News on Britmodeller suggests the 1/72nd Canberra has been moved back from a Summer release to late November so not even SMW, The kits been signed off so its either  production backlog or the new bean counters running it now.

Now, if they make the Ju-52 floats available as an add on kit (like the Valiant PR set) then we can all just buy them on their own without having to bother with another Ju-52 we don't really want.

Quote from: Thorvic on July 04, 2026, 02:36:38 AMNews on Britmodeller suggests the 1/72nd Canberra has been moved back from a Summer release to late November so not even SMW, The kits been signed off so its either  production backlog or the new bean counters running it now.

They don't half manage to talk about stuff over there.

Quote from: zenrat on July 04, 2026, 03:44:25 AMNow, if they make the Ju-52 floats available as an add on kit (like the Valiant PR set) then we can all just buy them on their own without having to bother with another Ju-52 we don't really want.

Now that is a great idea 

With three Ju-52 kits already, I certainly don't want or need a new Airfix one. The only thing that might persuade me otherwise would be the bomber variant.

The Skyvans are in stock now, and my pre-orders just showed up.

First impressions:

1. They're moulded in dark grey plastic, which is going to make painting the mostly white Olympic Airways scheme a pain. Fortunately I have no intention of using it...    

2. The mouldings are nice and crisp with no obvious flaws that I can see on a quick inspection. There's a little flash on some of the fiddly parts (and there are a LOT of fiddly parts in this kit) but nothing to worry about.

3. As pre-trailed, you can't build Scheme B (the Pink Skyvan skydiving bus) accurately without 3D printing 5 or 7 blade props. The STL files are free from Airfix, but you still have to either print them yourself or get somebody to print them for you. From a whiffing POV, you could just use the 3-blade props in the kit and call it a what-if. Alternatively, they're generic props for Garret TP-331s, so you could use the STL files to print out more for other aircraft. A 7-blade prop Shorts Tucano was the first thing I thought of.

4. It's the full original moulding (of course) so it has the military pilots and canvas bench seats of the military version, just no instructions on how to use them. No problem getting them online I'd imagine (I'd be happy to scan my old ones for anyone who'd stuck).

Overall, as a Whiffer I'm very pleased. If I was a nostalgia builder who really wanted to do the Olympic one, or I'd really set my heart on the skydivng one for some reason, I might be less pleased. Still better to have it than not though.