Amerang - recession casualty?

[Pete B]

Two significant players in the model industry, Modelzone and Amerang, went into administration this week:

"On 26 June 2013, Richard Michael Hawes, Nicholas Guy Edwards and Robert James Harding of Deloitte LLP were appointed Joint Administrators of Modelzone Holdings Limited, The Amerang Group Limited, Modelzone Limited and Amerang Limited (together the "Companies". The affairs, business and property of the Companies are being managed by the Joint Administrators. The Joint Administrators act as agents of the Companies only and contract without personal liability. The Joint Administrators are authorised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). All licensed Insolvency Practitioners of Deloitte LLP are licensed in the UK"

A sign of the times?

Pete

[Bob Cotsford]

combined with resistance to changing markets. Didn't they kick up a fuss over KeilKraft copyrights while effectively burying the brand?

[Adrian Smith 1]

Well I am not surprised. A perfectly decent model shop in the centre of Norwich (not Pegasus Models) that I used frequently was effectively moved to Castle Meadow Shopping centre and rebranded as ModelZone. From then on they ceased to sell very little of interest to the model maker/flyer and stacked the shelves with effectively toys and airfix kits. One might be able to find a pot of cyno and some rough looking bits of balsa hidden away in a corner, but the rest was of no interest to me as a model flyer. My custom went elsewhere not surprisingly, mostly to the internet I am sad to say.

[Capt Kremen]

Ditto - Not surprised. Overpriced too and staff lacking in customer interest and product knowledge. (Not the individuals fault they were mostly youngsters just after any job). Even plastic kit modellers would find better range, choice and price on t'internet even allowing fpr P&P.

[Dylan Reynolds LaserCraft Services]

I was wondering why I was receiving mass emails fom them to buy super saver sale items over the last few weeks, although their idea of sale doesn't tie in with everyone elses since most things were only being offered at just shy of RRP.

I did buy a couple of die cast scale items from them, but not many and not much else, no great loss to me i'm afraid.

[Andy Green]

I thought Amerang were poised to re release some of the Keil Kraft range.

Andy

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

I'd heard that too Andy....in fact my LMS was advertising something along those lines....just checking now though he has removed the reference to Keil Kraft kits.....

A shame....

[Paul Marsh]

Modelzone were never any good. I used to go to Manchester Model shop on Deansgate in the 90's and have a ok selection of rc and other things such as airfix and toys. When it went to MZ, it was no good and never went again.

Went to MZ in Liverpool earlier this year and even though it was a Saturday, there were no customers in, apart from me and Rob (who was with me).

I was only looking, but they had the UMX PZ Spit, and wonder if they had the P-40. The shop assistant didn't know what I meant (What is a P-40) and thought I meant the Mutang. I gave up and asked if he had any Lipo batteries for the said plane. (Mine had all died and wanted one to get me going).

He said these will do and picked up 4xAAA Duracell batteries. I said no,LIpo batteries for the plane, not the transmitter, which are AA anyway. He said ok and swopped the AAA's for AA's.

I give up, and left. Modelzone staff were unknowlagable and useless, and seeing the chain go down the pan is not surprising - or missed.

Deloitte LLP have been busy - they did Woolworths and a few other names. Suppose that's one area of growth, at the moment - administrators.

Does that mean Hitec stuff will be hard to get - and what about the new Aurora 9?

Edited By Paul Marsh on 28/06/2013 18:19:02

[Simon B]

Yeah, I don't blame their staff for the lack of training, but I do feel sorry for them being out of a job in this economy. The managers deserve everything that's happened to them for their inability to run an even half decent operation. I always used to worry about the Parkzone spits hanging from the ceiling and wondering who would end up spending £200 on one and either crashing or hurting someone.

[Paul Marsh]

Problem is that they had high-street shops, which are very expensive (most LMS's are out-of-town and usually in "cheap" areas), combined to poor staff training and morale - people won't go again.

[FlyinBrian]

Posted by Paul Marsh on 28/06/2013 18:15:44:
Does that mean Hitec stuff will be hard to get - and what about the new Aurora 9?

Edited By Paul Marsh on 28/06/2013 18:19:02

Hitec is now distributed by Perkins, changed a few months ago

[John Privett]

There is/was a ModelZone shop less than 5 minutes walk from the office I've worked in for the last two and a half years. I've been in there once.

'nuff said...

[Bucksboy]

I think J Perkins took over distributing Hitec Aurora's a while ago, or did I get that wrong as well?

[Pete B]

No, you were right, Bucksboy - as FlyinBrian says above Perkins are now the UK distributor for Hitec gear

Pete

Edited By Pete B - Moderator on 28/06/2013 21:41:43

[Simon Chambers]

It wasn't explicitly mentioned in Pete B's initial post, but just to confirm, Amerang and Modelzone were one and the same company:
**LINK**

If anyone was wanting to continue the Keil Kraft brand, now is the time to contact the administrators! Usually they will take pretty much anything for something, so it could be got cheap. You'll just need to justify that its a niche brand that has limited value outside the RC flying market.

Si.

[Dylan Reynolds LaserCraft Services]

would the KK range make a good addition to a plans and laser cut service?

[Ben B]

In the words of Churchill. "Oooooooh yessssss". I'd love to see the KK models planned and CNCd.

[Dyl]

I'm actually pleased to see it go.

Sorry for the staff but most were in the wrong job anyway.

The main problem for me was the "staff" were just that "staff" , and were just retail staff not employees interested in the hobby at all.

