Market survery

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Good afternoon folks,

I have mentioned recently some forthcoming changes at Sovereign Hobbies which are aimed at developing Colourcoats and enticing more users to give us a try.

The first change is that we now have the flexibility to offer different types of container, if this would be beneficial in consolidating or improving Colourcoats' position in the market place.

I would be grateful for a few moments of your time to complete the attached two survey questions.

[Graham Boak]

This is just to bounce the survey back to the top as it appears to be slipping down the pages. I nearly missed it.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Thanks Graham

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

And another wee bump.

[Seahawk]

I don't use an airbrush so for me it's not a matter of preferring or not preferring paint pre-thinned for airbrush use: I simply wouldn't consider buying it all. Which would be a sad loss for me.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I don't use an airbrush so for me it's not a matter of preferring or not preferring paint pre-thinned for airbrush use: I simply wouldn't consider buying it all. Which would be a sad loss for me.

Hi,

It wouldn't be our intention to discontinue the standard stuff. I'm more trying to get a feel for what customers would want. Our restructuring means we can do anything we want to now, but that doesn't mean we should do everything we can think of, if that makes sense. We can do both concurrently - but there's little sense if people don't want it. It was more a question following high praise from some reviewers about the convenience of pre-thinned competing products.

There appears to be a 50/50 split of opinion for glass bottles and tinlets. Some trade customers and our r/c model making customers prefer larger sizes - we can do both.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Glass bottles are in the lead. I suppose I had better place an order soon then!

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Thank you to those who have taken the time so far

[Mike]

Colourcoat Air in addition maybe?

[Greg B]

I put down childproof lids for a simpler reason than keeping my daughter away from them. I have found that child proof lids are larger and therefore easier to open because of more leverage if there is dried paint in the threads.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I put down childproof lids for a simpler reason than keeping my daughter away from them. I have found that child proof lids are larger and therefore easier to open because of more leverage if there is dried paint in the threads.

They're also more expensive and my Humbrol clear jars mostly end up in the bin with childproof lids welded on

Of course, I've yet to see a tin lid refuse to come off with a teaspoon!

[Col.]

I voted for the 14ml tinlet and 30ml bottles 'cause I'm indecisive... no, sorry, real reason is I find myself using some colours only on rare occasion or small quantities and therefore have to bin half full tins that have solidified whereas am running out of the frequently used colours too often so the two options would suit me personally.

Also voted for standard viscosity as I tend to spray my mix a little thicker than most so like to have the option to thin paint myself.

[Seahawk]

Colourcoat Air in addition maybe?

Now Colourcoat Acrylic would be interesting. Painting 1/700 etch with enamel of whatever make is a fraught business. But only if the quality was equal or superior to the late and very lamented Aeromaster acrylics. Never got on with Xtracrylix (poor adhesion) but have never had the slightest problem with any aspect of Aeromaster acrylics. Definitely the finest acrylic I've used, and probably the best paint of any description.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Now Colourcoat Acrylic would be interesting. Painting 1/700 etch with enamel of whatever make is a fraught business. But only if the quality was equal or superior to the late and very lamented Aeromaster acrylics. Never got on with Xtracrylix (poor adhesion) but have never had the slightest problem with any aspect of Aeromaster acrylics. Definitely the finest acrylic I've used, and probably the best paint of any description.

I've said a few times recently that we were not looking to roll out acrylics.

Something crucial has changed there though internally, and we have some possible candidates for an acrylic base carrier liquid in testing currently. Keeping in mind that it was several models destroyed with water based acrylics that infuriated me as an individual modeller to buy a paint brand and start a business to continue them, you have my absolute assurance that Colourcoats acrylics will never see the light of day unless they can match or better my experience of the only brand of the many I've tried for testing that worked properly for me which was, funnily enough, Aeromaster.

I'll warn that this is in no way a teaser or pseudo announcement - I want a water-clear gloss, satin and matt clearcoat addition to Colourcoats and I can't achieve that with enamel base which is naturally tinted, hence us testing acrylic bases for suitability. It just so happens that all the equipment and other consumables are now compatible, so if we get a solution I'm happy with for clear coats, then we could produce acrylic paints.

[Seahawk]

Fully appreciate that, whereas I am a fickle customer expressing his wishes at no personal cost, you are a man risking his money. All power to your elbow.

