forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => What's New => Topic started by: Dave W on April 09, 2020, 03:04:55 PM
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Shock news just in.... We understand Wingnut Wings is closing down. Rumours circulating on Facebook about the coronavirus enforced shutdown of the business have now focused attention on the overall future of the company and it's now understood that Wingnuts is closing down for good.
Development of the major new projects including the 1/32 Lancasters, Fokker DR.1s and Hansa Brandenburg Starstrutter have all been cancelled. So too are the Handley Page O/100 and O/400 projects.
As yet there is no news on the future of the Wingnuts staff or the moulds which form the backbone of the WnW production since the company's launch in 2009 by its owner Sir Peter Jackson.
No official comment has yet been made by Wingnuts.
Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia
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Yes, I saw this on the WNW Fans site and a lot of people were quite dismissive, thinking it a misreading of the temporary shutdown announcement.
However the reply that caught my attention, was David Johnson (recent ex-WNW employee) saying he'd just spoken to one of the team and it was not looking good.
S
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Hoping that it is a rumor, would be sad to lose them. :( :( :(
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I certainly hope this proves to be not true. That being said I can Not Imagine anyone just letting the Molds sit unused in a warehouse in China. They are a commodity worth Money and I would think even PJ would eventually sell them. In addition remember when one door closes another one opens. W can hope that others like Copper State will be able to continue and can expand on their plans. JMHO,
RAGIII
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I won't believe anything until it comes from the Wingnut camp direct.
Fingers crossed they can work through this.
BvB
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WHY? :-\
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Can’t (don’t want to) believe that yet. The hellish Orks of Mordor should have won? Oh no, not as long as one last hobbit in his cave builds biplane models...!
Kidding aside, if one company should have had money for spare than this!!??
Andreas
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On the own News page http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/news is only mentioned, that they are temporarily closed and working from home.
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belated tuesday a week ago?
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Until there's no official announcements from WNW, it's just rumours, rumours, to entice people to buy. good tactics !!
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Until there's no official announcements from WNW, it's just rumours, rumours, to entice people to buy. good tactics !!
How does that work then - they're closed and not taking orders
I mean, I like a good conspiracy theory, but...
Richard
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Until there's no official announcements from WNW, it's just rumours, rumours, to entice people to buy. good tactics !!
How does that work then - they're closed and not taking orders
I mean, I like a good conspiracy theory, but...
Richard
No, Richard, they ARE taking orders!
Best regards!
Some other Richard
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No, Richard, they ARE taking orders!
Best regards!
Some other Richard
I stand corrected! :)
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:D
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Reactions here and on social media pages to the shock Wingnuts news seems to dismiss the closure as just an unsubstantiated rumour based on hearsay. I wish this was so but sadly the post on the Forum yesterday is based on information from several sources.
To explain, away from the Forum my day job for 50+ years has been in the news media as a senior journalist. Approaching such a significant topic as this requires gathering accurate information to base an article on. However often the writer, in protecting his sources, cannot disclose who said what to him. I do not publish random rumours.
In this case there is sufficient information from a number of sources to confirm the Wingnuts news is sadly true, as is the news that all production of aircraft at The Vintage Aviator has also been terminated.
As Forum owner I formally approached Richard Alexander at Wingnuts yesterday seeking official comment. There has been no response. Tellingly, Wingnut Wings and its parent company have made no public statements about the decisions made there. The lack of comment does not mean it is not happening. If it was untrue the very least I would expect is a denial.
Instead there is an ominous silence. I understand we may know more next week but at the moment there is sadly nothing to make me withdraw the original article.
Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia
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How ironic. Just today there was a story in CNN about how New Zealand had only one death from COVID-19 and how they had for the most part weathered the worst effects of this pandemic.
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If WNW is truly shutting down permanently, then I would simply like to thank everyone involved for bring us dozens of outstanding, affordable 1/32nd Great War models that no other company could or would have touched. Their passion for the genre and commitment to excellence in every aspect of kit design and composition initiated a renaissance and set a standard that few will ever match. Good show, chaps, sorry to see you go, but thank you.
