Amidst some fairly idle Googling, sadly, I found this:
Effectively they’ve ceased trading.
Apologies if this is somewhere else on the site and I’ve duplicated the news.
1 Like
Found that myself,yesterday,
one of my club members is awaiting the stalwart, odd that he received the fox that he ordered 3 days later first.
$"%$^& err… Darn!
I’ve ordered 12 Items from them, all bar 2 delivered, but bought with a credit card, so expect a chargeback as advised.
They had several ranges, of interest to me were their ‘own’ re-engineered range of Post-War British AFV’s.
Only one item, a Tetrarch rescaled to 1/48th betrayed its obvious wargaming origins, which I could have lived with, but the scale was ‘off’ by different percentages, for LxWxH, so sold it on.
I’ve been pleased with the quality of all the 1/35th Pig, CVT’s & the Saracen with Interior, so hope there can be some restart possible,
Yes, very disappointing news.
I have reviewed several of their small-scale items in Military Modelcraft International, and was in the process of doing likewise for their ‘CRARRV’ and ‘Ferret’ models. Clearly, there is no point in continuing with the review article, as the company is no longer operating.
This development is particularly frustrating, as I have found their kits to be outstanding. For the small-scale modeller at least, they offered subjects otherwise unavailable from other manufacturers.
Paul
1 Like
I do find myself wondering what caused it all; I would have thought the market was sustainable enough given the interest in the products.
1 Like
Income has to be greater than expenses. If financial bankruptcy was indeed the issue.
Age, health, changed family circumstances, whatever else could also be the root cause.
Interest in product and sales do not really matter if the above conditions can not be handled.
If there is indeed a large enough interest I hope someone else takes over.
1 Like
Sorry to hear this news. This would explain perhaps why there have been no build reviews posted of 1/35 Saracen. If there have been then I missed them.
1 Like
Paul, the only games in town - for the Saracen in 1:35 now - are Accurate Armour’s and Firing Line’s. The latter has been built up elsewhere on the site - I just can’t find it at the moment.
Thank you for advising on this. I have been leaning toward Accurate but at the same time I am curious about 3D print quality, that is, printed for me. Saying this because this link claims have files to print yourself: 3D file Alvis F603 Saracen 🚗 ・3D printable design to download・Cults. Fine print says a minor adjustment to get 1/35. But well-cast resin is difficult to beat.
Interesting thing is they are still listed on Etsy and Ebay, be aware.
1 Like
If it comes down to cost then the AA one is nearly double that of Firing Line; God knows what any export postage would be these days. I haven’t seen AA’s kit but seems fairly comprehensive with an extensive interior and it comes with markings.
The Firing Line kit, which I do have albeit from Dartmoor Model days, (and yet unbuilt) also has an interior (though obviously I’m not in a position to compare). My model also has white metal components - axles and wheels. I don’t believe the Firing Line one comes with any markings so you’d have to source your own.
I suspect that the Firing Line version will need a bit of TLC to produce a decent enough model; that said, sometimes AA models can be very complex builds.
I note that where modellers have built a Saracen, they often concentrate on a Northern Ireland finish, which is fair enough, but Saracen was used everywhere by the British Army: Middle East, Far East, let alone Germany and obviously UK; the range of colour schemes is therefore wide and quite interesting. There were also several variants so a modeller can certainly ring the changes (depending on plastic card and references of course!)
Nice work Frank, nice work.
As an aside, I’ve discovered that in the late 50s/early 60s, infantry battalions in BAOR, ostensibly mechanized, did not in fact “own” their own transport (Saracens); instead a squadron (company) of the Royal Armoured Corps would maintain and operate a fleet of Saracens to give the aforementioned infantry their lift. Of course, a squadron of such APCs was insufficient to deploy all three rifle companies - let alone the specialist sub-units and I haven’t found out yet how they were moved around the battlefield. I would also have thought it frustrating for the cavalry etc to be burdened with such a role when they probably yearned for their tanks (Centurions at the time).
I mention this as it can be helpful when devising vehicle markings.
Tracking down what was what throughout the Cold War, regarding the British Army, can be fiendishly difficult.
2 Likes
I still lean toward AA, but what is to be made of this link: 3D file Alvis F603 Saracen 🚗 ・3D printable design to download・Cults
Claim is you buy print files $17.xx. Looks like a nice 3D model, but instructions come to get 1/35 from 1/32. Not a big issue I assume, but what sources are out there to print this if one doesn’t have a 3D printer? Seems like you also get a choice to print tires in a different material.
I’m afraid I have no idea.
Yes, I have found this as well. I purchased a Churchill Bridgelayer and cannot find instructions
for assembling the working mechanism. At least I received my order. It is a great pity because the quality of the models are excellent.
Badger 3D is now back on UK Ebay as Osiris Models, and are now delivering to the UK at least.
I’ve seen the Matilda 1 in 1/35th & the quality is the same as the CVT’s & Saracen I bought.
Thank for the reference to Oisris. I wouldn’t have until now. Despite a generic FB page which I only used to contact lost friends in the UK in years past I don’t do FB except to read. Their FB page is compelling, glad to see them back in business.
For those who are interested, Osiris Models (ex-Badger 3D) are offering a splendid service, with an ever-increasing range of subjects in a variety of popular scales. I have worked on various small-scale items from the range, and have found them to be outstanding quality. I have just completed their CVR(W) Fox; with the exception of a few minor errors (easily rectified), the result is an instantly recognisable miniature of this Cold War vehicle.
Paul