Is Hobbycraft still active ?

[Thomas Lund]

On Scalemates they are 'green', but I'd really like to get my hands on a 1/32nd A-36 Apache, but I simply cannot find any - even on Ebay...

 

So if they are active, what's the chance they'll reissue those early Mustangs ?

 

Thomas

[BloorwestSiR]

Thomas, they  no longer make models unfortunately.

 

I don't think they're still in business either but could be wrong on that part. 

 

Carl

[Bill_S]

Hobbycraft's remaining stock was picked up by Hobby Wholesale in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). They don't even have a listing any longer for the A-36; evilbay is probably your only option.

[LSP_Ray]

Wonder what happened to the molds. Typically that is an asset with value that gets sold off.

[Avenger2614]

It would be great if Academy would release those kits with better plastic, cleaner molds, and useable decals. Those were the only shortcomings of the Hobbycraft kit. Now, if they updated the molds and made better detailed parts, now we're talking...

[oyoy5]

I agree I have 2 Hobbycraft Spads the upgrades Camels with the Clerget and Lerone engines.  Someone needs to get the mds of these and the P-51s they did.  It’s a damn shame if we never see them again.

[is it windy yet?]

Try wheels and wings in Toronto.  I don’t know if they have any, but it is the last place I remember seeing them. 

[Neo]

I would ask in the traders board. Bot too long about there where 3 or 4 of these for sale

[BloorwestSiR]

20 hours ago, is it windy yet? said:

Try wheels and wings in Toronto.  I don’t know if they have any, but it is the last place I remember seeing them. 

I was in Wheels and Wings on Thursday and didn't see any around. 

 

They have recently purchased an 11,000 kit collection so there may be some in that lot but it's going to be some time before they get to cataloguing what's there and getting it into the store. I've got my eye on a couple items that are part of it but can't recall if there were any Hobbycraft kits. 

[Rick Griewski]

On March 9, 2019 at 8:55 PM, Avenger2614 said:

It would be great if Academy would release those kits with better plastic, cleaner molds, and useable decals. Those were the only shortcomings of the Hobbycraft kit. Now, if they updated the molds and made better detailed parts, now we're talking...

 

I Have all the P-51 kits and the A-36.  To me they are good plastic, no flash, the detailing is uneven in places, spinner-nose is a bit off and they have funny looking wheels.  They have simple cockpits.  I want the owners of the tooling to just make more of them and sell them at a price that reflects the model's simple features.  We have am wheels, bronze landing gear, cockpits, wheel wells and decals.  Waiting for design changes to older tooling by a new company will be waiting too long for me.

 

Rick

[thierry laurent]

Yep, the plastic is totally OK. Not brittle, not too soft and light grey colored. Moreover clear parts are OK and decals were OK as well. There was a little bit of flash on some of my Ponies kits but not that much. The only thing that really requires change is the level of detail as it looks like the kit was an enlarged copy of the Accurate Miniatures offering. And, as abovementioned by Rick, I would not hold my breath for any mold change. 

Last, it is not the first time I am reading that Academy got the molds but I would like to know where that information is coming from and get some confirmation. Indeed, I am seriously challenging that fact considering the total lack of any re-release announcement for years whereas Academy has a very slow pace of new LSP releases. 

[KUROK]

Is it true those hobbycraft early mustang kits were scaled up copies of the excellent 1/48 accurate miniatures kit?

[LSP_Ray]

That is what I was led to believe, although I think they added some to it. I don't have any AM kits any more to check, but at least they were decent kits to  start with.

[thierry laurent]

They are close to perfect enlarged copies. I had both kits in my hand and can confirm it. This explains why the Hobbycraft kit details are so basic: What is nice in 1/48th is a little bit crude in 1/32nd!