For those familair with Canuck Models, here is an Facebook update from the owner Dave. Not good news so I want everyone buy lots and lots of RCAF decals.
Website is:
http://www.canuckmodels.com/Hi Everyone.
So I know it’s been a very long time since my last post to the Canuck Models Facebook page, but I thought it was about time I let you know what was going on.
In 2015 Canuck invested very heavily into a line of Battle of Britain CF-18 model kits and standalone decal sets. We also invested quite a lot into other CF-18 demo decal sets. Unfortunately, not only did we not recoup our investment on these two projects, but it put Canuck into a very serious financial situation that we have not yet really recovered from.
Canadian decal sets in general have not sold as well as I had hoped. 4 years ago, I printed just 50 sets of the 1/48 scale CF-104 ‘Coke Bottle’ scheme and 3 years later we still have 10 sets left. Canuck’s standard service CF-18 markings are the best on the market, bar none, and 5 years after being printed, we’re not sold out of the 250 sheet run. Not selling out these small runs in 4 or more years is a strong indication of the demand (or lack thereof) for Canadian markings.
These low sales means that I can not reinvest back into new marking sets. So additional CF-18 demo schemes, for which I only had a few requests for, just don’t get done. Other new sets, like the Bruce The Moose Hawk and the CC-117 were put on hold indefinitely.
Since 2017, 90% or more of Canuck’s revenue has been made by printing decals for other providers. This has come with its own set of challenges. Extraordinary costs for supplies being the largest factor combined with a cap as to how much clients are willing to pay for this type of work. Many people are of the belief that these decals are printed with a computer printer. That couldn’t be further from the truth. A 250 sheet run of 10 colours involves me manually operating a screen press for about 15 to 16 hours (assuming all goes well with the run). To keep my quotes competitive, I make less per hour than Ontario minimum wage. I also don’t charge for the time spent making artwork ready for film.
So with that, in 2017 I had to put Canuck Models on the backburner so to speak and generate income through other work. This has snowballed the issue of not being able to produce my own sheets, but it slowed down the shipping of the orders that did come in, and it increased the turn around time to print 3rd party decals. Instead of the full time work it was in 2016, it became just 3 hours a week in 2017. This caused a bit of a death spiral for Canuck Models.
But, with all that said, it’s not dead yet. I’m still dedicated to trying to bring the hobby the best markings on the market. We just have to change how things are done a bit. So going forward;
1.Canuck will be reprinting some sets that are sold out and are still in demand. CF-100 and CF-105 markings in 1:48 scale and the CF-101 ‘Colour Bird’ markings will be done first.
2.Canuck will be expanding into other marking sets. I’m currently working on a comprehensive set of British Phantom decals.
3.New Canadian markings will come as sales improve. If a set takes 3 years to sell out, it’s not a good return on investment.
4.Canuck will be reducing the amount of 3rd party printing we do to just a few select clients. This will free up press time for Canuck’s decal line.
5.Costs of decal sheets will be going up. I can no longer afford to offer decals for what ends up basically being cost of supplies.
As we move further into 2018 I’m going to try and get more information on our Facebook page and keep this more up to date. It used to be updated daily with new content but time just hasn’t allowed for that in a long while. Hopefully that will change.
Thanks
David
