The Model Catalogue Kit Chat Blog

Competition Winner (newsletter issue 5th May 2010)

Wed, 5 May 2010 02:02:47 0000

We are pleased to announce our first winner of our new fortnightly competition. It is James Johnston from St. Albans. Congratulations!!

For full details of how to be included in this competition please click here

Time for a change...

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:33:38 0000

For better or worse I have taken the decision to move back to Blogger to host the Kit Chat blog. The new address is http://www.kit-chat.com.
One of the main reasons is that it has improved immensely in the last few years, including making available a number of really useful tools to make visitors' experience much more fulfilling.
We will keep this one live for the foreseeable future because of the valuable content, but we will not be adding any new posts to this blog site. In fact we may end up moving some of the more useful and interesting posts across as time goes on.
Thanks for your continued support!
Tom.

Soft Touch Pads for Sanding and Polishing by Micro-Mesh (3KCRAFT)

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:37:42 0000

We are pleased to be able to offer a new product to our inventory. We have had feedback from customers regarding products that we did not stock and we feel that this new product will turn out to be very popular.

This is an all-purpose kit designed using all 9 MICRO-MESH grades from 1500 through 12000 in Soft Touch Pads. Soft Touch Pads are very easy to use, flexible, and conform nicely. Use for small jobs on: plastic, acrylic, fiberglass, solid surface, cultured marble, wood, porcelain, decoupage, and more.

Thank you to our Happy Customers ...

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:25:13 0000

At The Model Catalogue we really appreciate it that our customers take the time and effort to let us know that they are happy with the products and services that we provide. It helps us to maintain our high standards and to carry on providing a good level of service.

I have not had the opportunity to put the 'Happy Customer' comments on the blog lately and we have had so many in, that I have just put a selection in this time. Here goes ...

"Hi!
Thanks for the e-mail. I just want to say that everything was in perfect order when i received the stuff in the mail. Thanks for quick delivery, great prices and the sweets:) my girlfriend who lived in london a few years ago went crazy:)"
Regards
Eirik S (Norway)

"Thank you for a very quick response in delivery the items and for the little touch with the lollie pop."
Julia

"Hi Faith,
Just wanted to say thanks - for the quick delivery, and also for the extra free kit; amazing customer service! I've told my sister about your site as I know her son wants some more AirFix.
Thanks once again"
Edward.

"Tom,
Many thanks for your email. We received our order the day after we placed it and it was exactly what we were after. No where had the model in stock, you came to our rescue!"
Justin

"Hi Tom
Thank you for the courtesy email, just to let you know I received my order very promptly and I was impressed with your service and would definitely recommend you. My husband was very pleased with the model kit so thank you very much.
Kind regards"
Lisa C

"Excellent service from order to rapid delivery. Many thanks"

"Hi Tom,
Couldn't be happier with your excellent service - all arrived safe and sound. Look forward to future dealings with you.
Best wishes."
Marcus

"Hi Tom,
The order arrived intact and very quickly. I have found your service to be very good each time I have ordered from you. I really don't think there is any more that you can do to improve further. Many thanks for such service."
Tim S

"Just a quick note to say thank you for the speedy delivery of my goods and to say thank you very much for the free gifts you gave me with each order much appreciated"
David W

"Dear Tom,
The 1/32 Lysander you sent has been meticulously constructed, painted and set on a landscape in a classroom as part of a project on S.O.E. operations in occupied France in WW2. Sincere thanks for such excellent service."
David

"Hi Tom,
Just to say that your delivery service for my Needle Chuck by Revell (38140) was prompt and excellent and communication about my order was also accurate and helpful to me as a customer. Glad to give you feedback."
Ian.

"I recieved my order not many days after I ordered it and am very satisfied. Every part is there and in a good condition. So thank you for your service!
Kind regards"
Michael

"Good day Tom,
Just a note to let you know the order arrived safe and well. Many thanks for the excellent service again. The pipette and bottle look very sturdy, will give it a test run over the next few weeks and put my thoughts up in the review slot for the item.
All the best,"
Mick C.

"Received my paint and primer this morning all well packed and safely delivered. A++ again"
Kevin

"Excellent service, very pleased with prompt response. Items received in perfect condition, thank you very much."
James

"Dear Tom,
Yes thankyou, it arrived extremely promptly, and in very good condition. I was very impressed with the service."
Ruth C

Craft Kit for Sanding and Polishing by Micro-Mesh (3KCRAFT)

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:26:42 0000

I have had quite a few emails recently about the Craft Kit for Sanding and Polishing by Micro-Mesh (3KCRAFT) as they have been out of stock for some time. I am glad to say that we have just had a delivery of these and they are now available on the website to order.

