Model Railroading > The Discontinuance of Floquil and Polly Scale Paints

I received this notice today at work.

"Unfortunately there are changes taking place at the Testor Corporation. They have made the decision to exit production of the Floquil, PollyScale and Pactra brands. Paint will be shipped for a limited amount of time based on availability. The Testor, Model Master and Aztek lines will carry on."

I guess it is time to stock up on my staple colors.

Darin Umlauft
A WC, SOO and GBW fan in Slinger, WI

Where did the info come from, there is nothing on the Testors website?

Posted from Android

I just got this letter in my EMail.

Friday, May 17th, 2013

Dear Valued Partner,

I am writing to inform you about changes that are taking place at the Testor Corporation. For over 80
years, we have provided premium paints and finishing systems to the craft and hobby industry. Today,
we announced that we are transforming our business in order to more effectively address the changing
needs of our consumers and their interests.

We’ve made the decision to exit the following businesses within the Testor® Brand family - Pactra®,
Floquil®, Polyscale®, and ColorArtz®. This will enable the Testor Corporation to return to our foundation
of success – providing premium, innovative product that inspires creativity. We will continue to accept
orders and ship product for a limited time based on available quantities.

Going forward, the following brands will be critical to our success and development – Testor®, Model
Master™, and Aztek®. These brands will be infused with marketing support, innovation and operational
efficiencies.

In support of this, we have announced a consolidation of operations at our Rockford facilities. Over the
next several months we will provide updates critical to your order and delivery needs as well as product
availability. We assure you there will be no disruption to service during this transition.
Our commitment to the Testor brand has never been stronger. By implementing these changes, and the
ability to leverage all of Rust-Oleum’s world class services, we are more strongly poised to take your
business to the next level through product and merchandising innovations, and increased customer
intimacy. Please contact me or your sales manager directly with any questions.

We appreciate your business!

Best Regards,

Kristin J. Schiro
Director of Sales & Marketing

Thank goodness the infusion of support and commitment to brand implementation will be leveraged with poise to the next level of increased customer intimacy.

We may run out of Floquil, but corp-jargon will flow uninterrupted.

RIP, smelliest paint ever invented by mankind... and our collective first open door to the world of authentic scale railroad modeling colors.

~ BZ

WTF! Floquil I can understand, but water-based PollyScale has been my staple for freight car weathering/basecoats. Insane!

UPDATE: According to news coverage from Model Railroader online - "Testors told Model Railroader magazine in an email that it has no plans to move colors from the Floquil and Polly Scale lines to another line."
http://mrr.trains.com/news-and-reviews/mr-express/2013/05/end-of-the-line-for-testors-floquil-and-polly-scale-paint

So, this definitely means that that there will be no more RR-specific colors from Floquil/PollyScale/ModelMaster then. Outrageous.

So.. If you want to let Testors know what you think of the outright discontinuance of Polly Scale and Floquil,

call Kristin Schiro - Director of Sales & Marketing at Testors

at: 800-435-2942, ext. 4057 or kschiro@testors.com




Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/13 23:23 by tracktime.

Yeah ... really ... talk about a load of corporate BS. Testors just insured that I will never do business with them ever again.

Posted from Android

Here's how to translate the letter:

"Dear customer,

We don't want to pay the price for copywrited railroad names."

Sincerely,

Testors bean counters"

That's bad news. And just after I used my new airbrush and compressor for the first time yesterday. PollyScale was pretty good for brush-painting. Does anybody else make railroad colors that can be applied with a brush?

In talking to my LHS it is their understanding that Pollyscale and Floquil will at least partially get rolled into the Model Master line. It would be very disappointing if they both go away in whole without getting blended.

Russ

Russ,

I would hope that what your LHS said is true, but we need confirmation from Testors that the model RR colors would be folded into the Model Masters line. Somehow, I have my doubts that any of the RR colors from the PollyScale line will survive.

Best Regards,
Harry

NSTopHat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In talking to my LHS it is their understanding
> that Pollyscale and Floquil will at least
> partially get rolled into the Model Master line.
> It would be very disappointing if they both go
> away in whole without getting blended.
>
> Russ

Considering the size of the model RR market, I hope that they are simply consolidating many different brands into a few. I understand the need to reduce a mish-mash of brands, some of which they acquired, in order to decrease costs, simplify SQU's etc.

Mike

Posted from iPhone

Ready to Run strikes again.

Well in the hobby shop that I work we have half of one rack that has been discontinued, they already have discontinued the military and fantasy lines of poly scale paints, most of the Floquil line of spray paint has been discontinued. They would come out with a new line of paints, we would buy the display rack and the first order of paints and then they would cancel the new paint line. I really think that all they want to produce is the basic colors and not have to worry about the fancy mixes for the RR or the military colors.

Andre

Good evening,
Sooooo now what is testors going to make???

Hammer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good evening,
> Sooooo now what is testors going to make???


Rattle cans of Rustoleum for taggers

Have used Floquil for years when it was 65 cents a bottle, and before that 410M and Suydam paint.
In small print on the Floquil paint bottles is the statement: "An RPM company" Who are they?

Watts local

I wonder if the California Air Resources Board (C.A.R.B.) has anything to do with this. Certain automotive & house paints, as well as lacquer thinner, & even some types of furniture manufactured with non-compliant finish are all banned in "The Golden State". For a lot of manufactures it's cheaper to completely discontinue a product line than to make a "special" blend to appease the bureaucrats in Sacramento.

Testors is investigating various possibilities in the realm of targeting individual advancement incentives during the critical time period immediately before minimum loss of after-tax revenue moves in harmony with the forces of the marketplace, whilst empowering top-level executives in preparation for a time when maximum logistical synergy becomes the prevailing consumer outlook.

Sounds like a golden opportunity for some enterprising entrepreneur to go into the paint business. The Floquil name could probably be had for a song.

> "An RPM company" Who are they?


Rust-Oleum, Watco, Weldwood, Bulls Eye, and a lot more. Industrial and consumer paints, adhesives and coatings. They purchased Floquil many, many years ago and moved production to Ontario. When they acquired Testors the Floquil product line was merged and moved to Illinois.