Warped or mishapen parts repair

[Guest]

Howdy Guys,

Just thought I would share this tip with ya'll. I recently bought a 1:48 scale RH 53 Seastallion model by Fujimi. The model looks great, I got it all painted prior to assembly, got the cockpit and Loading deck assembled and was test fitting the fuselage halves when I discovered that one side of the fuselage was warped. Well, I just spent $34 on this kit, no way am I gonna trash it.

Then I remembered and old trick I used to use which some of you may already know. Placing the warped part in VERY HOT but NOT BOILING water for a few seconds. This causes the plastic to become soft and pliable. Then you can mate it up (test fit it) with the other part(s) it belongs with and allow it to cool in place while holding the parts together.

Just remember, do not use boiling water, not only is there a chance of you getting hurt, but there is always the chance that you will soften the plastic too much.

Hope this helps someone,

Have a good day,

Greg aka GW

EDIT: for me this tip didnt work, for those of you who have the same problem and cant repair it, do like I did, contact the manufacturer. I contacted Fujimi and explained that the fuselage halves were too warped for me to repair, and explained that I was sure that customer satisfaction was one of their highest priorities......They sent me a new one all the way from Japan.

So let me take this opportunity to say that If you ever buy a fujimi model, they are in my opinion a very good company who does put the customers happiness first. My hats off to the fujimi model company.

[Guest]

Greg, Not only is the first tip an excellent idea that can indeed work but the suggestion of contacting the manufacturer is also well worth considering.

I take it the new parts fit OK?

[Guest]

Howdy Bunker,

Yes the new one is fitting together perfectly. I emailed the company back, informing them that I had recieved the replacement and thanked them for their prompt and courteous service.

I also told them that I would mention their service to others and said how rare it was to find a company now a days that would go to that much trouble to satisfy their customers.

Normally I can get warped parts to fit together, sometimes better than others. And in cases where they fit somewhat better but still not a perfect fit, I use filler putty made for styrene plastic to fill in gaps or reshape a defective part or build up a part so as that they fit well enough not to be noticible.

For those of you wishing to contact the manufacturers of plastic model kits, I looked up the company name on google and found their "contact" link and emailed them. Be sure to include their stock number (found on the box), the model name and the number or letter of the sprue as well as the deformed part number. Too much information is better than not enough.

hope this and any other tips I may give will be of some help to someone,

Have a good day,

Greg

[Guest]

I think it is a very important point to make that we should send a message of thanks for such service and actively promote the vendor to our colleagues.

Thanks for the positive feedback Greg, much appreciated.

[Guest]

Howdy Guys,

I totally agree with Bunker on this. Not only thanking a vendor common courtesy, but with a vendor taking time to make customers happy, then happy customers result in more sales thru word of mouth (much like I did in this thread). More sales could mean an escalation in production which, when managed right, could mean a price reduction later on for the customers, which result in more happy customers which result in more sales. So its a circle, perhaps a large circle, but a circle none the less.

Ok, that didnt come out exactly right, so lets try this. If a company does something for you that you think is "extra ordinary", something the company didnt have to do, and you didnt expect them to do, then that company must think alot of its customers, show them you appreciate their efforts and take time to thank them. And then turn around and do them a favor, give them a little "word of mouth" advertising. I have often heard "Nothing sells a product like a happy customer". (Trust me, I majored in advertising in college lol ).

have a good day all,

Greg aka GW

[wonwinglo]

The problem of warped parts is something that I have mentioned on numerous occasions to manufacturers,it can be avoided if proper production control is in place,but nine times out of ten it is not ! and the no-inspection procedure is used a lot in industry today on most consumer items to effectively reduce manufacturers time and costs.

So what is plastic model warp,and above all how can it be avoided at the source of manufacture ? well it is simpler than most will think but just requires a bit of care in the injection process,basically when parts are moulded they are ejected from the machines,the parts are still warm and get thrown about as they are rattled into large metal stillages away for processing into kits,the parts that are first into the stillage have the longest drop,then hot parts are constantly thrown on top of the others adding constantly to the weight build up on top,imagine a few hundredweight of plastic piled in one big heap as they settle and cool out ? well that is the scenerio,it is all about mass production,tooling is changed to make way for further batches of kits to be made,time is the essence with a sacrifice on quality.

I know this because I have seen the process working first hand,numerous machines are sometimes left working on their own whilst other jobs are attended to,so if you have warped parts do not hesitate in contacting the manufacturers for replacements,after all you paid good money for them,if they cannot be bothered with inspection then that is their own fault.

A certain German manufacturer has a very strange and annoying system and will not replace parts,you buy the kit and if something is wrong then you must take it back to the shop for replacement wholesale with your receipt,they would not get away with it in this country under the 'fit for the purpose' rules,what is even more annoying is some of the shops are not aware of this procedure ? and even pass the book to the manufacturer.

In many ways the shop is firstly responsible for customer satisfaction,if a item is warped then the shop should in effect replace the part via another kit,but this rarely happens and you end up sending for the parts with a big time delay before you can get building,tell little Johhny that sorry we cannot assemble his nice new Spitfire kit on Christmas day because either a part is missing or so badly warped that it will not fit together properly.

I have had this very thing happen,even vital missing parts in radio controlled car kits.

So whilst those manufacturers are to be applauded for replacement of parts quicky,there are many others out there that are not giving us the service we should be getting,so make it your business to complain bitterly,otherwise standards will drop even further.

[Guest]

Howdy Barry, Guys,

You are 100% correct Barry, I work at a plant that uses Van Dorn Injection molding machines to produce insulators for transformers. If a part is pulled from the mold or ejected too soon (before it has time for the cooling jackets around the mold to cool it) you get a warped or mishapen part.

These are the same type machines that are used for plastic models, the "hold" time can be set on these machines to allow the part to cool thoroughly, most often it is the operator striving to meet a production goal by reducing the "hold" time.

Heat sinks are another form of distortion of styrene plastic, these are due to "cold" spots in the mold and generally causes depressed area in the part or causes the material to "freeze" or solidify before filling out the cavity in the mold.

Scorching is another problem, there are heaters inserted into the mold, they glow cherry red, (to give you some idea how hot they are), and a single heater becoming hotter than the others can cause scorched areas on the plastic.

I recently became the maintenance and machine shop superintendant where I work, so I get to hear about everyones problems with the machines and processes. I am off work now due to a neck injury, but I can only imagine the pile of work orders on my desk concerning the items mentioned in this topic.

One other thing, Barry was correct about the QC in alot of plants, mine is no different, the company seems to think more is better.

anyway, Barry just kinda sent me off on a rant, I had almost forgotten all about work....................thanks barry :emo10: lol j/j

Have a good day,

Greg aka GW