Pissed off...*#$#*%

Many years ago I bought a 1/250 doyusha battleship + aircraft carrier (Yamato & Shinano) : huges plastic kits ; huge work for detailing ; huge price ... I definately consider that these kits aren't good quality in comparison with other japanese 's plastic model kits. But these kit are good bases for whom get the patience & enthusiasm to complete the hard job of bulding and detailing one of these models.

Anyone know where I can get some good references on the DC-10?

No it was a Revells Kit I was really dissappointed

Yikes! Bad luck with the Raptor, Parfectputter!
Was that the kit sold by Testors? I seem to remember seeing one years ago. Must be a very big kit! There's nothing worse than a large, poor-fitting kit to just drive you nuts. Glad to hear you finally got it all together.

I recently bought a 1/32 F-22 Raptor for $29 it was a lot of money for me considering im only 15.....but it was a piece of $&^@. Almost nothing fit right, I spent most of my time holding the parts while the glue dried. The freakin thing took me about 3 weekends to complete and since it didnt come with a piolet and the hobby store near me didnt have one I had to gey my dad to make one out of Crayola model magic....it looks alright but if we coulda gotten some real modeling clay it would have turned out much better.

worst kit i ever made:



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the trumpeter mig 19!!!!!

i love the kit, i loved the fit, i loved the detail, i loved the accuracy. i didnt love how some parts were damaged, i didnt love how the surface was rough (hell the hasegawa 1/72 f-15 has the best plastic ive EVER used/seen) i didnt love the lack of colour schemes.

now the mig 15... on the other hand... fit was ok. cockpit= 4 parts WTF a $50 for that? the engine was incorrect (8 chambers instead of 9) surface was pebbly, like my next door neibors house, and there were some dumb mistakes. its still ok tho


the worst fit ever: the dragon ta 152

worst detail for price: hasegawa me 262 (engines were nice, cockpit ok, but rest was crap)

worst condition (of parts, flash, etc) icm spitfire mk ix

best boxart: accurate miniatures p51 (i got it at $12 canadian, it retails at $29 american. it came in a plastic bag)
nah best boxart was italeri me 262

most mold release: icm spitfire mk ix

finest detail: dragon he 219

lowest price: RoG 1/144 phantom: $2

best value: acc mini p51

most sinkmarks: icm spitfire mk ix

Yeah...that'll open the doors to many new possibilities, once I know how to make my own photoetch...

Didn't FSM just run an article about do-it-yourself PE? I'm about 3 issues behind right now, but I thought they did.

Might be a good project!

Where can I get custom photoetch service?

I basically can draw my own, or get a design of the window shape, size it correctly, send them the design, and have them etch each one either individually, or by sections of the airplane (I'll give them the number of windows for each section, and the space between the windows).

I wonder how much this will cost me...

That's sounds like it would work, but are there 1/100 window "strips" available as PE?
Also, it may be difficult to match the exact curvature of the fuselage where the windows are (it would be for me, that's for sure!).

To be completely honest, I would just build the kit with the windows as is, and focus my efforts on creating a nice finish.
But that's just me, of course. I'm a fairly slack, non-bolt-counting kind of modeler! I realize that windows are a little more noticeable than bolts, but I'd still probably just leave 'em.
At the most, I'd go with the decals.

Whichever way you go, good luck with the build!

The decal idea is great. Do you think this might also work?

1. Cut away the window areas on the fuselage.
2. Replace it with a PHOTOETCHED sheet that has windows in it.
3. Reinforcement from the back, glue, sand, paint.

It is possible to custom make a 1/100 scale photoetched sheet of the DC 10 windows? The thickness of the sheet is actually pretty realistic. Then, all I have to do is to attach a thin transparent plastic sheet behind the photoetched window frames.

Hmm...

J-hulk beat me to it, but I was gonna suggest the same thing. Decal windows will look just fine and be much easirer than trying to reshape all of those windows.

Thanks

I think J-hulk is right on this one. You can make your jab a bit easier by finding a scale elevation of the 100 and use that as a guide for your windows.

To solve the window problem, how about the ol' decal fix? Fill in all the windows and replace them with decals. I'm not sure if they are offered in 1/100, but it would be worth looking into, and certainly easier than trying to reshape and add all those windows.
Good luck!

theres a 1/72 DC 10 here at welsh models http://www.tahs.com/kit%20catalogue/Transport%20Wings.htm there Vac Form kits

QUOTE: Originally posted by rangerj It probably will not make you feel better, but most of us have paid an exhorbatent amount for a crumby kit we "just had to have". It's just the nature of this habit, er hobby! Cheers, rangerj

I have to agree with rangerj on this. I am sure it has happend to most long term model builders at some point. My friend spent well over $100 on a resin model of the A-12 (since they are very rare) and it was the worst kit he has ever made. None of the parts fit together right and he eventually just gave up on it. I haven't spent that much money on a bad kit, but I have had my share of kits that weren't worth the effort to work on them and eventually made their way to the dumpster.

