Historic Racing Miniatures

[cruz]

For you guys that know the work of the incredibly talented Harold Bradford (Historic Racing Miniatures) here is one of his latest creations soon to hit the resin market..............

This is going to be a gorgeous kit, make sure to contact him and put in your orders, the quality of his products is superb................ ;)

You can contact Harold at historicracingminiatures@comcast.net or call 301-604-8591, hopefully this is his current contact information........Good luck!!!!!!

[Danger]

I have been waiting on an engine kit that is produced by HRM (Historic Racing Miniatures) for about 4 months now. I heard he has stopped casting, but I still see his ads in the magazines.The company I ordered from doesn't have any updates on when or if casting will start up again.

Does anyone know if HRM is still operating?

Danger

[Mike Kucaba]

Yes , They are. I've waited a few months too, but this is a one man operation. Have you been in contact with who you ordered from?

And before anyone jumps the shark... This is not a critical barb against HRM or anyone that sells their items...It's just the way it is.

[RANDY L]

HI

i have several of his parts and a full kit.It is WORTH the wait the stuff is fantastic.

Randy Ludi

[Mike Chernecki]

I talked to Harold a few weeks back and ordered the Ferrari TR250 engine kit, had it in under 2 weeks. Island Collectibles just restocked a bunch of kits a few weeks ago, I picked up the GT40 engine/suspension kit from there. All the kits are amazing. I plan on ordering the Cheetah kit very soon.

[Danger]

Happy to hear they are still operating. The Ferrari TR250 engine is what I have been waiting for. 2 weeks to get the order!?! I guess I'll have some harsh words with the company I ordered it from.

Danger

[vamach1]

I see Brad about every other month and the shows I have been to he always has a decent stockpile of parts. The issues with the resellers like Island Collectibles is they may not actually have the times and stock and if Brad has run out then IC has to wait for Brad to make them, ship them to IC and and IC to ship them to you. Needless to say this can take longer than buying something on Ebay with a buy-it-now option. I have seriously considered buying out his stock (or a large portion) and sell it on Ebay to reach more buyers and speed up the order to shipping timeframe. Of course all this depends on how fast he can make the product, how much I would want to buy up front, how much markup would I add to cover my cost and time. As others have said, he is a one man operation and fills direct kit orders on an as needed basis. I can ask him what he thinks of my idea. If I go that route, I would probably add some of Norm's R&M stuff too to my "inventory" as he makes some very unique resin stuff as well but he is also a one man operation.

[Sport Suburban]

His stuff is great but his wait times can be rough. Patience is defiantly needed but so worth it. I have his Cobra Daytona Coupe (5 month wait), Corvette Gran Sport roadster (4 month wait), 62 Corvette (15 month wait) ,61 Corvette (18 month wait). And two of his GT40 engines. The Corvettes I order just after one was featured in the Model Cars mag. The demand was higher because of the coverage. I got the 62 just before the Revell kit hit the shelves.

All my orders were though Strada Sports and my credit card was not charged until he received the order and was ready to ship them to me! I also knew that his wait times were long when I placed the orders and was fine with it.

Also as a note to Harold and his customer service. I had bought the Cobra Daytona Coupe 6 or so years ago. I started building it a few years ago. I noticed I was missing the two front inner fenders. I contacted him about it and he sent me the missing parts at no charge.

[SfanGoch]

Building goodwill with customers is important. To wit:

Goodwill is important to increase your customer base but also retain your old clients. This happens through word-of-mouth publicity and recommendations. Many customers return to you if you’ve provided them good customer service and have established a good relationship with them.

I ordered a number of HRM items for two Corvette GS projects on the bench, through a well known online shop (No, not THAT one ), in May of last year. I received part of the order within a week and was informed that the balance was backordered. No problem. I understand. I again inquired about the backordered items in October and was informed that Harold had some health issues and that the items would be ready in a couple of weeks. O.K., I can sympathize with Harold. I broke my neck in a trucking accident in 2007 and completely understand how one's health has an impact on one's ability to perform common day to day activities.

