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Just got this email from Forge World regarding my complaint about the quality...

"It appears that we are having some problems with molds for the Rhino armour sets which has resulted in them being removed from our range until the matter has been dealt with. Regrettably some sets were sent out before we could do this. The re-working of the molds and master models may take some time..."

Is that the first time they done something like that?

How recent of a development is this with Forgeworld?

It's been several years since I've placed a FW order but I've received about half dozen Iron Warriors Rhino doors and chaos extra armor bits, Land Raider doors, an Iron Warriors dread and a Vindicator conversion kit, (should give you an idea how long ago it's been...) and they all fit wonderfully. The only issue I had was that on one set of rhino doors the mold didn't fill entirely and the top edge (With the hazard striping) was a bit wavy.

chromedog wrote:Each piece was not only warped but not properly cured, even after 2 weeks in transit (it was still sweating - which is also a sign of bad mixing of the resin).

My Tomb Stalker's body is slightly tacky, even though I ordered it about a month ago.

I have bought 3 FW Drop pods and 2 were fine the third was a bit warped and I attempted to heat it in luke warm water and slightly bend it back. There must have been a flaw in the resin because when it cold and set, it shattered (Well either that or my wife smashed it and wouldn't admit to hating my hobby )... I think as consumers we are a practical bunch who enjoy the hobby so that 50% of the time we will live with minor flaws and paint, file or fill the problem away. This pragmatic attitude is not really in keeping with most of society where if there are flaws in a consumer item we will demand a replacement or compensation. It would be nice if FW had a little more QA, maybe its time GW took them in house or maybe FW subsumed a smaller specialist Plastics manufacturer!

Rhino spaced armor for me is a colossal fail. I needed to build whole new doors out of plasticard because none of the rhino doors would fit into the forgeworld pieces.

*grumble*

Look I'm not new to the FW rodeo.
I have made a ton of purchases from them with no issues at all.
I expect and know that they are advance level kits that some times require advance techniques during the assemblage.

I posted picts on my blog about the Thunderhawk build. I normally don't use really hot water, but have a directed High heat gun to fix the warping issues.

This is a list of my most recent kits and any issues from FW

Reaver, none other than the hip/waist pnumatics being left out, new ones sent out in 3 days to the USA! Very little sanding was need the cast was as near perfect as could be

3 Vultures, no issues, very good casting, no warping

18 assorted XV-8X tau suits and the commander suit, no issues.

6 Tau Remora's no issues

1 hydra Flak emplacement, barrels on turret minor warpage
crashed Valk , big flash gates, but no real issues

1 Tau Tigershark AX-o11 , cast was decent, required a lot of sanding and dremil work due to HUGE flash gates, the Rail guns were warped

LR MK2b, basically it's a Hybrid kit and all the resin parts are 7/10th the correct size.

Mix chapter LR rhino doors , either too small or reversed way to big.

LR spaced armor, required major work to fit together correctly , then major work on the LR to attach correctly, had to do with parts being either too small or too big.

Thunderhawk, I built this after building the Reaver, so I was expecting the same level of difficulty , but I was way wrong. Some parts were all still sticky ( like the resin was not mixed correctly, some were faintly cast/ mist cast, some like the main hull were bent like a banana and twisted, even the wings has issues. Due tot he size of some of the parts , it was very hard to correct the issues due to how thick they were. From what I've heard from other Thawk owners many have experienced the same thing.

3 Dread drop pods, mixed The first one I got was a fairly easy build the next two were very difficult to build due to casting issues.

The main thing I've nowtised is that , generally the older the original kit is, the worse the cast will be, High use stuff especially. The newer stuff that has stated being cast in the Shanghai factory and sent back to England I've had very little issues with ( most of the newer Elysians and Vultures are examples).

I've never had an issue with FW models, some of the Epic stuff need quite a bit of clean up but that was it.

Anyone receiving miscast/warped stuff only needs to complain about it and they will sort it. Simples.

They are complelled by UK consumer law to do this (not that they have to be forced to, they will just send stuff out no questions asked). This applies to all goods bought from the UK so even if you are abroad you shouldn't have any problems getting the issue resolved.

mwnciboo wrote:or maybe FW subsumed a smaller specialist Plastics manufacturer!

They're currently having some item made in Shanghai at a big resin casting factory. Everything I've had from there has been spot-on!

I hope this isn't too obvious a thing to say, but anything that is not perfect, at that price, should be sent back and a refund given. No questions asked.

The thunderhawk costs £395 and is a model a foot and a half long. Think of what other product manufacturers can produce at a fraction of the price. GW/FWs argument is based on the quality of the product. They need to live up to that argument.

Consumer rights would be on your side. I can't see anything on the website that states that the models may be poorly cast and require reshaping. Their returns policy is clear.

GW/FW are a business. If you accept poorly cast models, they will keep sending them out. So start returning them.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
More info here:

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/after_you_buy/know-your-rights/SGAknowyourrights/

Oh, and FW's returns policy (within seven days) doesn't overrule this, though it's obviously worth bearing in mind.

Could any of this be due to the shift in production from the UK to China?

As I stated every thing that I've gotten that came from the new Shanghai facility was top notch and almost as good as Regular Plastic models.

The last Item I got that I know came from England was the a Reaver and it was spot on...I think it was #297 of the casting run ( bought very early 2009), the Thunderhawk was bought in Sept of 2009 and was cast #797

I've wanted to get some Warhounds , but have been worried over how old the molds are.

