Modelmaster/NGS decals

Started by trkilliman, October 13, 2017, 01:39:57 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Shiney Sheff

Quote from: middlefour on January 12, 2018, 02:48:51 PM
I think the N Gauge Society has done it's members a great disservice handing all the transfers back to Modelmaster. The web site is a mess, emails go unanswered. I thinks it is time for somebody in the NGS to look into what is going on. I will be using Fox from now on.

I for one have to agree with you entirely. It's a complete mess.

LongHairedDavid

On the NGS shop page it says "NGS members will automatically obtain a 25% discount providing they initially register with Modelmaster by emailing Robert@modelmaster.uk quoting their name, address and membership number, at least 24 hours before they submit their first order". I have sent my details but one week later, nothing so I am not expecting to order anything soon.

David
Ex - Main Man on the Sunset & North Eastern RR.
http://www.gmprblog.co.uk
David
FC - Pennvale Sands - N Gauge
Ex - Main Man on the Sunset & North Eastern RR.
http://pennvaleblog.co.uk

silly moo

I'm not actually an N Gauge Society member at present so the discount wouldn't apply to me. As a paying customer ordering through the website that shouldn't make a difference. It does sound as though all the N Gauge plates are in right mess.

trkilliman

I have said a few times on here that for me the main benefits of NGS membership have been the society kits, special commisions, and the Modelmaster decals that were available to members at an attractive price.

I'm sure that I am not alone in saying I would appreciate, as a member, knowing what the deal was with handing the decals back to Modelmaster.

middlefour said on Jan12, " I think the NGS has done it's members a great disservice handing all the transfers back to Modelmaster"

There will be a lot of NGS members who do not use this forum, and others who do that prefer not to voice their opinion.  Maybe NGS renewals/non-renewals will  indicate how strongly members feel about the decals now out of the societies hands.

Shiney Sheff

This is a copy of my original question with the answers about what has happened with the NGS plates. I assume I'm not infringing any copyright by posting here, if it is then Mods, please delete.

... 12/22/17   
Can someone give an honest answer to a bewildered member?

What on earth is the situation regarding name/number plates and transfers, there is so much speculation as to what has really happened to them? why is it not possible to get, what was previously readily available.
After all, I am sure many members like myself, joined the society to have plates/transfers available when we needed them, and not as some are saying, they have not received anything after months of waiting for their orders to arrive.

It seems as though all the stock previously held, bought and paid for by the members has vanished into thin air.
Reply
Like
More
Richard Elms 12/22/17   #440   
Edited 12/23/17
I don't see what the problem is, the society website quite clearly states "The Modelmaster range was made exclusively for the NGS and solely available from the NGS. However, given the sheer size of the range, the NGS has reached an agreement with Modelmaster to stock and sell all the transfers and nameplates, making it easier to find the item required." see http://newweb.ngaugesociety.com/?page_id=55

It is therefore quite possible to still get them from Modelmaster rather than the society. Their website is https://modelmaster.uk/. By registering in advance with Modelmaster you still get the Society discount.

Don't forget that the NGS  is run by volunteers, have you asked them directly about this, I'm sure it has been in past journals, there was an update in Journal 1/17.


. . .
Reply
Like
More
1 person liked this
... 12/22/17   
I thought that was the idea of this board, for members of the NGS to ask questions about their society? therefore bypassing having to contact the individuals that give their precious time to run the society.
Reply
Like
More
1 person liked this
Julian Thornhill 12/22/17   #443 
This is what we are about, from this group's home page:

This group is for N Gauge Society (NGS) members, for discussions and queries about NGS projects and the running of the society.

For example

Contents of the NGS web site
Ideas for new NGS kits or RTR
How the model making competition is organised and categories
Queries about events organised by the NGS for members
Questions about the NGS accounts


Information on the society may be posted here, for example about shop products coming back into stock.