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How ironic. Just today there was a story in CNN about how New Zealand had only one death from COVID-19 and how they had for the most part weathered the worst effects of this pandemic.
I suspect that beyond the temporary postal restrictions in NZ, their business associations and production mechanism in China may have been hit too hard to resume operations.
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I guess you are one to know....
I always understood that WnW is a very small operation, maybe there is nobody around to pick up the phone due to covid-19?
Just a thought, simply not willing for WnW to end.....
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Richard Alexander, General Manager of Wingnut Wings has responded to the Forum request for an official comment on what is happening with the business right now and the reports it is being closed down permanently.
He says: " Nothing is finalized yet but it looks pretty grim. Very sad. I hope you understand that I have nothing else I can say at this time."
It's understood final decisions on the future of the company will be made in the next week or so.
Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia
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Heya Everyone,
I don't post often here, but I do still check in weekly since I left WNW. This is really sad news, but not a total shock to me at all. If it's going the way things I am being told, it's very sad for all those that have been involved with WNW. I just ask you to keep everyone in your thoughts at WNW that are effected during this shitty time.
Dave
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How can we help? Can we at all? Buying even more WnW kits probably won't help, as money should not be the main problem with Sir Peter backing WnW... Sad!
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Hi!
I just CAN'T believe PJ won't back up WNW. It's his baby.
Surely other factories in China are up to the task.
Don't believe it.
Ciao
IWik, hopeful.
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Damn - now I don't know what to do.
Should I scrape together enough to buy all the engines I might need for future scratch builds? Would those orders be honoured? What do I need?
I'll try and sit tight and await further news
Richard
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He's had a fair bit of bad press in NZ lately, perhaps he's just had enough??
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Media release on $41m annual subsidy for Weta Group
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Sir Peter Jackson to front up and explain the megabucks his company has been pocketing from taxpayers through corporate welfare subsides, and his company’s reported efforts to try and stop the public exposé of the payment amounts.
Responding to the NZ Herald’s reporting today, Jordan Williams said:
“No wonder Weta and Sir Peter Jackson wanted to keep this secret. He has taken taxpayers for a ride.”
“This is the ultimate in socialism for the rich and blows to bits any arguments that subsidies make sense from an economic perspective.”
“For every job created, $25,000 per year of taxpayer money is being funnelled to Peter Jackson’s entities. The whole thing looks like a ruse.”
“In 2017, we exposed that the per household annual cost of the Government’s various corporate welfare schemes is $931. These new figures show just how out of control this crony capitalism has become.”
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Whatever the truth may or may not be regarding tax exposés of the business accumen surrounding the Wingnuts Film companies , the model community owes a great deal of thanks to Wingnut Wings for having the vision and passion to bring these amazing series of kits to the world’s modellers over the past decade.
I for one feel for all the employees at WNW who like many many people round the world just now are having their lives turned upside down, in very uncertain times and hope a way forward can be found to ensure the brand survives.
Good luck Wingnut Wings.
Dave in Dubai
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This story doesn't make any sense.
If WNW is shutting down permanently, something is going on here beyond COVID 19.
And for sure, someone will buy the existing tooling.
That Fokker DR. I seems a million miles away now!
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It's always about the money. I'm sure Sir Peter feels the same about WNW, his aircraft collection, and the dedicated people involved as he always did, but events have overtaken him. Covid-19 isn't the problem. The massive recession that follows certainly will be a problem, here in South Africa we are "junk" staus over and over already, and businesses are closing... Yes, I'm very grateful for the amazing models and I have a respectable stash, so I'd better build..
So sorry to see Richard Alexander and his small team move on but.... So long, and thanks for all the fish....
Now, about that group build...
Regards,
Marc
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Very sad news, I only recently discovered the joys of their kits but mostly sad for the poor folks who have invested so much time and passion into making WNW such a great company.
