RIP Squadron.

Ditto

There is a posting on the SteelNavy message board that Chris Decker, formerly Yankee Modelworks, Midship Models, and Trident Hobby is the name behind the rebirth of Squadron.

He has a history in the model industry but I am not sure he can work with the multinational suppliers that are the industry today.  Time will tell   Has the vacuum caused by the original Squadron's closure been filled?  

in the meantime he is shooting for a soft reopening of the brand next month.  Go to the squadron.com website to sign up for their newsletters

EdGrune

Has the vacuum caused by the original Squadron's closure been filled?  

To be honest, I had stopped ordering from them years before their closure because of their inventory.  More and more fairly common things were perpetually out-of-stock.  Hopefully that will get fixed this time around.

No vacuum here,if I hadn't read it here,I never would have known they closed,it's been a real long time since I ordered from them,so many good suppliers plus ebay

Well I'm hoping that the lines of their own products come back: resin seats and ordnance for aircraft, vacuform canopies, cockpit sets, bases and vehicle stowage, etc. Those are sure a vacuum now when you want/need them...

EdGrune

...Has the vacuum caused by the original Squadron's closure been filled?...

I have to second Eaglecash; I don't think there was any vacuum caused by Squadron's demise.  There have been plenty of other vendors providing much of the same product as Squadron did, with better and more consistent service.  Except for the Squadron brand items, such as the books, and the vacuforms, there wasn't really much in Squadron's catalog that you couldn't find elsewhere.

I think the people who lamented Squadron's closing the most where those who were customers for years, going back to pre-Internet days, when Squadron was pretty much the premiere mail-order vendor for scale modelers.  But even then, the only ones who had to use Squadron were those who didn't have a hobby shop within reasonable distance.

Having said that, from your post about the buyer, and a similar one I saw at HyperScale, I wouldn't say it's a rebirth of Squadron as a business, but as a brand.  If they can make those branded products available again, but provided with good and efficient customer service, it should be a successful move.

I read the letter, and it really sounds like another hobby seller on Amazon wants to take over the identity of Squadron and has bought some of the property like the email contact lists, etc.

Rob Gronovius

I read the letter, and it really sounds like another hobby seller on Amazon wants to take over the identity of Squadron and has bought some of the property like the email contact lists, etc. 

I'm cautiously optimistic that Decker will be able to provide better service than Squadron did during its long, slow decline.  I buy from Freetime Hobbies and find their service good.  If Knot is as good or better, then it's a positive.

Just got the email too. I hope he’s successful at reviving Squadron back.

The part I miss about Squadron is the books.

the Baron

 

 

Rob Gronovius

I read the letter, and it really sounds like another hobby seller on Amazon wants to take over the identity of Squadron and has bought some of the property like the email contact lists, etc. 

 

 

 

I'm cautiously optimistic that Decker will be able to provide better service than Squadron did during its long, slow decline.  I buy from Freetime Hobbies and find their service good.  If Knot is as good or better, then it's a positive.

 

Had they used their buying power to offer high end model kits to us at a bigger discount than buying straight from the Far East, they may have continued to thrive.

I also buy infrequently from Freetime when I see an outstanding deal on an item I've been looking for, but it's been hit or miss for my needs. Service/shipping is good, just not selling something I "have to have" at a price I can't pass up.

I found it disturbing that our personal information, such as customer lists, emails and who know what else was on the auction block and was up for sale.

I do wish this guy luck as it going to take time to rebuild a customer base and loyalty, as this is something that takes years to build and earn. Buying a name isn't going to bring that back automaticaly, and the former owner pretty much destroyed that.

jimbot58

I found it disturbing that our personal information, such as customer lists, emails and who know what else was on the auction block and was up for sale.

 

It's one of the reasons why when employees leave, they often grab their customer contacts and take the contact lists with them.

I used Squadron way back in the 60s when I was in school.  Since then I have used them on and off as necessary.  Over in Okinawa there was no need of them and when I got back to this country I started order ocasionally, but mostly from a few other companies I stumbled on.

I'll wait and see what happens with them.