Happy New Year to all,
I hope everyone had a good festive season and managed to get a little modelling done.
With the New Year usually comes a reflective look at the past year and this is no different with Rumney Models. A couple of years ago when there were some rather unjustified comments being made about the price of a particular kit of mine I said that Rumney Models needed to pay for my time making what I design available. With the Tax return season in full swing this is a good time to look at that particular statement again. It’s clear that the trading part of Rumney Models (as opposed to the commission part which is doing well) isn’t doing so. This combined with a reduced amount of time available to me due to childcare arrangements at home and an increasing demand on my time from commission work means that something need to be done to try and streamline the trading part of Rumney Models.
As part of this I intend to have a spring clean of the catalogue and start to reduce the number of items that I hold in stock, especially the very low selling or awkward to stock items. This will mean that some items will be withdrawn and others will in future only be available to order and by the sheet, typically this will mean batches of 3 or 4. Details of the products affected can be seen below. There will also be a decrease in the number of exhibitions attended in 2018.
I have considered raising prices across the catalogue but have decided against it at the moment as I feel that the UK market just isn’t prepared to pay unless of course it’s a shiny loco in a nice box… The exception to this is the wagon axlebox and spring castings which have now been raised to £3 a set.
I will review everything again later in the year.
In other news the Fish Van kit (C.51) is currently out of stock and will remain so until I have the chance to look at the mould and cast some more roofs. I have no idea when this will be. There will also be no further progress on kits that need cast roofs such as the plywood GWR van kit.
I have also sold out of both types of United Dairies Milk Tank Plate in 4mm and 7mm scales. I still have stocks of Unigate and Express Dairy plates. I will look at getting some more UD plates etched but this won’t be until later in the year.
Rumney Models Spring Clean
As of the 1st June the status of the following items in the catalogue, once any remaining stock is sold, will change. Until then they will continue to be available as per normal.
Items to be withdrawn
Milk Tank Parts
A.02 GWR Long Milk Tank Chassis
Wagon etches
B.05 Additional Parts for Riveted 16T Clasp Braked Minerals
B.101 LNER/BR Steel Open Detailing
B.102 LMS Corrugated Steel Ended Wooden Open Detailing
B.103 BR Corrugated Steel Ended Wooden Open Detailing
B.104 BR Corrugated Steel Ended Wooden Shocopen Detailing
B.105 Ratio LMS Van Detailing
Diesel Bogies
D.01 Class 37 bogies
D.02 Peak Bogies
D.05 Class 47 bogies
D.06 Warship bogies
The pony trucks will continue to be available as normal.
Items to be available by the sheet only
Typically this will mean that you will mean they will only be available in batches of 3 or 4.
Wagon etches
B.02 BR 16’6” x 10’ BR Clasp Brake Chassis – 26T Iron Ore Tippler
B.03 BR 16’6” x 10’ BR Clasp Brake Chassis – 13T Sand Tippler
B.06 BR 21’6” x 12’ BR Clasp Brake Chassis – 21T Mineral
B.17 BR 16’6” x 9’ Independent Brake Chassis – 16T Riveted Mineral
B.24 BR 16’6” x 10‘ Independent Brake Chassis – 27T Iron Ore
B.25 BR 16’6” x 9‘ Independent Brake Chassis – 27T Iron Ore
B.26 BR 16’6” x 9‘ Morton Brake Chassis – 13T Sand Tippler
B.29 RCH 21’6” x 12’ Morton Brake Chassis – 21T Hopper