After spending a very pleasurable hour reading the news section of the latest SAMI magazine, the words of the Harold Macmillan have come to mind. He, of course, was referring to the affluence of post-war Britain, but for me, it means the terrific developments in the hobby.
In 1/48 scale AZ Models have announced two versions of the F3H-2 Demon and a Fairey Firefly. Hasegawa have announced their Ki-84 'Nick' in 1/48 scale and a B-24D in 1/72. Revell have given us a new inexpensive Lancaster, a TSR-2 from Airfix as well as a Canberra. Trumpeter's new Me262B Nightfighter and P51B Mustang in 1/32 scale are just released. And then there are all the after market accessories, add-ons, decals and photo-etched parts...I could go on and on. Every month brings a proliferation of new releases that ten years ago we could only dream about.
With all these things available to us now, we really are spoilt for choice. When I hear complaints about inaccuracy, or folk saying 'well, it could have been better', I feel a bit aggrieved. There's nothing now that you can't build, change, add to, improve, all from resources at our fingertips. If you want to build a pre-war Gloster Grebe in Croatian markings, complete with sidewinders, it's doable. The modeller is so well catered to now - masking sets, colour etch, pre-painted parts - there is enough to keep even the most prolific and demanding builder happy. It's going to be a packed and ambitious 2008. Happy kit-bashing, everyone.
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