Forward to today:

I decided to search this forum for any posts on HRM. I found one from August 2014 in which a guy said he ordered a Ferrari TR250 engine from Harold and received it in under two weeks. Not bad. I ordered, among other items, a set of headers and two sets of Hallibrands in May and I still can't get those eight months later.

Yeah, I know, Harold's a great guy and his products are worth the wait. The same was said about Gordon Brown. Gordo runs a company called Cromwell Models. It's also a one man operation. For those of you who cross over to the dark side and build armor, you know that Gordo is well known for the high quality and accuracy of the kits, conversions and accessories he produces. Everybody raved about his stuff. Gordo also had a problem filling orders; but, people kept swearing that, for however long it took to fill an order, it was definitely worth the wait. That was until Gordo would stretch that wait out into months, then years. After literally hundreds of complaints from dissatisfied customers were posted on various forums, Gordo finally responded. He said that, among other things, health issues prevented him from fulfilling the outstanding orders but he was going to take care of that. He never really did. He still attends all the major model shows in Europe, still running into irate customers who are still waiting for their items. Needless to say that Gordo doesn't get any more good publicity for either his goods or services. Definitely not the way to foster goodwill with your clients and increase your customer base.

If Harold is experiencing difficulties in catching up with backorders, wouldn't it be smart, business-wise, to get someone to help with the casting? I'm not attempting to disparage Harold. I just question his method of operation. To be honest, except for being on an organ transplant list, nothing else is worth the wait.

[Erik Smith]

This is a never ending theme with cottage industries. There are always going to be the guys who don't do a very good job estimating the amount of time and commitment it takes to run a small hobby business, then live in denial as they continue to accept new orders and fail to fulfill a majority of them. There is really no penalty for slow business in one where you make so little profit and don't have overhead bills and such (if you were running a brick and mortar enterprise), so they tend to trundle on, periodically filling orders. "Health Issues" is also a recurring theme, and I'm not calling people out or making accusations - health issues are real. Why continue taking orders and making promises? Give people their hard earned money back until you can come through.

The point is, some of the small "businesses" really aren't businesses at all - they are more like the type of acquaintance friend that says he will do something, but life goes on 10 minutes after he leaves and ignores everything he said...

I stick with the tried and true outfits unless I know somebody has something in stock.

[southpier]

after sticking it out in the construction business for too many years, I understand how a guy (electrician, painter, resin caster) can be great on one job, and so his popularity rate soars. unfortunately, he's still only one guy, but now has to cut his production pie in many more pieces. something always suffers, and now his reputation is shot.

people who are craftsmen are not always good at business. even doctors are notoriously poor at business management. it's a rare thing to be good at both without the volume of business which will enable a support staff. RM of M comes to mind as one of the best but I know there's more.

it probably takes as much time to refund a payment as it would to send the order. everyone (I know: bold absolute) believes they will get more done in a day than they actually are able.

good thing there are venues which allow current conditions to be commented. otherwise, how would we know "who's good this week?"

[Ace-Garageguy]

A real shame about this, as I've seen his products and was very impressed by the detail and what must be exceptional quality of the masters. Guess I should have bought some at the show in November.

Health issues can be a very real drag on our abilities, especially as we age. I've had my share, and they've cost me a lot of business. Communication is key however.

If clients are kept in the loop and continuously updated, with realistic projections as to when things might shake out, or refunds offered, there's often no long term damage done to one's credibility.

[vamach1]

I think part of the problem is the re-sellers advertise his products when they really do not have them in stock and have to wait for Brad to ship them to them and then be reshipped to the customer. Ideally Brad would sell direct via a website or Ebay but that isn't his expertise. With specialty products like his I would call and ask if the product is in stock and only pay for if it is. That's my two cents.

Edited January 26, 2015 by vamach1

[Bill J]

First let me say that I love every HRM product I have ever gotten and I wish HRM continued success.

Now, consider that there are some resellers that advertise the product and do not have it on hand, which creates a problem. It could also be that some of the resellers add to the problem by taking the money from the customer and then hesitating to order from HRM for whatever reason, poor cash flow, crappy business management, whatever. That can greatly add to a delay in receiving desired items.

It also could be that some retailers have a habit of ordering things and being slow to pay for them, thus ending up as a low priority when a follow up order is placed. In other words, the retailer is less favored and a lower priority to a supplier.

