[Epapazian]

Perhaps I'm overly sensitive on this score but I am increasingly concerned by an apparent decline in quality for diecast aircraft, in particular. Recent examples along this line include Witty"s "Dragon's Tail" P-38 with its incorrect paint job, terrible superchargers, lack of stenciling, etc and a Gemini Aces Hermann Graf BF-109F I just received with misaligned wing crosses, bent tailplanes and missing nose cannon. And, going back a few months there's a Corgi Lysander whose tailplanes are set at a wrong angle (much more of a downward slant than pictures of the real plane indicate is accurate). It seems that manufacturers are falling all over themselves trying to rush product to market and taking too many shortcuts to to do so. I. for one, would much rather wait an extra three or even six months to get a quality product. I wonder if others share my views on this subject?

[jim]

It begs the question (and we have all asked it many times before) who do the manufacturers employ to do the research and developement work on their models?

[Cardinal]

Competition for capacity and skills is on the increase in China and I suspect that some manufacturers may be sub-contracting some work out to newer 'start-ups' as well as firms with less than stellar quality control standards.

Diecast from companies like GMP, Carousel 1 and Eagles International, will definitely command a premium price due to their dedication to high quality manufacturing and quality control .

(The June 2007 issue of National Geographic has an interesting article on China's 'Boomtowns'.)

[jim]

Originally Posted by Cardinal

Competition for capacity and skills is on the increase in China and I suspect that some manufacturers may be sub-contracting some work out to newer 'start-ups' as well as firms with less than stellar quality control standards.

Diecast from companies like GMP, Carousel 1 and Eagles International, will definitely command a premium price due to their dedication to high quality manufacturing and quality control .

(The June 2007 issue of National Geographic has an interesting article on China's 'Boomtowns'.)

The TV had a programme about how China is exploiting Africa for its raw materials.

The Chinese are now the new colonial masters in Africa.

[Ara1]

Quality problems are such a waste. It's one thing to have sloppy production. But to have sloppy research (incorrect markings and paint jobs, as well as poor discerning features design) is a crime. I don't care if you hired researcher so-and-so for your He 111. Does he know how you messed up the tail markings and wing ID bars? And how those mess ups keep me from buying?

Sheese.

[mhackl]

Sometimes things just slip by. I've been dumbfounded by some of the mistakes that we've made, mainly typos. It's like working on a resume. You can spend hours staring at the thing only to have some else proof it and inform you that you misspelled your own name or made some other ridiculously obvious mistake.
Dohhh!

I've grown more empathetic to these issues since I've been involved with the manufacturing side.

As long as it's not a regular occurance...

[Cavtanker]

And building upon mhackl's statement, do we collectors bring enough attention to errors with a loud enough 'voice' for manufacturers to address the errors?

[Captain Eddie]

Well, we're certainly "loud" enough on this forum, if they are paying any attention.

[Nimrod48]

Poor assembly is a real nightmare when ordering via the web which in my case is 98% of my purchases so far aircraft have not been a problem but the quality & accuracy of Corgi 1:76 buses got so bad I gave up collecting them & sold my entire collection in frustration.
I would love to collect Minichamps 1:12 scale motorcycles Honda CB750, Kawasaki Z1 & so on but looking at the stupid angles that indicators, gear levers, brake & clutch levers are put on at I have had to pass on them, I do have a Minichamps 1:12 1962 Manx Norton & that is fitted with 21st century type tyres!!!

[ZS-VAN]

Originally Posted by Nimrod48

Poor assembly is a real nightmare when ordering via the web which in my case is 98% of my purchases so far aircraft have not been a problem but the quality & accuracy of Corgi 1:76 buses got so bad I gave up collecting them & sold my entire collection in frustration.
I would love to collect Minichamps 1:12 scale motorcycles Honda CB750, Kawasaki Z1 & so on but looking at the stupid angles that indicators, gear levers, brake & clutch levers are put on at I have had to pass on them, I do have a Minichamps 1:12 1962 Manx Norton & that is fitted with 21st century type tyres!!!

You make me laugh Nimrod! You're way too intense!! The way I look at is that diecast is never going to be perfect. I really looked forward to the launch of the GA and following the hype pre-ordered the first six. Well, they are nice but I had QC issues with them and even contacted GA but got no response from them.

We need to look at each diecast and determine whether it meets our individual requirements in terms of look, quality, accuracy and desirability. I have 2 Dragon F14s that have been slated on both forums but right now they work for me. Yes, I'd like the CW Tomcat but can't get it right now. Bottom line is, get what works for you. Yes it can be frustrating but maybe we need to compromise (just a little bit) here and there too.