Testors Kills Paint Brands

[Jccarlton]

I don't know how many people here use Floquil, Polly s and Pactra, but Testors is killing those brands of paint. If you need a paint from one of those brands, stock up now while you can:
End of the line for Testors Floquil and Polly Scale paint - Model Railroader Magazine
It's a shame. Floquil and Poly s have been my general modeling paints since I was a kid.

 

[Jccarlton]

Straight from the horse's mouth:
There are many changes taking place at The Testor Corporation. For over 80 years, we have provided premium paints and finishing systems to the craft and hobby industry. Recently we announced that we are transforming our business in order to more effectively address the changing needs of our consumers and their interests.

We've made the decision to exit the following businesses within the Testor Brand family - Pactra , Floquil , PollyScale and ColorArtz .

This will enable The Testor Corporation to return to our foundation of success providing premium, innovative product that inspires creativity. We will continue to accept orders and ship product for a limited time based on available quantities.

Going forward, the following brands will be critical to our success and development - Testor, Model Master, and Aztek . These brands will be infused with marketing support, innovation and operational efficiencies.

In support of this, we have announced a consolidation of operations at our Rockford facilities. Our commitment to the Testor brand has never been stronger. By implementing these changes, and the ability to leverage all of Rust-Oleum s world class services, we are more strongly poised to take our business to the next level through product and merchandising innovations, and increased customer understanding.

If you have further questions, please feel free to let us know.

We appreciate your business!!



Best Regards,
Beth

The Testor Corporation
Consumer Affairs Department
1-800-837-8677 (1-800-testors)
M-F 8:00 A.M - 4:00 PM CST

 

[dkaniel]

My first thought was what crap paints that Testor puts out until I realized that they also put out the Model Master line of paints which I use extensively. Maybe they are just getting rid of those paint brands which aren't doing too well. I hope this is not a slow spiral to complete shutdown of all paints they put out but only time will tell.

 

[Damocles]

edit: nevermind

 

[Joosh]

My first thought was what crap paints that Testor puts out until I realized that they also put out the Model Master line of paints which I use extensively. Maybe they are just getting rid of those paint brands which aren't doing too well. I hope this is not a slow spiral to complete shutdown of all paints they put out but only time will tell.

I use lots of Model Master. I liked Polly S for game figures, but I use almost all Vallejo for that now. I imagine Floquil is getting killed by Scalecoat. At one time Floquil was about the only paint line that had the correct colors for railroads. Lots of long time model railroaders still swear by Floquil, so its a little surprising its on the list, although it isn't anywhere near as nice a paint as Model Master. Maybe they'll remake the RR line into Model Master.

 

[superjedi]

Man, that's not good at all! Lots of SW props were painted with Floquils. Although
some of the formulas have changed over the years, they were still an incredibly
useful palette of colors to paint replicas.

 

[Wes R]

i use paints meant for miniatures or other stuff as there are no hobby shops close. i did stock up on several brands back in 2010 at a hobby shop going out of business. This could actually hurt Testors more than hurt them if people start looking elsewhere.

 

[Joosh]

Stopped in at my local store this morning and chatted to the owner briefly. He said his rep has told him that "some colors" will disappear altogether because there isn't a demand for them. Most of the Pactra and Floquil line popular colors will likely be reformulated and reappear in either the Aztec or Model Master.

He also said that PollyScale has really been being slowly phased out since Testor's introduced the Model Master Acrylic line. The killing of Floquil though really surprised him. He said he's had about ten customers call him and say "I'll take all of ________ you've got" since this came out. They were almost all railroaders.

 

[b26354]

The floquil railroad colours are great for airbrushing. Very fine pigments and a very smooth matte finish - if you don't mind waiting 3 days for them to dry properly that is.

 

[Scratchy]

Thanks for the heads up. Looks like I'll be making a trip to my supplier and stock up on Floquil.

 

[crackerjazz]

My world just collapsed. Falcon builders unite and rally against their misguided decision. Make them retain grime and reefer white! Oh well......