Just a observation on my part you might be interested in.
I am new to the hobby.And when i start a kit i look at the bags of sprues and see if all are present,and thats it.
I was advised that the Trumpeter KV series of kits are great for the newbie,and i totally agree.They have been superb so far.My first attempts were poor and i have done a couple of the same kits twice.Has is stands i have done all the series now,i have just got the Russian KVI heavy cast turret 1942,( kit 00359) and this is the wosrt kit in the series.I noticed strait away in the hull biuld,the parts were slightly warpped but i got around that.It was not untill i got to the suspension arms that i realised i was in trouble.They are all out out shape!They all have a ridge running around the arm but worst off all the axle end is out of shape so when the wheels are on they will be at a angle compared to the hull.Also the mud scrapers have no real detail this time,moulded roughly.Because i have started the kit i can not go back to the shop so i contacted the UK distributer will pictures over 2 weeks ago with no reply.So this kit will never be completed now.
I have now learnt that i will not just check to see if all the parts are present BUT i will also check to see if the parts are moulded right.
Bummer that your kit’s poorly done. The one I did, and the few other Trump kits I’ve done, have all been “good shots” as far as plastic filling the molds. The KV was probably the cleanest molding I’ve ever built, any brand.
I got in touch with the UK distributer “pocketbond” explaining the fault and sent photo`s.They did not even reply.I mailed Trumpeter direct a few days ago BUT being the compant is Chinese i hold little hope because of the language barrier.
Every kit i get know i will check the parts well for defects not just part count.If there is a prob i will return the kit to the shop.
Just because you didn’t discover that some parts were faulty before you’d started the kit doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t take it back to the shop that sold it to you. If they believe in good customer service, they should happily refund or replace. They, in turn, will get a credit from the distribtor’s rep when he next comes round. In fact, Pockebond have a team of reps who visit each of their retailers regularly. The ones I’ve met have always been happy to sort out any problems like this.
In the basement of my LHS there are several kits which have been started but returned when the purchaser discovered there was a part missing. Several of these have made their way to my stash, or even my display shelves, after I’ve contacted the manufacturer or distributor for the relevant spare part, found something suitable in the spares box, or scratchbuilt it myself.
The worst that can happen is that the retailer will decide not to help, in which case you’re no worse off than you were before. Mind you, if going to the shop would involve a significant journey which you otherwise wouldn’t make, it might be an idea to ring the shop first to explain the situation, and maybe save yourself a wasted journey.
All manufacturers have kits that slip past quality control from time to time. I’ve never had a Trumpeter/ Hobbyboss kit with a missing or defective part, or heard of it being especially a prolem with their kits, and I make, on average, four or five per year.
Just noticed that you live in the UK. This makes your positioin much stronger. Under English law (Sale and Supply of goods Act 1994, as amended), anything sold by a retailer has to be, among other things, ‘fit for purpose’. Thus, if you buy a plastic scale model kit of a tank, you should be able to build a reasonable represntation of that tank from its contents. That, after all, is why you bought the kit in the frst place.
Of course, it doesn’t do go go in with all guns blazing, quoting the law and involving Trading Standards. You don’t want to upset your LHS owner without good reason. Just explain the problem politely, and better than 19 times out of 20, you should get a result. Keep the legal stuff up your sleeve just in case he truns un-coopeative.
Most shopkeepers are reasonable people who want to give good service. As well as being the right thing to do, it’s also good business sense. In this case, it’s no skin off his nose. He’ll get the kit credited against his next order from Pocketbond. And do check the replacement kit in the shop. It’s - just - possible that it was one of a bad batch.
It annoyed me that the UK distributer did not reply to my email,this had a picture of the faulty parts.So i rang this morning,got put through to the relevent guy who looked at the emails they had got and said he found mine in the stam/rubbish.He agreed the parts looked faulty.Here is the good part.Even though i told him the kit name and number and he see the parts in the photo,I need to send him a copy of the manual,the parts,the sticker he/the distributer put on the box AND £3.00 to cover them opening a kit for spares and postage!!! How about this also,the sticker they(distributer)put on the box as to be sent back or no go.He told me if i got it from a shop they do not supply to they will not replace.I just checked and it has a sticker.
Now i know this is only a £14.00 kit and really i should just bin it and forget about it,BUT i will honestly never buy a Trumpeter kit again.More so because of the people who handle the kits.
Send the guy a copy of this thread, to show him the bad publicity for Pocketbond (generally, in my experince, a pretty decent company) that this is generating, then get back to the shop that sold you the kit. I know that they had no control over the contents of the kit, but legally, the liability is theirs.