Sticky future for kitmaker Airfix
Iconic model-maker name Airfix faces an uncertain future following parent firm Humbrol's entry into administration.

Since 1949, generations of children have struggled over plastic kit parts and tubes of glue.

In its heyday, Airfix specialised in planes, ships and tanks of World War II - among them favourites such as the Spitfire fighter and Lancaster bomber.

Thirty-one of 41 staff at the Hull firm have lost their jobs, with Grant Thornton of Leeds named administrators.

'Capable of sale'

The firm had been hit by "severe cash flow pressures" and also a disruption in supplies from its principal manufacturer in France, Heller SA.

The appointed administrator, Keith Hinds, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme that Airfix was an "iconic brand" which was "capable of onward sale and investment".


AIRFIX FACTS
Founded by Nicholas Kove in 1939
First model - Ferguson tractor - in 1949
Humbrol Oil founded in 1919
Airfix in receivership in 1981
Taken over by Humbrol in 1986

"The company's been struggling for some time under the demise of general manufacturing and the lack of demand for some of its products," he said.

That had caused losses to build up, with cash-flow difficulties following - only for further trouble to come as Heller, too, went into administration.

"That's caused a blockage in supplies -- the accumulation of all that has brought about the insolvency of the company, Humbrol," said Mr Hinds.

'Great shame'

Jeremy Brook, of the Airfix Collectors Club, said it was a sad day for those with fond memories of having sticky fingers as they struggled with often intricate kit arrangements.

"When you think of construction kits, you think of Airfix," he said.

"All the schoolboys of the 50s, 60s and 70s remember them, being covered in glue and cutting your fingers as you assembled them.


"It's a great shame if Airfix is going to languish or go completely."

The Airfix range also included helicopters, cars, motorcycles, figures, trains, spaceships, sci-fi figures, and movie-related characters.

Last year it also announced it was launching a range of robot fighters from the 45th Century.

Humbrol is the principal trading business of the Hobby Products Group Ltd, which is also in administration.

The administrators said the group turnover was approximately £10m a year, and other brand names owned by the group include Plasticine, Supercast and Young Scientist.

Story from BBC NEWS

AND IN 2007. . .
In January next year, we will be releasing a new miniatures game called Battlefield Evolution. Set 5-10 years from the present time, you will be able to command real-world units of soldiers and vehicles in pitched battle, using the very latest in weapons technology. There will be four armies from the very start, and the game will use a modified version of the existing Starship Troopers rules. We have been playtesting these rules for some time now, and they are very slick in function – the term bullet-proof has been used to describe them.

What will make Battlefield Evolution different from other miniatures games that are on sale now is that the models will not simply be pre-painted. They will be pre-painted to a level better than 90% of gamers can produce themselves – and that is no idle boast, as you can see from these pictures.



These two tanks, the Challenger 2 and the Abrams M1A2 are pre-production designs (the finals will be far, far more detailed), but the paintwork is to the standard you will be able to expect. Over the next few weeks, we will be previewing the final designs of the first armoured vehicles in the range, along with the infantry that march alongside them.

Added to this, we are aiming to price these extremely well-produced models for no more than the equivalent unpainted metal miniatures prices. I’ll rephrase that – what you pay for unpainted metal miniatures today will buy you expert-level pre-painted miniatures early next year.

STARSHIP TROOPERS EVOLUTION
We will be making more announcements with regards to Battlefield Evolution very soon. However, fans of Starship Troopers will be wondering where we are going for their game.

With a release date set for April next year, we will be releasing eight box sets for Starship Troopers – the Mobile Infantry Light Armour Squad, the Mobile Infantry Grizzly Exosuit Squad, Arachnid Warrior Bug Swarm (we are aiming to squeeze 12 bugs in this!), Tanker Bug, Skinnie Raiders, Skinnie Soldiers, Forth Fenos Fighting Machines and Forth Fenirs Command Fighting Machines.

Some models, those that we believe are of exemplary quality in design, are being used as the prototypes for the new range – these are the ones we can preview here, the Exosuits, Light Armour MI and Warrior Bugs. All others in the list above are in the process of being redesigned.

A funny story here. The factory producing these models played a little trick on us. The first batch of Warrior Bugs that came back to us included three models – two they had produced, and the original they had worked on, painted by our expert in-house painter, Adrian Walters.

We could not tell the difference. In fact, not even Adrian could tell the difference between his work and theirs!

Note: This is not a collectible game! Every box set will be labelled with it’s contents, and will feature a plastic window so you can see exactly what you are getting! In addition to this, the type of plastic used will be of wargaming quality –don’t expect to see guns that bend or models that feel like a child’s toy.

Each box set will contain a streamlined version of the rules, allowing people to start playing the moment they pick up the models – and this will not be a watered down ‘pint-size’ game, but one you can run serious tournaments with. The full-size rulebook, priced at $24.95 and available 2-3 months after the first box sets, will not contain radically different rules, but rather lean more towards new options and methods of play – for those who want the full Starship Troopers experience!

After the first eight box sets have been released, we will produce one box set every month thereafter for each army, meaning you will never have to wait long for something new and interesting to come along for your force. The models themselves will be based on existing designs where we feel we have excelled ourselves (such as with the Exosuits) and will be changed where we feel we can do a lot better, such as with some of the Skinnies.

So, why should you feel this is a good thing?

* With the instant accessibility to the game, due to both the rules and the high standard of pre-painted models, you will suddenly find you have a lot more opponents in your area.
* Four armies from the very start will ensure your local gaming club has enough choice for every gamer, and the release of a new unit every month thereafter will keep your opponents guessing! New armies (such as the dreaded Coven) will start appearing towards the end of 2007.
* Your comments on the existing rules have been collated and refined into an extremely slick set of mechanics that will provide everything you have been looking for with no ambiguity.
* All the Starship Troopers models you have in your collection thus far, without exception, will be fully compatible with the new wave of releases and, in many cases, veterans will have access to units far earlier than newcomers. The new models will be to the same scale as the existing models which mean you can add more units to your forces and have them fit in perfectly.
* As far as the rules are concerned, if you wish to stick with the existing rulebook rather than buy another, we will support you, releasing the relevant information on new units and armies for no cost. At all.
* That said, the new rules will be posted on our web site for free download, allowing you to review them before making an informed decision about which you will use. We hope you will join us with the new wave, but we will not force you.
* Roughly 90% of you will have access to great looking models at a price that has not been possible up to now. These will be models that you would be proud to have on display on your shelf.
* The remaining 10% will have the option of either adding further detail and highlights to the models, or simply repainting them entirely – the price of each set means you are not losing out by paying for the painting process.
* The existing models will still be available to you via your local hobby store or by mail order. While we expect the demand for these to drop away once people see the new models available, stores and distributors will always be able to stock any of the existing Starship Troopers miniatures for those of you who want to buy the traditional metal and plastic figures.
* The design process for these models has been well and truly hammered out, meaning there is no barrier to the release of certain models that have, up to now, encountered certain difficulties. When you see, for example, the TAC Fighter, Skyhook and Sprite Skimmer Bikes on the release schedule, you can be sure that will be the month they appear in the shops.
* If you really fancy a very strange game, Starship Troopers will be fully compatible with Battlefield Evolution so yes, your US Marines could find themselves facing a horde of Warrior Bugs – though we do not recommend it for the sane!

In short, we can sum up 2007 for Starship Troopers as;

Better game. Better models. Same great system.