GazzaS Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Quote from WWIaircraftmodels.com Sad news from New Zealand today indicates Wingnut Wings has been closed down permanently and its assets are to be sold off. Details are yet to be publicly disclosed but it’s understood staff have been informed they no longer have jobs at Wingnuts, and all assets- the moulds etc- are to be disposed of. Wingnuts, which was begun by Sir Peter Jackson in 2009, has like many NZ businesses been locked down recently due to the coronavirus shutdowns there. The business issues affecting the decision to close the business permanently are not yet known but are not thought to be entirely due to the Covid 19 issue. The Forum contacted Wingnuts’ General Manager, Richard Alexander yesterday and sought comment. He responded that an official statement would be forthcoming. When we approached him today on this matter, the email diverted to a message referring all future Wingnut Wings matters to Clare Olssen and Kate Leppard. Clare Olssen is Chief Executive Officer of WingNut Films and Kate Leppard is the company’s Chief Financial Officer. We sought official comment from Clare Olssen and Kate Leppard. We asked about the status of the Wingnut Wings business, the employment status of staff and the situation re pending mail orders in their system. There has been no response from the designated contacts for Wingnut Wings. Significantly Richard’s name now no longer appears on replies from his official email address. Update: late today Richard Alexander confirmed to the Forum that he is no longer at Wingnut Wings. Asked about the situation there he said "I am not able to comment at this time". The Wingnuts website is still active and accepting online orders however due to the uncertainty about the company’s status now, it is suggested Forum members consider whether to place any further orders with their online store until the company officially clarifies the status of its current pending orders. It’s understood there are also major job cuts at the Vintage Aviator (TVAL) too with all aircraft production stopped, most staff made redundant and the company retrenched to a maintenance team for the existing aircraft collection. Sir Peter Jackson has made no comment on the closure decisions. More details will be posted when they are known. Dave Wilson Gold Coast Australia 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 There still seems a lot of 'understanding' happening there, without any confirmation from anyone whatsoever... All we know is that Richard Alexander is no longer with the company. Everything else still seems to be speculation. However, it would still be a shame if it comes to pass in that manner. S 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DannyVM Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 The modeling news site also states that WNW has closed it's doors. https://www.themodellingnews.com/ Glad i have about 10 WNW kit's in my stash. The ones i like the most. So i'm busy for a while. I'm sure most of us have enough WNW kit's to keep their legacy into rememberance iff they really disappear from the modeling scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DannyVM Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Very strange thing happens on the Modeling news site. First they stated that WNW closed it's door permanently, and now they changed their news to closing temporarily. I say let's wait, without jumping to conclusions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Clunkmeister Posted April 16, 2020 Administrators Share Posted April 16, 2020 It’s over guys. This news IS confirmed. There is ZERO ambiguity here. As is said when reality hits, “This is not a drill”. Please keep the bunch who made WNW what it was in your thoughts and prayers. To Richard and the guys, I hope the setback is only temporary and new, greener paths quickly open for you. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1to1scale Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Buy Wingnut kits immediately online and eBay before the prices skyrocket, which they will. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smitty44 Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Wow, they locked down your post already over there, Gaz. They sure have an aversion to discussion over there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1to1scale Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 12 minutes ago, smitty44 said: Wow, they locked down your post already over there, Gaz. They sure have an aversion to discussion over there. As expected. There will be people crying in their cornflakes with their head in the sand, refusing to believe WW1 is over, sound like a few popped up. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggtim Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 1 hour ago, smitty44 said: Wow, they locked down your post already over there, Gaz. They sure have an aversion to discussion over there. That's only because a couple people don't know how to "discuss", they always turn it into an argument, and the simplest and most even-handed way to curtail it without slapping hands is to lock the thread, unfortunately. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krow113 Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Rumourmongering at what WAS one of the best forums. What a shame. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Clunkmeister Posted April 16, 2020 Administrators Share Posted April 16, 2020 The good thing is that we don't have the bad ones here. They were banned a very long time ago, so that means we can and must continue to have an easy going and rational discussion about the subjects at hand. They have their way of running their show, and we have ours. Their style is suitable to their mindset, as is the way in which they handle threads. That's their prerogative. This one is a true punch in the gut. I couldn't care less about plastic bits and pieces. They're nice and were the reason for WNW's success, and will eventually pop up again, most likely issued by one of the Chinese manufacturers, but right now, Richard and his Merry Crew are out of work after putting their hearts and souls into making that Company the envy of the modelling world. Their passion and drive will find a home, that I know for sure. But in the meantime, lets just keep them and their health and welfare, in our thoughts and prayers. 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krow113 Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Thanks Ernie. And watching the discussions on a number of forums I THANK THE MEMBERS HERE for not speculating or promoting non-news. One site had it at a 'fire sale' on one page ?! Hysteria is superseding reality , the bulk of which we know nothing about. WNW sales are up , with no gouging happening yet , so lets let things progress as they will. Hyperbole and unintelligent guessing wont help. