UH-Oh. Floquil and PollyS are going away

[asarge]

I wouldn't characterize it quite that way. Floquil, whether you used it or not, is iconic in our niche. Floquil (and Pactra) have been parts of our hobby experience since... well, since dirt. Always there. We can (and do) get into debates about whether it is or was the best, but it has nonetheless always been a baseline of what to expect, and the kicker is that it was always there at the LHS, whether it was a generic local hobby shop or big trains-only store.

The real shock of the change is the loss of a reliable icon, not necessarily the loss of the product itself.

Still begs the quesation. What effect will this have on manufacturers and is there a better option that Badger/Modelflex and Scalecoat. How extensive is Tru-color's options?

[peteski]

Not really that surprising....   Wonder how long Microscale and Scalecoat (which I guess is owned by Weaver) will still be around.

I've noticed that Microscale's new products are now including non-RR stuff, which I don't recall seeing (as new products) previously.

While I don't remember the specific details, IIRC Microscale was part of a company called Krasel Industries. Krasel also had another decal division which produced military decals.  So, I'm not surprised that Microscale also carries military decals now. They probably merged both divisions.

[peteski]

Still begs the quesation. What effect will this have on manufacturers and is there a better option that Badger/Modelflex and Scalecoat. How extensive is Tru-color's options?

Quite a wide range of colors. Why don't you see for yourself? http://www.trucolorpaint.com/
While these paints are perfect for painting model trains, they are not really good for weathering.  That is what I mainly used Floquil colors for.  Floquil is/was a flat finish paint which is ideal for painting buildings and scenery. Tru Color paints are semi-gloss which is is not a good finish for things like buildings or scenery.  Sure, Tru Color can be oversprayed with dullcote, but that adds another step in the process.

[up1950s]

Quite a wide range of colors. Why don't you see for yourself? http://www.trucolorpaint.com/
While these paints are perfect for painting model trains, they are not really good for weathering.  That is what I mainly used Floquil colors for.  Floquil is/was a flat finish paint which is ideal for painting buildings and scenery. Tru Color paints are semi-gloss which is is not a good finish for things like buildings or scenery.  Sure, Tru Color can be oversprayed with dullcote, but that adds another step in the process.

IIRC TC is squirt ready which precludes it as a brushable paint . Maybe instead of a thinner they sell a thicker . That is a deal breaker for me if in fact I am correct .

[peteski]

IIRC TC is squirt ready which precludes it as a brushable paint . Maybe instead of a thinner they sell a thicker . That is a deal breaker for me if in fact I am correct .

It appears that you are correct.  Nowhere on their website they mention brush painting. They always mention airbrushing.  That would be the same as the Accupaint. I never had any luck applying Accupaint with a brush but it was the ballz airbrushed.

[wazzou]

Badger Modelflex brushes on really nicely IMO.  It cleans from the brush easier too, than Pollyscale does, for me.

[Kiasutha]

While I don't remember the specific details, IIRC Microscale was part of a company called Krasel Industries. Krasel also had another decal division which produced military decals.  So, I'm not surprised that Microscale also carries military decals now. They probably merged both divisions.

I still have a very old sheet of their Soviet and Polish 1/72 tank decals here.
Main heading on the info sheet is Micro Scale Decal, with made by Krasel Ind. in fine print.
Unfortunately, I don't have the package "top", and don't see a date anywhere.
Haven't found the 1/285 stuff to check...

[SkipGear]

Have any of you actually looked at the Microscale website?

They make decals for Military models, Pinewood Derby, Dollhouses, Model cars, Generic Lettering, Stripes, and Model Railroads.

Model Railroading is not their only market, they have been doing all these lines for quite a while.

Edit - Scratch the Doll House decals, they are gone.

[Kiasutha]

Have any of you actually looked at the Microscale website?

They make decals for Military models, Pinewood Derby, Dollhouses, Model cars, Generic Lettering, Stripes, and Model Railroads.

Model Railroading is not their only market, they have been doing all these lines for quite a while.

Edit - Scratch the Doll House decals, they are gone.

Well, yah Tony; tho I don't need to.
I think someone suggested that non-RR stuff is new to them.
My point is that I was buying Micro Scale military decals 30 or 40 years ago...

[rdg5308]

Although it’s disappointing, I’m not very surprised at it from my experience in the past few years.  My three go-to hobby shops always have a full display rack of MM and Testors, but their Floquil & PollyS racks were mostly empty. This was always frustrating, and I asked if it’s hard to get or just hard to keep in stock and was surprised that they all said they don’t sell enough to keep to keep most of the colors in stock, so they only order as needed. A lot of times I’d strike out at all three on even finding some of the basic colors in stock.   I’ve had better luck at Hobbytown.

[asarge]

Quite a wide range of colors. Why don't you see for yourself? http://www.trucolorpaint.com/

Thanks, the website wasn't working for me yesterday morning, but i got in this morning. Quite a decent range.

[GaryHinshaw]

I can easily believe that this decision is based solely on declining sales.  One reason is that fewer people paint from scratch because there are so many well decorated models available and there are so many other demands on our hobby time.  Another, I think, is the decline of the LHS. For me, consumables like paint and glue do not translate well to online distribution. With paint, especially, I often want to look at the color in the bottle before I buy, or I just want to replace a dried-out bottle now instead of a week from now.  I hope the new niche lines like Tru Color find their way in this market.

-gfh

P.S. Fortunately, I still have access to a fine LHS, but Canadian packaging law now requires that hobby paint be sold in child-proof containers ( ), which makes it difficult for stores to stock a large variety of colors.

[haybros]

Well.....

This decision will affect Hay Brothers at some point in time..... as the PollyScale line is a mainstay in our basic freight car load decorating process.

However, that may not happen for a couple of years as we are very well stocked in the basic colors we use.

And with that statement in mind I will share that (with one exception) EVERYONE I know has been to the LHS to "raid the rack" in the past couple of days.

One LHS owner shared with me that he has sold more paint in the past 3 days than he has sold in the past year. 

Bill Hay
HAY BROTHERS

[Dave V]

We're viewing this again through the Railwire lens.  That we paint and weather most of our stuff makes us more fringe than core.

[SkipGear]

We're viewing this again through the Railwire lens.  That we paint and weather most of our stuff makes us more fringe than core.

Dave,
 I view it from a Hobby Shop perspective. We stand to loose anywhere from $500-1000 a week in sales between the 3 paint lines. We restock paint twice a week. Our distributors have all said the paint sold well and there was no way sales were the reason for paint to be discontinued.