WEM Closing Operations as of 11/28/14 (update: Nov 2016)

[Quaestor]

I asked the question a page or two ago if the export ban from UK airmail had any effect on their business. No responses yet.

See the last post, by John Snyder, on this thread for an answer:
viewtopic.php?f=69&p=643899#p643899

[Sutho]

I asked the question a page or two ago if the export ban from UK airmail had any effect on their business. No responses yet.

See the last post, by John Snyder, on this thread for an answer:
viewtopic.php?f=69&p=643899#p643899

Thanks just saw that then. Basically all he said was "it didn't help".

Like everyone here I certainly hope that someone can resurrect their business and get them going again.

I can honestly say that their business has turned "toy model ships" into museum quality artworks with their outstanding photo etch, authentic paints and all their detailed parts.

Could you imagine the Tamiya 1/350 Bismarck and USS Missouri without any photo etch?

I have just over 40 1/350 scale model warships in my cabinets at home and I can guarantee that every one of those ships has something on it from WEM. All of the ships are painted in WEM CC paints. Even models I owned pre-WEM I carefully disassembled, removed the Tamiya acrylic paint and repainted. It is just sad to see a professional highly accurate and skilled company with an interest in the hobby world go out of business. We are all missing them.

[John Snyder]

First problem: the manufacturer is in the UK. How do you get the paints elsewhere?

[Timmy C]

It's probably a lot more complicated than this, but: who owns the paints' formulas and copyrights? You or the manufacturer? If it's you, then can you "just" find a place in the US and have them re-make the paints?

[Sutho]

The paints and their formula has got to be worth something. Surely keeping ownership rights to them and allowing an international company to manufacture them outside UK and earn a percentage of commission might help. By the looks of all the comments here there are is a lot of support even from competing companies in the modelling world if something can be done through a partnership to keep the WEM products alive then I would say to go for it.

[Arthur N]

Very sad news. You all rocked at WEM. Godspeed.
Will Peter Hall sell the PE he developed for/with WEM?
I desperately want the PE set for the Tamiya Bismarck in 1/350 as well as the Light AA fret.

[Christian M.]

It's probably a lot more complicated than this, but: who owns the paints' formulas and copyrights? You or the manufacturer? If it's you, then can you "just" find a place in the US and have them re-make the paints?

Because a liquidator is now leading and they are so under administration, he has the power about all things ... and so about these things too.

As I told, their paints are hurting many if not most people in matter how to get them in future.

[Sutho]

It's probably a lot more complicated than this, but: who owns the paints' formulas and copyrights? You or the manufacturer? If it's you, then can you "just" find a place in the US and have them re-make the paints?

Because a liquidator is now leading and they are so under administration, he has the power about all things ... and so about these things too.

As I told, their paints are hurting many if not most people in matter how to get them in future.

As I live in Australia, the moment I heard that the paints could no longer be sent international I purchased my own last batch supply including some paints I probably did not need at present but may need in the future. I had them delivered to some friends in the UK. I then waited and waited. About three months later those friends (as I already knew) boarded a cruise ship in Southampton (along with the paints) and set sail for a two month voyage to Australia where I collected on arrival.

Sadly it was my last ever delivery of WEM CC paints and they arrived by cruise ship.

For me to wait five months for paints is certainly saying something about the quality of them. I am sure we all miss the paints and they are probably collectors items by now.

[Christian M.]

Well,
personally I have no own connection to their colours as I have in general no need for any sort of such colours being correct for RAL/RLM, FS or whatever sort of correct colour by whatever type of standard. In my opinion these things are in general superfluos in modelling, but this is of course my own and peronal view. I use in general since decades Gunze colours (sometimes Tamiya too and Enamels / oil paints for weathering) only and here I mix the colours I need by my own out of their stoch they offer.

But I have of course full understanding for people like you and many others and feel with you as with members of WEM of course too ... for me it would be like Gunze stops to produce colours suddenly = nightmare!

[moy350]

very sad news,i have got loads of stuff from them over the years and they
were always great to deal with.i shall miss our little chats over the phone.
good luck for the future guys,you leave a very big hole in the ship model world.

[BJohnson]

From Atlantic Models Face Book page:

Well, it's Monday morning..Yuk!! But I have a cunning plan...
On the kit production side of things, I will proceed as planned and get the Tribal class Frigate pattern finished and into production. Time scale on that, knowing how long the casters are taking, will be around mid 2015 before I start shipping kits.
From there I will work my way through to completion, the patterns that were going to be on the WEM list. ie HMS Barfluer will be equally at home in the Cold War range.

Photo Etch details sets. I will continue to turn out the 1/500 scale range for the old Frog/Novo kits that are still in circulation from the eastern European companies. HMS Exeter set is almost complete.
From there anything new will be for the more mainstream subjects

I will also be looking toward replacing the Modern Royal Navy sets that WEM covered. The really old ones that were done in 1/600 scale for the Airfix kits, which Airfix are still releasing at intervals. My recollection is that the modern ships were originally covered by two generic sets. I will now work on individual PE detail sets for :
HMS Victorious, HMS Tiger, HMS Fearless, HMS Devonshire, HMS Daring (D05) HMS Leander and HMS Amazon.
This will fit in with my own theme of Cold War era Royal navy ships.
From there I will start to replace the detail sets for Modern RN ships in 1/350 and 1/700 scale.
I know it's not much, but it keeps to my current scheme of things and, I would think, that something more up to date needs doing for the Airfix kits anyway, now that Airfix have prevailed under Hornby.
There is a lot to do, and it will take time to build things up.
Thanks to everyone for sending in your support. It is a great motivator to know you are all behind the new set up.

https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticKits

[shipwright]

Horrendous news, indeed - I'm totally gutted. Through the years I've ordered a number of kits, and I've found their detail sets, particularly their scale aircraft and helicopters, to be essential additions to my ship models. The WEM crew have been stellar to work with. May fair winds and following seas accompany any endeavors you pursue now and in the future, and a sincere thank you for your many years of outstanding service.