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(https://i.imgur.com/EIFtgh3.jpg)
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(https://i.imgur.com/EIFtgh3.jpg)
Sadly, Bernard Hill played Yosser Hughes in "The Boys from the Black Stuff" - a series by Alan Bleasdale about a bunch of out-of-work Liverpudlians desperately trying to find work.
Yosser's catchphrase was "I can do that, geez a job" (Usually shortly before nutting somebody!)
Posting Hill's picture is more apposite than you probably intended!
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Sadly, Bernard Hill played Yosser Hughes in "The Boys from the Black Stuff" - a series by Alan Bleasdale about a bunch of out-of-work Liverpudlians desperately trying to find work.
Yosser's catchphrase was "I can do that, geez a job" (Usually shortly before nutting somebody!)
Posting Hill's picture is more apposite than you probably intended!
I went off to Wikipedia to read up on Yosser Hughes, The Boys from the Black Stuff, and nutting. Then to Youtube to see Yosser Hughes best moments. Wow! I had no idea!
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I just learned all of this today which followed learning of the passing of both Paul Leaman (WWI Aviation Historian) and Sir Stirling Moss, both age 90.
First, my gratitude to Sir Peter for bringing us WNW. He set the bar for WWI models and I think providing a model (sic) for CSM to follow with their Nieuports. One of these I have on my bench currently.
I do not know anything of New Zealand politics, other than Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has impressed me with her responses to the mosque shootings and COVID-19. I also know she leads a Liberal government in a time when the tax base has been depleted by the economic shutdown. I would suspect that in the aftermath, all forms of 'corporate welfare' will likely come under scrutiny as the government will need funds. Apparently from the February news clipping, Weta was already.
Another reason for my pessimism is that the kits were molded in China. It is quite likely that this may have been done in a province where the outbreak has been severe. This could have harmed the subcontractor, its employees or the molds themselves could be infected. Apparently the virus can live on metal surfaces.
If this comes to pass, my first thought is for the talented employees at Weta and WNW, who through no fault of their own are caught up in this.
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.........Another reason for my pessimism is that the kits were molded in China. It is quite likely that this may have been done in a province where the outbreak has been severe. This could have harmed the subcontractor, its employees or the molds themselves could be infected. Apparently the virus can live on metal surfaces...
The moulds could be infected? Really?
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I have a friend who is a bacteriologist and some of his clients were industrial firms as bacteria can grow on molds and dyes. Now this thing is a virus and it can live for a time on metal, which is why door knobs are a path of transmission.
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Calm down chaps, according to bacteriologists reporting on the BBC, the coronavirus can live for a maximum of 48 to 72 hours on steel. It is dependent on the material and it can only last for 2 hours on copper and 40 minutes in air.
Don't think there is any worry of moulds carrying this virus live.
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I'll see how things develop, but my thoughts go to all the guys working both at WnW and other businesses globally, affected by this.
Stay healthy everyone!
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That Fokker DR. I seems a million miles away now!
Very sad if it all indeed comes true ... for the company employees and for the modeling community.
Hopefully CSM is able to weather this virus storm, and take up where WNW leaves off, in particular as concerns the Dr.1. CSM is certainly capable, but likely isn't big enough ($$$) to buy what WNW has done on the Dr.1.
Gene K
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Is it possible they just going into mothballs for a while?
Or just cuting costs and going brown box, trying to be profitable with best sellers etc?
They still must have a lot of stock in warehouses. What happens to that?
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I have a friend who is a bacteriologist and some of his clients were industrial firms as bacteria can grow on molds and dyes. Now this thing is a virus and it can live for a time on metal, which is why door knobs are a path of transmission.
Has your bacteriologist friend heard of ammonia or alcohol based cleaning agents?
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Folks - enough with the posts about how long coronavirus can survive on different surfaces and cleaning agents etc. This is a topic that can get wildly out of hand very quickly.
