IXO "Junior" Question

[Axis Nightmare]

Hello all,

With little experience in 1/72 planes I was wondering about the quality of IXO Junior planes. What makes them "Juniors" and are there regular IXO 1/72 planes of a different quality series?

Thanks!

[aferguson]

Don't know why they are called 'junior'....there is no regular or senior series. Quality of the models varies from not great to not bad. They have some unusual subjects not available anywhere else. They almost all have inked panel lines (panel lines drawn on with thin black lines) that many collectors do not like, myself included.

The lines are more bothersome on some models than others, ranging from annoying to awful. Dark paint schemes hide the lines better than light. On a more positive note, many of the models have optional extended/retracted undercarriage, though a couple do not (fixed down). For the original price of a few dollars they were not a bad deal. Some can be found still very inexpensive while others like the he-219 and hs-129 go for $60 plus at times.

I have a few models and have passed on many, for various reasons, often the panel lines.

Best to look carefully at pics of any plane you are interested in and decide for yourself if you like it or not. Warmaster has done a few repaints of Ixo models. They're ok, but the paint jobs are often not very accurate and have really strange weathering.

[pmmaker]

IXO "Junior" planes were originally offered as part of a magazine subscription along with Altaya. They were never intended to be a "high quality" die cast.

All the regular planes were made; Mustang, Spitfire, SBD, Fw-190 which while okay, you could get better quality models from Corgi, Dragon and Gemini. What made IXO unique were their less mainstream die cast planes - The Japanese and Russian aircraft such as the Ki-64 and the Mig-3. While these were not top quality models, they were the only ones available at the time in 1/72 scale die cast.

Today, WarMaster has begun to use the IXO molds and re-release some of these models. Quality is still iffy -no pitot tubes, no cockpit detail, some gear down only, poor paint/marking application are just some of the issues.

Aferguson is correct, do some research and buy the planes you really like.

pmmaker

[Epap]

I think these were dubbed "Junior" because IXO regarded them as toys for children---but that's just a guess.

As for the quality, it's pretty poor with numerous design errors, missing parts, terrible paint jobs and markings, stick-on pitot heads---where they have them, no pilots, lousy stands, etc. and the black panel lines are awful. That said, I have done code 3s on many of these models and some of the WarMaster versions with some success. If you want your models to look something like a good quality Corgi or HM product, forget IXO. If you are into making mods and doing code 3, that's a different matter as there are some decent unusual subjects here that you can't get in the 1:72nd scale anywhere else. These include the French Bloch-152, the German HS-129, the Italian MC-202 and the Japanese, Grace and Jack. There are some more---the Yak-9, the IL-2 and 10 and the HE-219, notably, but their quality is rather poor.

As it happens, other manufacturers, mainly Corgi and Oxford and three publisher subscription lines--- DeAgostini, Amercom and GE Fabbri, have provided better versions of the IXOs or original toolings of many unusual subjects---the U.S. Buffalo, the Brtish Defiant, the French MS-406 and Dewoitine D.520, the German BF-108, ME-210, HS-123, HS-126, ME-163, TA-152, Arado-196, DO-335, Arado-234 and the HE-162, the Russian Mig-3, I-15, I-152, I-153, LA-7, Yak-3, the Italian, Fiat CR.32 and 42,Fiat G.55 and the Japanese Oscar, Tony, Frank, George, etc.

[Axis Nightmare]

Thanks Guys!

[snake]

Not much to add, and the important facts have been posted.

But I like mine, but only went for the more unusual ones. Do 335, He 219, Arado 234, HS 219, Skua.

Quality does vary, and best to check for images of the model you might be interested in.