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A couple of weeks ago I started Tamiya's 1/48 Pz III for the Pz II and Variants GB, Since the kit is a shell, no interior details, and I'm mostly an aircraft guy and used to detailing at this scale, I decided to buy the Verlinden "Through the Hatch" detail set. At first glance its a nice resin set, which I expected, since the set is about $21.00 so its not cheap. So I started building, step one the drivers compartment. Heres where I first had a problem. After doing some research I noticed that the detail set is missing almost all the front compartment except for one seat...I mean REALLY...one seat..in clude both seats at least? Wheres the transmission?? Ok I understand its 1/48 but Ive seen more detail in a 72 set. They have this and more in their 1/35 set. Look at step 1 in the first pic. I ended up scratch building the front parts to make it somewhat presentable..(see GB for what I added)
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Ok now on to the turret, heres where was really disappointed. Take a look at the second pic. Now these are the instructions that came with the set. HOW IN THE &^&@(! ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THESE??? Look at the ruler... the Step 2 pic is dark and 1.5" long!!!! If I pay $21.00 for a set I would AT LEAST expect a decent instruction set. Now this is my first Verlinden set but if all of them are like this, it WILL be my last.
Come on Verlinden...you guys are supposed to be a quality product. Where the customer service.
Carlos
Instruction sheet
Turret detail step.
You are not alone. I used Verlinden upgrade set for Italeri M24 Chaffee last year. For sure, instructions was very poor so I had to figure it out most of the times. Half of the stowage was not correct or appropriate for Chaffee too.
However I am usually happy with Verlinden resin figures... they are much cheaper than most resin makers. And I liked its thicker PE which is less fragile than other makers.
I would buy Verlinden upgrade sets only if they are on a sale for a steal price. So my opinion about Verlinden products are mixed...
Andy
Verlinden's time has come and gone for the most part. Much better products out there with superior detail, better instructions, etc.
Rob Gronovius Verlinden's time has come and gone for the most part. Much better products out there with superior detail, better instructions, etc.
You got what is basically "par for the course" for the most part when it comes to Verlinden stuff.
At one time, they were really the only game in town, and were considered "the stuff". This was the days before the hyper-realism trend of today, when you can honestly compare aftermarket parts as being "accurate" or not--in days past, you were happy just to have a generalized, plausible impression of what an interior looked like, and Verlinden gave you that.
The Hetzer interior I got for the one that made the magazine had a pretty imaginative shell rack interior--but the engine was pretty good. I had to scratch a lot of the actual interior---oh yeah; it was also missing a full seat. Go figure? With some of their kits, you can get a pretty good representation, but if you're really into accuracy, look somewhere else.
I'm not looking for complete accuracy but at least make the effort to include a complete looking set....but its the instructions that really bother me....that should be the bare minimum....
That's sort of what I meant by my statement. Their stuff (the actual product, instructions and level of detail) is in the exact same format as it was when they arrived in the 1980s. Any of their newer sets issued today are on par with their 20 year old stuff, not on par with newer companies' stuff released within the last 10 years.
There was a time when reaching for a small camouflaged box meant you were getting the best resin upgrades available (often because it was the only one). Now, unless it's languishing in the clearance bin at the LHS, I won't give it a glance.
Ya when you open one of their camo box kits you would get covered in oil from the releasing agent they used, took for ever to wash that stuff off.
Thad
I got one of their sets for a BF-109E and it was'nt too bad. Later I bought a JU-88A off of Ebay and among the detail sets I recieved with it was a Verlinden set. Compred to CMK or AIRES, it is crap. Perhaps I will adapt it to the Hobbycrap JU-88A.
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