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Post by edwardsutorik on Dec 9, 2022 10:06:08 GMT -8
I had the same thought about using lead for filler, especially the headlight-to-nose area--it looks quite metallic. And the bottom photo looks like "bondo".
Ed
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Post by littlejoee76 on Dec 9, 2022 10:34:30 GMT -8
Putting a ruler on the monitor I reckon the E headlight is a tad larger in diameter (eg 26vs25mm in one shot) but it's the wider radius of the vertical curve in the nose makes the E headlight relatively longer as it starts further back. Also the thick rubber gasket of the E8 (and earlier) will look cruder than the flush metal gasket on a '9. Highliners do still make the metal gaskets (for the portholes as well as the headlights), I've used them (and a Highliners DB hatch) to make a Milwaukee E9 out of a P2K unit.
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ictom
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Post by ictom on Dec 9, 2022 12:52:32 GMT -8
Here's the 3D CAD from their page. Does it look like the production model? $399....
The main nose differences between this sample and the prototype are the sharp creases on the model vs more rounded creases on the on the prototype. The contours of the green paint on the UP model makes those differences look much worse than they are. I'm looking at a PRR model nose right now and it doesn't look as bad as the UP model nose with those weird green paint contours. Agreed - and it's why I remarked about certain paint schemes emphasizing the intersection. |
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ictom
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Post by ictom on Dec 9, 2022 12:57:22 GMT -8
Ever heard of a drop press? I've worked around several before - one was more than half the size of my house. It was there at least since 1943 (probably with plenty of women operators, too - not men). I'm sure EMD had access to something similar, rather than banging it out with hand tools and wood forms. How about Kirksite, otherwise known as Zamac 2? I'm sure you've heard of Zamac. Don't they use it in model railroading? ;-) Anyway, Kirksite was often used as molds for sheet metal, including in the drop presses I mentioned. Again, I'm pretty sure EMD had access to something like that instead of wood.
Of course EMD used big presses. But the final nose curves were hand-made and included a lot of bondo.
From Railfan & Railroad magazine September 2019:
"The routine went like this. The nose sides, being relatively simple, were made of flat sheet metal. The top was cut to the profile of the nose, then curved to match its arched profile. The front of the nose, meanwhile, was also constructed of sheet metal, bent to match the shape of the pilot. So far, so simple. Then, to join all these planes and arcs, the EMD assemblymen went to work, by hand, with body filler. All those beautiful compound curves on the bulldog nose? Sculpture, made from off-brand Bondo. And, given they were built by hand, no two noses were ever exactly the same."
Drawings & text from US Patent Office
There are photos "somewhere" showing wooden nose forms on the shop floor.
This is not news in railfandom.
It's interesting your use of the word "final," that makes it all OK, right? Even with aircraft, some hand work and filler is used to finally seal the parts, but the implication I took in your earlier post was that this was the only method. Everyone in railfandom would've interpreted it that way. Further, if every single nose is different (The author of the article you cited was obviously emphasizing this for effect!), why is everyone complaining about the nose, headlight, etc. on the Rapido rendition? |
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Post by mvlandsw on Dec 9, 2022 13:03:14 GMT -8
In comparing the FL9 and the E unit it looks to me like the E unit nose starts the curve toward vertical closer to the windshield which makes the headlight housing appear longer.
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Post by nstophat on Dec 9, 2022 13:11:58 GMT -8
In all seriousness, does anyone know which E-unit they digitally scanned? I suggest you read my post with the photos of UP 942 in it, especially the part surrounded by quotation marks. It's about 20 posts back--big yellow diesels, with photos of the headlight featured. I checked the history of UP 942 on UtahRails, and there is no comment about a wreck rebuild. There IS for UP 938, so I am sure there would have been such a comment for 942, if it had happened. Ed Ed: Sorry I missed your post. Regards, Russ |
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Post by rockisland652 on Dec 9, 2022 13:32:26 GMT -8
E units are simply my favourite power ever. The above shared nose-down shot is mine. Here's some more. I apologize for the poor quality of these photos, as I recently switched cell phones. I miss my Pixel 2. This isn't even fair. Comparing any out-of the box model to one of Mr. Tyson's Machines? Naah. Yes, the Highliners nose is the best one out there. So is John.
What do I really think? I'll try not to pile on.
The good
The overall contours of the Rapido are decent, far better than the Proto or BLI out of the box.
The UP details are tooled up fairly well.
The cab interior is awesome.
The side skirts are easily removable AND there is detail behind them making mods easier.
They run very well.
The headlights are bright enough.
It is downright easy to get the shell off. And on.
The...not so good
There are some choices made that defy logic.