And may have put off a lot of people from carrying on in the hobby being sold the wrong kit for them and no after sales care.

LHS's rule but the Internet is just to easy not to use and you generally save money.

[Erfolg]

To think I thought I was the only one that thought that Modelzone were Pants.

I did read in the newspaper that Hornby saw Modelzone as a valued partner. This suggests that they will lament the passing of Amerang.

I just hope that the business is not resurrected as Hobbyzone 2, like a decaying zombie business, where the directors or some such, buy the assets for a pittance, leaving the creditors with financial pneumonia.

[kevin b]

Sorry, but I seem to have lost my rose tinted memory. Amerang, were just another "sell em cheap, buy em cheaper" company, who bought out companies so that customers would have to buy from them.

My memories of KK are also less than tinted. As a teenager I rapidly came to the conclusion that their kits were not for youngsters. They were not cheap and if the die cutters hadn't completely squashed the wood it was almost impossible to cut out all the parts without some breaking. I remember My father building a Mercury Grebe. A lot better quality kit. He also brought me back a Graupner UHU kit when he went on a trip to Germany. You didn't get much for your money, but the quality was excellent and it flew more than 15ft ! Just look what happened to them !

I think that the traditional kit will survive, but only as a cottage industry. Last year I attended a model engineering exhibition and commented to a salesman that the cost of their cutting machinery was not expensive. He said "Look around, if it was more expensive this lot would build their own". That is the answer to the question in a nutshell. Particularly if you look at the growth in companies offering CNC cutting services. I myself am building one for my own use ! No more poor wood quality issues, having to send off for missing or broken parts and not only that. I can build it in any size I want !

kevinb Blow the "good old days" dept.

Edited By kevin b on 30/06/2013 00:04:03

Edited By kevin b on 30/06/2013 00:05:36

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 30/06/2013 20:13:04

[Colin Leighfield]

I think the great days of KK were back in the 50s and 60s, In the early days their only kits that featured die-cut parts as I remember were the Nomad glider and it's Gemini rubber powered adaptation. All of the regular kits were based on printed wood that you had to cut the parts from, the same as Mercury, Veron and a few others. Some of their models were classics and still make up well, although I personally always liked Mercury's offerings the most. Kevinb's recollections of poor die-cutting etc I'm sure are right, although by then KK and the others were past their hey-day, I suppose! I like what he says about doing your own, perhaps some clubs could invest in die-cutting gear and make it available for members? We just need an obliging soul who will offer to keep it in his garage.

[Peter Miller]

I don't remember KK kits being die cut. I do remember that Frog kits were die crushed. The Junior 60 kit was luxury, it had band sawn ribs. I do remember the KK idea of the strip wood being cut in one piece of wood. If it was soft all the strips were soft.

Mercury were the best kits from the point of wood selection and quality. Built a lot of them and they all flew well.

Somehow I never really liked Veron kits, The wood selection could be on the heavy side and I always felt that the plans were messy.

Going on to Amerang. I wanted a prop nut for the Thunder Tiger GP 18. IT was some strange thread so I couldn't just buy one from anywhere. It took the service department three attempts to get the right nut to me. Not very inspiring.

[avtur]

Modelzone was never a model shop in the sense that the term is generally used on this forum. It was a high street 'toy' shop selling boxes as presents to the un-initiated, where Mum's and Dad's, Aunties and Uncles would go to buy a big colourful box to give as a present.

Some of the comments I have read here seem to suggest that people had expectations that it was a 'real model shop', that expectation was never going to be met by Modelzone (whatever one may have thought from the name). To make a comparison between a Modelzone shop and an LMS is/was (in my humble opinion) not comparing like with like. I've been in Modelzone outlets but never been dissapointed because I wasn't expecting anything like an LMS in the first place.

What may have confused the issue in some locations was where the Modelzone name appeared over the door of what was previously a LMS; Manchester Modelshop on Deansgate being an example. But only one visit to a Modelzone outlet was needed to understand that it was not, and never intended to be a LMS.

Modelzone was one of many outlets, along with catalogue shops, mail order, TV shopping channels and the like where you could buy colourful boxes that might introduce people to our hobby but they have never and will never be able to provide the experience, information and back up that a LMS can.

I don't share the negative comments made about Modelzone because I didn't have the expectation in the first place, what we have seen is that it was a business model that could not survive these really tough times; the margins made on shifting boxes was not sufficient to pay the rent and wages it is as simple as that.

It is of course a great shame that this means more folks without a job.

 

 

Edited By avtur on 30/06/2013 11:13:58

[Erfolg]

It would seem ew all have fond memoies of The Manchester Model Shop, in Brazenose street, next to a butty shop.

I still thought it was a model shop when it intially became the Modelzone, when it stocked a comprehensive stock of plastic non flying model kits. Although a rather mottely collection of foam flying models. In that time akin to Beaties, of old.

I do tend to agree with the general take on KK models, and many of the others. It does seem to me that there was and is some mileage in a few of the models of KK, Mercury, Vernon , Frog designs etc., these should have been left to Replikit,as a niche player, rather than the reported stance by Amerang, that the copyright was of significant value, rather than the somewhat trival value.

[avtur]

Posted by Erfolg on 30/06/2013 13:43:31:

It would seem ew all have fond memoies of The Manchester Model Shop, in Brazenose street, next to a butty shop.

I think you'll find it was Bootle Street (corner of Deansgate) .... but I'm sure we're talking about the same place.

Through 70's & 80's it was a terrific place