Hello everybody,
Today I would like to write a quick update to inform you of the release date for the following items:
- 1/144 Mallaghan CT6000 catering truck.
- 1/144 Schopf F59 tow truck.
- 1/144 Schopf F110 tow truck.
- 1/144 Schopf F210 tow truck.
- 1/144 Towbar for A318/A319/A320/A321
- 1/144 Towbar for B767/B777/B787 A330/A340/A350 MD11/DC10
These items as well as some others such as the 1/144 Flight crew, 1/144 Belt loader (still can’t confirm this one) and 1/144 LD3 container (no doors) will be released and restocked on November the 26th.
I am going way down the end of the month, and this is basically for two reasons: I am making my own packaging; for some items is easier to find the perfect box like in the case of the catering truck, for which the current one I am using has the perfect space for all the bags and parts, for medium items like these tow trucks (except perhaps for the F59) either the other boxes I’ve got (smaller than the ones for the catering truck) or the small blisters are either too big or too small for them.
So I decided to make my own cardboard boxes made to size for these items and most surely for future ones of similar size. I already did a test and it worked very nicely. I am looking for resistance / less weight / and nice finish and also, they can be done quite quickly.
There will be different types of boxes depending on the products, as eventually I will stop using the “standard” blister simply because I cannot find it anymore, however, I will keep on using the small one as it is still in the manufacturer’s catalog.
Talking about blisters, I am studying the very possible possibility to make a second blister shell which will go inside the small blister in order to fit each 1/144 figure in a separate cavity, so inside the small blister there will be a sublister with cavities for each figure and therefore, assure a better presentation and transportation of these, they are currently shipped inside the blister but with protective foam.
The second reason for the release at the end of the month is due to some category changes I will make at the store. Items will now be categorized by type, as the GSE catalog grows, I prefer to put each item in a specific category. I will also set the containers independent from each decal handler, so it can be easy to find the right one (and keep stock units better controlled for me). I also want to do some changes on the decal handlers, provide more quantity and variety on each set, so that you can make your own GSE diorama with the desired airline logos, must be said that with this, some current handler decals will be discontinued (for instance, those that I printed the first day and were never sold).
Sadly, the 1/200 category will disappear, at least, momentarily, as I plan to stop production of those and focus on providing finished 1/200 items. Thinking that most 1/200 enthusiasts are 1/200 diecast collectors, providing a finished item suits better their needs, so even though there may not be many units of each, I expect to provide detailed 1/200 GSE models in the future.
This is my “to do” list for the next days until the 26th:
- Prepare and baggage the parts of the F59, F110 and F210. These parts are already made, and it will be an initial stock of 11 units of each.
- Prepare and baggage the parts for both towbar types.
- Make a finished version of the F59, F110, F210 and the two types of towbars.
- Prepare the packaging for the tow trucks.
- Make the changes at the store and prepare the inclusion of the new items and that means gallery and description, also planning in making horizontal thumbnails for the products rather than square ones.
Naturally, all of this work has pushed me to slow down a bit the B787-9 cargo holds, but not for much longer since I am resuming the work as soon as I’ve progressed half the way down the list above.
I had to wait a few days until one of the materials I used dried properly, we had some rainy and humid days here.
The FWD cargo hold is fully finished and ready for production, decals were designed as well.
The AFT cargo hold work will resume soon, and the new shell will be started in the next few days.
That is all for now, I know I am extending myself with the release dates for everything, but I want to make sure that everything is perfect, I did take my time to improve the towing hitch for the tow trucks, I also improved the hook on the towbars, so I always think that time invested to improve those things is time well spent.
For next weekend I plan to share with you some photos of the finished tow trucks, and will be preparing a kit review/ building process video as usual.
That is all for now, take good care everyone!
Best wishes,
Guillem