Airfix send the BIG guns to Scale ModelWorld 2023
Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.
With our attendance at the latest instalment of what we in the hobby world know as the Scale ModelWorld extravaganza still fresh in our minds, we intend to take this latest dual blog posting weekend opportunity to provide readers with an overview of our display at this year's show. The other update, which has been posted separately and is accessible via the main Workbench hub, provides an exclusive introduction the new Limited Edition kit Airfix Club members can look forward to receiving when renewing their membership, or joining us as a new member. A kit which made its public debut on the Airfix stand at SMW 2023, we will be taking this opportunity to introduce you to the two different models included in this appealing kit and thanks to the availability of some built samples, bring you images of the two scheme options we can all start looking forward to, Both aircraft included had significant roles to play during operations in preparation for and in the months following the D-Day landings.
In this update, we intend to provide Workbench readers with a concise overview of the Airfix display at this year's show from a photographic viewpoint, just to allow those who couldn't make it this year to have some idea of what the team had prepared for those in attendance, including our selection of built models which were making their public debuts. With an impressive selection of built Airfix models on display, both classic and contemporary, we will report on the all-important reception our exclusive new tooling announcement received at the show, and we may even touch on some of the most popular model suggestions visitors said they would like to see joining the Airfix range in the years to come.
As it's a long time until next year's show, please indulge us as we keep the Scale ModelWorld euphoria going for just one more weekend with our latest double Workbench posting weekend.
Armoured security for the Airfix stand
Our armoured minder for the weekend. It looks like the driver was in need of a spot of refreshment as he parked up. This handsome Ferret stayed with the Airfix team for the duration of Scale ModelWorld 2023 and we would like to extend our grateful thanks to owner and Ferret expert Steve Veric for allowing its attendance.
As anyone who has ever visited the Airfix stand at a Scale ModelWorld will no doubt attest, the team always prepare an extensive and exciting display of built models, artwork and test shots of the latest tooling projects for the viewing pleasure of visitors, most of which are being shown in public for the very first time and usually the first time they have appeared outside the confines of our Head Office. In the past, we have also displayed prototype examples of forthcoming new tooling designs, one-off models which are produced at great expense to check the accuracy of a new design, but can be a little unstable if left under heat for extended periods.
For this reason, many members of the team do often feel a little uneasy leaving these models out on display overnight, particularly on set-up Friday, as a trolly bumping into one of the tables or other unforeseen accident might result on one or several models sustaining eleventh hour damage and best laid plans being thrown into some disarray. For this reason, the team usually prefers to keep the models in their protective cases overnight on Friday, ready for an early start and display arranging duties on Saturday morning, but always with a view to being ready to receive visitors when the first IPMS members are allowed access to the exhibition halls.
This year though, we had less trepidation than usual and for good reason, one very big Ferret Armoured Car reason. As the exhibitors and traders were setting up their displays on Friday afternoon, the vehicles waiting to gain access to Hall 1 were joined by an immaculate Ferret Armoured Car, one which had an appointment as the Airfix stand guardian for the duration of the show. By far and away the most impressive 1 to 1 scale exhibit at Scale ModelWorld this year, the Ferret was kindly made available to the Airfix team by her owner Steve Veric and she was a real beauty, commanding everyone’s attention all weekend, particularly when arriving and leaving.
There was a lot of love for the Ferret at this year's show - could that have had anything to do with its machine gun, pointing ominously at our display?
Steve is a well known Ferret expert in these parts and his vehicle is an absolute credit to him. It continues to amaze us to hear just how many people have real affection for this little British armoured car, and indeed how many people either drove, served in or maintained one of these classic vehicles. I must admit to feeling a little sorry for Steve and his team as they prepared to drive the Ferret home on Sunday evening. Despite the fact that they were all well wrapped up, I'm certain they would have been ready for a cup of tea, or perhaps something a little stronger, when they eventually got her home.
Without doubt, the most significant development prior to the crowds turning up at the start of this year's show was the surprize announcement of our newly tooled 1/72nd scale Messerschmitt Me 410, a kit which was available through several suppliers over show weekend. This impressive new kit was announced via a coordinated launch across multiple channels at 10am on Friday 10th November, just as many people were making the final preparations in advance of visiting this year's event.
If we're being honest, the launch didn't go without one of two challenges, as we were still in the process of linking last week's Workbench post to the new product page when the sheer volume of traffic hitting the website caused it to slow to a halt, even preventing us from accessing the admin section of the site - we should have known right there and then that our new Messerschmitt was going to be a winner. We did have two built sample models in each of the scheme/configuration options available for inspection on our stand at SMW and as you might imagine, they came in for plenty of attention over the weekend.
