[Gort]

Amen, Louie. Couldn't have said it better. And thanks!

[Rush104]

Originally Posted by Louie

If you do not like a model or find it not up to your standards or to the specs of the real thing please consider before you criticize in what I would consider a harsh manor that someone else may have it on order or on thier shelf and your thoughts may do more harm than the good you probably intended. There are folks on this forum that make a living selling these models. It causes a trickle down that hurts the hobby in my honest opinion. Thanks for listening.

In regards to personal attacks made on members via PM or in the open- it is completely unacceptable.
With that being said, I have to ask this (and my question pertains to those model reviews in which no individual or group of people were harangued)- do people really take bad model reviews personally? Are there members on here who feel that their self esteem is actually damaged by a bad model review?
I'm not trying to be a smart aleck by asking this question. But, the above highlighted comment really has me wondering if this is indeed the case...

[lanslide]

Originally Posted by Rush104

In regards to personal attacks made on members via PM or in the open- it is completely unacceptable.
With that being said, I have to ask this (and my question pertains to those model reviews in which no individual or group of people were harangued)- do people really take bad model reviews personally? Are there members on here who feel that their self esteem is actually damaged by a bad model review?
I'm not trying to be a smart aleck by asking this question. But, the above highlighted comment really has me wondering if this is indeed the case...

I welcome any constructive criticism given during model reviews. I want to know everything I can about the models I have or plan to get. I have posted some comments that I think have helped to make some models more accurate and I like to learn from other members about the aircraft I collect (historical and technical information). This in the main reason I belong to this forum. I hope no one has stopped liking any of their models simply because of any constructive criticism it may have received! It has worked both ways for me. After learning about how good the CW Tomcats are on this forum, I have added four of them to my collection and now I need to unload all my DW Turkeys! Also, after learning about the inaccurate early DW Super Bugs, I bought the new and improved DW Super Hornets and am trying to sell the older ones. I welcome all the information given on this forum. Ignorance is not bliss for me!

[Louie]

I do not think it is a matter of self-esteem being tanked over a piece of metal. It is certain individuals making a member feel bad about liking or disliking a model basically making them feel foolish. We should treat each other with respect. Just because we are familiar to each other does not give anyone the o.k to be rude. I have seen it happen it exists there should be no denial. Critique is fine , a smack down is out of line. This could go on and on the point I think is really just think before you act. In the end it is about people. The people are the members and collectors who in turn buy from people who do the selling. The buyers are the ones who are enjoying models they buy with the fruit of their labor. The buyers and sellers are people on this forum many are friends. There have been some nasty types on here in the past and they fortunately did not last long. I am not the moral majority just a member like you who yes chooses the "ignorance is bliss motto". I choose to not think of the thorns only the rose in most cases. I am not saying that I am not at all open to comments about a models imperfections i am just not excited to hear a list of the things that the model does not share with the actual aircraft. That is a my "buzz kill" "turn-off" "let-down" whatever you choose to label it. I liked Corgi Mustangs until the subject was all over the forum about the flatness of the cowling until I sold off all of mine. I was influenced call me weak whatever it had it's effect. Is there really an F-14 canopy on the Witty F-15 2seater? Who knows has anyone put the F-14 and F-15next to each other? What a mega die-cast company is re-using a part to save what 5 cents.... stuff like this just takes the fun out for me. I am talking about me.

[lanslide]

Originally Posted by Louie

I am not the moral majority just a member like you who yes chooses the "ignorance is bliss motto".

Louie - If you are referring to me, I chose the "ignorance is NOT bliss" motto! You may have misunderstood what I was trying to say.

[Louie]

I think I worded that sentence in a way that makes it sound inclusive. That was not my intention. I meant- I am a member( like you and the other members reading this post) who (yes I admit) has chosen the" ignorance is bliss" motto. Ignorance meaning I would rather not hear 10 things that are wrong with a model. It is a forum you are free to be critical and say what you wish politely but it is almost to me like having a person in the lobby of the theater telling you about the movie and what is so bad about it while you are waiting to buy your ticket. I often wish I had stopped reading 2 sentences before....
That is just my feelings on the model issue.
Rudeness and childish behavior is a whole other ball of wax. As far as beating a model up, I just wish some would tone it down a tad with expectations of near perfection, it will never be.
Who ever wants to be with a person who is constantly complaining?
I doubt if it will ever be to my liking (the criticism) I am just wishing and hoping. The world is not perfect nor am I and neither are these metal and plastic things that bring us(most of the time) joy in our spare time away from the reality's of life. I get a buzz from opening the box to a model i just bought. I just don't want it killed. That's just me. I will not make further comment, this horse needs hay and water.....