Members of the NGS committee who are members of this group may respond directly; if not the moderators will ensure that matters are raised with the NGS committee when necessary. Postings by NGS committee members may not necessarily represent official NGS policy.

regards

Julian Thornhill

Reply
Like
More
. 12/22/17   
Julian, are you saying that because all plates and transfers have now been transferred to Modelmaster is is not a society matter anymore?
Reply
Like
More
Julian Thornhill 12/22/17   #445 
I'm not saying anything, other than reminding people of the purpose of this group. I'd say that posing questions about what the NGS does and does not provide for its members is on topic. I hold no official position within the NGS.

Best wishes

Julian Thornhill
Reply
Like
More
Bob Harris 12/22/17   #446 
Thanks for clarifying Julian. With regard to the transfers I really cannot see what the problem is with ordering from Modelmaster direct. In fact it sometimes becomes easier to order direct from the originator...saves time and sometimes money.

Cheers

Bob



. . .
Reply
Like
More
Alan Reed 12/23/17   #447 
To bring the discussion right back to its original topic, the distribution of plates and transfers has never been ideal because the vaste stocks were inadequately catalogued and sorted.  A team of dedicated members spent many hours sorting the stocks and listing them on the Society Shop before the decision was taken to hand the distribution back to Modelmasters.  ALL the stocks were passed to Modelmasters -  Gill Reed and I personally delivered them to Scotland and handed them over.  The owner of Modelmasters (they are a small operation) were over-whelmed by the sheer volume and had to relist them all on their own website.  Distribution was slow initially but I understand that things have now improved. Although the distribution is being done by Modelmasters, the Society still benefits financially from every sale.

. . .
Reply
Like
More
1 person liked this
Gdoe7@... 12/23/17   #448 
Alan, that is an interesting clarification thank you. Would you be able to further clarify whether the stocks held by NGS were sold back to Modelmasters or was it the case that the society did not have financial liability for the stock until there was an order from a member.

Regards
Graham Doe
Reply
Like
More
Alan Reed 12/23/17   #449 
I am no longer treasurer so cannot comment officially but the agreement entered into was that the stock remained the property of the Society (and will form part of the year-end stock) and sales proceeds collected my Modelmaster will be passed to the Society, after retaining an amount for expenses and commission.

. . .
Reply
Like
More
  12/23/17   #450 
I have personally registered with Modelmaster to gain the NGS discount, but not ordered anything yet as, when reading other forums, there is a big problem with actually getting them delivered after order, (some are saying 2 months later nothing has arrived) One has to assume then, that when the plates/transfers were handed over, they were in no order, so need time and effort to be sorted by the recipient?

All I am after is clarification as to what exactly is happening, as there is a lot of rumour and speculation surrounding the state of play, one thing that does bother me regarding Alan's statement about the proceeds of sales coming back to the NGS, is if they are going to take so much time and effort to catalogue ready for sale, will there be anything left in the money pot? 
Reply
Like
More
  Noel Leaver 12/23/17   #451 
To add to what Alan said, the transfers that were specific to particular kits but had been printed by Modelmaster were retained (in principle) though at the moment I'm trying to find out (in my role of transfers officer) exactly who in the NGS has what decals and how many. A few are listed in the NGS shop. The P.O. sides (for the PO wagon kit) however were returned to Modelmaster and are listed by Modelmaster. A few sheets for kits had also been sold separately by the shop, it is unclear where some of these are.

It is my aim to have transfers available for all the kits in time, I've done artwork for new sheets for 8 kits that have never had any, and am currently getting a test print of a couple.

Noel
Reply
Like
More
Alan Reed 12/23/17   #452 
I cannot comment about delivery times.  I personally placed an order and received it within 10 days.

No, it is not true that the plates and transfers were in "no order".  The transfers were generally in order and were counted approximately.  The plates were in full order and fully counted. 

There will be no cost incurred but, even if there was, the prime objective of the Committee at the time was to make the products available to its members as quickly as possible and it was felt that the best way of achieving this was to use the facilities offered by Modelmasters.

