I bought an Accurate Miniatures SBD-3 kit yesterday, got home and opened the box and I have to say I was a bit under-whelmed. As I examined the parts through the plastic bags I noticed quite a bit of flash around some parts, loose parts in the plastic bags off the sprues, the small aerial attachment point on the vertical stabiliser fin was broken on one fuselage half and the propeller was off the sprue with some small damage to one of the blades where the attachment point had been. The kit was shrink wrapped and sealed and looked fine from the outside, it almost looks like the loose parts have been packed like this, as some sprues are completely intact while others seem to have come apart. I thought at first I should just put my modelers hat on and fix these things (all are repairable really) during the build but then decided I should just take the kit back and get them to order in another and replace it. All the bags are still sealed so I think that’s what I’ll do. It was an expensive kit for me, at AU$68.00 (The dearest 1/48 kit I have ever purchased) so it just doesn’t seem right. I know this is not a true representation of AM as I have heard so many good things about them, but to be honest my Tamiya jug kit leaves it for dead on first impression. As a matter of interest what do you guys do when this sort of thing happens, just get on with it and build or go back and complain?
While logic dictates that I take it back and get a replacement, I seldom do. Unless something major is broken I’ll usually try and fix it myself, calling the manufacturer, shipping company, distributor, and retailer vile names the whole time.
BUT … if it happened on what I considered to be an expensive kit, one that I felt was overpriced to start out with, I would probably refuse to accept anything less than exactly right.
In your case I’d probably take it back and, if they have another one, swap it out. If they had to order a replacement I might swallow my pride and just get on with it. At the very least show them the loose parts so that if you later find something major that is broken they would be willing to order you a replacement sprue.
I hate it when that happens [xx(] Sorry for your problems.
Take it back and explain your grievance. The worst they can do is nothing, which is where you’d be if you kept it. I recently bought Revell’s P-47M ann found that the starboard guns were bent and broken, I think because of Revell jamming it in a tiny box. My local hobby store were most apologetic and changed it without receipt.
I picked up a Monogram Bearcat at a hobby fair recently, though, and found the wheel stub on the u/carriage broken. It was in clingfilm and appeared to have never been opened. My word of warning is that I fear a lot of places at fairs like this but a wrapping machine so they can sell kits as never opened. Maybe I’m just cynical. And wandering off topic.
That is very surprising. I have a couple of the Avengers and have purchased many AM kits and have never had those kinds of issues. I have never seen one of their kits to contain a lot or really any flash. I would go back to the retailer and complain.
Thanks for your comments guys, Swanny you’re right about the flash, I haven’t seen any reviews of these kits where flash has even been mentioned. These prop blades have up to 1mm of flash on some parts of the blade. The fuselage half that still has it’s aerial attachment point unbroken has about .5mm of flash right around the little protrusion and also on some areas of the main fin itself. Weird! OK…OK , I know,… I’ll stop whinging now
I had heard that AM kits are fairly nice. Were I you, I’d take it back to the retailer, and complain. I mean, you do WORK for your money, and it’s not FREE, so why should you pay for a defective product?
You must have gotten a Friday at 5 kit on a day when the QC inspector went home sick. I have the SBD5 and I’m VERY satisfied at the quality of the molds, in fact, they are too clean. Take the advice and take is back, also take it up with AM, this doesn’t sound like their quality.
One thing you can do, before you pay for the kits, is ask to open the box to see if there are any problems. I always open it at the store to look at the directions to see if I might need any paints that I don’t have or need to replace. HTH
Take it Back!!! You don’t toss down your hard earned dollars on a product that you think is crap!! You threw down a large amount of cash for a kit that was supposed to be a product at least nearly worth the amount of money you plunked down!!! If it was minor flash, or if it was from a manufacturer that already had a reputation for selling crap kits, I would suck it up, because I would have known what I was getting into…but you went on personal recommendations, took a chance, and they got ya!!! I’ve never bought an AM kit, but I hope that they do you a great service and replace it with a kit that is worth the money you spent!!! Hopefully, you just got a “Friday” kit!!!
