The end of the Humbrol company ?

[wonwinglo]

How many people here realise that one of model makings most famous companies is no more ? the company Humbrol/Airfix has finally ceased in the UK,the factory has been flattened to the ground and the story goes that all dies,tooling etc for Airfix kits has been quietly shipped to China.

A friend went up to Hull at the weekend and reports that a mystery surrounds the move to China,with little or no announcement the factory was flattened and sold off to a developer,this will explain recent letters for spare parts for kits which have not been honoured,is this the end of Airfix kits as we once knew them ?

Two recent large kits included a 1=72nd scale Concorde kit which retails at a value for money £22,the queastion is where were these kits manufactured and when ? and above all will they remain in production ?

Does this move mean a decline in the sales of plastic kits and paints ? the Humbrol empire never really recovered after the tragic fire in recent years caused by a flash from an electric switch which ignited cellulose dope and killed a member of the staff,if anyone knows any more of this recent move I for one would like to know more about it ? who would have thought that the Humbrol/Airfix empire would go in this way,to China.

[John]

I went past Airfix last year and although they have been building new roads that looked like the only construction going on, if it has closed what have they done with the full size Harrier that was outside?

[wonwinglo]

I went past Airfix last year and although they have been building new roads that looked like the only construction going on' date=' if it has closed what have they done with the full size Harrier that was outside?[/quote']*** The gate guard has gone to a museum in Lincolnshire John.

[Guest]

Hi All,

The move th China was carried out about 18 months ago, after the tragic fire. Paint production was not really affected, but according to my normal supplier the Chinese were having trouble producing the filler paste. One can only assume that that the recipe documents went up in the blaze otherwise surely there should have been no problems.

Chris

[wonwinglo]

Hi All,The move th China was carried out about 18 months ago, after the tragic fire. Paint production was not really affected, but according to my normal supplier the Chinese were having trouble producing the filler paste. One can only assume that that the recipe documents went up in the blaze otherwise surely there should have been no problems.

Chris

*** Most interesting Chris,this makes sense as the 'new' formulae Humbrol paints utilised a secret formulae which aided the poor drying qualities of earlier enamels,this coupled with an enormous amount of stirring in the sediment before you could actually use the colours.

It staggers me to think that even the paint side has moved to China ! Revell have firmly established their excellent range of colours in recent years on the model shop racks once dominated by Humbrol.

You could be right about the recipe records as there was a lot of personnel moves in recent years who probably took those secrets with them ? how the mighty have fallen and the times of change have hit the model world badly.

[Guest]

Hi Barry and All,

>> this coupled with an enormous amount of stirring in the sediment before you could actually use the colours.<<

The only thing I can recommend for the stirring is the Badger paint stirrer. About 10 quid but it does a wonderful job in seconds, even allowing the Humbrol stuff to be properly brush painted.

For those into warships, the new paint range from White Ensign Models is a great place to start, and for aircraft enthusiasts of course, Hannants produce Xtra colour, which is well worth a look.

Chris

PS For those of you who have been around a while like myself, I said when I joined the Forum that I was having abdominal problems. Well... they're fixed. Delivered of a wonderful non-bouncing sack of yellow cloured (Rest is sensored) called a Gall bladder. Hopefully now on the mend.

[Guest]

PS For those of you who have been around a while like myself, I said when I joined the Forum that I was having abdominal problems. Well... they're fixed. Delivered of a wonderful non-bouncing sack of yellow cloured (Rest is sensored) called a Gall bladder. Hopefully now on the mend.

thats good to hear m8 :bounce8:

[wonwinglo]

Further news about the Humbrol/Airfix set up was gleaned from reps at the Telford show and further enquiries regarding the future of the company,it appears that the up-rooting at Marfleet was considered a long time ago but kept secret,the last straw must have been when the company entered a difficult period one factor of which was said to be too large a range of kits and other items,hence the thinning down and move of all tooling and equipment for subsequent manufacture in China,even enquiries to the local postal authorities have met with 'We do not have any forwarding address ?' so many model makers have not received replacement spare parts missing from kits,so where is the mail going and why is it being ignored,latest kits advertise the Airfix club and urge you to send money to Marfleet ?

Further to this and add complication to the company has been the announcment of a new kit,the TSR-2 aircraft that if it does materialise will be a knockout of a subject for modellers,however there is even a twist to this which I will leave you to judge for yourself,a well known company who market kits retail worldwide have offered to take the first 400,000 kits ! probably on an exclusive basis but the catch is Airfix/Humbrol want the money up front for such a venture,I do not think it will work out as this would leave other retailers without stocks,a similar situation happened many years ago when Matchbox released their Junkers Ju.87 kit,it was released exclusively at the Biggin Hill air fair much to a disgruntled model trade !

If anyone knows any more about what is happening then please let us all know here.