Floquil/Polyscale being discontinued?????

[Cjcrescent]

I'm a little more optimistic. I believe that as RTR keeps getting more and more expensive, there will be a demand for kits coming back.

Lets not forget that just because many of the plastic kits are gone, it doesn't mean that kits are dead. There are still many kit makers out there, and I don't see them completely dying off.

There will always be a need for paints for modelers. Painting the model has always been and will always be part of the process.

 

[Boris]

This sounds a little harsh Mark but I'm sure you're right. Scale modelers are a dying breed. The thrill of having something that no one else has doesn't seem to have the draw that it did 20 years ago. At least the creative draw. Even model cars and airplanes are now ready built. Hard for me to understand.

Steve

Well, yes and no.........There will always be scale modellers, and others who are creative. But there is a growing segment of the population, that considers themselves unwilling or unable to do for themselves.

In our hobby, there are those who hire others to design, and build layouts for them, so they can run their ready to run trains and locate their built up structures. Nothing wrong with that, but it does take away from the skill and creativity end.

As one who builds my own, and ends up rebuilding my RTRs, even though I lack the skill some others have, it does make it more difficult when a go to supplier dries up, but there is always a work around.

Joe

 

[Espeefan]

I'm afraid that Model Railroading is changing from a builders hobby to a collector/operator hobby. If the sales don't support the industry, they'll drop the lines. I remember slot car racing and control line model airplanes.

Steve

True, this was a busines decision, plain & simple. If a line isn't making money, it's toast. That's life in corporate America. on the hobby changing, I disagree. You know, the same thing was said about model railroading in the 1960's when the Athearn BB kits got huge. "Nobody is building anything anymore!" Not true. It's all just moving upscale, like everything else. Slot Car racing is alive & well. I race with a group of guys at a local hobby shop weekly (this isn't my only hobby ), and this particular hobby shop is a car guy's heaven. They have a huge slot car department, tons of diecast, resin kits, and loads of AMT kits and so forth. There is also another track just a few miles away, and I know of at least two round robin groups. You can find a multitude of forums like this one for slot car guys with a google search. Control line flying is still there for serious hobbyists, but the big reason for its decline is that radio control gear has gotten a lot cheaper than it used to be. I remember in the 60's and 70's you had to spend $6-800.00 for a good four channel rig. Not many could afford that in those days. Not so these days! There are loads of kit manufacturers out there. Westerfield is alive & well. The craftsman structure kit business is booming. Try and find a Fine Scale Miniatures kit that isn't sold out! There are also plenty of other companies like Bar Mills, Foscale, and so forth. It's our demand for high quality product that is driving this. Nobody seems to want the generic stuff anymore or at least as much, but we still have Accurail for entry level kit builders, as well as all those Walthers plastic structure kits. I will miss Floquil, but the void will be filled. Tru Color has been mentioned. PBL Star Brand is pretty good stuff, I use more Scalecoat than anything else right now, and there is Badger Model Flex. You might also take a look at Humbrol paints. Not bad! Vallejo is pretty good too, though their RR colors are kind of sparse right now. Maybe that will change. Everyone hates change, but change is inevitable. Don't lament the passing of the builder just yet. Look how many are here

 

[tornado64]

what is realy required is to adapt as modellers and think logicaly !!

whilst the range may or may not have been good it looks to be going

and it won't be the end of the world !! i'm sure there are other ranges that equal if not surpass the brands i personaly have no favourite

i view paint as paint and none are better or worse than others it is just that some are better at certain applications than others

as a painter in artists oils , acrylics as well as painting many types of models brand type has never worried me

so long as you keep acrylics with acrylics , enamels with enamels and celulose types painted seperately there should be no issues

it is here i'll mention mixing in perfect honnesty if you become a good mixer you will be amazed how few colours you actualy need in your box !! i as everyone else buys ready made colour because it is the easiest option

but hold on and think a minuite !!! when you print off a photograph on your computer it does !! does it not render every colour perfectly ?? with how many colours ???? 3 yep 3 !! 5 including black and the white of the paper !!

as an artist i never get people telling me what paints to use !! i'm the artist it is my choice !! if they feel they know better i tell them to go and buy a set of paints and a canvas and to get on with it themselves !!!

never forget the reason they came to you in the first place !!