. . .
Reply
Like
More
Les Richardson 12/23/17   #453 
My experience so far.

I am still waiting a reply from Modelmaster to my email on 2nd October registering my NGS Number.  I have also yet to hear back from Modelmaster as to whether the plates I particularly want (which WERE on the NGS list and are NOT on the current Modelmaster list) will become available.

I have been told that plates for two of these locos do not exist.  I have yet to send back the photos of my locos running with plates that "don't exist" as supplied by Ray Hansen......

Needless to say I've been using Fox for those plates that they now do, and intend sending Fox a list of the gaps in the Modelmaster advertised range.

All the very best

Les

(one of my main reasons for joining the NGS in the first place was the availability of nameplates.  Another was the facility to join and renew at York show....)



Reply
Like
More
Richard Benn 12/23/17   #454 
My experience.

I registered for my NGS discount with Modelmaster as per the instructions when it was first announced.

I placed two orders in June this year for a number of products showing as in stock. The discount was not applied to my order.

After a couple of months and several unanswered emails I telephoned and spoke to the chap who said the delay was due to the fact that he had not been told that the transfers had been renumbered by the NGS and what he received required extensive sorting. He said that he would process the discount and send me a refund for the difference.

In December I received one of my two orders but no refund for the NGS discount. I emailed to ask about this and the other order but received no reply.

I'm not in any hurry for these items so I'm happy to wait but thought I'd share this (I've previously shared this on the NGF in response to a similar query).

Richard

--
Richard Benn
Reply
Like
More
chairman@... 12/30/17   #459 
One thing that Jim at ModelMaster does emphasise is that he does not have a lot of time for responding to emails (as a small business) so they tend to get overlooked (as anyone with a bulging inbox will tell you) and Jim says that if there are any problems, or if you need any info, it is best to ring him.

Some transfers were out of stock when MM took over and Jim's reordering process takes quite a few months as he has to deal with several suppliers and get as much into his orders as possible to keep prices down.

Richard (Chairman)

Bob

middlefour

Thanks for posting that. It is abundantly clear to me that the NGS haven't got a clue what is going on or how to sort it out. Was that on the so called 'official' NGS forum? One thing is also clear to me is that there needs to be a proper place on the NGS website to ask questions of the Society to resolve matters like this. I know there are some NGS officials on this forum so what do they think about this situation? The comment that the owner of Model Master is too busy to answer emails is ridiculous to me.
For me the NGS was a source of knowledge and the items stocked by the shop. I understand because of what happened things had to change but it seems that the proverbial baby has been thrown out with the bath water. Also the proposal that kits are to be sold without transfers really makes no sense at all and I am beginning to wonder if it will be worthwhile rejoining next time around.
Steve

thebrighton

Quote from: middlefour on January 17, 2018, 02:46:43 PM
Also the proposal that kits are to be sold without transfers really makes no sense at all and I am beginning to wonder if it will be worthwhile rejoining next time around.
The membership benefits are certainly dwindling although someone is bound to say 'what about the journal' but membership is basically turning in to a magazine subscription and as for the 50th Anniversary Show.............

middlefour

A 50th anniversary show you say...what was that then........ ;) ;)
Steve

Shiney Sheff


red_death

Quote from: middlefour on January 17, 2018, 02:46:43 PM
Thanks for posting that. It is abundantly clear to me that the NGS haven't got a clue what is going on or how to sort it out. Was that on the so called 'official' NGS forum? One thing is also clear to me is that there needs to be a proper place on the NGS website to ask questions of the Society to resolve matters like this.

I think the NGS knows exactly what is going on but as explained by Alan what is the alternative solution? I've yet to see/hear it.

The discussion was taken from the NGS groups.io board - which was indeed created to discuss NGS matters without airing everything on the NGF or the N Gauge group, why does another forum need to be created?

Quote from: thebrighton on January 17, 2018, 03:26:30 PM
The membership benefits are certainly dwindling although someone is bound to say 'what about the journal' but membership is basically turning in to a magazine subscription and as for the 50th Anniversary Show.............