Achtung, Messerschmitt. You might just be in danger of falling for the many charms of our new Messerschmitt Me 410 kit, our scale tribute to one of the most attractive aircraft of the Second World War.
As this is a significant new tooling addition to the range and as some people may have experienced some difficulties in accessing the Airfix website on launch day, please forgive us if we take this opportunity to share details of the two scheme options again now and to confirm that remaining supplies of the kit are currently still available. If you would like to discover the development lineage of this distinctive Luftwaffe Heavy Fighter, please use this link to access last week's project introduction posting.
It could be argued that by the time the extremely proficient Messerschmitt Me 410 began arriving with front-line Luftwaffe units, it was already too little too late and the fate of the European air war had already been decided. A much more capable aircraft than its predecessor, the Me 410 proved to be a capable multi-role aircraft and probably the most effective of all the Zerstörers, however, it was still no match for the British Mosquito, against which it was always compared.
Had this been the aircraft introduced back in 1940 instead of the Me 210, perhaps the much vaunted Zerstörer concept might have had some significant successes, however, as it was, two years of delay only served to blight the Me 410 with the same problems suffered by both its predecessors, a basic inability to defend itself against Allied single engined fighter attack.
Nevertheless, the Messerschmitt Me 410 proved to be an excellent fighting aeroplane, one which was accepted for Luftwaffe service in January 1943, with around 50 aircraft reaching front-line units by the end of Spring the same year. One of the first units to receive the Me 410 was Erprobungskommando 25, a specialist unit established to develop and test advanced weapons for potential use across the Luftwaffe, air-firing weapons such as air launched unguided high explosive rockets and ever more powerful heavy cannon.
One noteworthy operation involving a large number of Messerschmitt Me 410 heavy fighters took place during the Spring of 1944, when a force of around twenty aircraft stealthily followed a large number of USAAF bombers back to their bases in England, following the completion of their latest bombing raid. With crews preparing to land and probably letting their guard down for the first time in several hours, the Luftwaffe Heavy Fighters struck, claiming a significant number of bombers destroyed, for the loss of just a single aircraft to ground based anti-aircraft fire. Once discovered, the Me 410 had the speed to make it back to bases in Northern Europe before they could be intercepted by British fighters.
The A1/U2 variant of the Messerschmitt Me 410 was the standard 'Heavy Fighter' variant of the aircraft, powered by a pair of the proven Daimler Benz DB 603A engines and optimised for operations against the massive Allied daylight bomber streams. Due to the positioning of the aircraft's forward fuselage bomb bay, the Luftwaffe were not particularly impressed with the Me 410 in a Schnellbomber role, particularly as opening the bomb bay doors created instability issues at this vital time, therefore making accurate targeting almost impossible, however, when it was used as a heavy fighter, that was a different story altogether.
Our Me 410 built model display at last weekend's Scale ModelWorld Show.
The impressive display bases produced by Hari certainly added some presentation style as we proudly introduced our latest new model tooling to the SMW crowds.
A beautifully finished example of the heavy fighter variant of our new 1/72nd scale Messerschmitt Me 410 kit.
The A1/U2 Zerstörer made use of a unit previously developed for use on the Me 210, one referred to as a Waffenbehälter WB 151A and literally translated as a Weapons Container. This unit allowed the installation of two forward firing MG 151/20 cannon in the nose bay of the fighter, in addition to the aircraft's standard armament of two MG 151/20 cannon, two MG 17 machine guns and two MG 131 guns in remotely controlled barbettes on either side of the aircraft's rear fuselage. This weapons package was intended to break up the mighty Allied daylight bomber streams, allowing individual bombers to be targeted and destroyed more effectively, with a reduced threat from enemy return fire. This modification also included the addition of another section of armoured windscreen and the fitting of a 'fighter' Revi 12C or 12D gunsight - it would take around ten hours for a competent team to make these changes to an aircraft's configuration.
No. II. ZG26 (Zerstörergeschwader 26) spent the majority of its war operating the Junkers Ju-88 in Greece, however, it would transfer to Norway from September 1944, operating in the Zerstörer role flying the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Me 410. Initial operations using the Me 410 were thought to have been in a reconnaissance role, however, some aircraft were configured as heavy fighters and using additional underwing drop tanks, were probably used to mount long-range anti-shipping patrols throughout the region.
