Veteran Sergeant Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 When it comes down to it, GW stuff is pretty much a luxury, you definitely want to get what you pay for. No need to justify being picky, who wants to pay that much for a hole riddled piece of fail? This is really my biggest issue with this. It astounds me that there are so many threads, blogs, etc detailing how you have to fix your several hundred dollars/pounds Thunderhawk model in order to even assemble it. The fact that Forgeworld is willing to sell models that are horridly warped and poorly cast for the prices they charge is absurd. We do realize that despite semantics, this is a glorified plastic model. And if somebody is paying that kind of money, they should be able to reasonably expect that it actually fits together. All the other advanced modeling techniques that need to go into it are fine. But the consumer paying all of this money should be able to have the confidence that they are receiving a quality product. I can't imagine that stuff is flying off the shelves so fast at Forgeworld that they can't have QA, especially on their most expensive kits. Just replacing it isn't good enough. Consumers shouldn't be rolling the dice and hoping to get a 4+ model instead of the 1-3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Circus Nurgling Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Agree wholeheartedly. As I stated, I'm a resin aficionado. I quite literally have thousands of dollars of resin models sitting on my shelves. FW (I won't even try GW/Finecast because of the complaints) easily has some of the most detailed of my collection, but also quite easily the worst quality control. The fact that they will send out a replacement part without a returned part or even a photo tells me that they are well aware of this issue, and continue on in the hopes that some of the consumer base will simply accept the miscast product. This is simply unethical. It says that quality control is less economically viable than pushing badly cast parts out the door and replacing 'some' of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Sgt. Steine Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Really appreciate everyone's comments on Finecast stuff as it relates to this model. I got two of the 25th Anniversary kits, myself. This was my first finecast purchase. The one I opened and converted to a Ultra Captain, had several bubbles, the bottom banner pole was bent, and the big dio base was slightly warped as well. I filled the bubbles with Milliputty and removed all the Crimson livery as planned... It looks okay. Anyone interested in pics? Having seen some botched FW models, this was about what I was expecting from this model. A couple more thoughts: First, I do not like Finecast for several reasons that many Brothers have already referenced. However, my biggest issue with FC; is that I LOVE the weight and visceral nature of metal, sweet, soft, white, heavy, durable, metal... I would have loved to have seen this sculpt in metal. Lastly, despite the flaws in this LE model, it is a kick ass Juan Diaz sculpt! I can't wait to get some paint on my Ultra version of this beautiful sculpt. Brother Sgt. Steine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Circus Nurgling Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 God forbid they release things in both resin and metal and let the market decide which it prefers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melekharn Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 ....They have a little affiliate company called ForgeWorld that specializes in only resin cast kits, and yet they seem to be clueless and choose to learn nothing from them. I'm sure with the amount of capitol they have invested in the Finecast line that they could add a 'pressure casting' step and all but eliminate bubbles...... Every model I've purchased from Forgeworld has had more issues than finecast. Not bubbles, but chunks missing from pieces. Mould shifts to the extreme of having to cut the model into pieces, re-align, and re-glue it. From my experience, Finecast is a significant improvement on Forgeworld. Sure, the odd bubble or thin bit of resin, but at least I'm not having to cut the model up to fix something that should not have left the production line. For the record - I've tried contacting FW every time I've purchased something as it was not "up to scratch" The response I got? Nothing. Not even a "sorry, but it's part of the moulding process." My ork Fightabomma for instance was supplied with two of the same side wing pieces and had a 3mm mould shift the length of the fuselage. I tried calling with no answer (Being in Australia makes calling an issue anyway) I even emailed them with pictures on a number of occassions, only to receive nothing. Not even an email to say "hey, we've got your complaint and will deal with it." I've heard plenty of stories from people who have said that FW has been more than happy to replace bad castings, and even let the customer keep the dud. I am yet to see anything of the sort. Yes, finecast isn't all its cracked up to be, but it's a hell of a lot easier to deal with than the old metal minis, and much more comfortable to use on the tabletop! Don't take my rant there as "quit whinging" I'd be peeved if my finecast models were in the same condition. I have personally never had an issue besides the occassional bubble. Having said that, I've only bought 3 finecast models (minor bubbles), compared to approximately 10 Forgeworld items (all of which, see above rant and whinge). Reason for edit: I didn't actually make comment on the OP. I too would be P :) ed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterdyne Posted April 22, 2012 Author Share Posted April 22, 2012 With regard to FW; phone them up - difficult for you as you're in Oz. ^_^ Email support is generally spotty at best. In terms of the casting, the drop cast stuff is usually fine for me. Spin cast; well, I Have it on very good authority that all casting is now done by a centralised department at GW (including FW casting). The FW 'no it's not Finecast' is made in the same room, by the same people, using the same machines. Same quality control (ie very little). Expect