Pure speculation on my part but it makes some sense. As far as HRM goes, I know who I order from and who I will NOT order from. I have learned the hard way who will get me the goods the quickest and it never was any fault of HRM.

[Quick GMC]

It is pretty well known that there is a wait for HRM stuff. If someone has it.in stock its because theyve had it for a while. I have been informed by a few reputable people that there is a backlog of jobs and he does the best he can. With trade shows and other stuff, I dint think he ever catches up to the point where he casts your order right when you place it

Check with your vendor first. Also have tour vendor contact harold if possible to give you an ETA.

As someone who is fed up with with waiting for orders with no comminication, I have no problem waiting for my HRM stuff. It will come, and when it does, it will be worth the wait.

[SfanGoch]

With trade shows and other stuff, I dint think he ever catches up to the point where he casts your order right when you place it

Which brings us back to customer goodwill and setting priorities. What good does attending trade shows, and showcasing your products, do for your business if you can't maintain a decent product output to satisfy customer demand? If attending these shows prevents Harold, or any other small manufacturer, from catching up in production, it's obvious what would be the most logical thing to do.

Expecting one's order to be cast immediately upon placing it is unreasonable. So are protracted waiting times based on "It'll be ready soon." In my case, the owner of the shop emailed me that he contacted HRM and was told that he would receive his orders (including my stuff) in a couple of weeks. That was three months ago. I received another email this past week indicating that the shop was expecting a shipment on Friday. He doesn't know what's being shipped, let alone if my backordered items are included. Gee, would it be too much to ask of HRM to fax over an invoice to let a retailer know what to expect?

"He's a one man operation" isn't a good reason for being backlogged to such an extent. There are plenty of one man operations which are able to meet the demands of customers with a minimum of delay. Joe Bakanovic's The New TMD comes to mind. Here's what he has to say:

"I have learned that this is a business and, as such, I have to run it as a business – not as a ‘for profit’ hobby. This means I have to be cost efficient in how I run things and, over the years, I have found the most efficient way for me to run things by myself is to make everything as you order it. I simply do not have the time for the full scale production necessary to keep shelves full of ready inventory. This also means I can no longer sell to dealers. Instead, I will market and sell directly to you, my valued customer and cherished friend. Unfortunately, this also means I need to work harder to spread the word about The New TMD’s product line. Part of my marketing plan is to make products you’re so crazy about that you can’t help telling your friends about them (or, if that doesn’t work, to make products your friends are so jealous of they steal yours so you have to come buy more from me).

Operating as a one-man shop also means I have to rely on the internet to conduct all my business. This is actually a double-edged sword. While I might miss out on a large portion of my potential market who either do not visit English-only modeling DG’s or who do not use computers all together, it also means I can offer you more competitive prices by taking advantage of modern technology. Just one example of how this works can be found in the cost savings I can pass on by posting the instruction sheets for my products on line. Instead of including expensive printed instructions in every product, I am able to post pdf files on my web site that you can download onto your computer. Not only does this allow you to magnify the instructions for better clarity, it also means I can include more pictures and more detailed instruction to help you assemble your New TMD product.

On the up-side, this means that I can offer my products at a very competitive price. It also means I will be the one who personally casts and inspects every piece that leaves this shop. If I’m doing what I am supposed to be doing, this will say everything that needs to be said about the quality of the products you buy from The New TMD."

The key is using the internet to your advantage. HRM doesn't, which is not too business savvy. Joe does and is successful at it. He manufactures products of superb quality, they are in high demand and he is able to satisfy that demand with minimal delay. Joe knows how to foster goodwill with clients. He takes the time to inform customers about any problems regarding production and/or deliveries either through his site or by email directly to the customer. He also makes a lot of sound observations as to how a "cottage industry" business should be operated. More "one man operations" should follow his lead. I ain't holding my breath that will be the standard throughout the "cottage industry, though. Old habits die hard.

[southpier]

am i the only one who doesn't know what TMD is? or have a link to their website?

