WNW: how many kits do they have left?

[Pup7309]

Thanks Marc and Dave great insights.
It’s also interesting to hear an alternative perspective re PJ storing or destroying the moulds.
New Zealand is opening up business again in the next few days so I for one will be checking their site.
But it seems they will be true to form and play their cards pretty close.
Hopefully it won’t be a big information blackout until kits are re released (or not) in the next few years.

[aliluke]

Hi
I really shouldn't get into speculation...I'm just a cynic when it comes to Jackson. Maybe you are right Marc. Fingers crossed and just for luck, I just bought a brand new WnW Bristol F.2b (post war) on Trademe NZ for less than the WnW price. So there is hope out there...

A

[Jeff K]

it would be very difficult to get or destroy the molds from China. the Chinese government, while signing on to international IP laws, do not enforce intellectual property laws with any kind of consistency. granted this was 15 years ago, but DVD bootlegging was so rampant i'd get bootleg DVDs of their films to give to my obscure indie filmmaker friends. EVERYTHING had been knocked off. thus i think the "destroy the molds" scenario highly unlikely, at least for the kits produced in China.

Korea is a different story.

also the movie biz don't destroy *everything*.. Tom's Diner (the one in Seinfeld) is still up near Columbia University in Manhattan :p

[Pup7309]

I heard they moved from Korea to China or vice versa, but not sure of the details except it forced the price up a bit and the colour of the plastic.

[Dekenba1]

Richard has previously said that WNW were also using India for moulding & sprue production.

[Dave J]

Richard has previously said that WNW were also using India for moulding & sprue production.

There was no tooling or production done in India. Not sure where you heard that information as its incorrect.

Everything was done in Korea or China.

[Pup7309]

it would be very difficult to get or destroy the molds from China. the Chinese government, while signing on to international IP laws, do not enforce intellectual property laws with any kind of consistency. granted this was 15 years ago, but DVD bootlegging was so rampant i'd get bootleg DVDs of their films to give to my obscure indie filmmaker friends. EVERYTHING had been knocked off. thus i think the "destroy the molds" scenario highly unlikely, at least for the kits produced in China.

Korea is a different story.

So they might turn up in a market in Hong Kong! I noticed there are knock offs of all sorts of things from China. Just out of interest how long does it take from injection to market? I was thinking maybe the Handley Pages could still be on their way...

[Jeff K]

i think the more popular kits are likely to turn up again... in some form.

i'm not optimistic about the ones that haven't been released yet, although the 0/100 is very close to crossing the finish line (Mike Swinburne on Facebook's building the one they sent him).

[Dekenba1]

Richard has previously said that WNW were also using India for moulding & sprue production.

There was no tooling or production done in India. Not sure where you heard that information as its incorrect.

Everything was done in Korea or China.

Perhaps I'm confusing WNW with another manufacturer?

I'll try & remember where I read it, it'll no doubt turn out to be some other manufacturer...

[Dave J]

I think it could be Airfix. I have a feeling that Inread that some of the tooling was done there.

[howlindawg]

Just a thought, but although the tooling is likely to be sold off there's no guarantee that they'll resurface producing kits again.
The dies from the DeLorean car manufacturer ended up being used as weights at a fish farm.
I really hope we see WnW resurface again as a premium product with an owner with the same commitment to quality, but the assets will most likely be sold off to the highest bidders which may not include model firms.

[Dekenba1]

Just a thought, but although the tooling is likely to be sold off there's no guarantee that they'll resurface producing kits again.
The dies from the DeLorean car manufacturer ended up being used as weights at a fish farm.
I really hope we see WnW resurface again as a premium product with an owner with the same commitment to quality, but the assets will most likely be sold off to the highest bidders which may not include model firms.

The slight difference being that DeLorean cars were absolutely awful - expensive, unreliable, slow & prone to break-downs - whereas WNW are amongst the very best 1/32 aeroplane kit manufacturers on the planet.

[Radarman]

DeLorean cars are best used in the manufacturing of Time Travel Machines. Build one and go back in time, stock up on Wingnut Wings kits, or better yet, go back further
and find out the true colour of Voss's F.1 cowling.

                                                    Kevin

[howlindawg]

whereas WNW are amongst the very best 1/32 aeroplane kit manufacturers on the planet.

Were.

Which sadly probably wouldn't prevent the tools being sold for scrap if that's where the highest bid comes from.

But hopefully not!

[Dekenba1]

whereas WNW are amongst the very best 1/32 aeroplane kit manufacturers on the planet.

Were.

Which sadly probably wouldn't prevent the tools being sold for scrap if that's where the highest bid comes from.

But hopefully not!

Like hedgehogs during the winter, WNW are merely hibernating.

WNW kits will fly again, albeit under what name we'll have to await.