Pollyscale's shelf life is almost down to minutes. I've had unopened paint dry up in the bottle less than 3 months after purchase. If there's going to be aftermarket speculation by some folks, they might just get what they deserve. For generic colors, the Tamiya paint is an excellent substitute. I have never, ever, had a bottle of their stuff go bad. Some of my stock is more than 20 years old.
A copy of the announcement has been posted over on trains.com That is the appropriate contact that is at the bottom of the letter. A classic, corporate, semi-weasel announcement. Gentlemen, fire at will. I doubt the poor guy was personally responsible, he's the spokesman. But they're really proud of that facebook page. It's a love-fest over there. Let's return the love.
I am sure his e mail will be maxed out within a couple days. Unless they do what others seem to do and dump all the e mails in one big mass and forget to listen to the voice of the comsumer. I have heard that many companies do that these days.
Perhaps. But if all the posts lost in the forums were directed at their facebook page instead, they're going to need a full-time employee for the next six months just to sanitize it. Every company with a facebook presence I know carefully monitors the traffic. Certainly a whole lot more than what goes on here. Not making an announcement to the customers- but to the distribution channel, is deferring the anger down to the distributor and the retailer and they didn't do it. That's a rather cowardly way out. If you don't like the heat and reaction, come up with a better plan. Sell the line, the brand rights, or announce changes like folding the color pallete into another line.
The supply of Floquil has been slowly drying up now for some time. And it has been harder to find which is why I switched to Pollyscale. Now it is drying up too? And the Scalecoat, which was my preferred paint because of its being right on the money for the colors I needed, went away from all of the suppliers I have dealt with so I switched to Floquil then it started vanishing. %$^&$#%^&!!!. Tamiya which I have used before doesn't seem to be the same formula anymore and coverage has become an issue. What is next I wonder? Glue. styrene, scribed wood, decals?
Does anyone have a link to their facebook page? I would like to forward the link to some fellow model RRs of mine. Maybe if we ALL hand grenade their facebook page, they might re-think their desicion. I know wishful thinking, but one can try right? Ryan
Here is the reply I got,,,the more and more I think about it I am ready to throw all my paint I have out,,,or even better mail it back to testors. Dear Mr. Burzynski, There are many changes taking place at The Testor Corporation. ¤For over 80 years, we have provided premium paints and finishing systems to the craft and hobby industry. ¤Recently we announced that we are transforming our business in order to more effectively address the changing needs of our consumers and their interests. We’ve made the decision to exit the following businesses within the Testor ® Brand family - Pactra®, Floquil®, PollyScale®, and ColorArtz®. This will enable The Testor Corporation to return to our foundation of success – providing premium, innovative product that inspires creativity. ¤We will continue to accept orders and ship product for a limited time based on available quantities. Going forward, the following brands will be critical to our success and development - Testor®, Model Master®, and Aztek®. ¤These brands will be infused with marketing support, innovation and operational efficiencies. In support of this, we have announced a consolidation of operations at our Rockford facilities. ¤Our commitment to the Testor brand has never been stronger. ¤By implementing these changes, and the ability to leverage all of Rust-Oleum’s world class services, we are more strongly poised to take our business to the next level through product and merchandising innovations, and increased customer understanding. If you have further questions, please feel free to let us know. We appreciate your business!! Sincerely, Beth The Testor Corporation Consumer Affairs Department 1-800-837-8677 (1-800-testors) M-F 8:00 A.M - 4:00 PM CST What a crock. Adios , Wyatt
The way I read into this, they have basically abandoned ALL model paints, with the exception of the traditional Testors paints and the Model Master line. It seems as though they are going to the rattle can DIY repair in a can that so many home owners do these days. Ryan
Here is another reply found on another forum,,,it looks like it was aimed at the distribution level... Friday, May 17th, 2013 Dear Valued Partner, I am writing to inform you about changes that are taking place at the Testor Corporation. For over 80 years, we have provided premium paints and finishing systems to the craft and hobby industry. Today, we announced that we are transforming our business in order to more effectively address the changing needs of our consumers and their interests. We’ve made the decision to exit the following businesses within the Testor® Brand family - Pactra®, Floquil®, Polyscale®, and ColorArtz®. This will enable the Testor Corporation to return to our foundation of success – providing premium, innovative product that inspires creativity. We will continue to accept orders and ship product for a limited time based on available quantities. Going forward, the following brands will be critical to our success and development – Testor®, Model Master™, and Aztek®. These brands will be infused with marketing support, innovation and operational efficiencies. In support of this, we have announced a consolidation of operations at our Rockford facilities. Over the next several months we will provide updates critical to your order and delivery needs as well as product availability. We assure you there will be no disruption to service during this transition. Our commitment to the Testor brand has never been stronger. By implementing these changes, and the ability to leverage all of Rust-Oleum’s world class services, we are more strongly poised to take your business to the next level through product and merchandising innovations, and increased customer intimacy. Please contact me or your sales manager directly with any questions. We appreciate your business! Best Regards, Kristin J. Schiro Director of Sales & Marketing Does that not look like a form letter with just the header and footer changed? Adios PO'd Wyatt
I had no idea Rust-oleum was a part of their big umbrella. That explains a lot. I went ahead and bounced around wikipedia for a few seconds, turns out testors is an itty bitty piece of a very large pie. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if they're under pressure to trim the fat. RPM International had revenues of 3.8billion (that's a b) and I'm willing to bet more of that came from their industrial branch than their consumer branch. We are simply, unfortunately, a very small part of a very large industry My 2c at least :-/
That is the letter that I saw from Testors. I doubt you will get an actual response from anybody there. They knew this would generate a lot of heat and this is their shield. Not only our issues but think of the people loosing their jobs from closing the second plant.
3.8 billion and they need to trim the fat? Sounds to me like they must have got a new CEO that worked for Chevron or Exxon at one time. 3.8 billion just aint enough.................we need more $$$$. corp Greed in America needs to STOP!!!!!!!!!
News story from local paper: http://www.rrstar.com/blogs/alexgary/x776191577/Testor-Corp-consolidating-operations-cutting-jobs How comforting to know that one of the HR manager's "specialties" is plant closings: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cecstowell
Well,Microscale discontinued half the decals I regularly use,now,no more paint..I've been using Floquil for 40+ years,Testors for over 50..To me,this just may be the last straw.Here I am,getting older,now that I want to get more into painting,ETC,I really can't..With the lack of everything,and prices going goofy,I just may rip out the entire second level of my RR,finish what's left,and be done with it.Better yet,sell everything,and make the train room a gun room..Hey,Testor's..If you're reading this,I'm NEVER buying another one of your products..
I probably should have been a bit more specific than 'trim the fat'. My bet is they are now looking for a minimum margin, higher rates of return, etc. As with anything, resources are 'scarce' and the opportunity cost presented by what is now being shut down could simply have come to be too much. Unfortunately for publicly traded companies, management is there to best serve the stockholders interests=maximizing value per share. Net margin is a big part of this, which would be my 2c guess as to what is causing the 'shrinkage' I guess that makes 4c now :/