This is an all-purpose kit designed using all 9 MICRO-MESH grades from 1500 through 12000 in Soft Touch Pads. Soft Touch Pads are very easy to use, flexible, and conform nicely. Use for small jobs on: plastic, acrylic, fiberglass, solid surface, cultured marble, wood, porcelain, decoupage, and more. Also included are MICRO-MESH handi-files for hard-to-reach areas and MICRO-GLOSS liquid abrasive for getting a high lustre. This kit is perfect for model makers and hobbyists.

Completion of the P-51 Mustang Project!

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:39:23 0000

After many moons of on-off working on the P-51 Mustang project, it has been completed. While I had a few frustrating moments, and the latter stages took longer to complete than I thought, I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. Below is a brief write up of the kit, lessons learned and some photos.

Stock Take Clearance Sale

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:45:30 0000

We will be carrying out a full stock take at the end of March so we thought we would give you the opportunity to bag a bargain before we count the stock.

In addition, for the month of March, loyalty points at The Model Catalogue will be worth TWICE AS MUCH when they are redeemed for gift vouchers. In other words if you already have points, March is the time to spend them, but if you don't have points on your account, March is the time to earn them and turn them into a voucher.

For a reminder of how our loyalty points system works, click here.

And don't forget, this offer will only be running for the 31 days of March, so check if there is anything you need before someone else buys it and it goes out of stock!

"We would rather sell them, than count them"

Glass Bottle and Screw Top Lid and Pipette is a true revelation...

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:13:29 0000

I know we have recently posted an article about this product, which we recently added to the site, however I really couldn't help shouting from the rooftop what a brilliant addition this simple bottle is to my workbench. I have been painting most of today and I have used it constantly! If I am holding a model while detail painting it is so nice just to reach across the bench and grab a bottle and unscrew the dropper / lid with one hand, take it out of the bottle and drop just the right amount of thinner onto my palette to thin the paint. It has been a real timesaver and because I can screw the lid on again with one hand it means knocking it over won't cause a drama! If you want to try one out just click on the image.

Revell P-51 Mustang project nearing completion!

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:21:57 0000

I have had a relatively PC-free weekend and I have taken full advantage of it by virtually completing the P-51 Mustang project, which I started many moons ago. I thought I would post the latest pics. I still have to finish off a few bits and bobs, such as the decals, but I am broadly happy with the outcome. A more detailed project report will be forthcoming in due course - warts and all! I have certainly learnt a fair amount from this project and that will be an opportunity for another post shortly!

Plastic kit skill level is now fully searchable!

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 18:13:17 0000

Good news for our customers that need to search by skill level! We have just upgraded the database and product search facility to include searching by skill level. If you go to the Search page you will now find an option to search by Skill Level.

For example, let's say your 10 year old nephew has told you he would like a Spitfire kit for his birthday, and because you know he has only just started modelling, he will need a kit which will be fairly easy to build. What you need to do is type "Spitfire Easy" in the "With all of the words" textbox. See the screen shot image below for guidance. Then click the search button. This will bring up all the products with "Spitfire" in the Product Name field and "Easy" in the Skill Level field.

The Skill Level feature of many kits has also been included in the product listing page (see screen shot below) ...

... and the detail page (see second screen shot below) ...

So it is now also much easier to simply browse through the catalogue and visually identify the complexity of a kit before you buy it.

We have had a lot of requests for this feature recently and I am really happy that we have been able to make the change. It will make kit selection according to personal skill level, or the skill level of someone you might be buying for, much easier.

New Airfix 2010 Catalogue

Mon, 2 Aug 2010 08:44:04 0000

We have just received in a delivery of the New Airfix 2010 Catalogue. It is full of new and exciting models and features. It's also a wonderful point of reference and reasonably priced at £4.29. Click here.

We do however still have some of the 2008 (Click here) and 2009 (Click here) Airfix Catalogues. Again, these are full of interesting models and you could pass many a happy hour or two browsing through them. There is also the point that in the future they would become somewhat collectors items so maybe they should be put away for posterity. We have discounted the price for the 2008 and 2009 catalogues to £1.99 each giving you a saving of £2.30 which only makes them more attractive.

New Product: a bottle with a difference!

Fri, 2 Jul 2010 19:51:39 0000

Glass Bottle and Screw Top Lid with Integrated Pippette 100 ml (tmc00021)

This bottle is an excellent addition to anyone's workbench, being of suitable size at 100 ml, made of glass and with an absolutely watertight plastic and rubber lid. It is primarily intended for use as a convenient thinner solution dropper, but it can also be used for storing pre-mixed, pre-diluted paints particularly if destined for airbrushing.

