xtracrylix retailer with decent postage to Aus?

[sapperastro]

Hi all,

 

I am keen to try out the xtracrylix line of paint, and went to order half a dozen colours from Hannants to try them out. Fell off my chair when I saw the postage. I tried emailing them to ask if they have a budget option for postage of small packages like emodels or topslotsntrains do, but nobody responded.

 

So, can anyone point out any decent retailers that sell xtracrylix and ship overseas at competitive rates?

[lesliegl]

https://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=8_89999277&Xtracrylix-Acrylic-Paints

 

I've been getting my Humbrol Acrylic.. Xtracrylics and Revell Aqua from the above UK online retailer..reasonable postage prices and VAT deducted for some time..they are the best postage wise I've found...very helpful staff too....they tend to take some time to restock colours tho'

 

Hope that helps

 

Leslie

Edited August 4, 2019 by lesliegl

[sapperastro]

Hello Leslie,

 

Thanks for the help, but after emailing them, they have stated that they no longer will be stocking xtracrylix paint once everything left on the shelf is gone.

 

The search continues. 

 

Is Xtracrylix popular over there?

[Mark Harmsworth]

I've come across a couple of references to 'Craig' at Aeroworks in Adelaide from a few years ago as a result of others asking the same question but I guess you've seen that?

Mark

[sapperastro]

Hello Mark,

 

I have ordered things from aeroworks before, and Craig is a great bloke. Unfortunately, he only ordered a few xtracrylics in the past and didn't order anymore.

 

It seems a lot of places have stopped stocking it. I can see Hannants and Wonderland models as the only people selling the full range, and both of them have horrendously priced overseas shipping unfortunately. All of the stores that do have competitive shipping prices have stopped stocking it.

 

 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

12 hours ago, sapperastro said:

All of the stores that do have competitive subsidised shipping prices have stopped stocking it.

 

 

... that'll be more like it.

 

P&P costs waaaaay more than most people think because the true cost is substantially hidden in the product margin to make it appear cheaper to box up securely and send.

 

To a certain extent policy for different companies to different countries will vary too based on experience. For example over half of packages we sent to Spain never arrived. Either the postal services there are incompetent, or staffed with compulsive thieves, or the Spanish are prone to defrauding retailers out of refunds for stuff which actually did arrive but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that a few "missing" orders which need to be refunded obliterates money made on other sales - maybe only 4 or 5, or scores if it was a valuable package which apparently didn't show up. We now only offer tracked shipping to Spain so we can prove it arrived. If people don't like it they can go elsewhere - I'd rather have zero Spanish sales than have half of them result in a customer demanding a refund or replacement for something we'll never see again.

 

Maybe Hannants and Wonderland are in a similar place?

[sapperastro]

Perfectly understandable Jamie, from a sellers point of view. If I was copping that bs on a regular basis, I would feel the same.

 

However, I can equally state that tracking is biased in the other direction. I have had packages that went to somewhere else, been signed by somebody else, and when I stated that was not my signature, been told 'too bad, it was signed for'. So in effect, I paid extra to cover insurance costs for a seller/carrier and received nothing in return, nor have the ability to argue against the decision. 

 

Since tracking does not necessarily mean you will actually get the product, but rather you lose the ability to claim if it never arrives, I prefer to keep the extra money and take my chances, if the option is available, rather than spend over $30 in shipping for a half dozen paints that cost less than the shipping.

 

In any case, I just managex to order a few that a retailer has left in stock here in oz. If it is a wonder paint, then I can possibly make a major order in the future and wear the shipping costs from hannants. No way would I do that without trialling the stuff first.

Edited August 7, 2019 by sapperastro

[lesliegl]

If you want to trial the paint why not order a few of those left at Models For Sale and see what you think...I don't think they are a amazing paint..Tamiya and Mr Hobby are bttter...Agama makes these paints for Hannants and most of those colours are available under their own range..just a thought..i was fortunate to be in Edinburgh a few years ago and visit Wonderland Models with the full range of Xtracrilix paints and enamel Xtracolor ..probably the best place to buy them in person in the UK

 

 

Leslie

[sapperastro]

Hey Leslie,

 

I brush paint more than I spray these days. Tamiya acrylic and Mr Hobby are very easy to spray, but I wouldn't call them a brushpainters dream. Acrylic wise, my top two are Revell Aqua and Model Master Acrylic, both of which are the brush painters version of Tamiya and Mr Hobby: easy to get good results. I have been told that xtracrylix is a very similar formula to mm acrylic, so was eager to check them out. 

 

However, you mention Agama as the maker of xtracrylix? Have you tried Agama out? Is it the same paint? If so, this might be another possibility.

 

edit; Actually, Agama looks more difficult to source than xtracrylix.

 

Edited August 10, 2019 by sapperastro

[lesliegl]

No I haven't tried Agama...as you say probably just as difficult to get..there's some rumours around that Model Master Acryl might be on it's way out..not good..Xtracrylix is a gloss paint and dries quite fast so that's a factor while brush painting

 

Model For Sale not restocking them has buggered things up I think for overseas sales...

 

Leslie

[LotusArenco]

On 8/10/2019 at 2:36 PM, sapperastro said:

I have been told that xtracrylix is a very similar formula to mm acrylic

I’ve used Xtracrylix and Revell Aqua a fair bit in the past, not so much MM but I’ve used Aeromaster and Polly Scale which I’m told is similar.

I wouldn’t go as far to say that they are of a similar formula, unless they’ve changed their formula in recent years, the Xtracrylix I have has about half the viscosity of the Revell, and when dry is nowhere near as hard wearing as the Revell.

Mart