It has been a long while since the previous post on this blog, and this update is to announce that production of the 009 range of kits - and the scratch building service - is ceasing.
A number of factors have come together to bring me to the decision that it is the right time to stop.
The main one which dictates that now is the time is that my stocks of both the resin I use for casting, and the bespoke brass parts which go into the kits, have run down at the same time.
In order to do any more production runs I would need to replenish both at once which - in the terms of a cottage business like this - is a very considerable investment.
Eventually, of course, this produces a profit from the sale of kits, but in a business as small as this that may not be realised for many months - perhaps even a year or more.
With the inflationary conditions we're living in currently, and the pressure on everyday living, I have to ask hard questions about whether that is the best use of my money right now?
And then there's the question of whether it's the best use of my time?
I have the feeling that an artisan, analogue, labour-intensive technology like casting is one that is living on borrowed time.
The trend has been clear in our hobby for a decade or more towards CAD and now 3D printing.
More and more, modellers are looking to buy their models this way - if not ready-to-run then at least ready-to-paint.
Kit building is becoming even more of a niche activity, and I also have to accept - with no resentment in any way - that these designers, and the ever-improving technology at their disposal, can produce superior models to what I can scratch built and cast.
The future belongs to them.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported and encouraged me in this venture, and to say what pleasure it has given to see the kits I have mixed, poured and packed over the years being made into models running on layouts.
In particular, I must express huge thanks to Narrow Planet for their support in design, production and marketing of the kits.
I will leave the email address to make myself available for anyone seeking advice or tips with kits which have been bought.
Thanks everybody
Rob
