1. Home
  2. Scale modeling discussions
  3. Poor Instructions Rant

Poor Instructions Rant

In the age of digital photography, photoshop programs, and outstanding cadcam programs, how can the model companies keep printing such terrible instruction sheets. Even the build sequence and part number references are wrong in many cases. I spend an average of at least 2 hours per kit trying to decipher poorly written instruction with horrible illustrations. That doesn't allow for working around assembly problems because build sequences are out of order. I wonder how many people just getting into this hobby give it up right away because of this? (:<

Reply to
Count DeMoney
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
Rob van Riel

Dont get the Dragon Sdkfz 234 PUMA kit then. WELL done except that there are soo many things to do in each step, and you have to figure out the final sequence. Actually, I do appericate such well done exploded diagrams like this.

Now VLS instruction sheets, well.. they SUCK...

I know your pain, but I NEVER let an instruction sheet stop me from putting something together wrong....

It's when I get it right that I'm impressed !

Reply to
AM

Aside from thyeir language,the japanese instructions can be a pain-the color chart for example.I have A Polar Lights enterprise Scott Bakula show,& they slipped in an update on 2,or 4 pieces that were labeled wrong.

Reply to
teem

Yeah...I remember that. One of the best features of Tamiya F-1 instructions were the layouts of the parts trees with the name of each part next to the part number down the sides of the last pages...very educational, and worth the read.

Reply to
Rufus

I guess I'm amazed anyone is still putting writing on instruction sheets. We're all supposed to be experts at rebuses by now. Way back in the stone ages companies actually told you the name of the part and the name of the part it attaches to (sometimes suggesting how to maneuvre the part!). They fell downhill fast by the late '60s where we were invited to put Part #3 somewhere near where the arrow pointed to on the drawing.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

Heller did the same thing IIRC, I remember trying to match the list of carefully-explained parts on one side of the sheet of the 1/400 Tirpitz instructions with the exploded diagram representation on the other side of the sheet!

Reply to
Gernot Hassenpflug

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.