Truro Model Builder Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I was completing a Humbrol order last week and noticed that 32 separate colours appear to have been dropped from the range, both enamel and acrylic. Essentially they are all the colours that were introduced about three years ago, including all the RLM colours, but there are one or two surprises in there: 36 Matt pastel green 42 Matt violet 44 Matt pastel blue 58 Matt magenta 111 Matt field grey 112 Matt field blue 156 Satin dark camouflage grey 157 Matt azure blue 167 Satin RAF Barley grey 168 Satin hemp 187 Matt dark stone 195 Satin dark green 225 Matt middle stone 230 Matt PRU blue 234 Matt dark flesh 237 Matt desert tan 239 Gloss British racing green 240 Matt RLM 02 grau 241 Matt RLM 70 schwartzgrun 242 Matt RLM 71 dunkelgrun 243 Matt RLM 72 grun 244 Matt RLM 73 grun 245 Matt RLM 74 graugrun 246 Matt RLM 75 grauviolett 247 Matt RLM 76 lichtblau 248 Matt RLM 78 himmelblau 249 Matt RLM 79 sandbraun 250 Matt desert sand 251 Matt RLM 81 dunkelbraun 252 Matt RLM 82 olivgrun 253 Matt RLM 83 dunkelgrun 1325 Clear green So if you want any, grab them while you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigsty Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Oh dear. Have they said why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 ummm, I just checked and all those are still there, and in stock. No mention anywhere that they are being withdrawn or being done away with. Where did you get this information? Were you trying to buy on or after Wednesday? Airfix were doing a warehouse stock taking from Wednesday until today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truro Model Builder Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) ummm, I just checked and all those are still there, and in stock. No mention anywhere that they are being withdrawn or being done away with. Where did you get this information? Were you trying to buy on or after Wednesday? Airfix were doing a warehouse stock taking from Wednesday until today. The 2016 issue trade order forms, as supplied by Hornby Hobbies. Good enough? Stock will be around for a while; I still have most of them available in the shop, but I would not expect to see any being replenished once they've gone. Edited February 3, 2016 by T7 Models Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robvulcan Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 That totally sucks ! VERY surprised Hemp and Barley grey are being discontinued makes no sense with a Victor and God knows what else on the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 no suprise the RLM colours are withdrawn apparently sales of these were poor, surprised to see the likes of the raf colours in the range gone, would thing they would sell enough to stay in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 With multiple other paint brands on the market of much better quality......meh.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Perhaps they're being corrected rather than withdrawn never to reappear? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truro Model Builder Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Perhaps they're being corrected rather than withdrawn never to reappear? I would like to think so but I suspect not. One of the RAF blues was recently corrected if I remember rightly -I seem to recall a lengthy thread on the subject. The impression I get is that the management at Hornby take a very sales-orientated line; if it don't sell it gets dropped. Seeing that quite a few kits have been removed from the Airfix line up I can well believe it. Though who is buying enough no.200 gloss pink for it to stay? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I can understand the point of view, and it kinda makes sense. Some modellers pickup whatever they need in dribs and drabs as and when they want it. Brand loyality is not really an issue. I guess a lot of Humbrols sales are from that sort of customers. Having holes in the range is not really an issue. The other type of customer identifies what works reliably for them, and invests heavily in a particular brand. To get that sort of customer I believe you need to have a comprehensive range with near enough everything your target customer is going to need. The strong sellers subsidise the weaker ones but the discerning modeller will come to you because you have that obscure colour. If your product is technically strong, these customers seem to just get everything they need from that brand thereafter until they're forced to go looking for an obscure colour again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 The 2016 issue trade order forms, as supplied by Hornby Hobbies. Good enough? Yup, fair enough. T'wud be good if H let customers know too. If it hadn't been for you bringing it to our attention we wouldn't know until it was too late My LMS chap knew nothing of this yesterday. The paints are still on his order forms or whatever. I shall have to stock up on some of those paints. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robvulcan Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) Never understand all this Humbrol bashing I think there are a lot of snobbery out there who don't want to buy it because it's a house hold name. Sure Humbrol went through a bad patch about 15 years ago but ive used it all my life enamel and acrylic with no problem at all and seems no different to WEM, Pheonix, xtracolour , revell, etc each paint is different you just got to learn a brands quirks. I find lighter fluid in Humbrol works a treat Edited February 3, 2016 by robvulcan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyverns4 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I find lighter fluid in Humbrol works a treat And a match? Sorry, I'll get my and Christian, exiled to the dark continent, a land without paint 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robvulcan Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 And a match? Sorry, I'll get my and Christian, exiled to the dark continent, a land without paint Haha it's actuay naptha which is exactly what Humbrol enamels carrier is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I wouldn't have thought that the bad patch was as long as 15 years ago, as it seems to have continued into the era of the RLM colours listed above. However, if you find them much the same as the others you mention, then to me that implies a drop in standards. They used to