One of the things about plastic kit painting that often niggles me is the need to add very small quantities of diluting solution to paint on a palette, particularly when a blend I have created dries too quickly or when I just need a tiny bit extra colour and don't want to blend a whole new batch of the colour again. All one needs in such situations is a few drops of thinners to get the paint moving around again!

This bottle screw top lid with an integrated pipette is my solution. I fill it 9/10s with my favorite paint thinners and whenever I need an emergency addition of thinner I simply unscrew it and drop just the right amount of thinner onto the paint, which I then mix in with a brush.

One of the great advantages is that the thinners stays pure and clean as only the pipette is used to dispense the thinner. My old method of dipping a paintbrush into a bottle of thinners obviously pollutes all the liquid with the paint, which quickly becomes too dirty.

While the amount of liquid that can be stored in the pipette is quite modest (and ideal for dropping small amounts of liquid), the size of the bottle at 100 ml means it is also a very useful storage vessel for pre-mixed paint blends (to desired colour or viscosity), especially if using an airbrush. Simply use the pipette to quickly replenish an airbrush reservoir in the middle of spraying.

Want to know how to save on your kit modelling costs?

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 10:40:50 0000

Question 1: Do you own or edit a kit modelling related web site?
Question 2: Do you contribute to online modelling community discussions?
Question 3: Do you recommend kits, accessories and paints to fellow modellers?
Question 4: Do you publish a modelling related blog?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, you may be extremely interested in the rest of this article. Here is why...

Anyone who has registered with us as a customer has the option of upgrading it to an affiliate account by following a very simple process taking no more than a couple of minutes.

There is hardly anything to do to set yourself up; it literally takes a few clicks and the completion of one brief form to upgrade your existing account into an affiliate account. Once this is done all you need to do to is place some relevant links in some well-chosen locations on blogs and discussion groups.

When a visitor clicks on the links you created they will be directed to a page at The Model Catalogue where they will may find something that they wish to purchase. If they end up buying something, we will reward you.

1/48 tamiya p-47 thunderbolt razorback

Fri, 2 Apr 2010 06:54:28 0000

This model was built by Artur Karpinski using products and materials purchased from The Model Catalogue.

First batch of Happy Customers for 2010 ...

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:38:17 0000

This is my first blog entry for 2010. Things have been very hectic at The Model Catalogue lately and consequently I have not been as up-to-date as I should be with things. We have again received so many kind comments from customers, which we thank you for, and I have listed some of them below. It is always very encouraging to hear that customers are happy with the service they are given, so please feel free to contact us as any time with your views, comments and suggestions.

"I'd just like to say, your site is the cheapest I have found by a quite a distance, and also the most well equipped in terms of a broad range of tools. On a personal level I cannot fault your customer service either, second to none. So, you have a new, loyal, customer here. Thank you for providing us with such a great service."
Danny

"just a quick note to say thank you for the speedy delivery of my goods and to say thank you very much for the free gifts you gave me with each order much appreciated"
David W

"Hi Tom,
The order arrived intact and very quickly. I have found your service to be very good each time I have ordered from you. I really don't think there is any more that you can do to improve further. Many thanks for such service."
Tim S

"The item was received promptly and in perfect condition. Thanks! I'm glad that I remembered about the included sweet just before disposing of the packaging!"
David A

"The model arrived promptly and now graces our mantlepiece. Thank you. great service."
Howard M

"Just a brief note in gratitude for your very prompt attention to the above order, which was received in London this morning. Very impressive!
From now on you are my first stop for modelling requirements. Thankyou very much."
Michael G

"Dear Tom,
It all arrived in mint condition. My son is appropriately pleased which is good.
Best regards"
Mike

"Yes I did receive my order. Delivered very quickly thank you. I am impressed with your service and will be happy to buy from you again."
Mike C

"Hi Tom,
Couldn't be happier with your excellent service - all arrived safe and sound. Hope all there have a safe New Year and look forward to future dealings with you.
Best wishes."
Marcus

"The goods arrived safely thank you (now ive got to put it together !!!) cheers"
Chris R

"Excellent service from order to rapid delivery. Many thanks"
G Williamson

"Hi Tom
Thank you for the courtesy email, just to let you know I received my order very promptly and I was impressed with your service and would definitely recommend you. My husband was very pleased with the model kit so thank you very much.
Kind regards"
Lisa C

"Tom,
Many thanks for your email. We received our order the day after we placed it and it was exactly what we were after. No where had the model in stock, you came to our rescue!"
Justin

"Tom
Can confirm goods on order No 957 received ok. Very pleased with your service. Need more bits after Christmas so will be in touch.
Kind regards"
Ian B

"Excellent service. Model ordered delivered promptly and exactly as ordered."
K. Goldsworthy

"Received my paint and primer this morning all well packed and safely delivered. A++ again"
Kevin M

A superb build result for a customer who bought a Spitfire kit from us...