There was no mystery about the fate of the 50th show - it was explained on here and in the Journal/NGS website what the problem was.

Regardless of the problems the NGS has, it is still a bargain at £18/year.  6 copies of the Journal, exclusive kits and RTR (which continue to be developed). Could things be better and more efficient - of course they could.

Cheers, Mike (NGS Committee member)



middlefour

As I understand it the forum you mention is not an official NGS forum linked to the web site which the NGS should have had a long time ago in my opinion.

So can you say when will the Modelmasters situation be sorted? Are you happy that emails go unanswered? Are you in agreement that kits are now to be sold without transfers. Some answers would be good please.
Steve

woodbury22uk

Quote from: middlefour on January 17, 2018, 04:09:05 PM
As I understand it the forum you mention is not an official NGS forum linked to the web site which the NGS should have had a long time ago in my opinion.


I think that the problem has been and continues to be that there are plenty of people who say they would like such a forum but not enough of them who would be prepared to volunteer to provide the 24/7 administration and moderation that would be needed. The existing groups.io set up is as good as there is likely to be without a largish team of new member volunteer admins/mods, but choosing not to use what is there hardly strengthens the case for a full NGS forum, IMHO.
Mike

Membre AFAN 0196

trkilliman

It's reasurring that I am not the only one who is miffed with the NGS decal situation.

I know of two other members in W.Cornwall who are considering whether they will renew their memberships when the time comes. There have been a few hard to understand decisions taken over the last couple of years.
I'm sure that many will understand and agree that the shop was just too much for volunteers to handle, and accept the closure of it as it was. The decals though are a different situation IMO...an that of others. As for supplying kits when they become widely available, without decals does seem yet another step backwards.

Having been on a committee for many years I accept that decisions have to be made, and usually on a vote
However, sometimes these decisions result in a situation that was not envisaged. Then it's time to consider re-visiting if the decision was the right one...

red_death

Quote from: middlefour on January 17, 2018, 04:09:05 PM
As I understand it the forum you mention is not an official NGS forum linked to the web site which the NGS should have had a long time ago in my opinion.

So can you say when will the Modelmasters situation be sorted? Are you happy that emails go unanswered? Are you in agreement that kits are now to be sold without transfers. Some answers would be good please.

The groups.io board is the closest you are going to get to a full NGS forum for the foreseeable future.  Linking together the membership database amd the NGS website (to allow easy administration of an NGS forum should one ever be created) is no small task with a lot of implications.

I can't say when/how the Modelmasters situation will be sorted.  Of course I'm not happy with the situation but (again) what are the alternatives? Looking after the decals and nameplates is a massive task.

I don't know the full details of the decision behind selling kits without transfers so I'm not prepared to second guess why it was taken (I'd hazard a guess that it was to prevent kit price rises and/or because transfer stock was not available and it is better to get the kit out without transfers than not at all).  IIRC the transfers for the majority of the kits are not from Modelmaster.

None of that is new information - it may well not be the answers you wish for though...

Cheers, Mike



red_death

Quote from: trkilliman on January 17, 2018, 05:37:18 PM
I'm sure that many will understand and agree that the shop was just too much for volunteers to handle, and accept the closure of it as it was. The decals though are a different situation IMO...

The situation of the Shop and decals/nameplates is identical - both had got completely too much for volunteers to easily handle. 

As I've said previously, complaining on here is likely to achieve little.  Writing on the NGS groups.io board or even better by email to the Chairman and/or the Committee is far more likely to lead to a response - don't just complain, ask questions that can be reasonably answered or offer potential solutions.  By all means get other members to "sign" the letter in support and ask whoever you write to when you can reasonably expect a response.

Cheers, Mike



Please Support Us!
March Goal: £100.00
Due Date: Mar 31
Total Receipts: £82.34
Below Goal: £17.66
Site Currency: GBP
82% 
March Donations