Fix or return?

[Upkeep]

This topic came up on another forum I belong to, and I thought I'd start this thread to 1.) impart some insight and my perspective, and . . .
2.) get some discussion as to others opinion on this subject.
The discussion elsewhere started with a member providing a huge macro-photo of some small blemishes on his model that looked like they could have been factory created and touched up. He asked for advice . . . "should I return this or live with it?" [ HERE ] (http://www.diecastaircraftforum.com/1-200-scale-model-aircraft/99585-paint-blemish-worth-asking-exchange.html)

We all know that these models are factory made, but there is a fair amount of handwork involved. That's usually where the problems arise. How many of you have had a ding in an engine, or a gap along the wing/fuselage join where it wasn't pushed in fully, or bent axles on the wheels, or a fallen out aerial or two, or a red 'jewel' anti-collison beacon fall out?

Well I have, and it was all on my latest. But did I return it? Nope. Why?

Last Christmas I placed an order for a model that arrived with an obvious defect. A horrible scrape/scuff across the wing and through the registration. No way could this be fixed. I notified the retailer who said he would be happy to replace it. I was to pay the postage out to him, but he'd pay it back to me. Not ideal, but OK. (This exchange was between Canada and France!) I received my new model, and sure enough, no defect. Well, not the one I sent the other back for, anyhow. But now I had another noticeable one. The left main u/c strut was BENT. Factory flaw. So we did this again. Replacement arrived, and previous flaws not present until I noticed (a day later) one of the registration markings was missing from the port side of the fuselage(!!!!!). Three times, the charm? Try four! Eventually, I got one that passed muster. That was the Hogan Air France delivery livery Concorde. I figure I paid around $300 (+/-) for that one with all the shipping involved!

So will I be quick to return a flawed model? Depends on the flaw.

Being bit of a modeller from the past, my recent AF 777 got 'sorted' by my own hand. But one flaw that wasn't in the list above was a 'double exposure' window imprint. For the life of me I can't figure out how this was achieved. I only noticed it after about owning the model for about a day. You can see it in the photo I took before I started the 'fix'. At first I thought it was finger gunk of some sort.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAC/dble_expsr_pax_640.jpg

It was the oddest thing I've ever seen, as it was only ONE window, and it had a small smudge going up and right.

I decided I was going to fix it myself, since there was no silver ring going around the windows. If there had been, all bets would have been off, as I would run the risk of removing that too.

Well, my tool was the sharpened toothpick (seen in the photo) and some Testor's Enamel Paint Thinner. I chose this over nail polish remover as the space was small, and too much nail polish remover and I could easily run the risk of wiping out the main window. This Testors stuff makes you work slow enough to check your work with magnification. It takes quite a while, but it is very hard to mess up. (Make sure you get no thinner on the hands you are holding the model with, though! Prolonged exposure could remove stuff you didn't want altered!!)

I started working the soaked, sharpened end of the toothpick along the edge of the window to define it. After about an hour of gently doing this (with cold sweat pouring off my forehead), the window was defined. Another hour and a half later, the entire blemish was removed. The area was cleansed of all thinner and wiped totally clean with a dry cloth. Below is the result.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAC/dble_expsr_pax_fixd_640.jpg

The red arrow shows the window now. To the naked eye it is a perfect clean up. And I mean perfect. But put a magnifying glass or macro-lens up to it and you see another story, as shown in the upper inset. The red arrows show where still a minor edge remains due to my conservative approach to 'dig in deeper' (I tend to 'quit while I'm ahead'). But this is invisible with solid normal eyesight. The blue arrows show where some tampo printing missed the upper edge of the next window, and today is the first I have seen it.

So there you have it. Should you return or fix? If you like the challenge and have a bit of modelling experience behind you, go for the fix. If your eyesight is a bit dodgier than mine, or you shake a bit, or are too darn busy and couldn't give a toss . . . then by all means return it. They shouldn't be sending us carp anyhow, but they do.

What you should know if you do choose to fix a flaw:• Not all flaws can be fixed, but most can. Assess the situation carefully first.
• All 1:200 models have a baked enamel surface. It may also have a varnish applied. This surface is almost bullet-proof and is pretty resistant (but not impervious) to various solvents.
• ALL tampo printing sits on top of the baked enamel. You can see it when holding the model to the light. It looks sometimes matte or satin, occasionally shiny. Tampo printing can be removed carefully and gently. I've removed whole titles, registrations, flags, etc. just with some careful working of Testor's Enamel Paint Thinner on a moist piece of bathroom tissue folded into a small square. patience, Grasshopper!
• Most wobbly wheels can be straightened with a fine screwdriver and/or a small pair of pliers. Tricky, but it does work.
• Most aerials are NOT glued in, but push fit in. IF you want to glue them in, put a micro drop of glue on the end of a sewing needle and pilot that into the hole. A magnifying glass may be necessary. Run the needle around the hole, then take the dry ended aerial and put it in its place. Straighten and forget. I do mine with super glue. (Not recommended unless you get good with this technique)
• 'Mr. Wongs' fingerprints CAN be removed from enamel baked (non-tampo printed) surfaces by gently working them out with toothpaste. The resulting dull spot can be brought back to life with Future. More on that later for those who want to know.
So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed my rambling dissertation! :D;)

/U :)

[triumph]