i tell this to painters of any genre before you even start laying down colours or buying paints research the colour wheel first

what is also forgotten is that mixing your own if painting difrent locos in the same colours can give you a slightly difrent result each time that is a far better result than would innitialy be thaught as age deteriates paint in the real world and a locomotive fleet cannot possibly all be painted in the same year let alone day so paint ageing would be a factor

 

[skillman]

I think that people who don't do their own paint don't understand the real problems. I already know how I want to spray the paint I'm used to using. I'm not sure if the "new" paint will match my old paint (if it comes in the correct colors at all) without a great deal of mixing. Will it react the same to my weathering techniques. And so on and so on and-------- I'm sure there will be someone who will fill the void. Just how well and completely.

Steve

 

[tornado64]

at the end of the day all paint boils down to is the pigment and the carrying medium nothing more !! quality only depends on quality of pigments ( mostly from the same source ) quality comes from how finely the dry pigments are milled to this degree there are no great shakes as top quality pigments are available close to where i live it then largely depends on what carrying medium used , for enamel paints typicaly 30-40% Resin (long oil alkyd), 20% solvent, 20% pigment, 10-12% extenders and additives varying mixtures will give varying results

acrylics can be made by buying the pure pigment and mixing with binders again for our purposes obtaining the finest milled pigments is key


description of using acrylic binder medium
This is the pure acrylic resin without modification so it is a thin milky liquid that dries to a tough flexible film that is the strongest and most durable of the Acrylic paint films. Pigment can be ground directly into Binder Medium, or the binder can be freely mixed with other mediums to increase resin content. My personal favorite is to mix 125 ml of Binder Medium to 1 liter of Gel Medium. On its own this makes a fabulous glue that is perfect For gluing canvas to panels because it is nice and thick, and is great as a general purpose glue as well. As a medium for making paint I like the brushing qualities that result.

 

[rlundy90]

One great thing about modellers. We always figure out a way to do things and solve problems. We will all just have to switch to a different brand that supports us customers. If their business increases, so will their willingness to add the colors we want, to their existing lines. In the meantime we will just have to hone our paint mixing skills a bit, and mix our own colors if the brand doesn't make the color we want. I have been doing this for years, anyhow. Most premixed paint I buy is used for tinters to mix the paint I am using.
As for Testors, I think they have just shot themselves in the foot with this one. They should of at least kept Pollyscale, to keep the model railroaders business. I can see dropping the Floquil, due to regulations and environmental issues, but to get rid of both lines may really hurt their bottom line. I know I will be taking all of my business elsewhere. I like to support companies, that I feel, appreciate my business. I don't get that feeling at all with Testors, anymore.

 

[Espeefan]

Well I went to two of the LHS here, dropped about a hundred bucks and stocked up on what I use. The inventory looks good, and should keep me going through the transition to something else. Don't forget their paint markers if you like to use them! They are nice for track. The product I'm really going to miss is their "Crystal Cote". Its really good stuff. it does not yellow in the bottle and is really easy to apply. Oh well...such is life!

 

[NH Mike]

Well I went to two of the LHS here, dropped about a hundred bucks and stocked up on what I use. The inventory looks good, and should keep me going through the transition to something else. Don't forget their paint markers if you like to use them! They are nice for track. The product I'm really going to miss is their "Crystal Cote". Its really good stuff. it does not yellow in the bottle and is really easy to apply. Oh well...such is life!

I stocked up on Thursday with a few of the colors I use all the time but not 100 bucks worth. The owner mentioned the situation as soon as I arrived.
He also felt that at least for the short term there should be a steady supply because he said he has never had a back order or short shipment from any of his 3 wholesale distributers in all the years he has been in business so it appears at least those 3 have a good ( for the moment ) inventory to ship from. He also said a lot depended on the LHS and the modellers over buying and that could dry the supply much faster. Modellers are sharp and no doubt will adapt to the paints of other companies when it does happen.

 

[ChevelleSSguy]

Word through the grapevine, and its a rumor at this point, that MRC is going to aquire the brand and continue production.

If that turns out to be true, cool, otherwise, I think it would be cool to see Microscale pick it up. That would make the most sense to me.

 

[Espeefan]

What I'm hearing is that Testors is not selling but hanging on to the brands and reserving the right to re-introduce them in the future.