Cobra Colors Closed?!

Is it too early to start mourning or panicking? I went to the Cobra Colors web site today and it said there that Cobra Colors is closed. For good? For a well deserved break?
Anybody with any insights?

Yes, sadly they are closed. I emailed Leon from the website this evening, and he replied quickly.

Here's an excerpt:

"I had to close due to a sudden responsibility I have to take on which won't
permit me the time necessary to continue to operate and develop Cobra
Colors. I closed once before under similar circumstances and came back so
I've learned to never say never, but for now I have no idea if or when that
might be."

All of us Cobra Colors addicts need our fix really bad and we can't get it anymore :frown:

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Leon closes his business, what can I do? I still need to orders tons of paint from him. His products are both economic and user friendly.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Leon closes his business, what can I do? I still need to orders tons of paint from him. His products are both economic and user friendly.

I guess like the first person, you'll have to panick and mourn. I know I am certainly mourning :crying:

How long do we have to order paint?! Before he's gone for good?

Too late, man.

It's all shuttered up.

What a perfect capper to a less-than stellar day...

:banghead:

It's like having water, you never want it when you got it and then when it's gone you get real thirsty real fast.
I had been putting a paint order together for myself the last three days to order tonight. That boat sailed before I got to the deck.

I hope Leon comes back, but in the mean time, I am going to miss him.
Chris

Oh man! I was gonna order colors for the SLR I just got!

That is really bad news. I just hope for Leon's sake that the reasons for having to close down are not too serious!

It's strange how things work out. Just a short while ago, after nearly 2 years of trying, I finally managed to get some Cobra paints brought to me here. It was quite a complicated event and Leon was really helpful and co-operative.

Only this weekend I was looking through them and finally read the invoice properly.

All I can say is "Thank you Leon!". It's rare nowadays to meet people who are quietly and genuinely nice.

I think it's safe to say that those CC paints represent the best quality and value for money of any paint I have bought.

I hope his business served him well while he was able to run it and I hope it will be able to serve us again the near future.

Good luck to you Leon!

:( I should have REALLY stocked up. I'd been waiting until I could afford another order, there are quite a few things I still needed. Too bad. I hope that everything pans out for Leon, for him and for us.

All I can say is, I look forward to reopening and I hope the wait won't be too long.

That's a shame. I can fully understand his situation though having been in a similar one myself for last couple of years.

Hopefully without sounding that I'm trying to stick the boot in, there is an alternative - http://www.modelcolourworx.co.uk/ have an excellent paint system specific to the car modeler. Prices good, service top dog!:bigthumb:

That's a shame. I can fully understand his situation though having been in a similar one myself for last couple of years.

Hopefully without sounding that I'm trying to stick the boot in, there is an alternative - http://www.modelcolourworx.co.uk/ have an excellent paint system specific to the car modeler. Prices good, service top dog!:bigthumb:
I hope I'm not sticking the boot in even more but..
Hiroboy's own brand (http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=46&osCsid=ea75913988f6a78f8ce50e76a6c7f92f)is pretty good too.. and cheaper... called "zero".. can be found at his site.

Since the subject coma up, I recently did a comparative "value" evaluation for my Polish forum.

In order or preference from left to right:


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/klutz100/KITS/COBRA%20COLORS/CC_02.jpg


All three of them were similarly priced at approx 4.50 GBP:

Quantitity:
Cobra Colors contained 2,5fl oz (147ml?)
Zero paint from Hiroboy seems to contain about 60ml (nothing I could find on bottle or web page so Steve, if I'm wrong please correct this!)
MCW contains 30ml

Interestingly, only Cobra Colors jar is filled to capacity. The other 2 are "slap filled" i.e. only partly filled so do not use packaging to assess contents.

Labelling:
CC- clear labeling of contents, color and mfctr
Zero - Clear labelling of color contents (AM desugn label is a great touch!) no mention of volume contents
MCW - Clear labelling of color contents no mention of volume contents

Packaging:
Cobra Colors sturdy glass jar with excellent screw top
Zero paints good plastic bottle, seals well
MCW - plastic bottle OK but screw top cracked when closed and leaked.

Paint quality:
Cobra Colors - have not used yet (probably keep them now as "Collector's Items" :lol:
Zeropaints - have not used yet
MCW - excellent paint. Less happy with clear but I am sure this was more dur to my inability to work well with 2-pack clears.

