Yankee Modelworks detail set

Put the 16" guns in a rotary tool and use said tool to spin the barrels. Use sandpaper while barrels are spinning to smoothe out the barrels and there will be no flat spots. As for the 5" seeing as White metal is soft metal like lead it should be easy to bend the barrels back to true.

Hi, Mikeym_us,

Thanks for your reply. I guess my point is that I should not have to put the barrels in a rotary tool. They should come to me ready to install and paint. I work in an industry where I supply custom made products . If I delivered said product to a customer and they in turn had to sand and polish it to make it look presentable, I would be cheating my customer and I would likely loose my job if my boss found out. Like I said, maybe I recieved a bad set, but they look bad and maybe they need to inspect the barrels better before shipping. Has anyone else had a similar problem or am I just expecting to much?

emo07

Your going to have to turn it anyways to bore out the barrel. It's too bad there isn't alot of companies that are working with turned brass barrels which is what you really need.

emo07 - you're expecting too much. No, that's not right ... you just have to, ummm, adjust your expectations when buying aftermarket parts from a cottage industry or small-scale manufacturer. A lot of these places are literally one or two guys making stuff in their garage, by hand, one at a time, and in their (insert hysterical laughter) spare time. So the quality control is not going to be up to Tamiya's box shaker standards, or even Revell's.

On the other hand, it's easier than scratchbuilding what you want. I try to look at little irritations like having to clean up parts as one more part of the process and a character-building exercise in overcoming adversity.   

Yes, I also think this is normal. I had the same experience with WEM's 20mm Flak Zwilling guns: the brass guns had some flash and were slightly bent. Nothing hard to fix though (you can see the result on my webpage below).

If you really feel unconfortable about sanding off the extra flash and getting the barrels straight again, I would suggest to contact YM and explain the situation. Most of the guys selling PE and brass parts are good-natured and, being modellers themselves, usually willing to offer their help! They could share their experience with you and give you some advice, and perhaps even agree to exchange the set for a new one.

Also, next time you order a brass set, you could try to contact the seller and explain that you need a really clean set - if possible.

This may sound a little naive but I strongly believe that most problems can be solved by friendly and constructive communication.

On the other hand, one could see this as a perfect opportunity to learn new techniques & enhance its modelling skills !

If an upgrade set contains parts of a quality lower than the kit pieces it replaces, the customer has every right to be indignant.   The fact that the producer is a cottage industry with meager resources has no relevance to quality and value.   I think Emo is more interested in buying a product that fits his needs, not in making a charitable donation to support amature metal casters.  

Perhaps in this case, cast metal barrels with extensive flash might as well not be included, and the set price lowered accordingly.   Then the customer has the option of using the plastic kit parts or using the money towards a set of turned brass barrels.   

Dave

 

Thanks for your input guys,

I did take the advice of putting the barrels in a Dremel tool and using a sanding stick. They came out reasonably well, and may look better after priming and painting.

Uhu, I'me glad someone see's it from my point of view. An upgrade set SHOULD be an upgrade, and even if it is someone working out of their garage after work and on weekends, they should take pride in the product they produce and sell. I may still order the turned brass barrels that are available.

emo07