MODELMASTER UK - Order delays

[Daddyman]

I notice that the announcement from them above says "all outstanding orders will be fulfilled", while a post on the Scalefour forum says "only existing outstanding orders will be completed", but also that "stocks will be run down to exhaustion" (two statements which seem to contradict each other). So depending on which statement he adheres to, it might be that they've effectively closed already. Looks like nothing will ever come of all those loco kits which the website is still assuring visitors will be out by April 2020... 

 

If I knew what party he's standing for I might well want to boycott his business anyway... 

Edited October 5, 2020 by Daddyman

[cctransuk]

18 hours ago, MJI said:

OK then who else does good coach lining?

 

I cannot get on with Presfix.

 

You could try Sheet BL28 at https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

 

John Isherwood,

Cambridge Custom Transfers.

[Enterprisingwestern]

5 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

You could try Sheet BL28 at https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

 

John Isherwood,

Cambridge Custom Transfers.

 

That's all well and good John, but a good product at a good price with good delivery and nothing to complain about, where's the fun in that?

 

Mike.

[MJI]

57 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

You could try Sheet BL28 at https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

 

John Isherwood,

Cambridge Custom Transfers.

 

How many coaches per sheet?

 

I do need some older BR lining but I mainly go through white.

[cctransuk]

1 hour ago, MJI said:

 

How many coaches per sheet?

 

I do need some older BR lining but I mainly go through white.

 

It depends on whether you are doing blood and custard / choc. and cream, or maroon.

 

21 lines of straw yellow / black, and 21 lines of straw yellow / black / straw yellow; each 197mm. long.

 

John Isherwood,

Cambridge Custom Transfers.

[MJI]

11 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

It depends on whether you are doing blood and custard / choc. and cream, or maroon.

 

21 lines of straw yellow / black, and 21 lines of straw yellow / black / straw yellow; each 197mm. long.

 

John Isherwood,

Cambridge Custom Transfers.

 

Maroon for now

 

Interesting - and you have no thanks button.

[cctransuk]

36 minutes ago, MJI said:

Interesting - and you have no thanks button.

 

I know - it is taken away when one is on the 'naughty step'! (Just as in nursery school).

 

You couldn't make it up, could you?!?

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Bon Accord]

14 hours ago, Daddyman said:

I notice that the announcement from them above says "all outstanding orders will be fulfilled", while a post on the Scalefour forum says "only existing outstanding orders will be completed", but also that "stocks will be run down to exhaustion" (two statements which seem to contradict each other). So depending on which statement he adheres to, it might be that they've effectively closed already. Looks like nothing will ever come of all those loco kits which the website is still assuring visitors will be out by April 2020... 

 

If I knew what party he's standing for I might well want to boycott his business anyway... 

 

I'd forgotten I'd pre-ordered a couple of those loco kits and paid a deposit, as I'm sure have many others.

I haven't seen any news about them at all since the initial announcement a year ago or so.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Does anyone else smell a whiff of Coopercraft?

 

Mike.

[MJI]

4 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Does anyone else smell a whiff of Coopercraft?

 

Mike.

 

No.

 

I get a whiff of someone wanting to retire, but too much in demand.

 

Perhaps Jim ought to look at selling MM.

[Daddyman]

12 hours ago, Bon Accord said:

 

I'd forgotten I'd pre-ordered a couple of those loco kits and paid a deposit, as I'm sure have many others.

I haven't seen any news about them at all since the initial announcement a year ago or so.

They were still happening when I last spoke to him in January/February time. I wasn't particularly interested in the bodies ("finescale" isn't the word I'd use to describe the over-thick edges on resin bodies), but the chassis might have been useful, especially the pug if he'd made a better job of the crosshead than Branchlines.  

[Retro_man]

I received the following email from ModelMaster on October 4th shortly after the email saying nameplate and tranfer production was ending:

 

" The 4mm Scale ex North British Kits are still

 

being produced,  but I've lost one of my cad

 

designers (he works in pharmaceuticals, so

 

he's a bit tied up at the moment!)

 

I'll send updates every couple of weeks - there's

 

no changes to prices, nor to specifications!

 

I'll STILL be producing transfers for them, despite

 

my earlier announcement,

 

Best regards

 

Jim Grindlay"

 

[Bon Accord]

5 hours ago, Daddyman said:

They were still happening when I last spoke to him in January/February time. I wasn't particularly interested in the bodies ("finescale" isn't the word I'd use to describe the over-thick edges on resin bodies), but the chassis might have been useful, especially the pug if he'd made a better job of the crosshead than Branchlines.  

 

Were any pre-production pictures or suchlike ever released, or perhaps prototypes show at an exhibition? I don't recall ever seeing any.

[Metr0Land]

On 04/10/2020 at 14:01, Brocp said:

If he wants out of the nameplate game just sell up. I always feel like these announcements are made just to (hopefully) see a quick influx of orders when things are going slow for him... I don't know, I really like his products but I'm starting to be put off by slow orders and stuff like this.