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:33:26 0000

We don't often get pictures from customer's kit builds but it is great when we do. Late last year we received an email from a very happy modeller, and it is easy to see why. Below is an extract of the email Sotiris sent us and the photo of a beautifully made Spitfire too.

"The order was received very promptly and provided a lot of enjoyment during the build. See pic of the finished Spit :)"

A big thank you to our Happy Customers ...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:58:58 0000

We just wanted to say a big Thank You to all our customers and especially for all the wonderful positive feedback that we receive. It makes such a difference to know that we are getting things right for you and we appreciate the time you take to let us know. Well, here we go with the latest batch.

"Dear all
Order received perfectly, and with the Chupa Chup thrown in :-)
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.
Best Regards"
Shah

"Hi Tom,
I can confirm the my order arrived promptly and in good condition. However my original order for the Boeing 737-800 Air Berlin by Revell (04202) (as per invoice you attached) had to be amended as this model was out of stock and is also no longer available. A quick exchange of email enabled me to substitute another model, and the goods were received very promptly after that. I attach the email thread as excellent example of service.
Many thanks"
Chris

"Hi
Thankyou for your promt delivery, will certainly use your site again
Regards"
Graham

"Hi Faith,
Just wanted to say thanks - for the quick delivery, and also for the extra free kit; amazing customer service! I've told my sister about your site as I know her son wants some more AirFix for Christmas.
Thanks once again,"
Edward.

"Thank you for a very quick response in delivery the items and for the little touch with the lollie pop"

Happy Posting at Christmas ...

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:22:10 0000

Well Christmas is nearly here but there is still time to place your order with delivery before Christmas. The Royal Mail last recommended posting dates are as follows:-

1st Class – Monday 21st December

Standard Parcels – Tuesday 15th December

Special Delivery – Wednesday 23rd December

We deal with all your orders with great speed in the hope that they reach you on time.

Airfix Mossie 1:24 Update

Tue, 12 May 2009 09:34:11 0000

There have been some rumours circulating the forums that this is going to be delayed until 2010 as well, however I have heard nothing from my contact at Hornby. In fact I would venture to suggest that the builds currently being undertaken by a luck y selected few would suggest that it is indeed on schedule... Check out the article below. Make sure you get a tissue first to catch the drool drips!
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=39092

More Happy Customers ...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:31:01 0000

I have received so many emails recently from customers complimenting us on our service and competitive prices that I felt the need to add another blog entry. We are very grateful for the feedback received as it shows us that hopefully we are getting things right for you all. For any new customers who are perhaps browsing our site, I hope that the feedback will encourage you to order from us and for our existing loyal customer’s, thank you very much for your continued support.

Well, here goes with the latest batch of ‘Happy Customers’.

“In reply to your mail re order 837, yes did receive it very quick for which I was most grateful. This model seems to be scarce to find so I was delighted to find you had one and therefore I send many thanks to you also I will check your site for any model kits I need in future.
Best regards”
Len C

“received promptly and in good order. Kids scoffed the sweeties before i realised they were there.....
Cheers and Kind Regards”
Tony S

“Hello Tom.
Thank you for the feedback email. Yes, the order did arrive (far sooner than I expected) in perfect condition. I will not hesitate to use your website again, Many thanks for an extremely smooth transaction.”
James.

“Tom, Thanks you for the email. I am pleased to confirm that the order was received fully intact in a timely fashion and my boys are enjoying making and playing with the models.”
Angus

“Tom, very pleased with the service - very fast delivery and the products were sold at a very competitive price, will have no hesitation in using your site again,
Regards”
Dave

“What a very nice touch to get an email asking how the order was. Very happy is probably the most suitable expression. Great price, absolutely no hesitation to say that you are more than capable to deliver the goods.
Cheers and thanks, , , , , I’ll be back”
Peter H

“Hi Faith,
The parcel arrived safely today. Thanks for your excellent service.
Kind regards”
Chris D

“Dear Tom
The order was received promptly, and everything was ok. Have already added your shop to my favorites list.
Regards”
R. Taylor

“Hi i received your e-mail about my order i placed on the 4th order no 801 i received the order the next day everything was in 1st class condition. Many thanks would order again.”
Mrs. B. Adams