Those who want to debate scientific and bacterial research topics will find plenty of sites elsewhere to indulge their interests. We are a model forum. Let's stick to our chosen topics please.
Dave Wilson
Forum Owner & Administrator
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Sorry about that Dave -to get back to the main topic you posted:
A lot of our compadres are mistakenly assuming the rumours of trouble at WNW are due to the coronavirus and lockdown, which undoubtedly are not helping the situation. However there are apparently more important factors contributing to the gloom regarding the future of Wingnuts.
There is currently much controversy in New Zealand over a substantial amount of public money spent on promoting film companies and production facilities there. Peter Jackson’s WETA Group is said to have benefited greatly, including a substantial annual subsidy from the taxpayer. Many questions have been asked as to how this public money has been spent, with little apparent benefit to the public at large.
For example, it has been asked if some of the money was used on non-film activities within the Group, such as TVAL and Wingnut Wings. Perhaps there might be expensive legal battles ahead if WNW were to continue trading. Who knows, but please let’s stop endlessly posting the statement about Covid – this has little to do with the fears many of us have for the company’s survival.
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It may be a number of factors involved. But as Richard says it’s grim.
Seems we wait on official announcements these days for news to get worse or better.
PJ’s enterprises employ people and bring in tourism. At the moment tourism is dead. Movie making has taken a hit (though watching them at home has increased!) So the squeeze is on.
I’m hoping their and our own setbacks are temporary and survivable. But this will change things long term into the future no doubt.
Modelling companies will be affected like anything else. But they have the great basis for a new and invigorated Wingnuts 2.0.
As mentioned they might have a more traditional business model after a trading halt. Maybe they’ll go into 1/48. At this stage we wait for an announcement...I’m certainly reticent about ordering from their website until I hear more.
PS That’s a great meme above ‘How did it come to this...’
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Very sad news. They not only made the best WWI kits but the best kits period!
Hope they do secure their assets to either sell off or revive at some point. Many assets get "lost" in that country when this happens - including tooling for models.
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Folks - enough with the posts about how long coronavirus can survive on different surfaces and cleaning agents etc. This is a topic that can get wildly out of hand very quickly.
Those who want to debate scientific and bacterial research topics will find plenty of sites elsewhere to indulge their interests. We are a model forum. Let's stick to our chosen topics please.
Dave Wilson
Forum Owner & Administrator
Thank you! And folks! If WNW goes away permanently it will not be because of the Corona virus!
There is more at play here. Exactly what, I'm not sure, but this has little to do with COVID 19.
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Folks - enough with the posts about how long coronavirus can survive on different surfaces and cleaning agents etc. This is a topic that can get wildly out of hand very quickly.
Those who want to debate scientific and bacterial research topics will find plenty of sites elsewhere to indulge their interests. We are a model forum. Let's stick to our chosen topics please.
Dave Wilson
Forum Owner & Administrator
Bravo, Dave. Suddenly, everyone from here to Hyperscale, Facebook, and beyond is an epidemiologist. I'm printing myself up a doctorate in Dunning-Kruger Syndrome even as I type this response.
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Hi all,
Has it really been 6 months. What a roller coaster. We have now come to grips with Covid and some countries are lucky enough to be opening up from these strange and dark days back in April. But WNW was a casualty and still no word from them.
Happy modelling,
Daz
Edit: My apologies it’s been 5 months since this was posted but I guess rumours circulated and WNW’s shutters were closed earlier so roughly 6 months? The HP’s and Dr1s were delayed from the end of 2019 which wasn’t a good sign in retrospect, Feb/March Covid delays from China were sited for further delays
Vale WNW
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It has been a long time, and that warehouse in NZ still hasn't opened up for business in order to empty its contents.
I would have thought it would have done so by now. The longer this situation continues, I'd argue the likelihood increases the warehouse is not going to open up.
But for now, it's still possible and I'm still crossing my fingers.
Beyond that, there isn't a lot of WNW related development to follow anymore.