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1 hour ago, ReccePhreak said:

I wouldn't buy ANYTHING from Ford anymore, EVER, no matter what it was or what it cost! :hmmm:

Ha! Always interesting to hear different people’s experiences….we’ve owned Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles (trucks and suvs) for 25+ years, quite happy with them. Of course having a good/honest dealer helps.

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Ford PInto, Ford Bronco (1972), Ford Pinto (station wagon), Ford Bronco II, Ford Aerostar (oink, oink), Ford Explorer, Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Ford Taurus SHO, Mercury Sable, Ford Focus.  I guess you could say I like Fords.  Besides the Aerostar, all were good cars.

 

PS  Ford never took any government money in the recession

 

Geoff M

Edited by Geoff M
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53 minutes ago, Geoff M said:

Ford PInto, Ford Bronco (1972), Ford Pinto (station wagon), Ford Bronco II, Ford Aerostar (oink, oink), Ford Explorer, Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Ford Taurus SHO, Mercury Sable, Ford Focus.  I guess you could say I like Fords.  Besides the Aerostar, all were good cars.

 

PS  Ford never took any government money in the recession

 

Geoff M

Ahh…the Ford Flex! We’re on our 2nd one. I was disappointed they discontinued the model. It’s great for hauling the kids and all the assorted stuff that goes with them. 

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IMO, I think it's possibly genius keeping/using the Squadron name. Yes, they went down in flames by poor customer service, BUT there are still many people out there that simply wasn't buying from them long before they tanked themselves. Those people still have found memories of the Squadron catalog and seeing it around once again might ignite and old flame. They wouldn't think twice about ordering from them again provided the marketing is good and the service starts out right. I'd be happy to support them if nothing than for nostalgia and keeping a US company going. Or possibly it's the stupidest idea ever and they won't last a season. I guess time will tell. :thumbsup:

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On 6/3/2021 at 5:10 PM, Charlie D. said:

I’ve noticed the same, I still use them on occasion, but they aren’t my go to. They definitely don’t offer the   deals or prices they used to. My loyalty is to my wallet, there’s nothing that I need to get in 2-3 days, so same day shipping doesn’t sway me over best bang for my buck. 

Here's an example: I bought several kits locally over a period of six to eight months. The KH kits were almost always fifteen to twenty dollars cheaper (1/32 scale), and Revell kits were always similar priced if not two to five dollars cheaper. These kits were not on the mark down shelf. The one I wish I'd bought was the OH-6 chopper at $82! By the time I paid shipping from MO; I'd been ahead of the game. With Tamiya, I just wait. Their kits are well known slow sellers here. I've seen the P51 mustangs in the 50% off stack more than once. SB never came close to that kind of a Lightening Deal for me. Then in the hunt for a now famous F14, I didn't have to look much to find it for $20 less. I miss the 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby. 

 

The upside of SB is that the items were always packed well. Yet they also don't seem to check their quality well. 

gary

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16 hours ago, Darren Roberts said:

 

Which brand name do they not carry that you'd like to see? I'd be more than happy to pass on your request. There may be a reason they don't carry that brand name. 

just go to there website and look at what they carry. My favorites are the east European manufacturers. Yes they list them, and only carry a token product line. Gas Patch, Arma Hobby, Clear Prop (that one might not be fair). Then they only seem to carry a few Bronco kits while they are on sale in Asia! Same with Hobby Boss/Tristar to name a couple.

gary

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9 hours ago, Geoff M said:

Ford PInto, Ford Bronco (1972), Ford Pinto (station wagon), Ford Bronco II, Ford Aerostar (oink, oink), Ford Explorer, Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Ford Taurus SHO, Mercury Sable, Ford Focus.  I guess you could say I like Fords.  Besides the Aerostar, all were good cars.

 

PS  Ford never took any government money in the recession

 

Geoff M

ah but they did in a different way. A loan you pay back, but tax credits you don't. I could take this way deeper, but also way off topic

gary

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On 6/4/2021 at 10:11 AM, Charlie D. said:

Darren, knowing your relationship with SB though, it’s hard not to read a little bit of bias in your posts . 
 

