The next few months are due to bring some exciting changes for Starling Models, the second of these will be under wraps for a little while longer, with an announcement to be made over the next few weeks. It will involve a significant expansion of our products and a slightly different direction, watch this page for developments.
The first parts of the news is that we now have a quality resin 3d printer in house, which will be used to provide parts for our kits and also to bring a new line of accessories, starting with a continuation of our current line of 1/700 vehicles. Kits currently out of stock including the 1/700 Algerine and 1/350 HMS Nadder will now have 3d printed parts for the smaller items, Nadder will be re-released over the next few weeks in an upgraded format including these parts, but also weapons and boats from Black Cat Models to greatly increase the level of detail of the kit. The price will remain as before at £79.95 inclusive of VAT for UK customers and £66.62 for customers outside the UK. The 1/700 Algerine will also be ready shortly once some final adjustments to the parts layout has been made, with the 1/350 version also ready soon once the decals have arrived.
With the printer able to produce high quality resin prints the range of 1/700 accessories will be significantly expanded over the next few weeks with a mix of resin and 3d printed items becoming available. Amongst these will be some new post war British Army vehicles, firstly a set of FV432 APC's, Bedford MJ lorries and Abbot SPG. These will add to the existing sets of Chieftain, Stalwart and Centurion tanks with more to come. There will also be a range of 1/700 WW2 vehicles, mainly British and Canadian to begin with. Some deck vehicles suitable for the Atlantic Ark Royal kit will also be produced, hopefully at the same time as a reissue of the kit towards Christmas. Finally some 3d printed kits of small cargo ships and similar vessels are being designed for release as a combined set similar to the tugs set.
A new catalogue is being designed at the moment for 2022 to include all the forthcoming changes and this will be available to download as a pdf and also a printed copy will be included free of charge with orders. The intended production schedule has been slowed over the last two years owing to personal circumstances and issues relating to the covid situation, but our new production capacity will allow both an easier route to keeping current kits in production as well as speeding up the planned range of kit releases.
It will be a busy period over the next few months but an exciting one, happy modelling!
Stuart Boyd - October 26, 2021
Would be great to have a re-release of the 1970s Ark Royal again, only this time with the big deck crane and tractors as well as a full complement of Phantoms, Bucks, Gannets, Sea Kings and Wessex. It would be going the extra mile if 1/700 deck crew/aircrew were available too. Chalk me up for a Christmas order!
Anonymous - October 20, 2021
Yes, very soon, just waiting for the decals. There is the Bangor class HMS Rhyl or HMCS Kelowna that was out this summer as well.
David Walker - October 20, 2021
No problem – thanks for the update – will the Algerine Class minesweeper kit be re-stocked –
as I can buy that instead ?
Anonymous - October 17, 2021
Hi David Walker, sorry I deleted your comment by mistake, I haven’t quite figured out how it works yet! I’m not planning a Halcyon class for the coming year but there are other 1/350 kits coming which I hope will make up for it. Cheers, Mike