HUMBROL

[Johan]

Hello,

There's a lot of rumours going around in the plastic kit modelling world that ... Humbrol paint is no longer produced ?? And Airfix kits also are going to disappear ?

What's happening there ?

... would be sad to see Airfix and Humbrol disappear ... heck, I started modelling when I was a kid with their 1/72 aircraft kits ... remember a wednessday afternoon in 1977 when I was 10 years old and went a mile through pouring rain to get their latest kit, the Mosquito fighter bomber at the newspaper shop !

 

[Frank-Holger]

After all I have heard and read, Airfix went bankrupt a few month ago. And were not Humbrol, Airfix and Heller all together?

Very sad that that happened!!!

Frank

 

[Bluesking]

Yes, it was reported on the National News that Humbrol/Airfix/Heller have gone. Hopefully someone will pick up the moulds, it's not the first time or even the second that Airfix has been brought back from extinction.

 

[Jim Patrick]

I have to agree with this being sad news for the hobby. I think most, if not all of us cut our "hobby" teeth with Airfix models. I have to admit one thing though. Humbrol switching their formula to the "Super Enamels" led me to learning to paint with acrylics. IF they do return from the dead, hopefully the Super Enamels will not. I always liked the older formula and never had a problem with them including using them in my airbrush. My 2 cents.

Jim Patrick

 

[Johan]

... Well there are a couple of top figure painters who, as far as I know, say they mostly use Humbrol paints ... guess they'll be scratching their heads now ... ?

Hey Stephen, nice to see you, has been a while ! Well I'm nevertheless glad now that I bought three of their 1/48 scale Buccaneer kits when it was available.

 

[Ernest]

Hey Johan nice avatar, I'm truly fan of Iron Maiden and I have that avatar too, nice choice....

cheers

ER

 

[Jim Patrick]

Johan, I didn't mean that one medium was better than the other. Just simply I didn't like the new formula.....so I decided to switch. I'm willing to bet that most painters who have used both formulas of Humbrol (and yes there are plenty of extremely talented painters who use Humbrol) prefer the older to the new any day of the week.

Hope this clears it up and nobody is left scratching their heads

Jim Parick

 

[Johan]

Jim, yes, you're right, I heard some complaining about the "new" Humbrol too over the last years... I understand that at some time in the 90ies they switched to another formula , officially to be more adapted to airbrushing plastic scale models ... but maybe really because the paint actually wasn't made in England anymore , but in China instead...

I never finished a figure entirely in Humbrols (am an oil painter struggling to switch to vallejo acryls) but I did see some of Bill Horan's figures at Euromilitaire in the 90ies and what he did (and still does, hopefully) with the "old" Humbrols was (and is) pure magic.... some of the best figures I ever saw.

Some of the old Humbrols were actually quite good as brush-on primer for figures ... they were readily available in model shops, and easy to use, which made it also easy for beginners to start painting ... If you want a good primer now, you'll have to get a spray can of Tamiya, or Citadel if you can find it (I can't find it, unfortunately ...)

Ernesto, yes, I have been a Maiden fan since quite a while ... picked up "Number of the beast" in the record shop on the same day it was released way back in 1982 or was it 83 (?) and was hooked ever since.
Lost sight of the band in the 90'ies when the temporary Seattle "grunge" hype almost killed off most of the progressive metal bands such as Iron Maiden ... this was a sad period ... but then suddenly, one beautiful day many, many years later , "The Wickerman" tickled my ears, and I was spellbound once again - a "brave new" but good old sound was back in the new millenium ! :lol:

... Wonder if anybody has ever thought of converting a figure of a British soldier of any period into "Eddie" ? :lol:

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Bumping this thread.

Have we heard anything new about the Humbrol paints. Im starting to get a low stock here.

Cheers

 

[Guy]

I went ahead and stocked up on the colors I use regularily........just in case

 

[Blind Pew]

Guy, you don't do lottery numbers do you? :lol:

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Ive just talked to the general agent for Airfix and Humbrol here in Sweden. Ive had contact with him for a few years since the cooperation of the "Make and Take" concept at our big Hobby Fair.

According to him its obvious that the paints and models are going to stay on the market, they just dont know whos the new owner is going to be.

They will know more after the 10th of November.

Cheers

 

[KeithP]

Thanks for the updates.

I, too, have found memories of the 1/72 Heller Luftwaffe kits from the 70's.

I better stock up on the paints now too.

Keith

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Hehehehe................Now Ive stocked up to. Bought about 80 tins of paint of my favorite basics.

Ive found out that at least here in Sweden, many toystores carries Humbrol although they dont offer much models. This results that the paints does not move as fast as in a normal hobby shop and they usually have pretty good stock, vile limited in range, after the hobby shop run out.

This should last for at least a year.

Cheers

 

[Johan]

Originally posted by Uruk-Hai@Nov 6 2006, 02:15 AM
Ive just talked to the general agent for Airfix and Humbrol here in Sweden. Ive had contact with him for a few years since the cooperation of the "Make and Take" concept at our big Hobby Fair.

According to him its obvious that the paints and models are going to stay on the market, they just dont know whos the new owner is going to be.

They will know more after the 10th of November.

Cheers

That would be great.
In my neighbourhood they sell Revell paints, which aren't bad as far as I know when compared with the "new" Humbrol colours (I used a Revell earth colour once, quite good paint)... guess they can be used too for undercoating when you paint in oils for example ... I'll check them out and see if they have a "flesh" tint etc. too.

Humbrol is of course THE reference for the average aircraft modeller , so these guys must be real desperate about this whole thing ... there's no way you're going to find exactly that shade of "Barley Grey" or "Extra dark sea grey" anywhere else; there is of course Xtracolour enamels, but they're 100% designed for somewhat "advanced" aircraft modelling - they're really for airbrushing, and have a gloss finish to make decals adhere better (you're supposed to matt varnish them afterward).

 

[Guy]

Some good news for us Humbrol users

Humbrol bought out of recievership - click here

No regrets buying the 80+ tins................I'll use them.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Originally posted by Guy@Nov 10 2006, 06:28 AM
No regrets buying the 80+ tins................I'll use them.

No one doubt that, Guy! :lol:

Cheers