Joe Reyna

I have just heard from WEM that they will be closing on Friday 28 Nov 14.

Sad Loss.

[Sutho]

Well,
personally I have no own connection to their colours as I have in general no need for any sort of such colours being correct for RAL/RLM, FS or whatever sort of correct colour by whatever type of standard. In my opinion these things are in general superfluos in modelling, but this is of course my own and peronal view. I use in general since decades Gunze colours (sometimes Tamiya too and Enamels / oil paints for weathering) only and here I mix the colours I need by my own out of their stoch they offer.

But I have of course full understanding for people like you and many others and feel with you as with members of WEM of course too ... for me it would be like Gunze stops to produce colours suddenly = nightmare!

For me the painting is accuracy. I once went to my local hardware store and had them mix some paints that the RAN uses just for accuracy. I served on the HMAS Brisbane and I knew the colour formula so I went and had it made up.

It is the same case with WEM and their paints I do it for accuracy.

That being said all my models are full hull models in display cabinet. I don't try to recreate any form of weathering, rust or diorama style models. I do mine for display style only. Many of the models have some significance to me and my life. Many of the modern warships I have modelled I have depicted in the period I served on them or visited them. I have modelled ships that I was interested in as a child. I have even purchased the Pontos upgrade kits to make modern USS Iowa and USS Missouri both of which I have visited as museum ships.

Modelling is an art form and many of us use artistic licence when creating models and do them that suits our style. For me personally I loved the realism WEM created with their authentic paints.

[Christian M.]

For me the painting is accuracy ... That being said all my models are full hull models in display cabinet. I don't try to recreate any form of weathering, rust or diorama style models.

@ Sutho
for me painting is accuracy too and that's reason why I mix my colours and don't buy ready ones. But the difference between us is that I make weathering effects and rust always on my models.

But I know that many people use colours from WEM as other do use for their plane and tank models same sort of other manufactures

[zs180]

I am truly shocked by this apalling news.
I have been using WEM products for more than 15 years.
I was introduced to the wonders of PE by their products in the late '90s.
I will never forget when Caroline offered me everything needed to spruce up my Airfix Warspite free of charge!
I could build a really attractive model with the addition of the goodies provided by WEM.
I always had a soft spot for everything British - WEM's products mean much more to me than just another PE set or resin kit.
Fortunately I have stacked up some of their kits - future classics - and a lot of PE sets and Colourcoat paints.
I sincerely hope that this immensely precious intellectual property will not be wasted and someone can continue manufacturing at least a part of the product range - most notably Colourcoats, which seem to de indispensible for a great many modellers. WEM as a retailer of products of other manufacturers will be sorely missed, too.
George P�k

[AllianceModelWorks]

In this modeling business there are these things called "distributors", who "buys" products at 30-40% of their retail price, and were supposed to move them down to brick and mortar stores, so they could then get into consumers' hands.

Well, brick and mortar stores are closing down, so many distributors get into trouble. When they do, they try to continue with the importing side of business, hoping to ride it out. Problem is, without activities at the export side, products weren't turned into cash.
This wouldn't had affected producers, except a lot of deals had been working on consensus basis, without actual cash exchanges to go along with product movements. When a distributor in trouble takes advantage of such consensus deal, they shift the load to producers, and that amount, which might be small case for the distributor, could actually meant a whole lot more to small producers.

Such is the case here. Someone owed the said company an amount of money and refused to pay up, which took away maneuverability of the said company, and everything goes downhill from there.

My intention was not to stir up things. Rather wanted to quiet things down a little, perhaps by giving an explanation to those concerned with this particular incident. There's nothing any side could do to help the situation (not in a timely manner at least), and IMHO, WEM had taken the honorable approach (though I'm deeply saddened by their choice).

back to drawing PE

[marijn van gils]

Terrible news indeed!

I have not been very long into ship modelling. But when I was modelling other subjects I already new WEM as THE ship modelling company, and meanwhile I have found their products and online shop of incredible value to the hobby indeed. Hopefully the products will find a second life through another company, but it is always very sad when a company with this kind of passion for the hobby has to stop activity.
I will miss them, and wish the people at WEM a lot of succes in their next ventures.

Best wishes,

Marijn

[Charlestonguy]

I placed my last order on Tuesday before the doors closed for resin parts. Received an email saying the order was processed and the money taken from my account.
So far no other word but hope it will come my way soon.
Sad news indeed to see them go out like this.

[jikdoc]

I placed my last order on Tuesday before the doors closed for resin parts. Received an email saying the order was processed and the money taken from my account.
So far no other word but hope it will come my way soon.
Sad news indeed to see them go out like this.

i didn't get any word on my last order from WEM, or a response to an email but the stuff arrived promptly. don't worry. they must be swamped

[BJohnson]

I placed my last order on Tuesday before the doors closed for resin parts. Received an email saying the order was processed and the money taken from my account.
So far no other word but hope it will come my way soon.
Sad news indeed to see them go out like this.

My last minute orders have arrived, short trip within UK, I am sure that if they took payment they will be on their way.