Just FYI, I recal there being a 1/72 727 kit out a few years ago that I heard some good things about. Unfortunately I think it was a limited production kit and I never got my hands on one. But you might try seeing if anyone is selling them still. I forget who the manufacturer was...

Hope things work out for you!

Once you get your frames sorted out, glaze them with a drop of clear casting resin. This is how I make port holes for my ships.
Bruce

PS:
What airline are you going to represent? different airlines had different window layouts from the factory, so it may bear checking some photos before going ahead.

Thinning & cutting may be a way to go, but I would not apply any heat, you are more likey to make a bad kit worse by distorting the fuselage.

Good luck,
Bruce

To make the windows, I was thinking about thinning the shell (fuselage), then make a metal template. Then simply cut into it, maybe after heating it....

Thanks for all the advices on panel lines.

My main problem right now is the windows. Not only are the shapes off, but Doyusha even MISCOUNTED the windows in each section, by as much as 2! I realized that after I noticed the kit looks somehow different from the box photo.

Is there anyway I can make my own windows? I'm thinking maybe fill the existing windows with some substance, sand it, and sand it thin, Then make my own windows...

If the panel lines are recessed and are too wide or too deep try the following.

Stretch some spru and run two pieces of spru into the panel line. Thesand sand and fill as necessary on the left and right sides of the spru. Rescribe the panel line in the middle of the two pieces. If you are careful and keep the spru straight it is a lot easier to get straight panel lines.

As for the price, it is due to a thing called "transfer pricing". This is not a forum for a discussion about forein trade policy, but we are all affected by it. Your kit is a good example. rangerj

Hey, if you feel ripped off by the price, please don't blame Doyusha. That kit sells for 4,000 yen ($36 US) here in Japan. Blame your domestic distributor for the price.

Also, a quick question in the forums would have gotten you a pile of opinions about the quality of Doyusha's kits. I've built several myself (just bought the 1/100 Concorde), and could have given you a good idea of what to expect (which would have been "not much," which unfortunately you've already found out for yourself!).

I can certainly understand your frustration at having paid a bundle for what you feel is a sub-standard product (I don't like Doyusha either!), but we shouldn't expect all Japanese kits to be great. Heck, not even all Tamiya or Hasegawa kits are great!
In Japan, Doyusha has a reputation for making simple, cheap, sparsely (and inaccurately) detailed model kits. (By the way, they are made entirely in Japan. Not China)

Anyway, as is usually stated in other threads concerning disappointing kits, here's a golden opportunity to hone some valuable modeling skills!
Plus, where else can ya get a 1/100 DC-10?

Good luck with the build, and post some pix if you can.

If the panel lines are raised, sand them down,then spray a light cote of varnish (I use Citadel Purity seal).
The panel lines re appear and can be scribed.

If the lines are recessed and you fill them be careful when you re scribe, as you can remove chunks of filler.

If you spray more coats of the final colour than usual you will find that the panel lines will reduce in size.
I sprayed too much white on their DC9 and had to rescribe when the paint cured

If you use a filler that is a different color than the plastic when you have sanded it you will be left with a colored line on the parts to use as a guide, to avoid doing alot of hard work on the windows what about making the kit into a fed-ex cargo plane? just glue in the windows, fill them, sand it smooth and paint over them. in fairness to the kit it is quite an old mold (from the 70's i belive) and even some of the Japanese models from that era where quite poor (the Hasegawa BAC Lightning springs to mind here). anyways good luck with your kit. Greg

After I fill up the panel lines, I won't know the exact location/shape of the it, how can I rescribe it?

Is there a way to sort of make the panel line black for now, then fill it with some clear stuff, this way, I'll still have a guide. Can that be done?

Windows - a file and a whole lot of patience! New windows - Micro Scale Crystal Clear, or clear spru, a file, and a whole lot of patience.

The panel lines - a sanding block and 400 or 600 "wet/dry" sandpaper (wet sand). Then rescribe the lines with a scribing tool. Again, a whole lot of patience will be required.

Lastly, remember that it is far better to be pissed off than to be pissed on, it dries quicker!
To make matters worse, the Japanese probably had the molds made, and the kit molded, in Korea or China like everybody else!

It probably will not make you feel better, but most of us have paid an exhorbatent amount for a crumby kit we "just had to have". It's just the nature of this habit, er hobby!
Cheers, rangerj