It's not known exactly how many Messerschmitt Me 410 heavy fighters were operated in Norway, however, several were noted in various states of serviceability as airfields surrendered to Allied forces towards the end of the war and there are official reports that units operating the Me 410 reverted back to flying the Bf 110 during the final weeks of conflict.
As the war entered a devastating new phase for Germany, the massed formations of USAAF bombers attacking targets deep into Germany by daylight resulted in fighter units on all other fronts being stripped of their strength, as aircraft were ordered back to bases in Germany to mount the increasingly desperate defence of their homeland. In this role, both the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and newer Me 410 heavy fighters were viewed as the Luftwaffe's most important fighters, with their additional range and heavy firepower enabling them to mount long sorties, attacking the bomber streams on their way to and back from their latest targets.
At the forefront of this defensive struggle, Hitler was particularly keen on the A-1/U4 variant of the Messerschmitt Me 410, an aircraft which was equipped with the mighty Rheinmetall manufactured BK-5 cannon. Having seen one of these impressively armed heavy fighters demonstrated for him at a new weapons development event, he proclaimed this aircraft as the 'Backbone of Germany's Home Defence', one which would clear the skies of American bombers and one of his Wonder Weapons.
These aircraft were certainly impressive looking and if the pilot could get the gun to fire as intended, it could produce devastating results. The Luftwaffe's latest bomber killer, this variant featured a weapons bay mounted BK-5 autocannon protruding from the nose of the aircraft, a weapon which was a development of the 50mm Kampfwagenkanone anti-tank gun found in Panzer III tanks. With 21 shells housed in a magazine in the weapons bay of the fighter and a shell already loaded in the breach ready to fire, the pilot could usually rely on at least one round being fired, before this temperamental system jammed, leaving just standard armament to be used during the sortie, if this hadn’t been removed as a weight saving measure.
Looking particularly sinister, this variant of the Me 410 was intended to decimate USAAF bomber streams at distances which made the threat of being hit by return fire almost impossible.
A single, well aimed shell possessed the destructive power to easily bring down an Allied bomber and could be fired at ranges where the attacking Luftwaffe aircraft were effectively impervious to the wall of return fire put up by the bomber stream, however, this soon had to be qualified, with any such engagement only having a positive outcome if Allied fighters were not in the same airspace, or if engagements were at much closer quarters.
As the war entered a devastating new phase for Germany and the Luftwaffe, the massed formations of American bombers striking targets deep into enemy occupied Europe and Germany itself, resulted in fighter units on all fronts being stripped of their aircraft, as they were now required to fight in defence of their homeland. In this role, both the earlier Bf 110 and newer Me 410 heavy fighters were seen as being the most effective aircraft with which to lead this defence, as they possessed both the range and firepower to cause maximum damage and were championed by the Führer himself.
Initial results were encouraging, but with the unrelenting Allied onslaught placing a huge strain on the available recourses of the beleaguered Luftwaffe, success rates soon began to plummet. The arrival of the P-51 Mustang and a change in tactics which allowed USAAF fighter units to leave the bombers and go hunting for the Luftwaffe, resulted in the tables quickly being turned on the Zerstörer force and instead of being the hunters, they immediately became the hunted. Unable to defend themselves against Allied fighter attack, the Me 410s could only safely operate if protected by their own force of single engined fighter aircraft, making them something a liability, rather than a feared adversary.
Championed as one of Germany's wonder weapons against the Allies, officials went to great lengths to avoid giving the true picture regarding the performance of Zerstörer units to either the German public, or to their Führer, for fear of incurring his wrath and spreading panic throughout the population.
Ready for inspection - Our new Messerschmitt Me 410 came in for plenty of attention over show weekend, in addition to proving a hit on the Airfix website.
The Messerschmitt Me 410 would ultimately be viewed as an effective aircraft type, liked by both crews and the Luftwaffe units which operated them. Celebrated as war winning bomber destroyers, the German propaganda machine championed these aircraft as dominators of the sky and II./ZG 26 the Hornissengeschwader or Hornet Squadron as imperious defenders of German airspace - no wonder the German public loved them. The name Hornisse became synonymous with the operation of Messerschmitt's 'Destroyer', even if it was much less devastating in combat than its reputation suggested. In fairness, this was more down to that two year introduction delay (the Me 210 debacle) than the aircraft's lack of operational capability.
During the latter stages of the war, combat attrition rates would prove so alarming for Luftwaffe Destroyer units that the fighters of ZG 26 were forced to re-locate to Königsberg in East Prussia, restricting operations to raids against Berlin where Allied fighter cover was not reported. Unfortunately for them, following the introduction of the P-51 Mustang, those missions would be few and far between. When Allied units could make good their combat losses within a matter of hours, the Luftwaffe had no such luxury and the writing was very much on the wall by that stage.
