The End of Franklin Mint ???

[Christian]

I know that 1:48 is not that popular here and FM tend to get slapped about a bit (sometimes unfairly in my view) but I and others still continue to collect and love em.

However some news on the TDHP indicated that FM may have finally finished up.

I and a couple of lads have been awaiting eagerly for some special edition releases, but apparently a member on TDHP reported from a retailer in Germany that the Swiss Mirage has been cancelled.

Speculation has indicated that FM is finally done. :(

If true quite sad. No manufacturer has released the heftiness of FM models and to be frank not many have released the variety in aircraft and nationalities.

As I said sad. :(

One major fault of FM is their lack of communication (the Pooch or CW have nothing on them) so I figure there will be no announcement.

Anyone have any definitive news???

[ZS-VAN]

Nah mate, but that Swiss single seat canard Mirage III has been mooted ages ago. In fact there was talk recently of it being released. Now the news it's not happening. I doesn't sound very promising and the Ozzie one, well, no-one seems to know what's happening there.

IIRC FM did announce that they were stepping out of the die-cast aviation arena but that they would do special commissions. If that has changed then I fear they may well be done.

[MiGAlley]

What a shame - the models that got me started with this hobby back round the turn of the century, and gone now that things were finally looking up again - the finish had gotten better (pad printing again, rather than decals), and the models were getting better and better (Mirage). FM mixed big and bold into some iconic releases - and made some pretty capital mistakes along the way (from the Messer's tailplane, the Focke's nosecone, to the strategy of flooding the market with models). Although I've sold some of mine along the way, there's many that shall continue to star in my collection, and I'll miss them now that they've - apparently - gone.

Fingers crossed for a Lazarus-like revival with regard to the commissions!