2023 Update
2023 is bringing new and exciting changes to Sovereign Hobbies and we are excited to introduce the first few changes!
Ship Decals
As you may have already seen, Jamie has created new decal sets for Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy warships from the late Victorian era to around about the 1960s(ish) era - essentially those using Roman Numerals at 1 foot increments. These are already on sale and are available in 1/200, 1/350, 1/400, 1/600 and 1/700 scale with markings in suitable depth ranges for the majority of applicable ship models available. These have been immensely popular so far and we look forward to seeing them put into action.
Thinners
We were offering our thinners in 125ml, 250ml and 500ml sizes. Unfortunately, due to leakage, we are no longer offering 500ml for posting as we have been unable to find a suitable way of providing these sizes securely without the posties getting wet. These will be available at any in-person events we attend. Thinners are still available in 125ml and 250ml sizes for posting.
New Colourcoats Stock
Another change which has been in the making for the last year is our tin sizing. Sourcing 14ml tins has become increasingly difficult over the last 5 years. Our original tins are now only available in very large batch sizes which we can neither store or finance. We swapped to a European supplier which was much more accessible until Brexit / COVID-19 pushed costs to us up substantially. Whilst these were great tins for us in terms of numbers of defects and achieving a good seal (the older tins made in China may have seemed good to the customer but the reject rate was astonishing with many malformed lids, rust inside new tins and brand new tin lids failing to seal once filled!), we acknowledge they were less popular with you, the customer, and we had some complaints about the European lids being more pliable and some customers found them difficult to open without bending thus reducing their longevity.
After extensive research, surveys and lengthy product testing we have come to the decision that all newly manufactured paint will be supplied in 30ml tins. The benefits of these being manufactured in the UK reducing border delays and belated VAT invoices, available in batch sizes our small business can manage and having stronger lids makes them a clear winner.
Won't larger tin sizes waste paint?
Our initial concerns over paint skinning or prematurely curing due to a larger surface area in half used tins led us to extensive testing. We can confirm that even with minimal amounts of paint left in the tin, as long as the lids are securely put on, the paint will remain in good condition for future use. As always, our recommendations for cleaning around the tin edge before closing the lid remains valid. Skinning occurs when the anti-skinning agent is allowed to evaporate off, so as well as keeping the lids on, we advise that users take what they plan to thin and return the lid. Even brush painters should be thinning paint, so please do avoid sitting at your table for hours with lids off, and that's regardless of who's paint you're using or what size of container it is.
Further benefits of the new tin sizes are a reduced cost per ml. As a substantial fraction of the cost of our paint is the tin cost, this means you're getting better value for money in the larger tin sizes as our new tin size cost is similar to the old 14ml tin. Furthermore, our 30ml tins are less susceptible to being knocked over due to the wider base.
But what about decanting I hear you say!?
As always, we never recommend pouring from the tinlets as this increases waste, creates messy tins meaning your lid won't seal back properly unless cleaned well and leaves drips over the labels hiding the colour names. Pipettes are recommended to decant your paint cleanly, whether this is disposable pipettes or reusable glass pipettes, which is up to you. We use a combination of both through modelling and our factory processes. These are readily available online in various sizing, we like to use 5ml plastic pipettes for modelling and larger 10ml glass pipettes in the factory which are easily cleaned with a quick squeeze of thinners.
Does the entire range come in the 30ml?
No, only new stock produced from 2023 will be available in 30ml tins. All existing stock is in 14ml or 125ml tins. We have pre-sprayed colours coming in 14ml stock which will be released in the next month but all stock after this will only be available in 30ml or 125ml (or larger sizes for custom colours from 1 to 5 litres).
Trade Shows
We have no plans to attend trade shows this year. We would usually attend Scot Nat’s in Perth and love seeing everyone there but unfortunately it clashes this year with our own personal hobby - we shall be off to Orkney learning to make sails for our dinghy. So, whilst we will be sad to miss Scot Nat’s this year as it has always been our favourite show, we will be doing something ship related! If small dinghy boats are your thing - feel free to follow us on our journey building our 16ft sailing dinghy, Melitele - Facebook, Instagram YouTube
There are many more exciting changes this year so keep an eye on our social media and blog posts to hear about them first!
Happy modelling!