The Messerschmitt Me 410 heavy fighter presented with this scheme was a Stab II./ZG 26 aircraft, which basically designated this as a Headquarters or Command aircraft, placing this ahead of other aircraft in the unit hierarchy, with this classification identified by the green 'C' carried on the aircraft's fuselage coding. The fighter is also equipped with the distinctive, protruding BK-5 autocannon which was used by the Hornissengeschwader in operations against USAAF daylight bombing raids.
Hari's display bases proved a real hit on the Airfix stand this year.
You will notice that our Messerschmitt Me 410 display at Scale ModelWorld featured display stands which incorporated a representation of the famous Messerschmitt AG logo, an attractive and rather fitting way in which to present this significant new model. These display bases and their different sized stand plinths were designed and 3D printed by the newest member of the Airfix team Hari Patel, a young man who is currently on a product development work placement with us from Loughborough University.
In fact, these were not the only design contributions Hari made to this year's Airfix SMW display, as he also designed the impressive helicopter landing pad and its intricate support structure used to showcase the first of four beautifully finished examples of our new 1/48th scale Sea King helicopter kits, with the other three all sitting directly on an actual Sea King tail rotor blade. The team were also keen to point out that Hari also designed the support stands for the blade itself and how this was quite the feat of design engineering, as he had to ensure his design followed the curve of the blade, whilst at the same time providing a solid foundation for what was actually quite a heavy display centrepiece. Talk about making a design statement at your first Scale ModelWorld show - great job Hari.
Proud to be part of Scale ModelWorld
The start of a busy weekend, Saturday morning saw the team arranging the built kit displays which would be gracing the Airfix stand this year. When time is of the essence, a little forward planning goes a long way!
As unquestionably one of the highlights of our year, the Airfix team always look forward to playing our own small part in helping to make this hugely enjoyable show the event it is, a celebration of modelling and the people involved in the hobby. With that in mind, we sent a strong contingent to Telford's International Centre this year, including our entire designer corps, who were all available to answer questions throughout the weekend. As we have decided to do over recent years, everyone was positioned in front of our display tables ready to talk to attendees, as opposed to having the tables act as an unwitting physical barrier between us and people wishing to chat with us, something which we feel works extremely well.
We would all like to thank the SMW crowds for coming out in force yet again and for all those who came to engage with us regarding Airfix products old and new, and also letting us know what the brand continues to mean to them - we count ourselves extremely fortunate. Of course, we also had our usual long list of suggested models people would like to see joining the Airfix range, both Vintage Classics and new subject tooling, with scale being the usual hot topic up for discussion. This is where the team have to play their poker faces, because as you know, our designers usually work between eighteen months and two years in advance with the majority of their projects and therefore some of the subjects mentioned might already be in our plans, but of course you already know that.
Our researcher Luke and Brand Manager Dale were taking note of all the ideas and suggestions offered, whilst at the same time noting all the subject which may or may not be appearing in a forthcoming Airfix range sometime soon, without giving anything away, of course. We're always happy to discuss range subject matter with modellers and to hear your thoughts on what we have done and should be doing in the future, and would like to thank everyone who took the time to do so at this year's show.
The left hand end of our display was all about Vintage Classics range and the highly anticipated return of our Bristol Bloodhound kit. Our BIG Stuka was also attracting plenty of interest.
With regard to the display itself, if we take a virtual stroll from left to right, we started with a display of recent and impending Vintage Classics releases, with subjects ranging from the Brewster Buffalo and Bristol Bloodhound missile, to the Great Western and Bond Bug, highlighting the continued popularity of the range. One display which did cause us a few issues was the boxed sample of our impending reissue of the 1/24th scale Junkers Ju87B Stuka, a kit it seems many of you are looking forward to getting your hands on. If we had a pound for every time we were asked if the one on display was for sale, we would have had a tidy sum in hand. Please don't worry, it will be here in the very near future.
This section was completed with some 1/35th scale interlopers, in the shape of our new Ferret and truck/K2 Ambulance built model display. The next table played host to a particular treat for show visitors, as it featured a spectacular display of Fairey Gannets, including several beautifully finished models, a test build and frame display boards of this eagerly anticipated new tooling. We don't intend to say too much about this section of the display at this point, as we are planning a major update on the Gannet in a forthcoming edition of Workbench, so we'll leave it there, if you don't mind. Needless to say though, it looks stunning.
