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Well, we never ever said we were never going to get back to doing AFVs, did we??!  But, yes, let it be known, we’re back at ‘it’..!  Our first step is to start a range of conversion kits for the Meng World War Toons AFVs.   The first of those resin kits is now available, and it will turn the cute WWT M4A1 into a similarly cute M4A3.  A Calliope conversion is to follow soon, and plenty more afterwards based on the other five (currently!) WWT kits.

Probably a little bit more interesting to a few more of you is the return of the 1/72 RetroTracks range with two brand new kits currently being completed (as far as patterns go), and a few more to follow of course.  All those forthcoming 1/72 RetroTracks kits will be available as ‘limited editions’ only: you will be able to pre-order them (the first two will be made available tomorrow, 11 October 2017) and the casters will be asked to run a number of kits equal to the number of orders received.  No more, no less.  Those resin kits will NOT be available at shows, nor through distributors, anytime.  We will simply move on to other AFVs.  The ordering ‘window’ will be in the region of three to four months.  Orders can be placed online, or at shows RetrokiT will attend to.  Those wanting more details or wanting to know the various and sometimes complicated reasons of this ‘different’ way of doing things are welcome to contact us, of course!

Speaking of AFVs, our long-awaited 1/35 Belgian T13 Type 1/Type 2 is now scheduled for release in March 2018 in Vienna (Go Modelling Show), a fitting place since the only surviving example of this curious AFV was found hidden there a few years ago…  You can place a pre-order from today and in doing so get a free 1/35 Belgian tanker figure with the deal..!  This special deal will end at the end of December 2017.

Apart from that, you may notice that our Egg Concorde is now available, also as a pre-order, also as a special edition with BA or Air France markings.  The kit and separate marking will be available after this special offer ends on 30 November 2017 though.

And more Egg Plane bits and three new Bananaaas! should hit the store before the end of the week too, so stay tuned!

First of all, a big ‘Thank You’ to all who attended to our local show in Seraing, Belgium on 7th of October.  Although it was the club’s 40th annual model show, this one was different on many levels.  For a ‘First’, it was, I think we can say, pretty good.  We plan to build upon what we have created, taking into account comments, suggestions and critiques and we hope to see many of you in 2018!

RetrokiT, as it stands today, is about to complete it’s 10th year of existence, and in order to celebrate this, a number of special ‘deals’ affecting a number of new and forthcoming releases will be offered in the coming days; they will, of course, be limited in time, so stay tuned!  There are some pretty interesting (we hope!) bits of info that will be unveiled too.  Details will appear on our Facebook page over the next few days.  This FB page, by the way, is one of the best ways to keep abreast of what’s being developed and what is currently ticking our fancy!

Last but not least, we are next off to Affligem, Belgium for the IPMS Belgium National Convention (aka Plastic & Steel), where, as usual, RetrokiT sponsors a special prize for the Best Egg Plane in the whole show.  Get your eggs ready, Folks!

Next on our list of shows to attend to is a local one, very local one since it’s being organised about 1km away from ‘home’.  It’s organised by the club we grew up with, the club we are part of again.  We have changed a lot from the previous years’ formula’: new organising team, one day instead of two, totally different time of the year, re-focus on static scale modelling, lots of exhibitors and traders, a different kind of competition and the use of different halls in the same venue.  But the spirit, the enthusiasm, the welcoming attitude, the fun and the Belgian beers are the same as in the past!  It should be good and you can find all details here.

Five new releases have been added to the 1/144 RetroWings and RetroSF catalogues:

• Saab Draken Cockpit Detail Set
• Me-163B Cockpit Detail Set
• Exotic Kfirs (decal sheet)
• Mustangs in Foreign Lands (decal sheet)
• 1/72 UD-4L Drop-ship Cockpit Detail Set

We hear the groans coming from a great numbers of modellers who are not lucky enough to own the old Halcyon Drop-ship kit, a rather rare thing nowadays, fetching over €100 apiece at shows and online…  But if we do try to somewhat follow and cater for what’s new and trendy, we also have a real interest in designing products for all those old and often not-so-bad kits that do not grace the shelves and e-shelves of our favourite distributors…  So keep digging in your stash, under the tables at shows and on the auctions site, you never know what’s just lurking around the corner!

We’re next off to Amnéville in France for the third installment of this very friendly show..!  Keep on modelling, Folks!

The Air-Terre-Mer show in Mons, Belgium, around mid-August, traditionally represents the end of our summer break and the return of the big shows that will take us, very rapidly, to the end of the year.  If you have not been to Mons yet, this show is well worth a visit.  We particularly like the range of ‘scale modelling’ presented at this show, it’s eye-opening, and a reminder that static scale modelling, even including wargaming and figure painting is all but a small part of the hobby.  Also of great interest is our stand’s location right next to the bar and the famed warm Belgian waffle stand..!  Come and say ‘hello’ and have your face-painted too (since we’ll be in Mons wearing our Face/Off hats too!).

Getting slowly ready for the first big show of the second half of the year in Mons, Belgium, we are first attending a smaller show in Enghien, near Brussels…  Both shows are slightly different from our usual fare as they present almost all facets of the hobby, rather than ‘just’ static scale modelling.  An opportunity to meet a different crowd, talk to people doing different things, learn new ways, skills and tricks for our own enjoyment of the hobby.

We are soon going back to the Czech Republic for the second edition of the Duchkov Model Festival, then we have again three shows in August, so we can say that the holidays are just about over for us at RetrokiT..!  Indeed, the RetroSF catalogue just grew by seven references today, and we are expecting more new releases before we head to the Air-Terre-Mer show in Mons on 19-20 August.  Those will be the 1/144 cockpit detail sets for the Me-163 (Brengun) and Saab 35 (Pit-Road) and 1/72 cockpit detail set for the old Halcyon Drop-ship kit..!  September should also see more releases, including in all likeliness, the first sets of a new range aimed at the 1/100 aircraft kits out there.

Don’t miss our stock clearance, it is only to be found on our Facebook page..!

It’s break time, with our next show scheduled for the first week end in August in Enghien, Belgium.  Traditionally, we trade at SmallSpace early July in Hanslope, a small village near Milton Keynes in the UK, but this year, unfortunately, we could not do it.  It is a very nice, friendly show, and if you are a SF/F fan, the only place to be that Sunday.  Make the trip, you will not be disappointed!

Anyway, July is also rather traditionally a month during which we tend to sculpt a lot – I do not know why! – and therefore, expect a number of releases for the upcoming big shows of the autumn.  In the meantime, we are planning the re-birth of RetroTracks, the release a fairly large number of new Bananaaas!, some 1/72 aircraft conversion kits for fans of certain Belgian comic strip characters, some 1/144 aircraft bits (Saab 35, Me-163, F-19,..) and quite possibly (though this may have to wait until the autumn) launch our 1/100 aircraft detailing range…  Enjoy the summer, Folks, but keep checking this page and our Facebook page too for the very latest updates!

Three small shows are just behind us now and we’re soon off to attend to one of the ‘big ones’, ModelBrno in the Czech Republic.  The level of workmanship we saw during our last visit to Brno, and more recently to Moson in Hungary speaks volumes about the quality of scale modelling in Eastern Europe..  Amazing! For us at RetrokiT, it is also a way to push our boundaries a little outwards, we meet in Eastern Europe many modellers from the East and the South that have never heard of us.  It is interesting and extremely valuable to see their reactions to our products.  Mind you, we are not putting down the smaller shows, far from it, we tend to have more time at those for the other important things like talking to people, seeing the models on show, demonstrating pattern-making, and yes, visiting the bar..