| I can understand the point about the dealers taking a hit due to negative publicity; however like anyone else they are not guaranteed success in their chosen occupation. Assuming a dealer is knowledgeable about aircraft and diecast (and from what I've seen on some webpages I am not convinced this is the case with many of them), he has a duty to himself to ensure that what he is selling is the best it can be. If he's not going to take a company to task for a bad product (via passing on complaints from his customers), then the customers have a right to make their complaints known via other means (such as this forum). Besides, one can argue that these reviews are a form of "public service" (for lack of a better term) by letting fellow collectors know about the good/bad concerning a particular model.
Part of why I joined this forum is to read the reviews of the models, both good and bad. Even though these reviews, for the most part, do not influence my decision to buy a model (unless the review was by someone I trust on here, like SKUNKY); I still enjoy reading them for the most part. These reviews can be entertaining!
Personally, I have few criteria for a model to satisfy me- it has to LOOK like the plane it's representing; it has to have the correct colors/markings, and the parts have to have the correct fit/alignment.
I do, however, look at this downplaying of criticism as being detrimental to the hobby. If you don't make the complaints known, the manufacturer will not know about them, and continue to produce other models with the same defects. Can't this be seen as rewarding a manufacturer for bad performance? |
I do agree; making valid points about possible errors in a diecast is very important, but I want to add 2 things to this. First, people should use better tact when criticism is due. For example, say "The horizontal stabilizer is too long and needs to be a little shorter", rather than "Why these people couldn't figure out the tail assembly is beyond me. What a bunch of morons". Secondly, if there is an inaccuracy in a diecast, then reveal the source that can verify this mistake. What source allows you to make this statement? Obviously, one can make an obvious axiomatic statement if there is a lack of weathering (usually with armor) or a quality control issue. One doesn't need to 'sugar coat' a negative aspect of a diecast, but, on the other hand, one doesn't need to degrade or belittle a diecast company either.