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Colourcoat Paints return.


Shar2

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Lots of US Navy colours plus a couple of Russians? If so then it's just pinged up on my Shopify phone app a few minutes ago... We'll box that up tonight and drop it off at the post office on our way out. Flying Legends here I come!

Thank you for your business!

Edited by SovereignHobbies
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Join the club Jamie, I've got a XF in Caviar with barley/truffle interior, and I have an XK8 in Sherwood Green with Oatmeal interior. :D

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I entirely understand the importance of a balance between work and family, but think that attendance at Scale Model World would far exceed the value of any other show, and you'd miss out on considerable sales. Perhaps John Snyder could give you a better idea of just how much.

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Hi Graham.

I've no doubt that sales would be good at Telford, but factoring in loss of earnings from my other business to allow for what would still be a hectic and deeply unpleasant travel, plus table fees and travel expenses I figure I'd need to shift around 6,000 tins over the weekend to not lose money overall. I think that's optimistic at best - and that's still ignoring a strong preference for not consuming 4 days of our lives and a precious weekend.

I'm not saying we'll never do shows again, but given that I have a primary business elsewhere which is far more productive financially model shows will always be a loss-leader. It was good to do Perth this year to kick-start it. Telford might be good sometime, but I just don't want to this year.

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This appears to preclude flammable liquids.

2015-07-09-19-57-13_zpsdxgg3iln.png

We have had a very helpful email from another trader as a result of this thread today with a lead we shall take up when we get home. Fingers crossed...

Edited by SovereignHobbies
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  • 2 weeks later...

I would suggest to Sovereign that they check out other delivery companies.

For example My Hermes.co.uk charger £2.45 for up to 1kg!

You need to read Hermes exclusions list. Unless it's changed recently, they don't take paints, even acrylics. Remember Enamels are technically flammable so there are a big no no for many couriers.

If you look on the Royal Mail website there is confusion there, as they are on the restricted list (like acrylics) and on the banned list under flammable items. That said I've sold a few unwanted colourcoats and sent them by Royal Mail without issue but then I don't post lots of enamels like Sovereign will do.

Sovereign probably use Parcelforce as they will take the enamel paints without fuss, otherwise I guess they wouldn't use them! Being able to ship your products without problems is always a good thing for a mail order company even if it is a mite pricey!

As a trader these issues are why we don't have anything to do with enamels, we stick with acrylics, which Royal Mail are now happy to ship, as long as each individual paint pot is under 150ml. If they did the same with enamels, we would consider stocking enamel paints and I'm sure Sovereign would then use Royal Mail and the postage wouldn't be so bad.

Although both personally and business wise, I prefer acrylic paints, it's good that Sovereign have rescued a popular brand and given then modeller more choice and we should all be grateful for that.

thanks

Mike

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Given the shipping cost barrier, we've decided to carry most of the cost and offer half advertised price shipping for orders of 12 tins or over.

Also, we've got a shipment of 1/350 and 1/700 White Ensign Models photo etched brass inbound which will be available through our webstore. No hazardous goods postage restrictions or costs apply to PE brass!

http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk/blogs/news/36849668-half-price-postage-white-ensign-photo-etched-brass

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  • 2 weeks later...

WEM photo etched brass sets are now on sale. New postage rates for PE appear on the webstore at Checkout.

We've made a lot of progress over the weekend with the colour chips for the webstore and shall be making up printed (rather than painted) colour brochures.

We've also just started colour collections to save a little research for those less enthusiastic about reading. Still a lot of work to do there but hopefully it'll appeal to some folks.

2 lovely models by Britmodeller's Stew Dapple are up in our gallery now also :)

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Just this morning I ordered some old stock from WEM's previous Australian distributor. I may soon be able to complete a Ki 55. Note you do not yet have an official Australian distributor. Any progress? I also see that you have already sold out of Bianco Avorio, Mitsubishi Navy grey, and (to my surprise) RAAF Dull Blue. Is this through heavy demand or some glitch? Any intention to redo the pre-war Dutch colours? I know they haven't been done for years but it's a shame to waste the logo.