Qlty of service when purchased:
Cobra Colors - Excellent (purchased direct from web site)
Zero paints - Excellent (purchased via hiroboy.com)
MCW - Poor. Order took forever to be processed and communication was less then clear.


I cannot comment on color accuracy - no 1/1 reference available and anyway I am color blind


Please note that the above is MY PERSONAL AND SUBJECTIVE assesment and based on MY experiences only. Other opinions may be completely different.

Packaging:
Cobra Colors sturdy glass jar with excellent screw top
Zero paints good plastic bottle, seals well
MCW - plastic bottle OK but screw top cracked when closed and leaked.


ERRG!!! That is all I can say about the MCW packaging...
I opened the 2 pack clear that I ordered from Hiroboy just now.(Ordered and received mid-July) The hardener had literally 'hardened'. I'm sure that the bottles were closed as tight as possible without cracking the bottle.. and the masking tape was still intact.. but there was a layer of hardened hardener like what happens when you leave white glue in a bowl overnight.. and it was rock hard. The rest of what remained had become a gel/goo-like substance.. The lacquer didn't have a layer on top but again was a gel like substance...
After mixing it 2:1 I must have added 40ml of thinner...2: 1 :6. (I'm stingy and spending 10 bucks on something and not being able to use it really pisses me off.)

I suggest anyone that has MCW products change the bottle to something you know is airtight.

Has anybody done a Hiroboy Zero custom mix?

Sorry to hear this.
The only good thing is I just got an order and i've got at least 6 months till I'll be needing to find a replacement.
I know I can get paint elsewere, but it will be very hard if not impossible to get better service than Leon has provided.

Awww Crap!! I was going to buy some F1 Ferrari red too.. *grumble*

That's just a shame. I can only wish Leon all the best...

That is so sad. For Leon and for the modelling community, as can be seen in the comments. I sincerely hope the closing is only temporary and wish Leon the best of luck.
Cheers
Jens

I hope Leon is doing ok :)...I dont know should I stop ordering other Gallardos as I no long have the paint supply. :(

That's too bad, since I live in Canada, I order CC paint 1 time a year and it was suppose to be next week :-( I was gonna order 20-30 jars.

And about paint that Hiroboy sells, can we order it in Canada?

Good Luck Leon!

Sad to learn Leon had to quit for now. I love the CC paints, and have come to miss them for almost a year since I moved back to France. I have since ordered Model Colour Worx paints a couple times and found their plastic bottles to be seriously leaking, too. I have bought a few 1Oz glass jar from a pharmacy (60c a bottle with cap!!) to store them and have had no "hardening" problem till now. But the paint is much more expensive than CC, 6 euros (approx. $7.5) for 40ml whereas we got 80ml for $6 from Leon...

I don't know if anyone else noticed, but the "paint application guide" from MCW and Zero (Hiroboy's) are exact copies from Cobra colors guide, word for word! At first I thought "Hey, this must be same paint!"....

I wish you the best Leon, and hope you can get back to this hobby someday soon, as you can see you have a bunch of loyal customers who will wait for you. I would still be among them, if only customs would let a few ounces of paint through the border...

His paints were top notch..I had to back out of an order that I needed to finish up a couple of projects. Life altering events in my life..It seems to be that cycle, everyone is going through something right now. Leon, If you are reading this, Thank you for all of the help you provided, hopefully you will still lurk around the boards, and Good Luck My Friend!!

I don't know if anyone else noticed, but the "paint application guide" from MCW and Zero (Hiroboy's) are exact copies from Cobra colors guide, word for word! At first I thought "Hey, this must be same paint!"....
Zero Paints Application Guide is not the same as anyone elses. Please have a read.
http://www.hiroboy.com/pdf/zero-paint-instruction.pdf, I've not seen Cobra Colours guide, but the Zero Guide was written from scratch, so I very much doubt it would be the same.

thats a shame! good luck with whatever he now does

JIM

Sorry for the confusion Hiroboy, I read the MCW guide on YOUR site and did not pay attention enough.

Although I wish Leon the very best in everything he does, this will be a major setback for all of my future projects.:( I was going to place a rather large order but there are more important things than modeling. Best of luck my friend.:sunglasse