Edited July 27, 2016 by Seahawk

[Graham Boak]

One problem with your questionnaire is that the second option is combining two possible alternatives. One is glass bottles, and the other is the larger size. I can remember when model paint (excepting Humbrol) came in glass bottles with screwtop lids, and also remember never liking them that way - presumably why they stopped doing that! I suppose that the question relates to your realistic options, which don't include 30mm tins or 14mm screwtop glass jars. For the latter I can only say "thank you".

[PhantomBigStu]

As an acrylics only guy (so please discount my opinion as not applicable, just here to give an view from different perspective), but I'd rather have small pots for all, even the colours I use a lot I only got through the odd pot, so rather not pay XXX for a massive pot that will last me two years (and possibly dry out wasting a lot ), instead paying X when I need it for a little pot I can replace as needed for another X in a couple of months. Also as a Hairy sticker, I prefer the pots to be standard vicosity, as airbrush tends to require thinner paint, seems better to the the user thin it down, instead of potentially alienating the brush painters, as you can't unthin paint very easily.

my unnecessary/irreverent 2 dents worth

edit: read that as 300ml not 30 oops, maybe not a big issue afterall

Edited July 27, 2016 by PhantomBigStu

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

One problem with your questionnaire is that the second option is combining two possible alternatives. One is glass bottles, and the other is the larger size. I can remember when model paint (excepting Humbrol) came in glass bottles with screwtop lids, and also remember never liking them that way - presumably why they stopped doing that! I suppose that the question relates to your realistic options, which don't include 30mm tins or 14mm screwtop glass jars. For the latter I can only say "thank you".

Hi Graham,

Good points. Glass jars cost significantly more than steel tinlets to buy in, so I kinda made the assumption that the market for the same quantity retailing for a higher price in a jar would be unsavoury. Equally I'm slightly nervous about the security of press-fit lids in bigger steel tins in the post.

Perhaps not a show stopper, but something I'm wary of.

For clarification to all, I don't intend to stop making anything the way we currently do. I'm considering adding to the offering. I didn't want to spend a thousand quid on jars if nobody wanted them (and so on!)

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

The testing of a number of sample glass jars is under way. Actually, the glass jars will be fine. We are testing the lids and liners to ensure they are as compatible as they say they are with enamel paint (and thinners!) and that they don't leak.

We currently have a number of jars of various designs sitting upside down, on their sides etc and they'll stay that way for a week or so. We have chosen our preferred jar and lid combination so if they pass the tests, they'll be rolled out soon.

[Duncan B]

You know my opinion on Acrylics

DB

[dfqweofekwpeweiop4]

I've been thinking about this one and have the following to offer. I much prefer acrylic but some colours (naval ones) aren't available in acrylic so in the meantime I will use enamels for those colours. For most colours, I'm happy enough with the small Humbrol style metal tins as offered at the moment. However, for some colours I would find them useful in a slightly larger size pre-thinned for airbrush use. I'm thinking mostly of IJN subjects which are pretty much Grey all over apart from the wooden decks. For IJN subjects you could just spray them and use one of them stick on wooden decks and you'd be pretty much done. Complex camouflage schemes would be much more difficult to do (I model in 1/700) so I would hand paint them like I've always done.

As for the glass jars, I use Alclad varnish and gloss black undercoat and I find the screw tops get stuck to the thread on the bottle. However, because they use plastic bottles, I can use a wrench to unscrew the tops without damaging the bottles. I would be concerned about the glass jars, if I used the same technique, I could break the jar, so I would suggest plastic bottles in future.

Lastly, have you decided if you're going to Scale Scotland in Edinburgh, in a few weeks? If so I could use a couple of pots of paint for HMS Dreadnought and Iron Duke.

thanks

Mike

[sapperastro]

Do jars last as long as the 14ml tins? My tins seem to last forever so long as they are properly cleaned around the rim before putting them away. I know the tamiya enamel in the glass bottles last a fair amount of time, but anything over 5 years and it is a lottery whether they dry up. Tamiya acrylics seem to last forever too, at least the 23ml ones I have since the 80s.

 

I much prefer the normal paint over the pre thinned stuff. You have the option for doing whatever you want plus more paint for your money...

[sinnerboy]

why don't you just use glass tins

 

sorry ...voted tins, with my little homemade lid clamp they seal tight every time & never a prob to get them off, nice and stable on the bench and easily storable/stackable ( in a box or drawer )