[Rush104]

Louie, you make good points, but I gotta respectfully disagree with you on some of them.
IMO, just as there will never be a "perfect" model, logically there will never be a "perfect" model review, either. What may be a harsh condemnation to one member may be seen as an honest, unvarnished review by another. The same principle applies to positive reviews.
Personally, I like the reviews that I feel are objective. A list of both the pros and cons, with an appropriate rating based on the number of pros vs. cons. Will it influence my decision to buy a model? Probably not. If I'm interested in it, I'm getting it. Period. I also keep in mind that the model being reviewed (especially if it's a negative review) may be the one bad apple in the production lot. There's gotta be a few individual examples out of a 1000 piece production run that just don't measure up.
Another thing about the review process- if a person pays his/her own money for a model, then that individual has the right to critique it as he/she sees fit. I'm assuming everyone on this forum who has posted a model for review has actually paid for it out of his/her own pocket.
Believe it or not, I agree with your "Ignorance is Bliss" motto. Rather than achieving it by trying to prevent a harsh reviewer from posting, I instead choose to ignore a reviewer's comments if it's about a model I'm really interested in.
I guess it boils down to how to interpret "Freedom of Speech". While I acknowledge that people have a right to say what they want (excluding comments that put people in danger; libelous accusations, etc.) I believe the flip-side of that coin is that people also have the right to completely ignore what someone else is saying. I've definitely applied this principle to many previous diecast purchases.
IMO, I think the best reviews (the ones without personal attacks) serve as an additional measure of quality control for the company that made the model. I firmly believe these reviews (the vast majority of them, anyways) are directed squarely at them. Hopefully, they can act upon the review and correct whatever "flaws" were pointed out so that these don't affect future issues. A company that will do that IMO shows that it cares about it's product and the people who purchase it. Those companies that don't make the efforts to satisfy the majority of their customers (after all, not everyone can be pleased) should get out of the diecast game.

[theodore]

This is a very interesting topic of conversation for everyone. I, for one, agree with Rush on the subject of not allowing people's 'reviews' or 'analysises' of a diecast influence to my buying decisions. The reason? What are people basing their reviews/analysises on? Books, photos (both color and black-n-white), combat footage (both color and black-n-white), etc.? These are all helpful, but not the BEST source for an accurate analysis. Your best option is to have the ACTUAL aircraft or tank there in front on you to compare your diecast against. I have a huge advantage over virtually all of you because I was able to observe some of these WW2 aircraft being restored, to operating condition, at one of the best restoration shops in the world at that time, the Flying Tigers Warbird Museum in Kissimmee, Florida (the reviews came from Flypast magazine and Trader magazine, 2 of the leading warbird magazines in this business). How many of you have seen a self-sealing tank and knows of its composition? How many of you have seen a 9-cylinder Wright Cyclone engine from a B-17, broken down for repair? How many of you have seen the hydraulics and electrical components of a Goodyear Corsair? How many of you have seen a FW-190F-8, up close, the BMW engine, and the original (not reprinted) tech manuals of this aircraft? Please do not take this the wrong way; this experience does not make me better than any of you; it simply means that I had the incredible opportunity of Tom Reilly, the owner, hiring me as one of his tour guides (the youngest that he had ever hired, by the way!! ) and me asking a number of questions about the restoration process, sheet metal work, etc. I was fortunate enough to explain the Sperry electrical systems of the ball turret of a B-24 to those on the tour, for example. I also observed many repairs of warbirds flown in to Tom's shop since he was one of the best in the business. I saw a B-25H (the variant with the 75mm recoiless cannon in the nose!! ) fly in for some repairs to some hydraulics and electrical systems; on another occasion, a PBY Catalina flew in for repairs to its starboard blister and port landing gear strut.

For example, people will hammer Franklin Mint aircraft because they believe that there are some inaccuracies in the diecast, which I do agree with. However, will this prevent me from procuring them in the future? Absolutely not!! Some people do not like the screws on the ventral side of the aircraft. Oh well, just the Rolling Stones sang........"You can't always get what you want, but if you find sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need"

[lanslide]

Hey theodore, I think you were my tour guide when I visited The Flying Tigers Warbird Museum in Kissimmee, Florida! Were you there about ten years ago at The Flying Tigers Warbird Museum in Kissimmee, Florida?

[Cruver Collecter]

I have been into building plastic models for,,, well quite along time now(Took about a ten year break but getting started up again). One thing I have noticed over the years is that the reference material for WWII aircraft in specific, has improved by leaps and bounds. The Aero Detail series for example does an exceptional job in breaking down an aircraft by section and provides some really useful close up shots. To say you cannot make an evauation of an aircraft without seeing said aircraft in person is probably not that valid of a point anymore (If valid at all). The availablity of on line reference material is also very exstensive right now. You just have to open an issue of Fine Scale Modeler or Scale Aviation Modeler International and see some real fine pieces that have been made. What do these magazines usually include, yep you got it, reference pictures to aid modelers on some of the more obscure aircraft details. For the most part I have found that the models the compainies are putting out are pretty much good to scale,,, yep I measure them to see how close to scale they are. For the most of the reviews I have come across are not that overly critical anyhow.