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Humbrol Enamel paints - missing from online Airfix shop


Dave C

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I want on to the Airfix/Hornby/Humbrol web site yesterday, to order  tinlets of Humbrol enamel paint.

Whilst the Airfix/Humbrol shop link to Acrylic paints was found, the link Humbrol enamel paints was absent!

Have e-mail Airfix customer services. I'm presuming this is a glich and `normal service' will be resumed or is it?

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There are restrictions on posting Hazardous materials through the Royal Mail and being carried on commercial airlines, which most international post is now carried on. I believe that enamel paint are on the list.

 

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I think it has to do with the new implementation of rules about a certain chemical that is needed for this paint…

This was implemented by Europe and in the past they had an exemption for it being a hobbypaint.

There was hope that they could use it anyway but looking at the website and not seeing the enamels I fear that they stop producing it !!

 

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/hyperscale/new-european-rules-hits-humbrol-paints-t529709.html

 

On the other side I can see that I can order the acrylic dropper bottles and getting them send to the Netherlands …this wasn’t possible before🙏

I hope they expand the range quickly 😉
 

cheers, Jan

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I got the news from Spot Model last week, and although news like this is sad, I won’t be missing the current Humbrol line. I have a drawer full of original Humbrol tinlets, and I will cherish them. I used to use the gloss line for pinstriping cars and motorbikes and what ever else someone desired striping on. I stopped using them when manufacture was outside of the UK. The formula changed and they no longer could be used with the same results as the original.
Example: I striped a motorbike helmet and the customer (my brother) wanted the colours changed. What happened next is a true testament to the integrity of the original Humbrol. The helmet was factory black gel coat, so I thought I could just wipe them off with lacquer thinners, they had only been painted about 3 weeks prior. The lacquer thinner didn’t even affect the Humbrol, but started showing black gel coat on the rag! It was bullet proof! Incidentally I later used Easy-Off to remove old stripes from anything that had clear coat, just like with plastic models, it removes the enamel with no effects on the clear coat. 
I was forced to use One-Shot sign writing enamel, after the change, and although they have a much larger selection of colours, One-Shot will turn chalky if not waxed with pure carnuba. Humbrol stood up much better, but that chapter has now been been closed.

I don’t know if these new regulations will affect other enamels, like One-Shot. I watch “The Repair Shop”, and noticed that there is a couple of shelves full of One-Shot in the background, I hope that Europe will continue to sell One-Shot, we have a full selection available here in Canada.

 

 I miss the original Humbrol, but not the current rendition.

 

Jeff

 

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Everyone complains about the latest reformulation of Humbrol paint so there is no reason it can’t be reformulated again. The only question is whether this is economically viable, though since Humbrol must have known this was on the cards why the seeming late reaction? Maybe a stock issue? 

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7 hours ago, Space Ranger said:

There are now rumors in the U.S. that Humbrol is to cease production of enamels altogether due to the banning of one of the constituents. Can anyone confirm this?

Well, considering that at least one of their competitors uses a different anti-skinning agent that results in a considerably better product, there's no reason that Humbrol can't. Whether they want to is another matter entirely.

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6 hours ago, lasermonkey said:

Well, considering that at least one of their competitors uses a different anti-skinning agent that results in a considerably better product, there's no reason that Humbrol can't. Whether they want to is another matter entirely.

I would love it if they could make it “behave” like the original, although the original “recipe” would probably have more than one ingredient that wouldn’t comply with current standards. The technology exists to make it perform better than the original, however as you say, it’s a matter of if they want to continue with enamels. 
Here in sunny Victoria, I have worked in a few hobby shops over the years and in every case, the Humbrol out sold the Testor’s. We have a lot of Brit modellers here and they only use Humbrol paints and glues.

Loyalty to a brand is a big thing and I hope Humbrol considers that.


I am a vintage paint and glue collector, and I also use the paints and glues in my collection when I do “nostalgia builds”. I have paints and glues dating back to the 50’s and they are all still useable. I have one FROG glue capsule left which I will use on the Mosquito and Spitfire XIV mit Buzz Bomb.


I really hope they come up with a new formula, It will keep the hairy stick modellers happy.

 

Jeff

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Revell enamel have disappeared from the Hobbycraft site ( they fell out with Airfix / Humbrol some time ago)

 

revell.de still shows them, still mistranslated as “email” though maybe that’s a necessary disguise...