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Hi,

We've had communications with an Australian based ex-WEM dealer. Things are going slow there though. Please feel free to give them a prod!

We've had an order in for a couple of weeks for new stock but my wife placed it and I need to check what's actually in it. Quite a few colours were very low on stock when we acquired it all.

There are huge differences in the sales volumes of different ranges so we've prioritised restocking the bigger sellers so far - mostly for the British naval modelling fraternity who are buying the most. I really need to reach more aviation modellers and will be supplying review samples to a magazine or two to try to help improve this.

Some of the Dutch colours will be back very shortly, with the remainder following later in the year.

Edited by SovereignHobbies
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  • 11 months later...

Thanks for letting us know about a second source of your line here in the USA. Have you considered trying to have Military Model Distributers(the wholesale side of Squadron Models/www.squadron.com) also sell/distribute Colourcoats?

Joe

PS. I just your site and found that you ARE offering an almost complete line of WW2 IJN/IJAAF aircraft colours. Thank you! That and WW2 VVS paints are very welcome.

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Hi Joe :)

We're under-performing in the USA to be honest with you. I think we could do much better in terms of market share. The USA is the biggest modelling market in the world and we should do more. H&B Hobbies in particular has been slowly expanding and taking more on. Like ourselves, it's all organic growth - no bank loans and no-one to pour money in to kick-start a big business.

We need to advertise much better in the USA. That's something I'm going to work on. Britmodeller is an excellent platform. The rent is manageable, and my advertising consists of building models for myself and sometimes people like the colours and come looking. I haven't quite found somewhere quite as handy for the US market. Most of the bigger sites seem to be clunky message board-type affairs with sponsor ads flying all over the place. Still, I need to do it, and I need to focus on aircraft. Largest range, poorest proportional sales!

There are going to be some meaningful changes to the business soon, which I'm confident will entice more customers to try us :fight: .

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Just this morning I ordered some old stock from WEM's previous Australian distributor. I may soon be able to complete a Ki 55. Note you do not yet have an official Australian distributor. Any progress? I also see that you have already sold out of Bianco Avorio, Mitsubishi Navy grey, and (to my surprise) RAAF Dull Blue. Is this through heavy demand or some glitch? Any intention to redo the pre-war Dutch colours? I know they haven't been done for years but it's a shame to waste the logo.

Incase you don't visit our own forum space:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235002683-colourcoats-in-australia-and-new-zealand/

The Dutch colours will be back. We have "suffered" lately as a large number of slow sellers which were ex-WEM stock have all run out at around the same time, meanwhile the fast sellers still run out so the level of investment lately has been substantial to keep pace. That's kept pushing the Dutch colours to the right as they have to be a lower priority than current colours.

Still, changes / improvements have been made.

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Hi Mick,

That's been my main area of focus and I'm making headway.

In terms of Australian pricing in particularly, Creative Models were double-whammied by a particularly strong Pound-Sterling at time of order placement and a recent increase by airliners for freight carriage.

It just so happened that Bob at H&B Hobbies made the inspired move to order a lot for the US market on the Friday after the Brexit referendum when the stock market had its one-week-long teddy-bear-throwing exercise and got his latest restock at a very good price!

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In terms of Australian pricing in particularly, Creative Models were double-whammied by a particularly strong Pound-Sterling at time of order placement and a recent increase by airliners for freight carriage.

Not going to much of an issue when I buy 20 or so tins in roughly three weeks time just before QMHE, so hopefully I can get them delivered at the show and subvert the postal option.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Sovereign Hobbies,  Just found this here after searching for colors to do a 1/32 EE Lightning.  Thanks for telling me a place here in the USA that is a outlet for these.  Will order from H & B Hobbies.  Dan

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