Trumpeter replacement parts saga........

Sorry to hear about the CS nightmare...

There's more than one style of Soviet side number... some more straight, some more typographical (and/or "curly," for lack of a better word.) Have any links to photos?

Hi Ed. Yes. The one I think I've settled on is white 27 at the link below.

If you scroll down to the 5th group of aircraft color schemes, White 27 is on the left in the 2nd row of that gtoup of aircraft. I know what you mean about the different styles. The numerals on this one do not seem to be particularly ornate and probably could be hand-painted if I have to resort to that. I'm just looking for an easy way out of possible.

Best regards........Bill

"The world would be a much simpler place if every one could pick and choose their obligations, but we can't and we shouldn't." Major Charles W. Whittlesey

Bill, I think I may have started that thread. I was missing two parts from the F4U-4 and didn't realize until after I started. The parts were in a separate box inside. I got all sorts stories about how and when the parts would appear. At the time they said the F4U didn't have large volume problems so they'd have to order the parts from China. (the logistics of this boggles the mind). The Mig-3 clear parts problems were numberous so they had them on hand ready to go. Anyway after two months of stories about they would take the parts out of another kit, they order them from china, they don't break big shipments and on and on, I finally complained to the mail order place I bought the kit from. They emailed back I'd have the parts by the end of the week. In about a week and a half they finally showed up. I had already bought the K-5 and the Carriers at this point. Haven't built those yet. Trumpeter has some nice kits in their line, the SM79 in particular, BUT NOT FOR ME AT THIS TIME. A product is only a good as the support when there's problems. I haven't heard this story about other companies. So I'll just stay away from Trumpeter for now. It would be nice if somehow the modeling community got the distributor to step up to his responsibility - but they usually would rather go out of business then please a customer.

Val Kraut

I think your open canopy/radioless types are all MiG-1s. It's perilous to try and fix rules for Soviet GPW aircraft but I believe that's how to tell a -1 from a -3.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Gee ya think when you spend the freakin rent money to buy a couple of Trumpeter kits someone at their end would want to fix any problems fast. This way they keep you happy and buying 150.00 model kits. Go figure... Cheers, Max Bryant

Val

This return to your purchase point is what I would have done first. I'll never understand why folks want to go to the manufacturer first (especially offshore companies) instead of the original point of purchase. Why chase a part 7,000 miles when you can go the shorter and more direct distance? The vast majority of retailers will do what it takes to make a kit right. I'll usually take the missing parts from another kit and then deal with my distributor for the missing part. It's my policy in my shop to fix any problem ASAP. I've even ordered kits to steal parts when this was the fastest turnaround. My distributors will take back damaged or incomplete kits. They in turn will deal with the manufacturer.

Dave Henk

Hi Val. Yes, I remember. Interestingly enough, I got another e-mail from Trunpeter this morning saying the parts would be in the mail in "these" days (I assume that's supposed to be "three" days??).

Anyway, I looked up the e-mil they sent me over two months ago and it's absolutely identical to the one I just got. I hope the results will not be identical as well ;~(.

"The world would be a much simpler place if every one could pick and choose their obligations, but we can't and we shouldn't." Major Charles W. Whittlesey

Right about now (and then) the folks at Trumpeter are, or should be, busier than 2 cats with 100s of piles to cover. Not only do they have to worry about all the recent kits on line, restock of some older ones, replacement parts (?), they also have their hands full making new replacement chrome trees for all their Bonnies!

-- Chuck Ryan snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEearthlink.net Springfield OH

Chuck, Not sure I understand this, not being familiar with the particular kit. Are you saying there's a major problem across the board with one of the Trumpeter releases. And in my experience we are dealing with a distributer who's main interest is simply shipping more copies of the same than correcting mistakes of the past. Val Kraut

" they also have their hands full making new replacement chrome

Initial shipments of their '60 Bonnevilles were panned pretty hard for grungy chrome trees. Between Stevens, HH (I read) and probably other vendors wanting to avoid the same debacle Trumpeter's first F4F caused, new chrome trees were promised to be popped and sent to wherever. Several HH board members have just received their new trees.

-- Chuck Ryan snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEearthlink.net Springfield OH

That may all be true and I'm glad they are (now) into quality control for the products they produce. However, poor and/or slow customer service may well affect modelers future desire for their products.

Granted, mismolded or missing parts is not all that common but, if it happens once or twice and neither the seller or the manufacturer will "make it right," that's a bad thing. I'm sure many others out there have much more money than I do but I can't afford to basically throw away the $50-150 +/- for a Trumpeter kit that I can't build because some key part is missing. This sort of thing, particularly when their customer service responds that they will send the parts but never does, makes me less willing to plunk down the hefty price for another

3-figure molde kit.

"The world would be a much simpler place if every one could pick and choose their obligations, but we can't and we shouldn't." Major Charles W. Whittlesey

Bill, I can't agree here - the very fact that whole shipments of grungy parts managed to get out of the factory tells me they don't have any quality control or inspection. It's one thing to make a mistake that the F4F where the drawings were misinterpreted. That goes back to some kind of design engineering process without checks. But shipping many kits with defective parts or parts missing is something else.

I like to use the example of someone cooking a turkey for the first time. The gas company turned off their supply and they don't know it. So they stick the bird in the oven - set the temperature and 4 hours later take the raw bird out of the oven - slice it up and serve it - without ever looking to see somethings wrong. How dead from the neck up do the workers have to be to pack mutilated clear parts or extremely badly plated parts and not bother to mention it to a superviser, or at least have a Quality guy open up and inspect a few kits to test integrity. There's been volumes written on how to do this type of sampling.

Or for that mater do they ever have a design review or checkout of the first production units.There's an old story from the original Monogram (if I remember correctly). The guy responsible would produce a few first run kits. assemble them himself, then correct any problems after which real production would start. As for design review the F4U-4 was described in one review as a kit designed by 6 engineers who never met. (see my earlier post). I have to believe these guys could produce a kit where the left wing folds and the right wing doesn't.

Creating a product line is a complicated venture - starting with designing a good product that can be produced, producing the product with consistent results, inspecting that the products meet expectations and supporting customers problems. These guys are batting zero.

Val Kraut

"Val Kraut" wrote in news:q8Hbc.11068$ snipped-for-privacy@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net:

I once worked for a computer manufacturer as the 1-800 tech support person. The managers at the plant and at the main office used to swear to me that the units were burned in for 24 hours before being shipped. It was part od our advertising even.

You would be amazed how they arrived to our mail order customers. Drive cables backward, Windows not installed properly, items that clearly said that there was no way they had even been turned on. And it's not like I didn't document everything and tell people in detail about it.

Stupidity is eternal and universal.

There's a great quote in an Issac Asimov book "The Gods Themselves" Not sure the original source

"Against Stupidity, The God's Themselves Contend in Vain."

Val Kraut

Ok I went back and looked it up the quote is from Jungfrau von Orleans by Schiller.

Val Kraut

Crushed my A-4 canopy. HC sent me a replacement within 10 days, no charge. And they were *very* nice about it.

HC catches a lot of flak, but I generally enjoy their kits and now I've the further satisfaction of excellent customer service.

Art

"Art Murray" wrote in news:YR7lc.2511$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net:

I've been waiting 4 years for a replacement stabilizor for my 1/32 Sopwith Camel. Dickhead said he wanted me to send the other one back so they could see what was wrong. What was wrong was the horn balance was broken off and it wasn't in the bag.

Try:

Isabel Blain

Art

"Art Murray" wrote in news:tpdlc.2068$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net:

Thank you I will1