[flyXwire]

Originally Posted by admin

Whats the quality of their kits? That looks like it would be a fun build.

I rate the quality of the MB plastic models from very good to excellent, and on par with Revell and Monogram kits of the 70s. The Spitfire is definitely fun to build.

[Hornchurch]

Originally Posted by admin

Whats the quality of their kits? That looks like it would be a fun build.

The quality of their kits were generally very good, though obviously not
on-par with today's Tamiya/Hasegawa stuff & their computer-generated moulds.

The Matchbox range hit the (U.K.) shops big time in 1974 (I remember drooling over their 1/72nd Wellington a year later, whilst buying Bad Co's 2nd Hit-single !).

They bought out some quite exotic stuff - PBY.4 Privateer, H.S.126, Vickers Wellesley, Dornier Do 18 flying-boat - as well as staple diet P.51's, '109's, B.17's & B.25's, as in 1/72nd, the range became extensive.

In the same scale as that Griffon Spitfire (1/32nd) they also had (commonly available.......an S.B.D. Dauntless, Westland Lysander,
De Havilland Sea-Venom (like a later version of a Vampire) and curiously enough...... a North American FJ-4 Fury, which sold like a lead-balloon on this
side of the Atlantic.

Like FlyX, I also built that Mk 22/24 Spitfire & it went together really well (like ALL their offerings - their tool-makers REALLY knew their stuff).

They took a lot of Flak, as Matchbox kits of THAT era ('70's/'80's) were produced with coloured sprues (i.e. the 1/72nd Wellington's & Halifaxes had three sprues each - 1 x Dk.Green, 1 x Earth Brown & 1 x Black).....as the company percieved that the majority of their customers were kids.

However, they fitted together better than MOST Airfix kits.... & despite the curious colours & occasional heavy trench-lines, they sold well.

Many of their moulds are still being used & NOW produced by Revell.....i.e. the two Brit bombers I mentioned, as well as their 1/32nd S.B.D.

The Halifax & Wellington are excellent & STILL worth buying.

[flyXwire]

I remember building the Dornier Do 18 flying-boat for a pesky little kid in our neighborhood. It's a good thing I just built it right out of the box and never painted it coz' that kid ended up throwing it at a nearby pond the next day to see if the thing would actually float.

They took a lot of Flak, as Matchbox kits of THAT era ('70's/'80's)were produced with coloured sprues (i.e. the 1/72nd Wellington's & Halifaxes had three sprues each - 1 x Dk.Green, 1 x Earth Brown & 1 x Black).....as the company percieved that the majority of their customers were kids

That's the thing I remembered most about those MB kits - really ugly 'pshydelically coloured' (sp?) pieces of plastic chunks!

[planenutsfrog]

Originally Posted by hworth18

Actually, Franklin makes the A version of the Fw-190, although it needs MAJOR improvements.. I have lobbied Eagles to do a Fw-190A, and I would LOVE to see a MkXIV Griffon Spitfire, but there are no good model kits to base the prototype off of..

FM's FW190A are all early variants with MG17 cowling guns. What I suggest is to make the later ones...
Additionnaly, the final A9 and F8 with bubble canopy have never been made at any scale !
And a superb 1/48 kit of the F8 from Tamiya exists...

[Elmer]

Didn't Eagles come out with Shangri La in late 2004? Hmm... here we are going on three years and all we have seen are the P-51s (and the Texans pushed at least 6 months). All this talk about Eagle's next mold will soon be wasted text; if they don't start shaking a leg, Carousel and HM will trump everything on their short list, and at the rate they are going, they will never get to anything on their long list. It would be a real shame if Eagles scraps that nice looking Razorback because Carousel beats them to it.

[STARMAN 352ND]

Originally Posted by Elmer

Didn't Eagles come out with Shangri La in late 2004? Hmm... here we are going on three years and all we have seen are the P-51s (and the Texans pushed at least 6 months). All this talk about Eagle's next mold will soon be wasted text; if they don't start shaking a leg, Carousel and HM will trump everything on their short list, and at the rate they are going, they will never get to anything on their long list. It would be a real shame if Eagles scraps that nice looking Razorback because Carousel beats them to it.

I have alot of faith in Eagles there products are second to none.
I would not be surprised if the P-47 comes out sooner then you think.
The AT-6 is running a little late but so was Corgi and the others.
JP

[PappyB]

Originally Posted by Elmer

Didn't Eagles come out with Shangri La in late 2004? Hmm... here we are going on three years and all we have seen are the P-51s (and the Texans pushed at least 6 months). All this talk about Eagle's next mold will soon be wasted text; if they don't start shaking a leg, Carousel and HM will trump everything on their short list, and at the rate they are going, they will never get to anything on their long list. It would be a real shame if Eagles scraps that nice looking Razorback because Carousel beats them to it.

Patience, Grasshopper, patience -- whatever bird they come out with next will most likely be well worth the wait... I'm very interested to see that razorback myself.

[Elmer]

Originally Posted by STARMAN 352ND

I have alot of faith in Eagles there products are second to none.
I would not be surprised if the P-47 comes out sooner then you think.
The AT-6 is running a little late but so was Corgi and the others.
JP

I agree with your assessment of the quality of their product Starman... I also think they are second to none. That is why I am nervous about their future--I don't want them to get busted by 900 lb gorillas (take your pick of the manufacturers out there)! I hope you are right that the T-Bolt is out sooner than I think, because I am skeptical it will be released this year.

[mhackl]

Hello,
I just wanted to address some of the concerns about the Eagles product line and its future products.

We made the mistake of introducing only one aircraft to start. This has handycapped us from the beginning. That being said, things look pretty good for the future. As far as competing with Carousel and Hobbymaster, we speak with both manufactures and have come to a mutual agreement not to produce each others aircraft.

We've been slow out of the gate but we'll be picking up the pace. There are plenty of things to come from the ole eagles nest.

[Elmer]

Originally Posted by mhackl

Hello,
I just wanted to address some of the concerns about the Eagles product line and its future products.

We made the mistake of introducing only one aircraft to start. This has handycapped us from the beginning. That being said, things look pretty good for the future. As far as competing with Carousel and Hobbymaster, we speak with both manufactures and have come to a mutual agreement not to produce each others aircraft.

We've been slow out of the gate but we'll be picking up the pace. There are plenty of things to come from the ole eagles nest.

I appreciate your post Mark. Thank you. What about Franklin Mint--in other words, are models they are doing possibly on the table for Eagles? It is so frustrating that staples such as the P-51D are done in awful tooling by FM, and then no other manufacturer wants to touch them because they think they will not sell.

About seven or eight years ago, about the time I realized I didn't have the time to build plastic anymore, I looked at a few Armour and thought "Yuck! I will stick with plastic." Every time I am tempted to buy a FM, I go to my local hobby shop, inspect a few, remind myself of how awful they look, and I am cured. I will never buy one unless they "reboot" retool and rise to the standard of Eagles.