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Whats Happen to Verlinden Products
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Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Joined: September 21, 2003
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Posted: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - 07:44 AM UTC
Anyone know what has happened to Verlinden Products. Seem to have gone quiet over the past few months.

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docdios
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Posted: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - 01:17 PM UTC
i think they are still around, but there are better option available these days, and they have kinda been over taken by others. their release schedule is sketchy at best.

cheers

keith
jowady
Joined: June 12, 2006
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Posted: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - 04:54 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Anyone know what has happened to Verlinden Products. Seem to have gone quiet over the past few months.

Cookie


You might want to check out this thread from a few months back:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/125479#1036435

John
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Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 - 12:07 AM UTC
Thanks for the update guys. I would hate to see the demise of this company, Francisco Verlinden, based as he was then, in Belgium was the reason I got started in modelling. His early works inspired me with there update kits, figures and buildings. Over the years I had purchased many of their products. I know that lately the monthly release of new items has slowed to a trickle. Some of their products are still available in the UK from Netmerchants.com and Historex but the list seems to be diminishing.
They did get some criticism about their figures especially the modern figures which I normally purchased. (E.g. no chin straps on modern US heads) but I found they where a reasonable price and the quality was not bad although not up to the standard of some of the Blast or Mig figures.
I hope we haven’t heard the last of Mr. Verlinden and his model products.

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newfish
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Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 - 02:16 AM UTC
nothings really happened to them there just a bit slow,
ive ordered stuff from various sites and theve came no problem

jimbrae
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Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 - 02:25 AM UTC

Quoted Text

i think they are still around, but there are better option available these days, and they have kinda been over taken by others.


I think that they really overreached themselves. Their catalogue is enormous and although some of their product lines are excellent, others have been overtaken in quality, price and acurracy.

I've always felt that Verlinden was a company operating in a kind of bubble - never really reacting to the new products/trends in the market and endlessly recycling. They ARE still in business, but MUCH less significant than before...
H_Ackermans
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Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 - 02:41 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks for the update guys. I would hate to see the demise of this company, Francisco Verlinden,


That is Francois Verlinden.

As I said in the other thread, the whole company has banked WAAAAAY too long on their name only without looking around them and seeing how others were vastly improving quality and how a lot more companies entered the fray.
jowady
Joined: June 12, 2006
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Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 - 08:51 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Thanks for the update guys. I would hate to see the demise of this company, Francisco Verlinden,


That is Francois Verlinden.

As I said in the other thread, the whole company has banked WAAAAAY too long on their name only without looking around them and seeing how others were vastly improving quality and how a lot more companies entered the fray.


They were though willing to tackle stuff that few others would touch, their 1/200th scale US Ironclads were (are?) very nice kits and cheaper than anything else out there, and I also love their line of US Civil War Artillery, especially their big fortification guns. And who else would make a 1/32nd scale model of USS Monitor's turret? Its true that some other companies eclipsed their figure line but I think that the whole hobby would suffer should they stop production.

John
sopmod6
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Tokyo-to, Japan / 日本
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Posted: Friday, December 05, 2008 - 12:35 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Thanks for the update guys. I would hate to see the demise of this company, Francisco Verlinden,


That is Francois Verlinden.

As I said in the other thread, the whole company has banked WAAAAAY too long on their name only without looking around them and seeing how others were vastly improving quality and how a lot more companies entered the fray.


They were though willing to tackle stuff that few others would touch, their 1/200th scale US Ironclads were (are?) very nice kits and cheaper than anything else out there, and I also love their line of US Civil War Artillery, especially their big fortification guns. And who else would make a 1/32nd scale model of USS Monitor's turret? Its true that some other companies eclipsed their figure line but I think that the whole hobby would suffer should they stop production.

John


I KNOW the modeling community will not suffer if they folded. There are way too many other options out there now. When was the last time you saw a new VP product being raved on here on this site or any other? I haven't....
jimbrae
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Provincia de Lugo, Spain / España
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Posted: Friday, December 05, 2008 - 12:48 AM UTC
I think it's like many other things - some companies have their time in the sun and others take up the baton. Many products (which are still available) were, in their day, brilliant. At one time (for example) their M4 conversion sets were absolute state-of-the-art, now, with companies such as Formations, they are (how can I put this nicely? ) somewhat irrelevant? In figures, looking at what gets announced from companies such as Bravo-6, Alpine or Bodi, the feeling of 'redundancy' becomes even stronger...

I take the point about items such as the ACW artillery or Ironclads - no-one HAS really taken up the slack with these. In many items Verlinden were ground-breakers and i'm damned sure that many of the manufacturers nowadays owe a lot to Verlinden - their contribution CAN'T be dismissed. It's the first rule of business though, adapt or die...

