Bad news!

[Rusty White]

I have been notified (see below) that prices are going up for everything to produce resin cast model kits. I haven't heard from my photo etcher yet, so let's hope I won't.

"Dear FLAG SHIP MODELS,

This is to let you know that Smooth-On is advising customers of a material shortage on polyurethane products as well as cost increases. As you may be aware, an ice storm hit Texas with hurricane force in February 2021 that resulted in power outages for days, frozen pipelines and other damage that will take some time to repair. The picture became very clear over the last several days as to how severe shortages are and will be for the coming weeks and possibly months.

Raw materials that manufacturers like Smooth-On use to make urethane rubbers, plastics and expanding foam products were especially affected and became scarce almost overnight. Force majeure declarations from large scale producers like Dow Chemical and others have resulted in confirmed raw material deliveries being canceled. Prices have escalated quickly and are being passed through the market. Our industry has never seen a disruption in supply of this magnitude, and it is difficult to predict the ultimate impact or duration.

Many producers in our industry, including Smooth-On, have advised that there will be significant delays in producing and shipping polyurethane products for the foreseeable future."

Sorry folks, but this news will probably mean a price increase for everyone in the biz.

[Mike@IHP]

Looks like I'm getting out of resin at the right time!

Mike Bartel