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Out of simple...or maybe morbid...curiosity, I checked the old Testors website and found a full list of testors and model master colors. Huh? So I checked the Rustoleum site. They have...or had...a link at the bottom of their home page that goes to their testors website with all the changes. Today that link is gone. BUT the original old testors.com website still exists. Stranger, when you put testors into the Rustoleum search box, you get a page of listings for testor with the top one being a link to the testors.com website. Yes, that's right...the old testors website that is no longer valid. Given the size of the companies involved...from RPM on down...you'd think they'd be able to keep the various company websites up to date...including killing the testors.com site. Or maybe they just don't care enough to bother. Incidentally, for those who might be interested, Stevens International and Megahobby both list 99% to 99 1/2% of all testors products as out of stock. And adding insult to injury for car modelers, there's an online article in the new FineScale Newsletter that recommends the high gloss lacquer and wet look gloss lacquer spray cans from testors as the preferred clear coats for a high gloss car model finish. Now all you have to do is find the stuff.

I just got off a phone call to Rustoleum. Believe it or not, they are now claiming...at least the lady I spoke with...that Rustoleum has not dropped Testors or Model Master! When you find the Testors link on their website, which is at the very bottom of their home page in fine print, the link takes you to the familiar testors.com website, showing all of the usual line of paint...including the entire range of enamels, acrylics and metalizers. According to the lady, she states that all of the colors are available, except for a few colors that were discontinued due to lack of demand. If that isn't enough, the reason all of the colors...including the ones that were discontinued...is because a quantity of them are still in the warehouse since all of the paint is manufactured to have a five year shelf life. When I told her that I have personally had unopened bottles that were less than a year old go bad, she repeated her mantra...sounding like a robot voice...that the paint has a shelf life of five years but that they paint I referred to may have been kept in storage for an extended time before it was put out for sale. More interesting is that the direct link to the Rustoleum version of the Testors website...corrected to show the available products after announcement Rustoleums (actually RPM) purchase of Testors is no longer accessible. That link gets a 404 page. Considering that Model Master is no longer available in the local shops and the online shops show most or all of the Model Master line as out of stock or simply not listed, you have to wonder why the canned statement from Rustoleum?

It is now 10:41 a.m., October 28, 2019. I just got off the phone with Rustoleum and here is what I learned: 1. The Bulletin about Testors going away is fake and they are still trying to track down who posted it. Rustoleum didn't say so, but I would suggest the idiot is in a world of hurt whenever he or they are caught. 2. It is TRUE that international distribution will end EXCEPT for Canada. Again, Testors products will continue to be distributed in the U.S. AND CANADA. 3. It is TRUE that Aztek Airbrushes are gone. 4. It is TRUE that Metalizer products are gone. 5. The ONLY link for current Testors products is https://www.rustoleum.ca/product-catalog/consumer-brands/testors/ 6. The familiar testors.com websie does NOT show the correct current product line. 7. The Testors link at the bottom of the Rustoleum home page is NOT currently correct. At this time, it takes you to the old testors.com home page. 8. Having been made aware of the link/website problems, Rustoleum will be working to correct them. 9, Rustoleum stated during our telcon that Model Master is not going away any time soon, but colors that do not sell will not be continued. What that means for anyone's favorite color I can't say since I have no idea what their criteria for sales volume is.

Today I stumbled across a post on the Oldie & Goldie Scale Models Facebook Group. Someone had posted an alleged Product Bulletin that was addressed to all Testors Distributors. Subject was the end of an era. If you want to look at the Bulletin yourself, go to Facebook and search for Oldie And Goldie Scale Models. Some are claiming that it is fake news and others don't know. BUT at least one person stated that what they did know...from a separate source...was that Rustoleum was definitely dropping Aztek Airbrushes along with the International and Military colors. Since the above info was impossible to verify, I went to Rustoleum's Testors website to see what, if anything, had changed. Here's what I've discovered: 1. Aztek Airbrushes are no longer listed. 2. There are 20 One Coat Lacquer Spray colors (19 colors and Spray Wet Look Clear 3. Dullcote & Glosscote are still available in both spray and bottle. 4. The entire Metalizer line is gone, including Metalizer Sealer and Thinner. 5. Acryl acrylic is still available as follows....but the number of colors is diminishing: Flat: 34 colors + clear flat Gloss: 18 colors + clear gloss Semi-Gloss: 10 colors 6. Model Master enamels are still available...kinda, sorta...as shown below: Auto enamels: Gloss: 29 colors Military enamels: Flat: 27 colors Gloss: 2 colors Semi-Gloss: 1 color Figure enamels: Flat: 5 colors Semi-Gloss: 3 colors Stain: 2 shades International Military: WW-II US & United Kingdom: Flat: 4 colors Gloss: 1 color US Military: Flat: 2 colors Gloss: 2 colors Semi-Gloss: 3 colors WW-II German Luftwaffe - RLM & Panzer : Flat: 2 colors Semi-Gloss: 8 colors WW-II Italian/Japanese/Russian: Flat: 2 colors Semi-Gloss; 1 color Modern Armor Gulf War/Nato/Russia: Flat: 1 color Semi-Gloss: 1 color Since I started writing this post, all comments relative to the presumed Product Bulletin have been removed. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bulletin image disappears before long, especially if it is fictitious. Still, the list I have provided is taken direct from the Rustoleum/Testors website...essentially straight from the horse's mouth. I'll try to contact Rustoleum the first of next week to see if I can get any updated information.

In case you've been checking the Testors.com website and wondering why it hasn't been updated for God knows how long, here's why. The current Testors website is located on the Rustoleum website at https://www.rustoleum.ca/product-catalog/consumer-brands/testors/ and if you're still a user of Model Master Enamels, you aren't gonna like what you find. As of this moment, here's the categories that are listed for enamels and the number of colors available: Model Master Enamels Flat colors: 27 Gloss colors: 2 Semi-Gloss: 1 Figure Enamels. Believe it or not, they also lumped naval enamels under the figure enamels heading. Figure colors: 6 Naval colors: 4 International Military Enamels WW-II US & United Kingdom colors: 5 U.S. Military Colors: 7 WW-II Luftwaffe & Panzer colors: 11 WW-II Italian/Japanese/Russian colors: 3 Modern Armor/Gulf War/Russian colors: 2 Auto Enamels Automotive colors: 27 And if that isn't enough, there is one category of paint that is completely missing: Metalizer. Not only is Metalizer gone, so is Metalizer sealer, which is a perfect neutral clear coat that can be brushed over decals without having to spray the entire model. Things don't stop there either. Four days ago, Michael McMurtrey listed 76 acryl colors that were being discontinued. Today, the new testors website listed only 62 colors and some of those were also on the discontinued list. Richard Marmo