I remember similar discussions here when companies like Airfix 'hit the wall' - they've been able now with a fresh injection of cash and a new management, in a good position they're not particularly important to armor or figure modelers any more though...
DogEgg
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England - South East, United Kingdom
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Posted: Friday, December 05, 2008 - 12:58 AM UTC
I've had loads of great stuff from Verlinden, and some pretty good stuff, and only the tiniest amount of awful stuff. But I do think it should be recognised that their sheer prolific output over many years, has had an incredible and lasting effect on the hobby, whether they kept up with the times or not. I'm sad to hear of their demise, if it is true, and I wish them all the best...
sopmod6
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Posted: Friday, December 05, 2008 - 08:36 AM UTC
I whole heartedly agree. I have a ton of their stuff, and I like the older releases alot more than the stuff that was coming out as of late (cant remember any of them).
I like the diversity of all the options we modelers are given these days. Sometimes its hard to keep up with all of them. One may fold and id never know. Thats how good we have it these days.
Removed by original poster on 12/05/08 - 20:49:22 (GMT).
DogEgg
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England - South East, United Kingdom
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Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 11:26 AM UTC
This may not be old news to any of you but it's new to me - Verlinden have a new, up to date and really well designed website, it's here: New VP

I found it interesting, anyway...
newfish
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Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 11:42 AM UTC
GReat new website lets hope they bring some more figures out what with all the wish lists lately


Tarok
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Victoria, Australia
Joined: July 28, 2004
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Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 12:01 PM UTC
Rich,

Thanks for the heads up - the new site really does look great (although admittedly I haven't spent an age looking through it yet). The new use of figure categories should make trawling through the site easier

Rudi
captnenglish
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Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 12:20 PM UTC
Great new site and while I haven't given VP much thought of late, they do have some figures that I might consider-might.
Cookie
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Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 12:36 PM UTC
Good to see Verlinden back in action

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vonryan
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Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 12:53 PM UTC
sorry to say. but he's been bought out he's older stuff can be bought from 3Deli Hobbys a lot of this stuff can be bought off of Ebay. some of his DIO'S are going for 3thousend bucks and figs are 5 hundred to a thousend bucks check it out
JimMrr
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Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 02:54 PM UTC
Iv got lotsa stuff from Verlinden also ,and being an old codger of 44 Id hate to see a company that was on the ground floor of aftermarketing go away, not just because thier stuff is good,but because they were such a ground floor company. The only gripe I have is their pricing....its a bit steep...
panzergoth
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Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 03:59 PM UTC
Verlinden seemed to be the first to pick up what Shep Paine created and turn it into an aftermarket niche that had never existed up until that point. I remember the old magazine by Kalmach publications when I was in my teens, I think it was military modeller, well anyway Verlinden used to have ads in there the size of 3 postage stamps under the name MDA. Military diorama accessories. Besides Shep; Francois took it to the next level and made it possible for the hobby to expand to the point that it is today. Without those two, there would be no others to have followed as far as the extent of aftermarket stuff is concerned, and techniques that were pioneered by Shep that have been built upon, mastered and exceeded in ways. Those guys opened up a whole new world for all of us. Hats off to both of them. Shep if you are reading this I will see you at MFCA. I think Verlinden moved back to Belgium I last heard and you can buy a lot of his stuff on ebay. The economy is probably a lot better there now anyway and maybe cheaper for him to operate. If you guys want to buy some excellent diorama bases and buildings check out Joe Farina enterprises. When I say dio bases I mean cast with detail already in the base out of dental plaster.The walls have detail cast on both sides and are extremely detailed and realistic. They are sculpted by Paul E. Keefe see ya, Jim Rosado
smokeys_keepers
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Auckland, New Zealand
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Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 08:32 PM UTC
I remember drooling over the Verlinden catalogues I had back in the early 90s. Back then, there was nowhere near as much aftermarket selection as what we have nowadays. I can't get over all the new accessory companies that are out there nowadays, LionRoar, Voyager, Lionmarc and Armorscale to name a few. It would be a tragedy if Verlinden did disappear from the hobby shelves. Lets hope in the current economic climate he can continue on
Kuno-Von-Dodenburg
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Posted: Monday, January 26, 2009 - 09:35 PM UTC
Clayton said:


Quoted Text

sorry to say. but he's been bought out he's older stuff can be bought from 3Deli Hobbys


Jim said:


Quoted Text

I think Verlinden moved back to Belgium I last heard and you can buy a lot of his stuff on ebay. The economy is probably a lot better there now anyway and maybe cheaper for him to operate.


Guys - is any of this actually confirmed, or just rumour?

Has he sold up - and / or or is he back in Belgium and still running some sort of business (your statements seem to conflict somewhat)?

I've seen all the 3Delihobby stuff on eBay and we hear all sorts of rumours - but it would be good to know exactly what the state of play is.

A poster (can't recall precisely who) in a previous Verlinden thread here last year claimed to be "in the know" - but when asked to elaborate, he refused to go into any details (which led me to suspect that maybe he didn't in fact know as much as he claimed to know).

- Steve
montythefirst
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Posted: Monday, January 26, 2009 - 10:33 PM UTC
i found this new website for them.

http://www.verlindenonline.com/store/index.html
Kuno-Von-Dodenburg
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Posted: Monday, January 26, 2009 - 10:45 PM UTC

Quoted Text

i found this new website for them.

http://www.verlindenonline.com/store/index.html


Richard posted the exact same link higher up the page, mate, and people have been commenting on it.

Do pay attention

- Steve
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