End of an era in modeling

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[GAKEITH]

Anybody heard what this means for squadron publications? Will In Action and WalkARounds cease to exist?

[LSP_K2]

12 minutes ago, GAKEITH said:

Anybody heard what this means for squadron publications? Will In Action and WalkARounds cease to exist?

 

I assume so, yes. Already printed stuff will still be available for some time, and from several sources, but eventually they'll probably be available only through trades and feepay type sites.

[LSP_Mike]

I imagine we'll see them at shows for many years.

[ssculptor]

i have been buying from Squadron since the 1970's.

I will indeed miss them.

But nothing lasts forever.

There are many model manufacturers going back to the 1930's whom I miss; They produced model trains, airplanes, tanks, artillery, figures, ships, buildings, cars, etc.

Models of wood, paper, metal, plastic, whatever. Static and flying models, mobile vehicles and trains.

I had a wonderful time all these years. Now and then I see an old kit on eBay and I get nostalgic.

I should say something appropriate in Latin but I don't know Latin. So all I will do is say Adios old friend.

Keep on trucking. 

Ssculptor

 

[Pascal]

Portavi lacrimis, vale amicus.

[Mark P]

I hate to say it but this was kind of brought upon themselves by the poor business decisions they made (IMHO). I WAS a customer for some time before going to other options who could better fill my needs.

 

Still sad.

 

Mark Proulx 

[quang]

Time has changed. All things must pass.
Nevertheless some people forget too easily that Squadron’s In Action books were the only staple food we had before the advent of internet.

[LSP_K2]

1 hour ago, LSP_Mike said:

I imagine we'll see them at shows for many years.

 

Perhaps, but I'm grabbing hardbound versions whenever I can now.

 

59 minutes ago, Mark P said:

I hate to say it but this was kind of brought upon themselves by the poor business decisions they made (IMHO). I WAS a customer for some time before going to other options who could better fill my needs.

 

Still sad.

 

Mark Proulx 

 

I agree 100%, Mark. Almost the moment the new team took over, things started going downhill. While for many years I ordered from them almost exclusively, that soon gave way to intermittent purchases, then finally almost no purchase at all toward the end. No stock, sales that weren't really sales at all, silly shipping costs, you name it, they all killed the joy for me. Perhaps the big shot management team, can now move on to trash another business.

[denders]

Yes, unfortunate. I remember when you either filled out an order form and mailed it or paid for a long distance phone call to order from the flyer.

 

I remember (long time ago) when I ordered a kit from the flyer that pictured the Thunderbirds but when the kit arrived it didn't include Thunderbird decals. I called about it and was sent a Micro Scale (I think) sheet with Thunderbirds on it. I don't imagine the more modern management would have done that.

[denders]

Yes, I believe that. It has taken years to convince my 95 year old father that when I call him from the cell phone it doesn't cost extra and there are unlimited minutes. We actually supplied him with a cell phone and he's been worried about data limits and I tell him that it's nearly impossible for him to exceed them, so don't worry about when the phone OS wants to update. Times, they've changed. 

[The Dude]

Sad to see them go, my brother and I had been customers continuously since the late '70's until their demise. I pretty much blame the last CEO for 90% of the reason they went Tango Uniform. She had no clue at all how to run that place properly and as I dropped by there  many, many times and wander around the place, I could see things going down hill a lot in the last several years. I believe it could've been easily avoided but it almost seemed like it was a orchestrated demise to me. Just my .02....

 

PS. I'd be willing to bet that Sprue bros will grab pretty much all Squadrons left over stuff in those auctions.

Edited April 9, 2021 by The Dude

[cbk57]

i remember and loved their monthly catalog supplements along with their annual catalog.  When I really became interested in modeling if was the one source available to me that had the most stuff.  the other sources was the hobby shop in Elmhurst.  The hobby shop was a once or twice a year trip, but again to me felt like it had everything.  Now they are both gone.  The hobby shop went a few years ago and now squadron is gone.  

 

I lived in down state illinois and a typical hobby shop had a couple models and a model master paint rack. 

[MikeMaben]

9 hours ago, LSP_Mike said:

I imagine we'll see them at shows for many years.

 

Yep, like we have been for many years. I can't remember a show that didn't

have boxes of SSs for sale. I doubt they'll ever reach collector status.

They were cool tho 

[ssculptor]

10 hours ago, Pascal said:

Portavi lacrimis, vale amicus.

translation: I carried my tears, farewell a friend.