuring" of the new Airfix after acquiring the rights to JB Models. Twelve of the fourteen releases are of the reboxed JB line. I agree that it is quite surprising that there are so few reviews of these more economical kits.

@AJB - As far as I know, there is no definite Canadian release date. Both Amazon.ca and Chapters have it listed for pre-order. It appears to be available in the US and ranges in price from $34.00 to $36.00 and UK mail order places pretty much list it at £20.00.

The Chi Ha, while appearing on the cover, is unfortunately one of the kits without a separate entry.

@exer - Thanks for posting your comment and also about the campaign. Too bad you still didn't have your conversions as it would have been quite enjoyable to see pictures of them.

For those interested in the campaign you can find it at Ancient Airfix Assemblers Campaign. Be forewarned, it's any scale, any era and any subject. There is also a restriction as to the kits' release date. As some of you might have seen in other threads, I have considered an "Airfix: Anything Goes" campaign proposal for a similar starting date. In my case I was going to have it restricted to any Braille Vehicle kit with an Airfix label. We'll see what happens.

Cheers,
Jan

Thanks for getting this up Jan! Those photos alone are helpful in getting a feel for what's in this publication. I wasn't sure what to expect, but now I know I'm interested.

Jeremy,

I am glad that you found the review informative and if it helped clarify what the book is all about. The book is teaming with photos and illustrations and it was difficult to determine which might or could best serve to show the book's potential. That's not to say that the information in the text isn't also useful. Thanks for commenting.

Cheers,
Jan

Hi Jan Agree with all your responses. I was never happy with the cover as it was produced almost a year before I finished the articles for the book!! Embarrasingly there are quite a few models on the cover that don't figure in the book!
The book is available only direct from SAM publications : www.sampublications.com

Regards

Tom Cole

Greetings Tom!

What a totally unexpected pleasure to have you drop by this thread and offer your thoughts. I am happy that you found the review and comments to your liking but I must say, I tells it like I sees it.

As you may or may not know, I am a devoted Braille Scale aficionado. I also have a small "stash" of Airfix (and former JB Model) kits at hand. I must also admit that I am chomping at the bit to give one of these conversions a try.

As for the cover, I did notice that some of the models present did not make it into the book. However, that in no way detracted from the plethora that are present. I'd also like to say that the book went over very well at a couple of local models clubs where I was asked to speak about it. At the present I know of at least three people that couldn't wait to get their hands on a copy.

Cheers,
Jan

I brought his book a few months having waited and waited to buy it afer all of the hype I was disappointed with the book in certain aspects. The fact it was a simple expansion of the magazine articles. With articles obviously there is a limitation to the length of the article, you'd expet the book articles to be more in depth and explain the works better but the articles really lacked a lot of explanation...I believe the articles should of been explained better and in greater detail. Obviously being for the average modeller so you'd expect it to aid these average modellers by helping them no? The pictures Being a small resolution and layed out crammed around the text doesn't make it legible to viewers, the useage of imigaes from the magazine articles didn't seem to great beings I paid £20.00 for the book so you'd expect to get something for that money, its almost buying a fish from a chip shop thats half eaten? I thought it would be better to have less images squashed together using larger images showing more detail rather than lots of liitle ones...the logic of the images not cohenres so the images line up with the typography and make sense better to the reader even if they would to look at the pictures they'd help more if they were in order almost like a step by step. I seriously think you should do a second book Tom perhaps include some of the models not fetured in the book but on ther cover. As for the spirit of Airfix its helped me recindle my interest and enthusiasm for Braille Scale andoushing to be a more accurate and better model builder...You still can't beat sat at the kitchen table knocking an airfix kit...just with ease without the worry of rivet counting. I strongly feel Airfix kits can look good with a good finish paintwise, somethng that has been highlighted my modellers on various forms..i still like the book and you've certainly done well with the airfix kits and rekindling the spirit of these models for people going all nostalgic i am writing a review of the book myself but im trying to cram an art exhibition in, work and voluntry work at a prservation society. I hope ths isn't tookas me just moaning I just wanted to share my views on a good book...


Jaymes

Hmm, dare I say it, but I sense that some of the apparent shortcomings of this book (I haven't actually seen a copy, but going on the comments, including those from the author) seem to be due to the editing rather than the authorship. James makes a few points about cramped layout and low resolution illustrations, and Tom Cole basically says the cover is wrong; Jan in his review commented on the organisation of the book being a little confusing. SAM Publications are a specialist and I guess pretty small outfit - I'm not really excusing or blaming that for the issues raised - but it can be one of the shortcomings I suppose of a small specialist publisher that perhaps doesn't have the resources to put together a very high quality product. It has to be said that even with the FAQ2 book, I felt that there were some oddities in the layout, photos and design that were maybe partly a result of the book not being published by a "mainstream" publisher.

Just my thoughts, and I certainly don't want to pillory any such publishers for it. I may well still have to obtain a copy of this one.