DeanKB Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 19 minutes ago, thierry laurent said: I seriously doubt a small company such as Eduard has the financial means to get all the molds. We are talking millions here... Remember, it's a fire sale. They'll be sold to the highest bidder, which is not necessarily what they are worth. So if Eduard throw in a low bid, and most others stay away, they'll win. Having said that, I can't see WNW & Eduard being a good fit. WNW have very limited 1/32 experience and their PE & AM for WNW stuff is pretty thin. Taking into account the quality on offer, similar cultural fits, relevant experience of the buyer, current portfolio gaps of the buyer, pricing, distribution network, spare capacity, funds available & the need to make a required return, I keep circling around to an obvious buyer. Tamiya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 20 minutes ago, thierry laurent said: I seriously doubt a small company such as Eduard has the financial means to get all the molds. We are talking millions here... Eduard is rather larger than you might imagine, actually. To my knowledge, they employ more people than almost any other dedicated model manufacturing company operating right now. Tamiya is probably bigger, but is also much more diversified - and also much less likely to be interested in these moulds. Trumpeter would be also be bigger, but their level of diversity is unknown. I suspect they're just a single brand of a much larger corporate machine. I've also never known them to buy or rebox anybody else's kits, but there's always a first time. The reality is - as I mentioned in my previous post - I don't think any single hobby company that would have an interest, also has the means to swallow the lot. These are not ancient, amortised, low-value tools that would be sold for cheap as a job-lot. It's more likely that these moulds will be split among the highest bidders when the time comes. I'd be surprised if Eduard isn't one of them. Kev Jan_G, Gazzas and LSP_K2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Griewski Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Breaking up the A-team of all A-team designers is so sad for our hobby and them. I find it continually bizarre that during these types of business events the people that could truly support a transition are let go. 109 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 I don't think there'll be a transition, Rick - just a simple, brutal liquidation. Kev Rick Griewski, Dave Morrissette and timvkampen 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Mike Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 A sad day for WWI modelers. CANicoll 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobs Buckles Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 I'm sure there is much more to this story than Covid-China. Sad days coming. vB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pup7309 Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 (edited) 58 minutes ago, LSP_Kevin said: I don't think there'll be a transition, Rick - just a simple, brutal liquidation. Kev I don’t really know but I think you might right. It will be broken up, sold off and possibly PJ will pick up the pieces and start again or they’ll find a new life somewhere else. Edited April 16, 2020 by Pup7309 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phartycr0c Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Sad news all round not only for the WNW staff but the modelling community as a whole. Although I don't really build WW1 subjects, their products I have seen are sublime, beautifully produced subjects which certainly sets a standard for kit manufacturers to look towards. Heres hoping the staff at WNW all find alternative employment when this global devastation subsides RNoAF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince14 Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Very sad day indeed. Hopefully all those affected can gain employment in the not too distant future. I think the chances of Tamiya acquiring the moulds is zero - it's simply not their thing. They build their own models, WWI has never been an interest, and they seem less inclined to move further into 1/32. I could see someone like Eduard looking to acquire the tooling for some of the popular single-seaters - Camel, D.VII, Albatros etc. and also the Dr.I. Alternatively, some aspiring Chinese manufacturer might acquire the whole lot and start re-popping them a cut-rate prices. The likelihood, though, is that the tooling will be out of reach for most and the potential for a decent return on the investment on the other kits (apart from those already mentioned) would seem to be slim at best. My guess is that - unless Peter Jackson has some sort of masterplan in mind - we'll never see the majority of WNW kits (especially the two-seaters and the multi-engined aircraft) kitted again. The Lancaster and HP 0/400 will never see the light of day. timvkampen and Gazzas 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanKB Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 1 minute ago, vince14 said: Very sad day indeed. Hopefully all those affected can gain employment in the not too distant future. I think the chances of Tamiya acquiring the moulds is zero - it's simply not their thing. They build their own models, WWI has never been an interest, and they seem less inclined to move further into 1/32. I could see someone like Eduard looking to acquire the tooling for some of the popular single-seaters - Camel, D.VII, Albatros etc. and also the Dr.I. Alternatively, some aspiring Chinese manufacturer might acquire the whole lot and start re-popping them a cut-rate prices. The likelihood, though, is that the tooling will be out of reach for most and the potential for a decent return on the investment on the other kits (apart from those already mentioned) would seem to be slim at best. My guess is that - unless Peter Jackson has some sort of masterplan in mind - we'll never see the majority of WNW kits (especially the two-seaters and the multi-engined aircraft) kitted again. The Lancaster and HP 0/400 will never see the light of day. I disagree. A large amount of tooling has been done for both. Those moulds may not be quite WNW standard, but they'll certainly be good enough to sell, especially under a non-WNW name on the box. After all, a 95% complete WNW kit is at least as good as pretty much everybody else's completed kits. Add in the fact that the sunk costs must be huge and will be written off, and it's probable that - depending upon the price the moulds sell for - they could be on the market before too long. I have no idea what another company would charge, but the fact that their costs will be comparatively low, should see a sale price well below WNW levels. If the moulds don't sell for stupid money - and now isn't exactly the time to invest - I foresee most, if not all, of the kits will be reissued under a non WNW brand at some point in the coming years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Dog Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 (edited) You guys are too prone to react to internet news: In this day and age, confusion is normal, don't jump to conclusions https://www.themodellingnews.com/2020/04/sad-news-from-new-zealand-wingnut-wings.html Not stating what is right or what is fake news - I don't know and I don't care. But obviously there is a certain level of confusion and modeller forum are not known to stop spreading stupid rumours, quite the contrary !! If the above is true, then it's no different than so many business around the world being temporaily closed. No reason to make a drama out of it, many of us are in the same boat currently So keep on building plastic and just ignore the rumours Edited April 16, 2020 by red Dog Troy Molitor and Lothar 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagemusha Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 I think that's a good place to call a halt until we receive any further official news. Website news update thierry laurent, Alain Gadbois, Jan_G and 9 others 8 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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