Landships II

James H · Legend

The Future of Airfix / WW1 Colour Photography

Mark Hansen · Legend

James H wrote:

...He wanted to create a record of life in the Edwardian era (I don't know what they call it in France)...

la vie dans l'�re d'Edwardian wink

James H · Legend

Mark Hansen wrote:
...He wanted to create a record of life in the Edwardian era (I don't know what they call it in France)...
la vie dans l'�re d'Edwardian

Well, Mark, you raise an exceedingly interesting point about how historical periods are named. For example, in Blighty we refer to Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian, Regency, etc., depending on who was in charge at the time. That's from a British point of view, of course. But the Americans refer to "the Victorian era", and know exactly which period they're talking about, and everybody, in Europe and beyond,�knows what is meant by "Napoleonic times".

But what if you have another frame of reference altogether? German history from 1871-1918 is known as "the Wilhelmine period". I believe that the French talk in terms of the First Republic, the First Empire, the Bourbon Era, the Orleans Era, the Second Republic, the Second Empire, and the Third Republic. Italian history is defined throughout as "No overall control".

What if you were unaffected by events in Europe and your monarch at the time was King Lionel the Easily Distracted, or, in the Antipodes, for example,�how do you�define�the reign of He Who Lives By The Waterfall And Has Many Baskets Next To His Dwelling But Not So Many That He Is Prevented From Having An Uninterrupted View Of The Other Houses In The Village?

It's simply not good enough. Some form of standardisation is urgently required.

dave1001 · Corporal

James H wrote:

It's simply not good enough. Some form of standardisation is urgently required.

Well, we could pick an arbitrary point in history and start measuring time periods by recording celestial cycles, and then make a system that references time by recording how many cycles have passed when that event occurs.�Once we've got a concrete system of such measurements, we can start recording periods of time based on multiples of that system like 10, 20, 50, 100, or 1000.

If we can agree on which celestial cycle to use, I'd like to suggest that we�denote�periods by considering�a new period to begin�of every�100�times our chosen�cycle reoccurs. If�we can agree to this rather�strange and radical idea, I suggest we base�our name for those�periods�off the latin word 'centum' which denotes '100'.

James H · Legend

Hmmm. Interesting. Certainly worth looking into.

Of course, it would be necessary for everyone to choose the same arbitrary date as their starting point, or the world could end up in a terrible mess.

Actually, "Wilhelmine" now strikes me as a bit of a girly name for that period of German history.

Mark Hansen · Legend

James H wrote:

...Of course, it would be necessary for everyone to choose the same arbitrary date as their starting point...

Going on past events, the world would agree on the same starting date when you can strap on ice-skates in Hades. biggrin

philthydirtyanimal · Commander in Chief

�at dave1001.

airfix are quite easy to contact, there's a link on their page. there's a link to their page on the plastic soldier review site. there's a link to plastic soldier review's site from this wonderful site! i've just suggested that they could very easily turn their mark one into an accurate mark one, a mark four and a mark 5, male and/or female. and reminded them that the detailed plans are easily available.

i've also suggested to matador models that a mark five would look really nice with their medium B.

they're not the only models i would like to see. but i am hoping that airfix can see it makes good business sense to make some WW1 rhomboids.

maybe we could 'harrass' them regularly and often with gentle suggestions so they think there is a huge market (or at least a profitable one).

although i suspect, as Mark says,�we'll be playing hockey in hades before we see a decent mark one or mark five from a major manufacturer (no offence to the little guys, in case you read this!).

-- Edited by philthydirtyanimal at 00:08, 2007-12-11

J Fullerton · Captain

James H wrote:
Whether Airfix could be persuaded to go back to basics and turn out some decent WW1 British Infantry rather than Wallace and Grommit remains to be seen. Perhaps we could lobby them.

Why not Wallace and Gromit as WW1 British infantry?� I can easily imagine Gromit applying his ingenuity toward developing an improvised grenade from a Fray Bentos tin and possibly some stale cheese.� Or maybe even some whacky vehicle to break through the stalemate of trench warfare?�� biggrin

Lafettenheini · Colonel

Hello Gentlemen,

Looking several times to the answers of this topic i must take one question :

Why Revell is still existing with its modells and Airfix not ?
The problem in my opinion is not the time -stream of other interests by kids .
Modellbuiders are still existing - we are the best example.
I can remember to have read in german modell-press often enough that Airfix -modells
were not exact by measurements and features -as too big rivetlines at aero-mopdells
and so on.

But I wish back my " old Hurricane Mk IV " from them !

Thoughts of a Lafettenkid from those days i got one modell every month my parents
took me with them to a big supermarket in the " sixtees" who had a verry good sorted
toys edge.

ivstefano · Captain

Dear Gentlemen,

I heard roomers that Emhar too is dislocating their facilities
Anyone interested in their kits should try to get them while they are still available It seams that they are out of stock This is just the info I have, I dont guarantee anything

As for the old companies, Atlantic was my favorite It seams that their moulds are lost in Iraq!
Airfix, Matchbox, Britains I am sorry that they are all out of business

Future seams to be in ready die cast models. The price is lower and accuracy even better (Hasegawa 1/72 US Jeep is at least 4 or 5 times more expensive than 1/72 Cararama die cast model). Not that I like it, but that is how it works

Y

PS - As for Edwardian, well, there is The Edwardian Draped Society (TEDS), it survived well into 21 century