[SfanGoch]

The New TMD is a company specializing in resin kits and A/M for armor models. I just used the company to illustrate how a "cottage industry" manufacturer can stay small and be successful at what he does. If you're interested, here's the link for TMD. Joe makes beaucoup neat stuff for the treadhead fraternity.

[southpier]

thanks; his website looks & works great.

[afx]

Let me start by saying Harold Bradford is a friend of mine and you would be hard pressed to meet a better person. However I will agree that his wait times can, at times, be painfully long. This only occurs when he is out of stock of a particular item that has been ordered through the resellers that he deals through. He chooses not to operate a website.

He is a one man operation who is trying to supply at least (3) resellers, sell direct, work on new products and on the very rare occasion actually build a model. This is a demanding schedule for one person.

It hurts me to hear people complain about his delivery times. Therefore I have tried to suggest ways that he might reduce them. He operate his company the way he is comfortable with and that way that he knows how to. It may not be the way you or I would do it but it works for him and has worked for him for a very long time.

Please note however I have never heard anyone complain about the quality of his products.

I will tell you unless something catastrophic happens to him you will get your order.

[SfanGoch]

Why should it hurt you? There is nothing personal about complaining about a company's practices. It's strictly business. That's part of what happens when you operate an entity dealing with the general public. I have no qualms about pointing out what I see as an ineffective and outdated business model. That is my right as a potential/longtime customer. Anyone who spends his money on any product or service is entitled to the reasonable expectation of a reasonable delivery date and the right to voice his displeasure about what is seen as less than acceptable service rendered by a company. In the cases where someone is sitting on his thumbs waiting for upwards of a year or more, this is by no stretch "reasonable". Quality of a product doesn't validate or excuse the extremely long interval between order and delivery. "Reasonable" delays, as in a few weeks, are understandable; anything more and the company's dedication to good service are suspect and called into question. "It's worth the wait" really doesn't cut it. As far as any complaints, that should be a wakeup call to anyone running a business of any type. Too many of those will make potential customers to think twice about conducting any business with any proprietor who can't deliver.

Edited January 26, 2015 by SfanGoch

[afx]

You have made your position known several times. The way I see it you can accept that there will be occasional, sometimes lengthy delays in receiving HRM products and chose to wait for your parts or you can cancel your order.

[SfanGoch]

You have made your position known several times. The way I see it you can accept that there will be occasional, sometimes lengthy delays in receiving HRM products and chose to wait for your parts or you can cancel your order.

As long as I am a paying customer, I will either praise or complain about the product/service as the situation dictates. In my particular circumstance, eight months of excuses is seven months too many. The decision to cancel any outstanding order was already made by HRM in not being able to fill it in anything remotely resembling a timely manner. Mr. Bradford's products are good, just not good enough to wait this long. That goes for anything for sale by anyone. I got by in the past without HRM products, I'll do the same now. If, as you pointed out, he has too much on his plate, deciding what his business priorities are would be beneficial to him and his customers in the long term.

[Deano]

As long as I am a paying customer, I will either praise or complain about the product/service as the situation dictates. In my particular circumstance, eight months of excuses is seven months too many. The decision to cancel any outstanding order was already made by HRM in not being able to fill it in anything remotely resembling a timely manner. Mr. Bradford's products are good, just not good enough to wait this long. That goes for anything for sale by anyone. I got by in the past without HRM products, I'll do the same now. If, as you pointed out, he has too much on his plate, deciding what his business priorities are would be beneficial to him and his customers in the long term.

That is, of course, your call. You cancelled the order, correct? You got a refund, correct? If both of those are true, let it go; the stress will kill you.

[vamach1]

Cruz, JC and I have known Brad for many years. I've bought several items from him but we have the luxury of seeing him in person almost every month and if we want to buy something we simply have to ask if he has the item in stock and if not how long it would take to get it. I have no idea who else is ahead of me in line an how long they have been waiting. Except for the Daytona Coupe kit everything else I bought was at one of the NNL shows where he brings out some excess inventory to sell. I'm sorry that you were not able to get what you wanted in a timely manner. Nine months ago I sent off some unique pieces to another resin caster to see of they were interested is copying them. I'm still waiting but I'm in no hurry, I 'm so far behind in building anything that I can move on to one of a few dozen other projects while I'm waiting.