Moving on, the next table was equally impressive, as this one not only featured a handsome display of 1/48th scale delights from de Havilland Vampires to Avro Ansons, but with a guardian of RAF liveried Blackburn Buccaneers behind them. This is definitely a kit many people are looking forward to getting their hands on, but is another subject which is scheduled for a major Workbench update in the very near future, so for now, that's all we're going to say on that particular modelling matter.
Stunning Naval air power in 1/48th scale form, our new Gannet and Sea Kings looked resplendent on the stand this year, both kits being significant additions to the Airfix range.
Next table around and it was time for some classic naval air power, with our recently launched 1/48th scale Westland Sea King on parade and in some strength, with four different schemes laid out on an impressive display which used an actual Sea King tail rotor blade as its base. As we have already seen, this display benefitted from the design talents of our product development work placement team member Hari Patel and as you can see, he did a fine job. The Sea Kings were protected by a trident of Hawker Sea Fury's, always one of the most attractive aircraft kits in any Airfix range and looking particularly resplendent at SMW.
Moving on to the next table and we showcased an impressive selection of 1/72nd scale kits, with the Black Buck Vulcan and Dambusters Lancaster overseeing proceedings, and everything from Mosquitos to Messerschmitt Me 262s resplendent in their shadow. They were joined by a handsome pairing of our ever popular 1/24th scale Spitfire Mk.IX, a kit which so many visitors to this year's display told us is next on their winter build schedule. We also had a backdrop of box displays which included the Vickers Wellington and North American B-25 Mitchell kits which recently featured in their respective Workbench updates.
Full Gannet and Sea King displays were joined by some of the most popular releases from the past year or so.
We will have much more information to share regarding the RAF scheme releases from our 1/48th scale Buccaneer in a forthcoming edition, so please keep an eye out for that.
Our new Starter Sets have such an important role to play in the future of Airfix and we're hoping that a great many of these stunning little kits will be finding new homes on a certain big day in December.
The next display was very much our show exclusives table, where we introduced our new 1/72nd scale Messerschmitt Me 410 Heavy Fighter to the modelling world, with boxed kits, frame layout display and two beautifully finished built kits all grabbing plenty of attention at this year's event. What made it all the more impactful is that visitors were able to immediately secure their example of the kit at the show, as several of the retailers had good numbers available, something which really did require planning with military precision from our end.
As we have already covered the Me 410 launch extensively over the past two editions, that's where we're going to leave this display overview, but not without mentioning another show exclusive displayed on this table. Those looking closely at the new Messerschmitt display might have been distracted by another kit at the back of the display, the next limited edition offering awaiting new and renewing members of the Airfix Club, our 1/72nd scale D-Day Duo. This kit is the subject of our second update posting of the week, which can be accessed using this Club Kit link.
The sting of the new Airfix Hornisse
Yet another Scale ModelWorld exclusive and the subject of our second blog posting of the week.
A display of Airfix delights.
It's always great to see a happy Airfix modeller.
That's where we're going to leave this Scale ModelWorld 2023 Airfix display review edition of Workbench, but we will be returning to the show to look at some of the models entered in the two Airfix modelling competitions this year, our winners and the winner of the prestigious Scale ModelWorld Airfix display of the day award. You still have many show delights to look forward to, you lucky people.
We are afraid that's all we have for you in this latest edition, but we will be back next Friday with more project development updates and the very latest Airfix kit exclusives. In the meantime, we are always keen to hear your views on all things Airfix and in particular, any thoughts and opinions you may have regarding our Workbench blog. If you would like to drop us a quick line, could we please ask that you use our workbench@airfix.com email for all correspondence.
To re-visit any of the Airfix blogs we have produced over the past seven years or so, please head to our main Workbench hub, where you will find our entire blog back catalogue and all the Airfix design projects we have already covered.
All our dedicated official social media sites can be accessed by clicking the respective link icons at the foot of this page, or by heading to the Airfix homepage. Other useful Airfix links are:
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Please join us for more Airfix updates next week and thank you for your continued support.
Related Products
Fairey Gannet AS.1/AS.4
A11007 |
1:48 Scale
Westland Sea King HAS.1/HAS.5/HU.5
A11006 |
1:48 Scale
Further Reading
Related Products
Fairey Gannet AS.1/AS.4
A11007 |
1:48 Scale
Westland Sea King HAS.1/HAS.5/HU.5
A11006 |
1:48 Scale
Further Reading
British Army to bid farewell to their iconic Land Rovers
The Avro Vulcan’s last flight in RAF service