Youre not alone /U.
Having some modest modeling skills, if theres something I can do with what I've found to be a less than perfect model to put it right I will, rather than sending it back, because I dont have concerns about it not as being 'Mint' afterwards, as long as I'm happy with it. Two examples from Gemini, I noticed the red centre on the fuselage roundel on the Plagis spit didn’t look quite right, It had been poorly hand painted. I managed to scrape off the paint to find no red centre at all. What to do? well I had a decal sheet of RAF markings and one was a perfect match and size to replace all of the roundle. A little bit of decal setting solution and finished in matt varnish = Result you would never know.
http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab118/1050triumph/72nd%20Scale/DSCF0620.jpg
Second problem was on "Spirit Of Kent"s wing tip. It's glued in place to alow for working controls, mine was stuck on in an upward angle that did not follow on from the shape of the rest of the wing. What to do? break of and reglue = Result you would never know.
http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab118/1050triumph/72nd%20Scale/DSCF1600.jpg

[Upkeep]

I love your shots, man. They just look so d*mn real. Exquisite!!

Ever done any 'fix-ups' with 1:200 commercial airline models? (A whole different ballgame!) :D;)

/U :)

[conversionwing]

Interesting thread, so many variables. I think as you've said assess first. Never go for the quick fix :mad: it'll invariably go wrong and will make you feel far worse about the model and perception is everything. If the offending item is easily returnable then that is probably the best option. It's also worth while letting the supplier know the problem because failing all else you can usually negotiate a partial refund which helps assauge the angst of receiving a 'defective' model. It's surprising when contacting the purveyor how often yo're greeted with the response 'It was the only one in stock' or the slightly more annoying 'you could glue them back couldn't you?'
As a beginner in 1/200 I'm already becoming fairly adept at replacing antennae which have dropped out and in place of glue have usually just very lightly brushed the retaining pin with Future which seems to have worked so far.
A set of tweezers is also handy because these parts are tiny.
Re fingerprints and errant printing marks I always try meths first (quite nice with blackcurrant) as its less abrasive than white spirit or turps and usually does the trick.
Macro lensed Cameras probably have a lot to answer for because most faults are not easily discernible to a quick inspection.
Also raises the thorny question of whether it is reasonable for a seller of the items to inspect each and every item before despatch or whether the 'rattle ' test is enough.

[Craig]

Bit of a thorny issue with me. I've been quite fortunate 1:200 wise as only had one damaged model, an A321 where the tailfin had come off. Easy enough to glue on except it'd rattled round the box in transit and taken several chunks out of the paintwork. Definate return and the retailer replaced it with no argument whatsoever. Top service and needless to say I've used them again.

I've been far less fortunate with Corgi stuff though and a lot of this has had to be returned. While bits that have fallen off i'm quite happy to sort as so long as you've done it carefully you've not altered the model and to all intents and purposes it's still mint. Paintwork and tampo flaws I wouldn't touch though and send them straight back. If "it's the only one in stock" then it's tough I'll source one somewhere else.

[KO-B]

I'm either lucky or less fussy than many of you, I've never had to send a model back yet (fingers crossed) only ones I can think of that had issues were my Corgi rocket Typhoon which had one of the horizontal stabilisers loose in the box (could have sent it back I suppose, but an easy fix) and a Witty Sea Fury with the same problem (Bought from a certain retailer in Swanage :eek:) Again an easy fix. (The model, not the seller!;) )

There was also a Legends Finnucane Spitfire that had the aerial knocked off due to being carefully packed in a jiffy bag (:wacko:) but it was another easy fix, and I got it so cheaply I just couldn't be bothered to kick up a fuss.

And not forgetting my 1/200th Dash 8 which had one of the tiny antennas knocked off, although that doesn't really count as it was due to my own clumsiness. A rather fiddly fix on a part that hardly shows anyway, but manageable.

KO-B

[Agent X20]

The office desk of late has become one big operating theatre as many models now come as a self assembly kit..:mad: part of which can be down to the packaging and part owing to the desire for the logistics company to want to play football with your package..:mad:

Necessary items

Tweezers, fine nosed pliers, jewellers screwdriver sets, all come into their own... most of all though a set of loupes (jewellers eyeglass thingys) and two or three different types of superglue... from Tesco's value superglue.. very thin to loctite.. thick.. and as per upkeep, needles pins etc.. As for polishing, Meths, toothpaste, T Cut and Nail varnish remover all come into play..

Also a large ball of blu-tak or plasticine is helpful as are pegs and tape...

.....and one day, I'll get a vice..

As to glues I have found the Powerbond range to be the best (they are usually sold by the man doing his demonstration at Toyfairs.. but what they have and what you MUST have is (806) Superglue remover...

So on the desk, you need the emergency box of wipes along with the superglue remover.. if you catch it as soon as you make a cock up, you may get away with it. .... I tend to work on a sheet of A3 paper which I will replace as often as necessary, especially if I place the superglue on the paper and then work from that... but as soon as that bit is finished the paper gets thrown..

If I get superglue on me hands then I down tools stop and get it off..

As to the thread title..... if you attempt to fix it then a return is out of the question, well that's what I found with your favourite retailer..:( however wings jets and tailfins are normally faily straightforward, its more the undercarriage legs that are the main problem and as per the first thread, paint defects, smudges and scratches..

All good fun..