burgundy Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 In the recent edition of the EMGS Newsletter, there is a short note recording that the current owners of Sharman wheels "....hoped to have some stock at the York show this Easter." Given that Easter has come and gone - without reports of patrons at York high fiving in the aisles because of the reappearance of Sharman wheels - and Expo EM has gone equally quietly, can I assume that the EMGS Newsletter article was slightly premature? Best wishes Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizard of the Moor Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I asked them about this at the York show and got the answer that the wheels might be available in a little while, maybe at Scaleforum in September. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I asked them about this at the York show and got the answer that the wheels might be available in a little while, maybe at Scaleforum in September. Note also that they didn't say which September...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I asked them about this at the York show and got the answer that the wheels might be available in a little while, maybe at Scaleforum in September. I asked them at Scaleforum last year (2010) and got the reply, they'd be ready in Feb this year.... ....wearily drums fingers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Like I said, they didn't say which September. I'm going for September 2013. If we're lucky....and if there's a following wind going downhill. That should give plenty of time to re-assess the state of the tooling, and what remedial work would be needed (and would cost) if production is ever to restart. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PenrithBeacon Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I asked at the St Albans show and was told, rather wearily, that it would be later in the year, but only a few types would be made. Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Does anybody know who the current owners of Mike's range is then, I thought they had been discontinued a few years ago? I had heard the moulds were sold, but wear and age made a lot unusable now. It is all very well them going to shows to sell them if reintroduced, but we can't all travel or visit a MR show, it would have to be sales by normal mail order, and if anybody is aware of the owners do they have contact details, phone or email? Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamieb Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Unless it has changed again , I believe the current owners of Sharman Wheels are Phoenix Precision paints.If this is still the case, I would imagine that WHEN and IF the range is up and running,they will feature on their website Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Like I said, they didn't say which September. I'm going for September 2013. If we're lucky....and if there's a following wind going downhill. That should give plenty of time to re-assess the state of the tooling, and what remedial work would be needed (and would cost) if production is ever to restart. I heard on very good authority when I got some sharmans from the Owner in the factory unit itself that it is not so much the tooling as the machine has to resetup every time a different tool is used, some are knackered many are not, I was happy I cleared him out of the wheels for my H Class kits..... heres hoping Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I'm not waiting up. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Thing is, if people keep asking, it may feel like pestering, and would make it less likely that wheels would re-appear. 2013. Maybe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefrk Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Hi all, I've got a few sets of Sharmans I could let people have, some are P4 and the rest are the 'b' profile EM various sizes, PM me for a wee list. All unused, most with axles. I was keeping them for future builds but time doesn't permit... Fiver an axle is what I paid so make me an offer. In case you're wondering these are not suitable for OO gauge, too fine. Hope that helps, Dave Frk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 May I offer some clarification (as I understand it). Sharman Wheels are owned by David and Chris Stapleton (father and son) who also own Phoenix Precision Paints and since late 2010, No Nonsence Kits. David also has other business activities, involving plastic moulding, although he is cutting back on these. PPP production has now moved into the same industrial unit as the other activities, to consolidate their efforts. NNK has taken considerably more sorting out than envisaged when they bought it after Alistair Rolf's death. This doesn't appear to be unusual when a business changes hands. Sharman Wheel production is labour intensive and doesn't lend readily itself to automation, although a re-design of the crankpin system could make things faster (a personal view). I believe wheels have been produced where an order for sufficient volume has been placed, such that SW have been able to outsource the steel tyres (although they have now relocated their CN lathe and may in future be able to do this in house). I think that the 3mm Society have been able to do that and London Road Models have also been able to obtain wheels that are unique to several of their kits. I imagine that tyre size may be a factor in deciding future wheel availability, i.e. those wheels that share common tyre sizes will be more practical and economical to produce. To persuade SW back into production, it might be better to indicate what wheels you want to buy and in what quantities, rather than simply ask when they'll be making wheels again. Jol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Well the situation does match what I knew already, but I do think the policy of not telling Precision that there is a demand may not be the right one, as although they might feel chased about it, it can't help their judgement as to whether they really is a demand for the wheels in what is a very specialist market. The problem I see is supply, if it is via societies or shows then it limits the market still further. Mike Sharman's large wheel range was perhaps it's own worst enemy, perhaps he did try to cover too many designs, but it did satisfy the buyer that needed the more obscure types. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