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5 hours ago, wombat said:

revell.de still shows them, still mistranslated as “email” though maybe that’s a necessary disguise...

"Email" is the German word for "enamel."

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11 hours ago, wombat said:

Revell enamel have disappeared from the Hobbycraft site ( they fell out with Airfix / Humbrol some time ago)

 

 

They were still in the Hobbycraft store in Gloucester yesterday, but had gone from Antics' Gloucester store, although Antics still had the Humbrol enamels.

 

I hope things get sorted, I prefer the enamels for brush-painting.

 

Ray

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I think it would be a shame if Humbrol were to discontinue their enamel range. I know it's not without issues (I mean, who was the last person to successfully finish a tin without having it dry up or turn to gloop?) but having a relatively easy to obtain enamel paint is very useful, especially for those of us who consider acrylics to be the work of Satan.

 

When you consider that some companies can make enamels that don't skin over or dry up (Hi, Jamie!) and comply with regulations, there's no reason that others can't.

 

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1 hour ago, lasermonkey said:

I think it would be a shame if Humbrol were to discontinue their enamel range.

Agreed but I fear they may just do acrylics in future. My LHS still has a reasonable supply so I think I may stock up on some of my more frequently used Humbrol colours while I can. Mostly primaries for interior details where the exact shade is not critical - and also some of their metalcotes. 

 

With enamels we are in a bit of a double bind - harder to find locally, and expensive to buy online due to postage issues. 

 

Colin

 

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Since posting my original query on the demise of Humbrol enamel paint, I've had a series of e-mail exchanges with Simon Kohler of Hornby/Airfix/Humbrol.

He has been rather hesitant in his response to my questions.

 

1. The ban on sales of selling enamel paint [including hobby paint] containing Methyl Ethyl Ketoxime was dated on March 1st 2022. Why did Humbrol not advise this  ban on the corporate web site  before this date?

I am sorry I cannot answer the question as it is not in my area

 

2. What will happen to Humbrol's stocks of the existing formulated paint?

I am sorry I cannot answer the question as it is not in my area, however I suspect they will have to be destroyed.

 

3. Will Humbrol will be reformatting their enamel paint range?

The enamel paints will be reformatted but expect some form of delay as they cannot all be produced at the same time.

 

Rather unsatisfactory answers, I suppose Mr Kohler is not the man to quiz. Who is the CEO of Humbrol?

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Humbrol are currently re-formulating their enamel paints to remove the now-prohibited oxime but this has taken longer than expected so there will be some disruption to supplies - there are nearly 200 enamel paints in 14ml, 50ml and 125ml sizes. The information I was given suggested  that the first re-formulated products will be available in a month or so.

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  • 1 month later...

Popped in to my LHS today as I thought I'd grab a couple of regular use tinlets before they vanish. No dice - the whole lot had gone. He was fuming as he is only expecting a refund from Jan 22 and cannot sell the 'old stock'. His supplier he says is owned a £40k refund from Humbrol. He mentioned that Revell reformulated their enamels last year and there have been no issues.

 

So peed off is he that he is selling off all his Humbrol, Hornby etc stock and refuses to stock them any longer! He was also fed up with customers returning short shot kits having been told by Airfix they have no spares available. A headache he doesnt need !

 

This does smack of rather poor management (again! ) by HH as they knew it was coming and I'm also told by him that they have made all their sales reps redundant.

 

Still, popped round the corner to the local DIY store and picked up a few tins without any hassle.

 

Oh Hornby why do you keep doing this to us!

 

TT

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That is one of the reasons why I even started posting here :) And as a bright side, it made me think outside the box a bit - I've made a thread:

 

where I provide spectrophotometer readouts of Humbrol paints range to preserve the history. And another in which I am re-making those colors using available pigments:

 

 

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1 hour ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

 

 

Oh Hornby why do you keep doing this to us!

 

TT

I'm sure it will be an unpopular opinion, but I'd love to see Airfix and Humbrol freed from the shackles of Hornby. I honestly think they run it as nothing more than a means of propping up the model railway business, and nothing I have seen makes me think they know what they're doing on that side either.

 

There. I said it.

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just the way it is. Its called good corporate management to take two viable product lines, and run them into the ground to prop a crappy one up. 

 

Issues like this is a joke, as most of it is based on imaginary ideas. 

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