Model Forum / General / Models / June 2007

I've had problems with missing or broken parts but have always been
treated well by the manufacturers. I think a lot of the reviews are
written by those who think each kit should be a museum piece that is
absolutly perfect in every way.  That's not to say that all the
reviews are bad.  I have stayed away from kits that have been reviewed
with serious fit or design problems.  I tend to ignore reviews that
are negative because of a missing rivet or panel line.  For me this is
a hobby.  I am building about 90% out of the box / 10% added detail. I
find that keeps me finishing projects that I am satisfied with.  I
don't have lots of half finished stuff waiting for work / skills that
I don't have.

I think a lot of times with reviews (depending on which organization
(magazine, website, etc) is doing the review) the reviewer may be
dealing with either a test shot, or some other similar early version.
Not saying this is the case all the time, but I'm sure it happens.
 Myself, I've had very few kits with short shots, I can only think of
a couple (AMT/ESCI's 1/72nd F-8J comes to mind. I'd purchased the
first kit and the fuselage was short shot. I sent AMT a letter and got
a replacement kit and it had the exact same problem. Gave up on the
AMT F-8 after that).

   I think I've had maybe three kits in the past 50 years with
short-shot parts.  The one that caused the biggest problem was the
Monogram F-15A.  The incomplete part was the upper fuselage/flying
surfaces.  That stalled me for awhile until the new part came in.  To my
surprise it was of the production wing shape where my kit had been the
prototype wing shape.
   When it comes to ill-fitting parts, I haven't had too much trouble
outside of TKM cars or Merlin kits.
   The review that causes me to snicker everytime I read it is the one
for the '75 Dodge Dart that RC/Ertl managed to title as a Duster.  It
seemed that no one at Kalmbach alerted the reviewer to that fact.  He
spent so much of the review complaining about the parts making a Dodge
when they were 'supposed' to be of the Duster that he came off as
clueless.  Either Kalmbach wanted to impress RC/Ertl with their goof or
their editor let one of his writers make a fool of himself.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

The only kit I've had with short shots is the 1/48 Smer MiG 17.  (I  know
you are shocked to hear that a Smer kit could have such problems!)  I'm
assuming they were short shots.  However, it could have been a flaw in the
mold itself as I had two others of the same kit and the same parts were
incompletly formed in those as well.

One thing to keep in mind about the reviews one reads:  There is no
objective standard by which one rates the flaws.  "A lot of flash", "many
sink marks", "nasty ejection pin marks" are all subjective descriptions.
I'm currently working on a 1/32 Trumpeter MiG 21 F-13.  It has a "good bit
of flash" and "numerous, deep ejection pin marks" in "really noticeable and
difficult places".  Flash to me is a non-issue as I expect it and can deal
with it quickly and easily.  But I hate pin marks!  Some other model
builders may be the opposite - pin marks don't bother them but flash is
hair-pulling nightmare.

Art