Airfix Tiger 1 & Sherman Firefly Vc Starter Sets! Plastic Model Kits in 1/72 - Unboxing Review

[@spamuraigranatabru1149]

These kits are such massive improvements, i can't wait to see them make more vehicles with this quality and scale!

[@ModelMinutes]

Their Cromwell and Willys Jeep in 1/72 were pretty good kits that I have also built :)

[@spamuraigranatabru1149]

@@ModelMinutes not got my hands on those yet

[@ModelMinutes]

I realise now that the cromwell was still 1/76 scale, but is still a pretty nice model

[@spamuraigranatabru1149]

@@ModelMinutes glad I wasn't going mad trying to apparently find the new cromwell to compare it to my old 76th scale one xD

[@baanibarnes9711]

You are correct on the bow machine-gun - the area where that was fitted was used as stowage for extra ammunition. The 17 pounder gun ammo was much larger than the 75mm rounds so ammunition stowage was an issue as the Sherman wasn't initially designed for the huge new gun. I believe the machine gun port had a crude plate welded over it.

[@papaaaaaaa2625]

Hi mate. Thanks for the review, haven't seen the Airfix Tiger yet, but the Firefly is available in my favorit local model shop. And you're right, the Hull Gun AND the Hull Gunner were replaced with extra ammunition for the 17pdr. Have a nice day.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks for the info!

[@LemurKrazy]

Built the classic conflict set with both - non starter version. Came with alternate schemes and additional detail parts. The tracks for both come in alternate sprues options for building them up instead of the prebuilt ones also included.

[@ModelMinutes]

Yes, the "upgraded" versions of the kit come with these extra parts. I think that is why they are the same price - these "more advanced" versions have more parts but no paints etc, whilst the starter set has less parts but the extras of the paints which balances out

[@LemurKrazy]

@@ModelMinutes the classic conflict box includes all paints and combined instruction booklet.

[@LemurKrazy]

Sorry, just got to the end and you covered that.

[@MOS6510Models]

They are great kits and easy to build

[@ModelMinutes]

Definitely!

[@stephenwhelan2515]

Agreed - i built the 1/72 cromwell earlier this year and it is a nice kit. But 1/72 armour is just way too small, especially for my middle aged eyes.

[@Londontransitduck]

I will always go for a sherman

[@johnscarsandstuff]

I bought both of these as gift sets from the discount supermarket a couple of years ago. The one thing that might be difficult for a new modeller is painting the wheels on the Tiger 1. I managed it, and with the supplied brush, but it wasn't easy. Then again, if someone can do that, any future tricky painting should be less intimidating. I didn't realise that there were more advanced versions of both subjects, I had assumed that the other Airfix Sherman Firefly and Tiger 1 were the same plastic, just with different decoration schemes.

[@ModelMinutes]

I agree. I have built these now and found the sherman easier to paint the tracks and wheels when compared to the Tiger

[@brianartillery]

The Sherman Firefly did indeed not have a hull machine gun. The area was used for ammunition stowage for the main 17 pounder gun. The other main modification was the large 'Bustle' on the rear of the turret, to allow for the increased recoil of the much larger main weapon. The hull machine gun position on the kit could be filled with putty, or have a small styrene sheet plate cemented over it.

[@Reactordrone]

If you get the regular version rather than the starter set it has frame D that contains part 2, an armour plate to blank off the hull MG.

[@blarrrggg]

preferred the 1/76 cromwell, despite it being a goofy scale

[@DublinBudapestModels]

Great looking kits. The Tiger is pretty good as a kit, and I haven't bought the Sherman yet. But don't take me too seriously because I'm not that serious about modelling, I want to be but I don't have the equipment for now so my models aren't to the highest quality. They will be one day

[@ModelMinutes]

Nothing wrong with that! I have now built both of these kits and whilst to a similar quality, I prefer the Sherman because the wheels and tracks are easier to paint - especially if you are a beginner

[@Damien-q8t]

I have built both of them and both a cracking little kits

[@Dean_AKI]

Iirc Italian [post-war] operated Fireflies DID have the hull mg, foregoing the extra ammo storage...

[@ModelMinutes]

that's interesting!