As for lines they don’t carry, how about the new Revell paint line? I was eager to try the Revell Aqua line with the demise of MM acryl ( on a side note you should try it, it brushes great, but you might have to source it else where since SB doesn’t carry it) SB doesn’t carry it so I dropped a chunk of change with Hobbylinc buying about 25 colors, thinners and clears.

I actually tested it for Revell US. I really like the acrylic. The square containers were nice and out of the ordinary. The one problem I had was the lack of standardized FS colors. 

 

There probably is a bit of bias in my post, but one has to understand that a company can't carry every single manfacturer of every single product. I wanted to set the record straight that SB hasn't "slipped" just because they don't carry a certain brand or they don't have the lowest price. If they aren't doing well in a business sense, then they will suffer the same fate as Squadron, though I don't see that happening because business decisions are much better.

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The Squadron website is up and supposedly you can place orders, but I was unable to complete my order.  They are offering free shipping on orders over $39.99 but of course there appears to be an issue with placing any orders over $39.99!  I sent them a message notifying them of the issue, just waiting to see if they will continue honoring the shipping deal.

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 New management added a post to the relevant thread on hyperscale https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/hyperscale/like-a-phoenix-from-the-ashes-squadron-is-being-re-t523908-s70.html#p2796337  detailing the trials & tribulations of restarting a website and correcting the issues left behind by previous management. I'm sure he'll get it straightened out.

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Place an order yesterday; I was able to complete it and pay, but since I'm outside the US, it didn't calculate the shipping charges and only shows a message that they will be contacting me, but nothing yet.

 

Those types of drawbacks are expected when working over a legacy platform; let's hope they sort them out soon.

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Well,

 

I don't think I'll order from them, as I'm on the wrong side of the pond and shipping costs/import duties increase prices a lot.

 

Anyway, I used to order from the "old" Squadron years ago, when there simply wasn't so much choice available for certain items. Now things are different and it's probably more that 10 years that I don't order anything from the States.

 

Anyway, good to read that Squadron is back in business. Good luck to the new management!

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On 6/8/2021 at 9:54 PM, Darren Roberts said:

I actually tested it for Revell US. I really like the acrylic. The square containers were nice and out of the ordinary. The one problem I had was the lack of standardized FS colors. 

 

There probably is a bit of bias in my post, but one has to understand that a company can't carry every single manfacturer of every single product. I wanted to set the record straight that SB hasn't "slipped" just because they don't carry a certain brand or they don't have the lowest price. If they aren't doing well in a business sense, then they will suffer the same fate as Squadron, though I don't see that happening because business decisions are much better.

I know that if we got everything we wanted a company would be bankrupt, but there are things they can (or could do). I hear request all the time for Revell paints. Never used them, but they seem to be quite popular with our friends over seas. I'd also like to see them carry the Wingzy kits as well as Dora Wings. Gas Patch amazes me as they carry the after market stuff, but no kits to speak of. I stay with my comment that I can often beat their prices in the states with other domestic companies. 

gary

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I’m sorry, but I’m unimpressed so far.  They’ve kept the very poor pricing of the old Squadron.  It looks like almost everything is free shipping, but even with that, it’s not worth it.  Meng 1/35 M4A3(76)W is $91.15, a savings of $3.80, which is like 4% off, or what they claim is a list price of $94.95.  It’s $65.99 at Sprue Brothers, a savings of $16 off what they claim a MSRP of $82.  Even with the expedited shipping option at Sprue Brothers, it’s still over $10 cheaper.  At Scalehobbyist, it’s $60 and their shipping is only $10, so it’s over $20 cheaper there.  Maybe somewhere in their catalog there are some bargains, but if there are, they seem few and between and buried deep.

 

Its good to see Squadron back, and they seem to have actual stock, but ultimately it’s a business with competition.  Unless they get their prices down to near some of their competitors, no one is going to buy from them, no matter how great the nostalgia for Squadron.

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It’s nice for them to be back, but agree they need to step up their game. I did see the tamiya P-38 for $64 with free shipping so that’s a pretty good deal. I wish them well, and more competition is always good for us consumers but they’ve got a ways to go for me. Scalehobbyist and Hobbylinc have been getting more of my $$ lately. 

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