49395 Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 I had asked Precision at York this year whether any Sharman wheels were likely to be available and they said Semptember (granted not which one) I'm just curious whether anyone has any info from Scaleforum perchance? Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefrk Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Well it's September and there is a whole load of Sharmans on Ebay at the moment, drivers and bogies. I think it is in Trains & Railways - Finescale. Some bloke called Slotybartfast. Okay, I admit it, it's me. Please don't think this is an advert, it's just to answer the above posts. Some I bought for my own projects and others were in deceased modellers effects which I bought for future projects, time doesn't now permit these projects.... Apologises for the intrusion. Dave Frk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iak Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 How did you do Tromso Fjord then Dave? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefrk Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 How did you do Tromso Fjord then Dave? Why I just throw an old blanket up in the air and how it lands is how the Fjord looks. Isn't that the way architects do it, it certainly looks that way with the new transport museum in Glasgow..... Dave Frk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Melrose Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I asked Mr Stapleton Senior on Saturday at Scaleforum whether there was any chance of production of Sharman Wheels resuming. His reply was unequivocally, "No!" Let's move on then. Bill Bedford? Stan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Pity the range is not sold on then to another supplier, sitting on unused tooling is not getting anywhere, but I was told a lot of moulds were worn and difficult to use, Mike did not do much work on worn stuff as the range was so large before he disposed of it. Stephen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
49395 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Drat, I guess the Backwoods Crane Tank kit will never get built then, As far as I know suitable wheels aren't (or should that be weren't) made by anyone else. (10mm diameter, 10 spoke 2mm axles) Oh well another kit to remain on the unbuilt pile till the end of time... Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Natalie Graham Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 It is a bit bizarre the way people buy model railway businesses and then just sit on them. Sometimes the things never re-appear at all. Why would someone sink money into buying a business and then not seek to get a return on their investment as quickly as possible? You would think a new purchaser would want to continue trading as seemlessly as possible and work on product development or improvement once they were up and running. If the amount of work needed to get the products into production is too much, why on earth buy the business in the first place? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Having been a couple of times on the receiving end of specialised small business acquisitions with unique 'home grown' hardware necessary for their production, I can imagine what may be the problem in some cases. The hardware, often procured/designed/constructed and operated by the one or two people who owned the business, is so operating technique dependent that the new owner struggles to get any reliable production out of it. Then you are stuck between the classic rock and a hard place: very difficult to operate the acquired equipment profitably, and thus also unable to demonstrate the equipment credibly to any potential buyer... Not saying for a moment that IS the case here, just a scenario which might explain such a happening. Been there, got that blood spattered t-shirt, though fortunately it wasn't my own financial stake that was getting burned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
£1.38 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Maybe we need a hit-squad of experienced people to go round helping and advising businesses how to get things up and running? A bit like the X-men only in this case OO-men ??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I asked Mr Stapleton Senior on Saturday at Scaleforum whether there was any chance of production of Sharman Wheels resuming. His reply was unequivocally, "No!" Let's move on then. Bill Bedford? Ask me again after Christmass. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
45609 Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Then you are stuck between the classic rock and a hard place: very difficult to operate the acquired equipment profitably, and thus also unable to demonstrate the equipment credibly to any potential buyer... At one stage it was offered for sale again but I was told for silly money. What is needed is for an engineer to be able to buy it at the right price who then get the machines to work again. 4 years ago, at Scaleforum, myself and a business partner made enquiries regarding acquisition of the business. The response was rather vague so our enquiry was followed up with a letter requesting details of the inventory and justification for the valuation. We never had a response but we did arrive at very similar conclusions to those quoted above so our time, effort and money was invested elsewhere. I agree it is a shame that this range has now gone but we must now be wasting time flogging this dead horse. Far better for us all to encourage the manufacturers that "do" to expand their ranges and accept that if you want Sharmans you will have to buy them off David..... . By the way what is the state of play with the Ultrascale Brit wheels David? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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