A case of the vapors

I just removed three companies from the Kit and plan pak producers links list. One was Badd Azz Rocketry, which announced it was shutting down in August and indeed seems to have done so — the web site’s gone, anyway.

The other two, not so much agreement between said and did. One was Qmodeling, which shut down after a flood in 2011 but kept their web site up with a message saying they’d be back. It’s still up. I won’t bother including the link, though, because it says “It has been a long time coming, but the QModeling shop is retuning! [sic] If all goes well, we are targeting our return for the 2013 holiday season, so please keep watch and save some cash for some great deals.” And it’s said that for, obviously, over a year. I’ll believe it when I see it. Look, yes, they suffered a disaster and can’t be blamed for not being able to return to business. But would it be that hard to either update the web site to reflect reality, or shut it down?

Likewise Flight Systems, Inc. which announced their return to kit production this year. They wanted people to send in pictures of vintage FSI rockets: “We are planning to launch the product page on September 1st, so please have your submissions in by August 28th, 2014.” And yes, it still says that — on the product page, which still shows no products. Here again, FSI may be afflicted by circumstances beyond their control. Maybe. I have no idea what’s going on, because they’re not saying, at least on their web site or in any forums so far as I can see.

(Then there’s the sort of opposite: Semroc is still in business, though with far reduced stock, many months after announcing they were shutting down. Last I heard they were still planning on shutting down, sometime, but hanging in there in hopes of selling the business. I continue to hope they find a buyer they can make a deal with.)