be better, more pigmented, better for brushing, quicker drying. It was just their choice of colours, and consistency, that let them down when taking a longer view. As for who is buying gloss pink, I wouldn't know, but Humbrol have a large hobbies/craft market that extends well beyond us plastic-sniffers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robvulcan Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I wouldn't have thought that the bad patch was as long as 15 years ago, as it seems to have continued into the era of the RLM colours listed above. However, if you find them much the same as the others you mention, then to me that implies a drop in standards. They used to be better, more pigmented, better for brushing, quicker drying. It was just their choice of colours, and consistency, that let them down when taking a longer view. As for who is buying gloss pink, I wouldn't know, but Humbrol have a large hobbies/craft market that extends well beyond us plastic-sniffers. I see what you mean. I always noticed a difference in gloss matt and metallics with some pigments being weaker like red yellow white etc but that seems normal across any paint to me. I tried the new Humbrol RAF Green and some other colours for US Vietnam scheme and they were back how they used to be 20 years ago nice colours well pigmented and brushing beautifully I love em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuck Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Never understand all this Humbrol bashing I think there are a lot of snobbery out there who don't want to buy it because it's a house hold name. Sure Humbrol went through a bad patch about 15 years ago but ive used it all my life enamel and acrylic with no problem at all and seems no different to WEM, Pheonix, xtracolour , revell, etc each paint is different you just got to learn a brands quirks. I find lighter fluid in Humbrol works a treat For the very reason that Humbrol is a household and it was the only model paint that I ever used for years, is perhaps sentimentally why I would prefer to use it. But when you have thoroughly stirred the enamel ,, applied it to your model, and then it just sits there for days not drying and gathering dust,then its too late to search for remedy's apart from stripping it all off with some nasty solution.,and starting again. The problem I have found is that I never know what tin this is going to happen with until its too late. So therefore I find Humbrol an unreliable paint and regrettably dont use it any more. Its all about useing a product you feel confident with, for me that is Tamiya , and Vallejo model color for brushing.,. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 T7 : some of the paints you've listed are also available in spray cans. eg. 237 & 239. Are these being deleted as well? I'll not presume anything but ask you who has the list to hand to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truro Model Builder Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Oddly, no.239 will still be available as an acrylic spray. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Coombs Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Most of those colours didn't make it across the Channel to stockists where I live, so I suppose I cannot miss what I never had. Even so, I am surprised to see several RAF colours go, as well as the Luftwaffe ones. The colour callouts for the Airfix Victor at the end of the year should be interesting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 As for who is buying gloss pink, I wouldn't know, but Humbrol have a large hobbies/craft market that extends well beyond us plastic-sniffers. Katie Price? Sean 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I wouldn't have thought that the bad patch was as long as 15 years ago, as it seems to have continued into the era of the RLM colours listed above. However, if you find them much the same as the others you mention, then to me that implies a drop in standards. They used to be better, more pigmented, better for brushing, quicker drying. It was just their choice of colours, and consistency, that let them down when taking a longer view. As for who is buying gloss pink, I wouldn't know, but Humbrol have a large hobbies/craft market that extends well beyond us plastic-sniffers. FAB I's paint mechanic. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 111 & 112 are supposed to be for WW1 uniforms. Odd they're deleting those when Airfix are issuing a special Somme Battle gift set in the summer. 237 is for the Operation Herrick equipment. I suppose as Airfix are deleting those there is no longer a need to keep producing that paint - now. But a lot of kits hang around for a long time - as we all know, and to try finding discontinued paints or similar colours years later is a real pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattheCat Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) I feel quite disappointed with this. In Belgium, Humbrol and Revell are the only enamels readily available. Still I must say that I have problems with some of their paints (all with numbers above 200) and I have been asking myself what brand to try next ( I had to sand down my first kit after a very uneven result with nr. 242 - uneven colour and gritty spots). Also, when airbrushing at 20 psi, 2 inches far, and thinning at a ratio of 1/3 - 2/3 with white-spirit their US interior green nr. 226 is drying before it reaches the plastic (????) . I tried different thinners - to no avail. To be fair, many other colours are working real fine. I can't see logic to their decision, as to get a full range of replacements (I don't like mixing colours) you would have to change for another brand, mostly acrylics, so they mainly weaken their strong position in the enamels market (but are we still that many to use them?) . I am thinking of giving Gunze Hobby color acrylics a try (H58 to match RLM71 I think) as they seem to be well quoted. 32 is quite a large part of the range, could it be a sign of a move towards "acrylics only" (well they bin acrylics too, but I'm not the "see no evil" type)? Edited February 3, 2016 by PattheCat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nheather Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 The RLM acrylics didn't last long then. http://www.humbrol.com/uk-en/news/new-humbrol-rlm-colours/ Cheers, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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