awful things. But do complain. Email in photos. Phone them up. Demand your replacement. Numbers of replacements / complaints are I'm told being tracked, and these happening in sufficient numbers are the only things that may elicit change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bat33.1 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 ....They have a little affiliate company called ForgeWorld that specializes in only resin cast kits, and yet they seem to be clueless and choose to learn nothing from them. I'm sure with the amount of capitol they have invested in the Finecast line that they could add a 'pressure casting' step and all but eliminate bubbles...... Every model I've purchased from Forgeworld has had more issues than finecast. Not bubbles, but chunks missing from pieces. Mould shifts to the extreme of having to cut the model into pieces, re-align, and re-glue it. From my experience, Finecast is a significant improvement on Forgeworld. Sure, the odd bubble or thin bit of resin, but at least I'm not having to cut the model up to fix something that should not have left the production line. For the record - I've tried contacting FW every time I've purchased something as it was not "up to scratch" The response I got? Nothing. Not even a "sorry, but it's part of the moulding process." My ork Fightabomma for instance was supplied with two of the same side wing pieces and had a 3mm mould shift the length of the fuselage. I tried calling with no answer (Being in Australia makes calling an issue anyway) I even emailed them with pictures on a number of occassions, only to receive nothing. Not even an email to say "hey, we've got your complaint and will deal with it." I've heard plenty of stories from people who have said that FW has been more than happy to replace bad castings, and even let the customer keep the dud. I am yet to see anything of the sort. Yes, finecast isn't all its cracked up to be, but it's a hell of a lot easier to deal with than the old metal minis, and much more comfortable to use on the tabletop! Don't take my rant there as "quit whinging" I'd be peeved if my finecast models were in the same condition. I have personally never had an issue besides the occassional bubble. Having said that, I've only bought 3 finecast models (minor bubbles), compared to approximately 10 Forgeworld items (all of which, see above rant and whinge). Reason for edit: I didn't actually make comment on the OP. I too would be P :) ed! I'm suprised to hear this as every problem I've had with a FW casting has been resolved by replacement parts sent out FOC with no request to return faulty parts. I have been asked to send in pictures of miscasts but mostly it's just a sorry we'll send you a replacement. Oh and although I'm in the UK I've always contacted them by email, replies are sometimes slow and occasionally need a follow up prompt but they always reply. That said I've recently recieved FW parts that do look suspiciously like FC parts complete with surrounding frames and while looking ok for bubbles, etc, they do look to have more of an issue with flash and possibly mould lines. Also I'd add my experience with FW castings has been much better than my limited experience of FC stuff so far, I just hope FW don't go down the full FC route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterdyne Posted April 22, 2012 Author Share Posted April 22, 2012 Likewise. Over the past few years myself and my immediate colleagues have gotten through around 200 Forgeworld models of various types. Very few problems, really - perhaps a dozen or so parts, some of which had persistent problems though (in particular pieces from a Warhound). Generally though, a replacement sent out has been fine, unlike the situation with Finecast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subtle Discord Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 ....They have a little affiliate company called ForgeWorld that specializes in only resin cast kits, and yet they seem to be clueless and choose to learn nothing from them. I'm sure with the amount of capitol they have invested in the Finecast line that they could add a 'pressure casting' step and all but eliminate bubbles...... Every model I've purchased from Forgeworld has had more issues than finecast. *Snip* I mentioned Forge World because anything I've ordered or seen of theirs has been very good. Resin can be fickle, and I keep my expectations realistic - some minor (key word) flaws do happen. From my experience they seem to have a better process and quality control. That said, I agree completely with winterdyne. If the product has flaws beyond 'minor' everyone should demand replacements. I'll guarantee that they are tracking numbers. I've never worked for a company in any capacity and not had my productivity tracked in some way. I'm sure GW and FW are no different. Too many replacements means lost revenue. Lost revenue beyond a certain level is rarely tolerated. I too have been seeing evidence that Forge World and Finecast are finding their way under the same roof. I'm not sure yet, if I think that's a good or bad thing. I still feel resin is superior material/process to be casting with, when done correctly, with the correct materials. And that's the crux of it; Do the process right, with the correct materials, and with proper quality control. Resin is cost effective enough (I'm still bitter they did a price increase for what I'm certain is cheaper process) to have proper quality control in place and still keep acceptable profit margins. We all know GW and FW has plenty of room in their profit margins to supply us with acceptable product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazychib Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Are GW still replacing faulty anniversary marines? I'm in two minds to ask for a replacement rather than fix the problems with mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Richard Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I dont understand why all the gripes... those aren't bubbles or imperfections in the casting process. They are randomized battle damage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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