Luckily I still have hiding in my unbuilt stash a Dumas 1/20 Myrtle Corey paddle wheeler kit with a whopping 38” long hull… well, at least I’ve got one giant paddle wheeler safely in reserve!
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Besides all that, I also want to mention that Dumas models are flying off the shelves at Model Expo.
As soon as shipments arrive at the ME warehouse, they get sold almost immediately.

And I can confirm these shipments are not small. The boxes are enormous, each containing more than 20 kits.
Only about a month ago I personally saw five of those giant Dumas shipping boxes arrive.

Two days ago I checked the Model Expo Dumas section looking for a Mount Washington kit for myself, and it was already sold out. However, they are expecting more shipments.

Another major distributor that is closing out is MegaHobby.

The tariffs that companies have to pay for models coming from outside the U.S. are unbelievable. I’ve seen the numbers myself. Not every model company can keep up with it, so some would rather close.
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Kind of a parallel to the Dumas story...

About a mile from my home there was a military museum. Not gigantic but still pretty good and had a lot of equipment. Tanks, artillery, trucks, even the front end of a WWII landing craft. Loads of weapons, uniforms parentheses including Saddam Hussein's, and a world war II trench that one could walk through. They even had the big models of the Japanese ships used in the movie Tora Tora Tora set in a sea diorama. They even had a full scale model of an island structure that would be used on the light US aircraft carriers.

This was manned by volunteers. They would often hold special events.

Well, The Old Man died, and his son sold everything off. What a great loss to history, and a great display of ignorance, greed, and selfishness. Some things are so sad, they are sickening!

Lew

Chug! Many thanks for this update. I am a bit surprised by all of this. Perhaps, their kits will have some sort of half-life down the road.
We’ll see, but we shouldn’t hold our collective breaths either.

Tx. That tells me a lot about Dumas & confirms other things.👎

Just to give you guys an update about Dumas.
As we know, for decades the company remained a privately held, family-style hobby manufacturer, eventually operating out of Tucson, Arizona.

There have been rumors circulating here that the company might be sold to someone else, possibly even to Model Expo.

I just came back from Model Expo and here is what I was told:

Marc, the owner of Model Expo, did approach the Dumas family to explore the possibility of making a deal. However, the answer was an unequivocal “no.” The Dumas family intends to close the doors and step away from the hobby industry, and at least for now they are not interested in allowing anyone else to continue producing their models.
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One would think a good number of Florida residents would have model boats. We have plenty of ponds, lakes, and saltwater canals, etc., along the coast. But no. Third largest state in the US but I know of only a half dozen clubs here. We tend not to be like the old world and take up hobbies like this.
Being we run in a public park we do get people stopping by to look. Not many, but a few. There is just no interest.
I'll be 82 next week and keep my mind occupied with scale model RC boats, armor, other RC vehicles, photography, web site maintenance, and of course 3d printing (just about anything). In between I try to fit in my family. This year I think I will be giving up yard maintenance. Too hot in the summer. No bingo or trivia nights for me (yet).
Lew

Deans, Aeronaut, Krick, Billings and others seem to be doing all right. However, as someone who is the “spark plug” of the NTMS I can tell you that scale and scale type model boating is a hard sell in the middle of North Texas. There’s model boating here, but most of it is in the form of racing sailing yachts and either glow, gas or 4 cell and up racing boats. On the 2 coasts it’s different. There is more activity full scale in say, New England or San Francisco then here in DFW, as the biggest thing you’re going to see here is cabin cruisers or maybe a push tug. Houston has a sizable scale following too, but they’re near the Gulf Coast.In the UK and Europe scale model boating seems too be more prevalent too. I think it’s just harder here, as it’s just a huge amount of country between the 2 coasts. Also, I’ve seen younger people on non modeling forums such as Reddit do some scale type modelling via 3D printing. They’re out there guys, we just have to find them.
Anyway, I think SOMEONE is going to pick up a part of the Dumas line. Model Expo brought back
some of the Midwest line, it’s highly conceivable they might start producing some of the Dumas line too.
Cash

I wonder what type and how large their manufacturing department is. They said they were just closing. Don't know if they tried selling the business to anyone else. I believe that Loyalhanna Dockyard (New York, USA) had taken over some other bussinesses.
Lew

Jumpugly:
I will have a conversation with ME production manager, but from what I know, for now they just obtain a huge shipments with lots of Dumas kits but he didn’t mentioned anything about reproducing Dumas kits.
I’ll keep you posted.
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... especially when trying to sell an already built Dumas kit, regardless of quality, they just don't seem to sell very well. Pretty much goes for all model boats, including scratch builds, there's not much of a market for them here (Florida).
Lew

Just go and look at some prices for Dumas model boat kits and you will understand why there is a decline in the art of model boats that need to be built by skilled modellers why pay $ 350 to $600 and do all that work while just buying premade R/C models are for the non skilled builders.I'm going off topic but I saw a R/C controlled Lawn More,Snow Plow for over $ 1500.00 That might be fun also.

Loosing the art of building model kits. Dumas' fate and others seem to prove that. On the other hand, Motion-RC (here in the U.S.) seems to indicate that build skills are giving way to buying pre-built models, a.ka., RTR and ARTR. Sad!
Lew

Maybe we modelers can buy it n move it? A buddy bought gyrocopter company, moved it n is doing well. It coukd be a great partime deal. Another buddy owns Glencoe Models. Bet we could share space. I live in suburban Boston area. We have few model shops left here. On line sales are mostly selling. I wonder if they would be interested in a deal to save the brand n its history?

Hey Kenny: Model Expo does market Dumas Kits and it seems they will continue to do so until they are gone. As far as taking over production...nobody knows.

Chit. I've been planning a serious buy for several years ... guess I better get on it. Very disappointing but probably represents the reality of today's market. chit!!☹️

I have been using Dumas dogbone universals for the last 60 years. I'd better stock up on them as well as some other stuff before they disappear. Dumas will be sorely missed. I always like the Trojan Cabin Cruiser I think I'll if I can still get one.

Yessir Trev. It's been horribly depressing as we've all been hitting hard since yesterday. A sad day.
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