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Wingnut Wings has gone out of business.


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I would have thought this would be making bigger waves here on ARC.  It seems that Peter Jackson is in tax-related/political hot water in New Zealand, and that Wingnut Wings will (very likely) be shutting down as a result.  Per Richard Alexander, the GM of WnW, a it's not finalized, but it does look pretty grim.  Apparently a decision should be reached next week or so.

 

And it seems this is not related to COVID-19 or the economic implications thereof.  It seems to be the result of broader shake-ups in Jackson's world.

 

I wonder if Trumpeter will finally release the kits in their own boxes...

 

 

https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=10978.msg202360%3Bboardseen

 

Edited by MoFo
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If this is true and WNW closes down, it will be a great loss to the modeling community. I'm not into WWI or 1/32 kits, so I have never built one of theirs, but I have heard many glowing reports about the quality and level of detail in their kits.  Did they ever release the big Lancaster kits? I saw pics of test sprues and it was amazing how the replicated the stressed aluminum panels.

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UNSAT.

I'm not a WWI aircraft builder, but certainly appreciate what they have brought to the hobby. I do (did..🤷‍♂️) plan on picking up the Lancaster they have in the works, however.

 

My thoughts were that with the release of the Lanc, they may look into subjects beyond WWI, perhaps early USAAC or Navy "yellow wings" of the 20s and 30s. A fantastic era of aircraft and colors. Hopefully they can re-cage the compass. Wish them the best.

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I m not a fan of WW1 kits but WnW quality has impressed and convinced modelers like me to consider WnW kits. 

 

If the news of their closing down is true, I m really shocked. I have a few kits shortlisted which I may or may be able to build but still want to buy. The problem though is that they are quite expensive and buying a few together could be a challenge. 

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On 4/13/2020 at 11:05 AM, Dave Williams said:

Two threads on it have gotten locked over at LSP, but the HS thread is still going.

 

Reading through those threads... how much do you want to bet that if/when the official news does come out, a bunch of people are going to try pinning the blame on people who discussed the subject on discussion boards?  I can totally imagine a few of the participants claiming that "people spreading rumours" put WnW out of business...  

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On 4/11/2020 at 7:43 PM, Mstor said:

If this is true and WNW closes down, it will be a great loss to the modeling community. I'm not into WWI or 1/32 kits, so I have never built one of theirs, but I have heard many glowing reports about the quality and level of detail in their kits.  Did they ever release the big Lancaster kits? I saw pics of test sprues and it was amazing how the replicated the stressed aluminum panels.

 

When it was announced at Telford last year I believe their plan was for release in 2021. I was hoping for the cockpit set as the whole thing is just too much for me. 

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I don't think they're gone, but look for somebody like Academy, Roden, or Eduard to simply take over. Can't see Tamiya or Hasegawa buying them up. Hasegawa maybe, but WWI is not Tamiya's area of modeling. Of course it would be a good way to get into WWI aircraft. I think the huge expense for little gain killed them when they did the Lancaster's. Revell has a good presence in WWI aircraft, but doubt they have the cash flow to pick them up.

      As I get it, it appears that the owner scammed the tax payers out of huge sums of money. Will they do anything about it? I doubt it! He'll simply buy his way out of it. But then gain, WNW may end up being government property, and sold off at pennies on the dollar. No matter how it ends, everybody looses out. I'd hate to see all those great molds rusting away in some warehouse while modelers are begging for big scale WWI aircraft. The Lancaster's;  I could care less about. Very sad!

gary

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..And to think,

Just 30,40,50 some/odd years ago, there was that TRAIN WRECK ..And all those missing Hawk molds..

We generally all get our Lost Kits in time, folks.

Edited by DrGlueblob
Me spell in,
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Although I am not am 1/32 WWI builder, this not good news.  They are some of the best molded plastic kits out there.  This would be an opportunity for maybe a Czech company to pick up the molds and maybe the in development projects to keep the line going.  Zvezda & ICM have made great strides in injection molding too.  I have a feeling they will be back sooner than later.

 

John

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This is truly a sad day for modeling. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't do WWI subject nor 1/32 scale, but the level that Wingnut Wings pushed the hobby to is noteworthy. I certainly hope some other company can purchase the molds. I wonder if the Lancaster molds were ever finished as the test shots looked amazing. Oh well, its just sad.

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So is it really OOB. I would think someone somewhere would buy the tooling. The designers would sell their talents to other kit makers and so on. It may be the end for them as WNW but You have to believe that something will pop up in the future and then you'll have WNW version 2...Still a shame it happened...

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Wow, this is lousy news.  Like many have said, I'm not much of a WWI or even 1/32 builder but I did break down and get an Albatros D.V a couple of years ago.  I'm glad I did, it's a fantastic kit and all the hoopla about Wingnuts' quality is well deserved.  Their site alone is a treasure trove of info.  Pretty bad for everyone...

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This is such a sad news. Wingnuts puts so much effort in putting together their kits. Even if you dont end up buying, their website is a great experience to just browse.  

 

The attention to detail and effort they had put to research kits is quite enormous. They will be sorely missed. 

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Just thought I'd check eBay and see what was happening with WNW kits. The madness

is probably just getting started, with how much these kits will eventually sell for! I paid

the original price for this kit from WNW, when it first came-out. "Someday, I'll get around

to building it." Information below is not my kit, just copied an auction from eBay.

 

 

WINGNUT WINGS The Duellists 32801 1/32 Felixstowe F.2a & Hansa-Brandenburg W.29

Condition:  New
Ended:  Apr 17, 2020 , 10:59AM
Price:  US $429.99
Shipping:
Item location:  Milford, Pennsylvania, United States

 

49786649997_1e0a45459f_o.jpg

 

WINGNUT WINGS Kit#32801
1/32 Scale, The Duellists
Felixstowe F.2A & Hansa-Brandenburg W.29
Contains 2 High Quality Scale Model Kit Sets
*** Oversize Box ***
Includes: Plastic sprue, Photoetched fret, Decalsheet (waterslide)

 

The box size is 20.5"×14.25"×6" (Oversize Box)

 

Model features:
Released on 16 December 2014 - Includes 2 models; 1x Felixstowe F.2a (91cm x 44cm) & 1x Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 (42cm x 29cm) - 2 high quality Cartograf decal sheets with markings for Felixstowe F.2a N4305 & Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 2512 including naval hexagon camouflage - 590 high quality injection moulded plastic parts - Beaching dollies and trestles - Highly detailed 375hp Rolls Royce Eagle VIII and 150hp Benz Bz.III engines – Metal wing spar (W.29) - 55 photo-etched metal detail parts - Fine in scale rib tape detail – Full rigging diagrams - Almost no rigging required for the W.29.

 

Condition is New. The box is open (Wingnut Wings boxes are not sealed), but all the parts are factory sealed. See Pictures.

 

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On 4/11/2020 at 6:31 PM, MoFo said:

<...> I wonder if Trumpeter will finally release the kits in their own boxes... <...>

 

That sounds interesting. Trumpeter cut the moulds and produced the plastic parts?

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