[@polygonalmasonary]

Real shame about the paints! Kits look good though. I think it’s a mistake to pack time sensitive materials in kits. 🙏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧♥️

[@ModelMinutes]

I think these were only "time sensitive" due to the poor design of the pot - I'm sure there are sets out there with the other designs of paint pots which are older but still useable

[@stephenwhelan2515]

Others do it differently- i had a heller Saab Safir trainer which had 3 paint pots in the kit and if memory serves, the paint pots had screw lids. Never built the kit as I needed to make space in the stash, so it went to a local oxfam.

[@emmabird9745]

Your review is fair but wow, Airfix has really dumbed them down. I built both Sherman and Tiger VCs when they were "new tools". I was pretty young at the time but perhaps not quite a real beginner but they were easy. The only difficulty was joining up the rubber tracks (impact cement being required) and it was tricky getting the two ends together but otherwise they were fine. I think Airfix are going in the wrong direction.

[@ModelMinutes]

I disagree. This is a good direction for beginners seeing as they now have a bespoke range of relatively easy to build kits with a consistent design philosphy aimed specifically at new starters to the hobby. Gone are the days of Airfix boxing up an ancient tooling with some paints in a box and calling it a "starter set" because it seemed like an easy kit to build. Now we have kits that are all consistently well-designed, follow a similar construction method and are manufactured using modern design and production methods. People who build well designed kits, that are simple to understand and ultimately able to achieve a build of a model which looks pretty similar to the box artwork in a reasonable time frame, are more likely to return to the hobby, buy repeat kits and stick with scale modelling for the rest of their life. Whilst I understand that you didn't have any problems with the vintage tooling of this kit and you stuck with the hobby, I wonder how many people tried that kind of kit, found it to be really bad an unenjoyable and never picked up a kit again? There is always the chance for a modeller to pick up other, harder kits in the future. I don't think this is a matter of "dumbing down" the hobby - this is about making it more accessible and encouraging new starters to succeed so that there are more people out there who take up the hobby. More new modellers are always a good thing in my book and I'd rather build a kit like this than some ancient tooling. After all, things change, why wouldn't we try and give people the best start to the hobby that we can?

[@emmabird9745]

@@ModelMinutes Well put Matt. However, apart from the tracks and the lower part count, I don't see the "easier" part of it, but I do see a possibly less satisfaction. I would refer you here to some of the aircraft with fix landing gear doors limiting the options. I would like to be wrong on this but with limited resources I think Airfix would be better advised to increase the range so that once the new start has tried it they will find something else grabbing their interest. I'm not saying stick with the old stuff, more make the new stuff more interesting, with more features such as hatches that can be open and so on. To be easier for the beginner, which is an admirable aim, then better instructions and supporting videos (such as some I have seen on the Airfix YT channel) is a better way to go whilst holding the attention of the newcomer while you still have them on the hook with a more interesting challenge and good support. I haven't bought a starter kit yet (nor do I intend to) so my information is incomplete. Is there a mention of a video to show you how to build it? Is there mention of the Airfix YT. My experience of the latter is that the extremely good "how to build it" videos (and I sincerely mean extremely good) are not easily differentiated from the other stuff especially the borring "excitment is building" box opennings they do.

[@freddiemac1438]

Has airfix given up on 1:76?

[@ModelMinutes]

For new tools, yes, they have migrated to 1/72. They only really did 1/76 to fit in with their OO gauge railway range, but seeing as that was sold off decades ago there is no point doing that scale now, especially as 1/72 is more appealing to modellers of aircraft and other brands of tanks, just makes it a bit more consistent with current interests. If you ever see a 1/76 scale Airfix model it will be a vintage tooling

[@freddiemac1438]

@ thanks for the explanation!

[@ModelMinutes]

I realise that actually the Airfix Cromwell is 1/76 and is not an "ancient" tooling, but it is still older than these in this video (2011 tooling - so before the design decision to make these starter sets)

[@Flakmagnet1701]

Firefly absolutely should not have a hull machine gun. There was no room. These tanks didn;t operate alone, so it weasn;t a big sacrifice for the hitting power of a 17lb main gun. From what I recall of reading Ken Tout's book 'Tank' they would operate as part of a 4 tank platoon. Sunray ( commander) Able, Baker, and the Firefly was Charlie. Hull MG would have been removed and the hole plated over.