They've been messing stuff since long before China got involved, but I doubt anything made over there will be any better...

theHandofGork wrote:Could any of this be due to the shift in production from the UK to China?

Nah.

It's mostly just the old molds are getting older, and rather than being retired+replaced years ago...they kept using them until the last second.

It results in some bad casts every now and again, but the beancounters upstairs likely find the cost of doing replacements more appealing than retooling the molds.

LR MK2b, basically it's a Hybrid kit and all the resin parts are 7/10th the correct size.

I'll third this... I was very disappointed and have had mixed results from FW purchases. Mostly, my experiences have been good, but the worst two problems I've had is the LR MK2b and a Dread Drop Pod that is assembled, but was poorly cast and doesn't exactly square up.

TobyDog wrote:As I stated every thing that I've gotten that came from the new Shanghai facility was top notch and almost as good as Regular Plastic models.

The last Item I got that I know came from England was the a Reaver and it was spot on...I think it was #297 of the casting run ( bought very early 2009), the Thunderhawk was bought in Sept of 2009 and was cast #797

I've wanted to get some Warhounds , but have been worried over how old the molds are.

If that's your worry, you can always get the "Mars" pattern Warhound, as it's much newer than the Lucius patterns.

My lucius pattern warhound fit together perfectly, I honestly had no issues with it.

theHandofGork wrote:Could any of this be due to the shift in production from the UK to China?

The improvements lately seem to be due to that shift!

micahaphone wrote:I won a real old baneblade in a raffle from FW (it had 2 main cannons- one in the place of the demolisher cannon, the HB on the front wasn't twin linked, and the sponson HBs are 3 bolters per side) and it is/was fantastic. I was instructed to wash all the parts, so I did, and everything turned out great. I love raffles

That's an Armorcast Baneblade, NOT a FW model.

The final straw for me….
“0k, I have an issue now..... major pissed off too.... 90% done with my IG Human Aux only to find out (my wife noticed right off) that the FW upgrade heads are actually smaller...This is from the Cadian upgrade pack with respirators… and if my wife noticed... this is yet another disappointment… and the final straw with me and FW.
Are the Pig Iron heads closer to the actual size GW heads?
I need something….so I can finish these which was my “goal” for today before sitting down and pigging out on Turkey….. so bummed.
If anyone wants these heads PM me, you can have them…they suck !!!”
I posted this in the painting section….
Everything and I mean everything I have purchased from FW is garbage….
I thought at least they would get the size of the heads right…. FAIL !!!!

Well I guess I'll just stay away from FW forever then

I was planning on getting some black legion and word bearers doors, and a couple other things too..

doctorludo wrote:I hope this isn't too obvious a thing to say, but anything that is not perfect, at that price, should be sent back and a refund given. No questions asked.

The thunderhawk costs £395 and is a model a foot and a half long. Think of what other product manufacturers can produce at a fraction of the price. GW/FWs argument is based on the quality of the product. They need to live up to that argument.

Consumer rights would be on your side. I can't see anything on the website that states that the models may be poorly cast and require reshaping. Their returns policy is clear.

GW/FW are a business. If you accept poorly cast models, they will keep sending them out. So start returning them.

That is the absolute truth. You're paying premium prices for Forge World's services and products, and I have no idea why anyone wouldn't insist upon a correctly manufactured product or a refund upon receipt of many of these defects. I've heard that Forge World customer service can be difficult to contact, but that's no excuse either, simply tell your credit card company or bank. You ordered something, you didn't receive it as promised, you have no obligation to pay for that service. As long as any corporation can get away with said practices, what incentive do they have to change? They care about money, bottom line, and so long as they can save money by being negligent and having it being accepted then they're going to do it.

0h well for FW.... there was a Manta in my future....

Scott-S6 wrote:

mwnciboo wrote:or maybe FW subsumed a smaller specialist Plastics manufacturer!

They're currently having some item made in Shanghai at a big resin casting factory. Everything I've had from there has been spot-on!

I had a squad of Elysians that were most likely from Shanghai, I made a thread about it back then, unable to comprehend the excellent quality of the casts. The FLGS staff was impressed as well and they went together like a dream. Too bad things don't last forever.

I haven't had problems with it not fitting, mine just have holes in them

For the prices they charge, I don't understand why they DON'T pressure-cast.

It removes issues such as:
Air bubbles (cavities and internal voids also).
Improper curing.

Costs bugger-all to implement (and at the prices they charge, it WILL make its cost back inside the first 5 purchases after install).

Has anyone else noticed that alot of their scenery has gone out of stock recantly? I noticed it the other day and asked in my local store and was told they have stopped making any more and are just clearing remaining stock.

I'm pretty pissed at FW for my Thunderhawk. The front hatch was significantly ill proportioned to the front of the chassis. None of the air flaps fit, the wings wouldn't hold primer, despite proper washing, most of the weapons and interior pieces were warped. I feel like it was just too much work for the price tag.

Id complain about it. Ive never had a major problem with Forgeworld stuff, mind you im used to working with resin as i do alot of millitary models. I dont mind filling in air bubbles and straightening parts and doing a bit of filling butyour Thunderhawk sounds a joke. Is there any chance of seing some photos of the problem?

Nah. I managed to pawn it off on a buddy who really wanted one. I really wanted to get rid of the damn thing, so I sold if off for about 50% of what I payed for it.