Interview with Simon at Brooklin

Today I received my Brooklin Corvair camper van, which I bought from Robert Budig in Berlin.

This is my first Brooklin in some time, the last being the lightblue Ford, which I believe was the first in this all new packaging...

And I must honestly say that it felt nice again....although there are a few tiny things Brooklin should have paid more attention to....

The details inside (like the sink and cups) are nice, that's one of the reasons I decided to buy it...

Those interior details make this a very nice model.

Posted by: @joop

Today I received my Brooklin Corvair camper van, which I bought from Robert Budig in Berlin. 

 

 

I've bought several Brooklins from Mr. Budig's Modellautos company. His selection and pricing, even with overseas shipping, is excellent.

Would like to have had Simon mention something about Promod kits that are apparently planned. 

Posted by: @jkuvakas

The WM folks are, for the most part, older folks that appreciate the qualities of WM. They've never been a majority and never will be. But, IMO, they will always be around.

You described me to a T John, thank you.

My beautiful girlfriend calls me a car snob, and I'm good with that also.

Posted by: @john-quilter

Promod kits

What's a promod kit?

@ben-lampson 

I also would like to know what a promod kit is.

Posted by: @ben-lampson

Posted by: @jkuvakas

The WM folks are, for the most part, older folks that appreciate the qualities of WM. They've never been a majority and never will be. But, IMO, they will always be around.

You described me to a T John, thank you.

My beautiful girlfriend calls me a car snob, and I'm good with that also.

And a friend of mine once said I have a miniaturization fetish.  Looking around the house that could be accurate.

Posted by: @ed-davis

@ben-lampson 

I also would like to know what a promod kit is.

Here is a link to a write up on these from MAR.

https://www.maronline.org.uk/category/model-makers/promod/

Apparently some of the Lansdowne items will be made available as kits.   This is the list I copied and pasted from the MAR write up.

• Austin-Healey Sprite Mark 1
• Austin A110
• Austin Gypsy
• Bedford PC van
• Ford Zephyr Mark 2
• Ford Zodiac Mark 4
• Humber Sceptre Mark 2
• Humber Hawk Estate car
• M.G. Y Type saloon
• Sunbeam Alpine Series III
• Triumph Mayflower
• Vauxhall Ventora Mark 2    
•  
• Some of these items are of particular interest to me as kit builder and modifier.

Hi John

Enjoyed the interview. I wish them luck.  

@jack-daniels I don't think Brooklin has ever had any engineering support in their operation. They "carved" everything from scratch. I also believe they are very lucky to have a benefactor to pour money in for so long since 2015.

The question is more why suddenly there is an unexpected decision to close an operation after a costly move just a few months ago. The market conditions is not a valid excuse.

Another factor going against Brooklin for collectors in most countries is the resurgence of the Pound Sterling in the past 6 months. The USA may be the exception since its currency has remained relatively strong. However, Brooklin cannot survive only from sales to the US market. In Canada for instance, the pound has increased from  1.50 Canadian at the end of September 2022 to a current value of 1.75 Canadian. This means a models selling for 250 pounds (1946 Pontiac) cost $375 in September now costs $437 Canadian. Add on shipping and tax at the Canadian border- this Brooklin model now costs $586 Canadian. My last Brooklin-the 1946 Pontiac was shipped using DHL. Charges were 72 pounds (30 shipping,30 tax,12 customs clearance fees) for a total additional costs of $126 Canadian at todays exchange rate. No fault of Brooklin- they are the victims of currency exchange fluctuations.This could be what Simon was referring to as changing market conditions and probably the reason why sales did not materialize, not the product. I also wish Brooklin all the best, but at the current exchange rates, I won't be buying any more Brooklins.

@kenspear Taxes are helping to kill the hobby. Ebay has been forced to charge sales tax on every sale, even those from Chinese sellers. Recently I bought three old Dinkies from a US auction house. Bidder fees, packing, shipping, and sales taxes all added about 50% to the total sale. I was prepared for the final value fees but the taxes were a surprise.

Posted by: @john-quilter

Posted by: @ed-davis

@ben-lampson 

I also would like to know what a promod kit is.

Here is a link to a write up on these from MAR.

https://www.maronline.org.uk/category/model-makers/promod/

Apparently some of the Lansdowne items will be made available as kits.   This is the list I copied and pasted from the MAR write up.

• Austin-Healey Sprite Mark 1
• Austin A110
• Austin Gypsy
• Bedford PC van
• Ford Zephyr Mark 2
• Ford Zodiac Mark 4
• Humber Sceptre Mark 2
• Humber Hawk Estate car
• M.G. Y Type saloon
• Sunbeam Alpine Series III
• Triumph Mayflower
• Vauxhall Ventora Mark 2    
•  
• Some of these items are of particular interest to me as kit builder and modifier.

The following Lansdowne items are currently available as kits. They go under the name Somerville-Lansdowne:

• Austin-Healey Sprite Mark 1
• Bedford PC van
• Ford Zephyr Mark 2
• Humber Sceptre Mark 2
• Sunbeam Alpine Series III

Price range £36 to £45.

https://promod-diecast.com/product-category/somerville-lansdowne-1-43rd-scale-metal-kits/

So as can be seen this did happen.

@chris-sweetman  Thanks.  I am angling for the  MGY saloon for a conversion into a tourer and an Austin Gypsy.  Any idea when these will be launched?