British Toy Fair 2008

30.01-02.02.08

There were only Airfix (Hornby) and Revell at the event this year, the release schedule for each we have known for a couple of weeks (See New Kit Listing 2008)

Airfix
Hornby had a very impressive Airfix display this year and even won an award for it at the event.
The B(I).8 and PR.9 Canberras will be on sale by March.
The 1:48 TSR.2 will probably be out by August-September and it is a limited-edition, as per the 1:72 version.
The Nimrod will be in the shops in the next couple of weeks
There are quite a number of reissues this year, here are a few of them. Airfix have gone for proper boxes on all their kits, no more of those awful end-opening boxes!
Yes, the Dogfight Doubles are making a return, plus a couple of airshow flypast combinations in the 'Then and Now' series (Eurofighter & Spitfire and Mustang & F-15)
The big news was the all-new 1:24 Mosquito. Regardless of work done on this some 30 years ago, none of this is usable today, so this will be a truly new kit, all created with CAD and Hornby note that its release will be at the "very end of the year".
The starter sets have been redesigned this year into these very eye-catching clam-shell boxes
Another special edition is this boxed set for the Science Museum.
The 1:24 Spitfire Mk Vb will make a return in BBMF markings and include the electric propeller motor some will remember from the 1970s.
The new Pucara will probably turn out to be the Special Hobby tooling?
A lot of new tool sets are due in the Humbrol range this year, as can be seen above.

Revell
The 'Revell Classics' series due later in the year will include an odd mix of subjects and scales. Most of the aircraft kits are either ex-Revell or ex-Matchbox
The new 1:72 F-22 Raptor is due for release this month
The 1:32 Piper Cub will be released in March
A lot of the kits on show here are already available...
... but there were the 'big' items such as the all-new 1:32 Ju 88A-1/A-4 and 1:48 Mosquito. All the rest are reissues or (Rafale) revisions
The new 1:72 Eurofighter and Lancaster are examples of Revell's art
Just mock-up bozes were on show for the 'new' items. The Do 28 is a reissue, the Bf 110 is ex-Monogram but the 1:144 C-17 is a new tooling and the 'visible' A380 is a revision
The 1:48 Seahawk and Panther are reissues (Ex-Italeri and ex-Monogram), while the Bv P.194 and FW Flitzer are reissues of Revell's own products from the mid-1990s.

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