Lousy Ebay vehicle castings


C

CNR Glen

Member
I bought two vehicle kits off ebay a couple weeks ago:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/110600787120?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/160499807895?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

This is what I got:
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The Panel truck has small divots all over, the windshield and rear doors are barely noticeable, the front bumper it broken and the grill is all dinged up.

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The 54' bel air has the same problems, but worse.
I paid 19$ including shipping for these two turkeys and I was not happy. I sent them (at me expense) back with a note saying that I wanted models that were as good as what he has pictured on his ebay auctions but all he did was refund me about 10$, the cost of the two models less the shipping charges. He claims that a bit of sanding and primer would fix the flaws, I don't think there should have been flaws to begin with.
So when it's all said and done I'm out 15$. I should have just kept the models and threw them in a junkyard
 
I hear ya. I bought some propane tanks form the same guy, but the listing photos for them clearly showed how crude they were, so I was prepared for the worst. And he didn't disappoint.

So why did I order from him? Because only he had what I needed. And a little body filler, and I am good to go. In your case . . . . .
 
Glen, I have 5 of the propane tanks and 5 of the fuel truck bodies from him. It takes a lot of sanding and filing and then putty to make them look decent. He does make casting nobody else seems to make though.

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Those should have been sold as 'off' castings. I bought a bunch of them from Stony Mountain Classic Castings. These were bad castings that were partial casts, dimpled castings, off-center, pitted, etc. The difference is I knew they were bad when I bought them and I got them for next to nothing. They were great for filling out some junk yards.
 
I bought stuff from Stony Mountain Classics years back, Marginal at best. Looks like this guy got a hold of some of their old molds, and some of his stuff looks suspiciously like old Walthers offerings where he took their parts and made his own master from them. The REA truck and the milk truck look suspiciously familiar. You get what you pay for, don't you? These can be made usable, if you want to take the time. I would suggest a filler that can be found under the brand name Mr. Hobby or Gunze Sangyo (same stuff). It can be brush applied and sanded when it dries. The Squadron stuff isn't bad either. Or you can buy the resin vehicle kits from Sylvan Scale Models and get 99% flawless castings and all you have to do is wash the mold release off of them & paint. It's all in what you're time is worth to you. For other castings try a company called Model Tech Studios. They are expensive but they do very high quality castings. Caveat Emptor!;)
 
They do look a bit ragged. I bought some frm Sylvan years back and they were crude, but from what I understand that have inproved quite a bit. In recent years Classic Metal Works have been my mainstay for the most part because I model in the year 1957 adn they have quite a number of vehicles that fit into that era. They have also made great improvements in the past few years. Who was the manufacturer on this glob of resin ?
 
It seems that this seller on Ebay has ripped off Magnuson cars, creating his own molds (if you want to call them that) and is casting knock-offs. Unfortunately, all the kits that he copies are discontinued so I have to look around for originals.
 
CNR Glen said:
I paid 19$ including shipping for these two turkeys and I was not happy. I sent them (at me expense) back with a note saying that I wanted models that were as good as what he has pictured on his ebay auctions but all he did was refund me about 10$, the cost of the two models less the shipping charges. He claims that a bit of sanding and primer would fix the flaws, I don't think there should have been flaws to begin with.
So when it's all said and done I'm out 15$. I should have just kept the models and threw them in a junkyard
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to offer my jaded input, Glen, but after what I have seen in my years of playing Warhammer 40,000 (a 1/35 scale model-based tabletop game) If it were me I would have shrugged and worked on them without fuss. When the Warhammer company phased out their pewter game pieces and reproduced them with resin copies, they were so riddled with insane amounts of flash and air bubble holes that the company was literally bombed with complaints for a year. Their initial reaction? They started selling a liquid epoxy filler. It was not until a couple years later that they ironed out their air bubble problem.

Yes, it's a bummer, but when you spend a little time and care and then give them a coat of paint, you wouldn't notice.

It is a modeling hobby, after all.
 
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I wonder about the ethics of making copies of someone else's product and selling it, even if the original is discontinued.
 
I recognize those castings.... I met the guy who made them at a Train Show in MD. I looked at the bodies several times before deciding not to waste my time.
 
FCL2117 - I agree with you.

Someone owns those real original molds and just because they are dormant right now doesn't mean someone can make what I consider to be ill-gotten gains from someone else's work.
 
Just a follow up on this thread. I got the casting of the 1950 Chevy panel truck from Stoney Mountain Classic Castings this week. It looks very good:
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A nice smooth casting, no flaws or 'dimples' all the detail is there as well.
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I did pay a bit more for these but the company threw two of the trucks in for me, one in white resin (pictured) the other in clear. I was so impressed I've got two other models ordered, a 1952 ford woody wagon and a 1950 buick roadmaster wagon.
 
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