 

IIRC he did try to sell up.  A family member (I think his brother in law) used to help in the business but sadly died.  After that Jim did try to sell up but there were no takers and many customers  asked him to reconsider, which he duly did, and he and Elspeth tried - however I suspect it's all got too much in the long term

 

If at first you don't succeed - become a politician.

[Daddyman]

25 minutes ago, Bon Accord said:

 

Were any pre-production pictures or suchlike ever released, or perhaps prototypes show at an exhibition? I don't recall ever seeing any.

No, was always just a pipe dream as far as I know. 

[rab]

1 hour ago, Metr0Land said:

 

IIRC he did try to sell up.  A family member (I think his brother in law) used to help in the business but sadly died.  After that Jim did try to sell up but there were no takers and many customers  asked him to reconsider, which he duly did, and he and Elspeth tried - however I suspect it's all got too much in the long term

 

If at first you don't succeed - become a politician.

Another case of 'damned if you do, damned if you don't'?

[gwrrob]

On 06/10/2020 at 07:03, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Does anyone else smell a whiff of Coopercraft?

 

 

 

A little I think, after speaking to a very agitated and abrupt woman on the phone this afternoon. It seems my order was posted in late July and must have got lost as I didn't pay for signed for delivery.

[MJI]

I had one order go missing a few years ago, now always use rec del.

['CHARD]

I wonder if Jim is having a little jest with us here - does anyone know if he's planning to stand in the constituency of the not-yet-resigned errant MP who went on her Covid Railtour (headcode 1C19)?

[Bucoops]

18 minutes ago, gwrrob said:

 

A little I think, after speaking to a very agitated and abrupt woman on the phone this afternoon. It seems my order was posted in late July and must have got lost as I didn't pay for signed for delivery.

 

Somewhere above in this thread is my comment that my order was "upgraded" to special delivery (even though the value was £50 so normal signed would have been sufficient cover) and the cost of doing so deducted from me by sending less transfers than I ordered.

 

I think I shall refrain from using Modelmaster any more.

[Derekstuart]

On 06/10/2020 at 17:01, Metr0Land said:

 

IIRC he did try to sell up.  A family member (I think his brother in law) used to help in the business but sadly died.  After that Jim did try to sell up but there were no takers and many customers  asked him to reconsider, which he duly did, and he and Elspeth tried - however I suspect it's all got too much in the long term

 

If at first you don't succeed - become a politician.

 

I know little about this bloke's company, so my observation is just general.

 

A few small 'cottage' type businesses have come up for sale over the years with quite unrealistic expectations of value- I say a few, not all, so no one needs to get all indignant over [insert example here.]

 

In reality there is value in two areas- outstanding product already in stock and the CAD or other design work. That's it. There is no market value generally in lists of past customers, the name or whatnot. I know of one such person who paid £££ for stock, CAD/ design and the goodwill of a customer database and a name going back X years. But he found out the hard way that, although nice an nostalgic, the name didn't mean anything- he could have renamed it Kryten's kits and it would have made no difference; likewise a past database is useless in an 'industry' like this. So after spending all that money on 'goodwill' he was left with nothing to run the business and it collapsed. No, I will not name him, but he has been criticised on here in the past.

 

To reiterate, I am NOT, repeat NOT, commenting on this particular case at all. Just a general observation. I think it needs to be borne in mind as we have lost so many cottage suppliers over the years and there are undoubtedly still at least another dozen or two to come as retirement and ill health kicks in.

EDIT: Typing error.

Edited October 8, 2020 by Derekstuart

[Steamport Southport]

The problem is they've got a sellable product which is available in a few places.

 

Maybe it's time to cut the range back a bit and concentrate on providing those retailers with stock. That way they aren't messing about sending orders out, which reading through this thread seems to be the problem.

 

For example.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/3156043/1000588/1000813/0/modelmaster_transfers_oo_gauge_1_76_scale_transfers_and_decals/prodlist.aspx

 

https://www.petersspares.com/detailing-modelmaster-transfers-modelmaster-transfers-oo.irc

 

It's things like "We are struggling to supply item XYZ but here's our new range" which is baffling.

 

 

 

Jason

[micklner]

Baffling ?

 

Virtually every email for months has some kind of twist with a follow up variation following behind. I have used him a couple of times in the past without problems.

 

The latest emails however are the "Icing on the cake", and I simply deleted my subscription at that point.

[Bon Accord]

5 hours ago, 'CHARD said:

I wonder if Jim is having a little jest with us here - does anyone know if he's planning to stand in the constituency of the not-yet-resigned errant MP who went on her Covid Railtour (headcode 1C19)?

 

He's stood in that area in the past during local council elections - unsuccessfully.

[gwrrob]

On 08/10/2020 at 15:28, gwrrob said:

 

A little I think, after speaking to a very agitated and abrupt woman on the phone this afternoon. It seems my order was posted in late July and must have got lost as I didn't pay for signed for delivery.

 

Replacement order received this morning. I'll be using Fox from now on if they do my wants.