RMweb Premium Gary White Posted January 24, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 24, 2016 Thanks for the advice I have just cancelled my order via paypall until things sort themselves out and applied for a refund Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary White Posted January 31, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hi all I put a claim in with paypall and got a full refund yesterday if any body has had problems I suggest they do the same hope the situation resolves as craftsman produce some good things Yours Gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecorbusier Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 might be of interest .... I just received a reply to an e-mail from Dave at Craftsman On 6 Feb 2016, at 18:43, David Jones <davidjones5676@outlook.com> wrote: Hi Tim Thank You for your enquire, yes I am still in business but having just come out of hospital I am a bit behind with the orders, so would wait a few weeks to order. All the best. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lincolnshiremodeller Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Looks like the sorry saga continues. Ordered online at the beginning of June, immediate payment taken by Paypal. No order confirmation, therefore no order number let alone tracking info. Emailed both addresses shown on web page. No response. No response to phone number.... Has anybody successfully ordered from Craftsman Models in the recent past? Sadly sounds like yet another nail in the coffin of the small cottage suppliers general reputation.... Regards Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Sadly sounds like yet another nail in the coffin of the small cottage suppliers general reputation.... Regards Simon I think it would be unfair to tar all the small suppliers with the same brush. Most do an excellent job and are let down by three or four others. You have only to look through the "Small Suppliers" section of RMweb to see who they are. One common factor is that they are usually people who have "taken over" other products/ranges and appear to have bitten off more than they can chew. Optimism is a great asset but when matched to a lack of expertise - be it in the manufacturing or sales/marketing field - it is a recipe for major problems. Sometimes the new owner blames the seller/previous owner for his misfortunes. While this may be occasionally true in part, it is usually only an excuse for their own ineptitude. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
47375 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 I ordered from them late April after chasing like you did I logged a PayPal claim to get the money back If they are no longer trading makes you wonder why they can't add a note to the home page of the website It's a shame as they did some good stuff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Blandford1969 Posted July 17, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 17, 2016 It seems reading this like Craftsman appears like some other companies to have sadly receded into the background (hopefully not forever) but is there a demand for their kits, the 1f for example is done by Trevor Cousens, what though of the 1P is there a demand for it, if it was available elsewhere would we buy it from that source? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted July 14, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 14, 2017 Sorry to drag up an old topic, I am willing to take a chance and place a (small) order for a Craftsman detailing kit but I cannot for the life of me find their website. Anyone point me in the right direction please? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold CovDriver Posted July 14, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 14, 2017 As far as I'm aware the website has been taken down for a while it looks like this is another one man band company that's finally gone for good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Pity, I would have lived a T1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted July 14, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 14, 2017 As far as I'm aware the website has been taken down for a while it looks like this is another one man band company that's finally gone for good. One has to wonder that some folks who have bought out small 'cottage industry' producers didn't realize just what they were taking on. I have a feeling that illness may have had something to do with it. It certainly did on other failures. Ivan (Horsetan) posted earlier in this thread. "For past examples, see: - Centre Models - Impetus - MTK / NNK - Sharman Wheels - DMR Models - Modelex For examples of the "lack of communication" category, see: Coopercraft / Blacksmith / Slaters" The last four l think were taken over by 'Precision/Phoenix Paints' so there is some hope there maybe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 ....The last four l think were taken over by 'Precision/Phoenix Paints' so there is some hope there maybe. More like hope springs eternal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mike Bellamy Posted July 14, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 14, 2017 - Modelex Depends which part of Modelex you are talking about. Pat Ryan is still in business and one of our club members spoke to him earlier in the week about repair or replacement of one of his controllers that has given good service for many years on our 'Duffield' layout (as seen in the latest BRM) but is no longer putting out 12 volts . . . . . http://www.modelexmodelrailways.co.uk/ However if you want the Churchward range that was previously with Modelex, this is now with Phoenix Precision https://www.phoenix-paints.co.uk/products/churchward . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted July 14, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 14, 2017 In which case I will consider Craftsman dead and buried sadly. Cut my teeth in detailing RTR back in the early 1990's using their kits on old second hand Lima 33's et-al. Will try and scratch together bits for the Hornby Railroad Warship that has just landed on my desk. The Craftsman kit included etched window frames for the bodysides if I recall. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cctransuk Posted April 15, 2018 Share Posted April 15, 2018 In which case I will consider Craftsman dead and buried sadly. Cut my teeth in detailing RTR back in the early 1990's using their kits on old second hand Lima 33's et-al. Will try and scratch together bits for the Hornby Railroad Warship that has just landed on my desk. The Craftsman kit included etched window frames for the bodysides if I recall. Try doing a 'Craftsman' search here - http://www.normanwisenden.co.uk/search.asp ; a rather random selection, but some useful items pop up. Regards, John Isherwood. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ianLMS Posted April 25, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25, 2018 Good morning. Are Craftsman loco kits any good to purchase if they come up cheap enough, or are they difficult to put together/incorrect dimensions etc? I have my eye on one dating from the 90's. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERS Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Good morning. Are Craftsman loco kits any good to purchase if they come up cheap enough, or are they difficult to put together/incorrect dimensions etc? I have my eye on one dating from the 90's. The ones I’ve built (C12 and A5) were very nice to put together. State of the art in the 70s and early 80s, they’d matured into the ‘Railroad’ equivalent of etched kits by the 1990s. Dimensionally they were pretty accurate and very easy to put together, they were great kits for beginners to brass. Parts were pre-shaped and rolled, later ones had nickel silver chassis. They were very amenable to upgrading and extra detail, the only downside is the 1970s drivetrain, adequate but could be challenging to upgrade to more modern equivalents. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 .....Are Craftsman loco kits any good to purchase if they come up cheap enough..... They rarely do now. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ianLMS Posted April 25, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25, 2018 Thanks for that - It states to use an X04 motor which I assume is what they used in older Hornby models? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Thanks for that - It states to use an X04 motor which I assume is what they used in older Hornby models? Ian If it has an etched chassis go for a modern can motor, preferably with a High Level gear box, the X04 is an old style 3 pole motor, not very responsive with modern controllers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Michael Edge Posted April 25, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 25, 2018 All the ones I've built - A5, 02 and 07 were very good, no real problems at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ianLMS Posted April 25, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25, 2018 The one I was looking at has gone out of my reach financially. I will keep looking though - you never know, one might turn up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 The one I was looking at has gone out of my reach financially. I will keep looking though - you never know, one might turn up. Ian Given its got a set of wheels which are worth about £30, Motor £15 and gears £5 at new prices and kits of the similar nature are about £90 new its still going for a cheap price. The problem for getting a keen price is that this lot is well presented, in the correct section, well titled lot, decent description of all parts included and excellent set of photos, I guess will go for £80 or £90 A good example of how to present an item for sale Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ianLMS Posted April 25, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25, 2018 You worked out I was after the Midland 1P kit!!!!! I did think that £45 was too good to be true and that the bids would come in very late in the day - It has zero bids right up until this morning and ends later tonight. I was hopeful not too many people were watching it, but it appears the model railway hobby isnt dying off at all, which means competition is high for these type of models that come on the market. I will watch it and see what it goes for and re-adjust my expectations for the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ianLMS Posted April 26, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 26, 2018 Bang on with your estimate. It went for £80.00. I will keep my eye out for one that isnt packaged/advertised so well!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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