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted April 16, 2020 Administrators Share Posted April 16, 2020 Alles kaputt! Time to move on. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggtim Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 21 minutes ago, krow113 said: lol The hypocrisy will never die as long as the OBC is around. So intimidated and overwhelmed by Des forum , I only looked and watched for years , then went for it with positive results.. He was a good man and a definitive modeller , completley unlike what it is now. Putting words in another's mouth , re-defining what someone writes , , deliberate misinterpretation as to what is really being said , lie spreading etc , etc.... and the worst , goofs acting like they are perfect and have never said or done anything wrong ,waiting to pounce on anything they can misinterpret.. Hypocrisy defined. Too bad. Please be careful that by bashing the other forum, you don't turn this forum into the sort of place you would not like. I am still a faithful LSP member, and there is an excellent group of people over there I count as friends, just as there is here. I have more respect for them, and the people here, than to bad mouth LSP as a whole, or even the moderation style there. While I will grant you that there are occasionally people who make it very difficult to get along, there is room for all of us in this hobby with a little decency. Tim 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Clunkmeister Posted April 16, 2020 Administrators Share Posted April 16, 2020 Yep, we're just going to close this down y'all. We don't want it to descend. It's been hashed and rehashed, and there are plenty of places to continue to do so. We have members of both sites here and everyone gets along, because we're all friends here. This ain't punishment, it's crowd control. Except for one or two minor things, I'm going to leave the comments up as is the custom here, and if anyone has any questions or complaints, my PM is always open, I'll always respond, and I'll always explain my resoning and listen to arguements both ways. NOTHING is ever meant as punishment or to degrade if it's coming from me, and once everything calms down, I may open it up again as is the custom. Thanks, So, without further adieu,.... OK, it’s been a few hours and hopefully we’ve calmed down. Let’s not rehash the same stuff over and over. Despite what their website tells you, I can absolutely, 100%, without the shadow of any doubt, tell y’all that WNW ist kaput. Let’s leave that alone. They ain’t returning, although some sprues might eventually make a return under another name. Personally, I pray for the guys and gals who poured their hearts and souls into the place to give us arguably the best kits the world had ever seen. So let’s keep it cool, clean, and refrain from insinuation here. And this is coming from a guy who once played fast and loose with comments, trying to be some model industry social justice warrior. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 14 hours ago, smitty44 said: Wow, they locked down your post already over there, Gaz. They sure have an aversion to discussion over there. Yeah... and lately I have felt a growing aversion to posting there myself. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 I'm sorry, but I love models. I love building them, painting them, talking about them, and even speculating where the darn moulds could go. It saddens me greatly to have a conversation killed off because of a few people who may be less than gifted when it comes to tact. Edit those people and let me talk. It's bad enough I can't go to my monthly club meet, and I can 't go to any shows this year because they've been cancelled months in advance. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DannyVM Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Well guy's, to go further on a more happy note, why don't we post our WNW kit's stash, and give a honour to those people who made Wing Nut Wings great. I'll start with mine, not much but enough to keep busy for a few years. I forgot the Pfalz D.XII, so i took a seperate photo of it.....Yes i know, i'm getting old..... here we go.....in honour to Richard and the whole crew who made WNW what they where today. Regards Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 44 minutes ago, DannyVM said: I'll start with mine, not much but enough to keep busy for a few years. Nice collection Danny, still wait for you to continue with the FE.2b, to encourage to start mine . My only finished one is the Pfalz, the IIIa not the XII and I ordered a Wooden wonder Albatros D.Va. Whatever the future will bring, I thank the people of WNW for their effort to bring us the best WW1 plane kits ever made. To open these boxes is more sexy than browsing through boxes of other producers, you sense the perfection oozing out of every polyethylene bag and let's not forgot these manuals, just tasty. Cheers Rob 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DannyVM Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 24 minutes ago, DocRob said: Nice collection Danny, still wait for you to continue with the FE.2b, to encourage to start mine Thank's Rob. Same go's for your's. I like to see other people collections. it's alway's nice to discover WNW kit's which are OOP long time ago and still waiting to get build. Would you believe i opened the Fe.2b kit a couple of times last weeks. Still i'm trying to get all the courage to start the enormous rigging job on this beast. One day i will get it done, but for now, i'm trying to find my mojo back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dekenba Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Amateurs. 20190622_124549 by dekenba1, on Flickr 20190622_124555 by dekenba1, on Flickr 20190622_124618 by dekenba1, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lothar Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Holy......, now I finally know how PJ got so rich but hats off, what an impressive stash!! Lothar 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Iv'e got 45 or so of these and was looking forward to adding at least 45 more....this all sucks. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DannyVM Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 44 minutes ago, Lothar said: Holy......, now I finally know how PJ got so rich but hats off, what an impressive stash!! Lothar Well, at least the man has enough to build so he can easily get true the Corona crisis without boring 34 minutes ago, Ryan said: Iv'e got 45 or so of these and was looking forward to adding at least 45 more....this all sucks. Indeed Ryan, it sucks great time, but nothing to do about it isn't. 45 WNW kit's, that's a nice number iff you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Dekenba said: Amateurs. Wholesaler 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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