The pilot steps are missing. The cab windows are set in too far, making the gaskets look too thick.
The upper headlight does protrude a bit (hand built? perhaps), and the 'soft' E8 ring around the nose is missing.
The upper oscillating headlight looks like it's using the same Pyle plate you'd find in a single headlight unit turned vertical, plus it's painted silver/light gray to magnify this. Only the rings around the 'bulbs' should be silver, the rest should be black. The red marker light also shines when the Oscillating light is on. Alas, Rapido used a single piece of clear plastic for both lights, painting the bottom one red to try and minimize the bleed through. It still bleeds through. The MU door and the doors on the sides of the cab look like they were stamped into the shell, with soft edges bending into the shell. For the MU door, an etching would have served far better.
The portholes look odd. They protrude too far with a very pronounced lip. The fuel tank skirts should be even with the outside of the fuel tank and inset from the carbody sides.
For a model with such a cavernous interior, the speaker chosen is identical to the one in the considerably less cavernous SW1200. I'm glad they put a speaker in there, regardless of sound/silent (like the SW1200), but there is room for a much more impressive sounding speaker. The interior has an insane amount of metal in it, and some should have been left out to accommodate a larger speaker. The SSS speaker will help the ESU guys, but the Tsu2 will cause clipping, particularly with some of the horns. I prefer a speaker that better utilizes the space (bigger). And...
This cavernous shell interior is full of holes. Vents, fans, stacks...all let the sound right out. These holes (plus the speaker and decoder) mostly explain the wimpy sound of the ones I see test run on YouTube. Letting the sound escape through all those shell holes lets the treble right out into the air. Some black electrical tape will seal the treble in while allowing more mid-range to get out. Try it. You'll be surprised at the difference, even with the stock decoder and speaker. I added pilot steps. You can barely see it. Basic numbers too. I think they left them off because UP used engine numbers and Milwaukee used train numbers. A decal sheet would have been appreciated.
Another of Mister Tyson's Machines showing the unkindness of time. Note the porthole difference. I believe the circle on the side is a plate over a water fill.
I've been running an ABA set around the layout quite a bit since they came out. I think they are an important evolutionary step towards everyone being able to run an 'Ultimate E Unit'.
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Post by atsf_4 on Dec 9, 2022 15:43:02 GMT -8
Thank you for your assessment!
I used to be an Alco fan, but after all the history I've read, well I like E units now.
Your customized models look really awesome.
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Post by Baikal on Dec 9, 2022 17:03:14 GMT -8
Of course EMD used big presses. But the final nose curves were hand-made and included a lot of bondo.
From Railfan & Railroad magazine September 2019:
"The routine went like this. The nose sides, being relatively simple, were made of flat sheet metal. The top was cut to the profile of the nose, then curved to match its arched profile. The front of the nose, meanwhile, was also constructed of sheet metal, bent to match the shape of the pilot. So far, so simple. Then, to join all these planes and arcs, the EMD assemblymen went to work, by hand, with body filler. All those beautiful compound curves on the bulldog nose? Sculpture, made from off-brand Bondo. And, given they were built by hand, no two noses were ever exactly the same."
Drawings & text from US Patent Office
There are photos "somewhere" showing wooden nose forms on the shop floor.
This is not news in railfandom.
It's interesting your use of the word "final," that makes it all OK, right? Even with aircraft, some hand work and filler is used to finally seal the parts, but the implication I took in your earlier post was that this was the only method. Everyone in railfandom would've interpreted it that way. Further, if every single nose is different (The author of the article you cited was obviously emphasizing this for effect!), why is everyone complaining about the nose, headlight, etc. on the Rapido rendition?
I'm sorry you mis-understood.
The prototype nose curves didn't vary much between units. Probably never enough to show up in a photo. The issue is- the Rapido nose isn't a great representation of any of them, e.g., the filet around the headlight.
The old Highlinrs nose is great. The Rapido FL9 nose is very good.
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Post by 12bridge on Dec 9, 2022 17:28:21 GMT -8
At the end of the day, the prototype modeler is still a very, very small fraction of the market when it comes to buying models. So for the masses, these are still "the ultimate E8", simply because of all the flashy stuff they promise and include (and under deliver on..). I don't think we have a snowballs chance of any revisions being made.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Dec 9, 2022 17:34:18 GMT -8
Putting a big fillet between the headlight and the nose would take material OUT of an existing mold. So I don't think a new mold would have to be cut.
Ed
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Post by cemr5396 on Dec 9, 2022 17:40:40 GMT -8
At the end of the day, the prototype modeler is still a very, very small fraction of the market when it comes to buying models. So for the masses, these are still "the ultimate E8", simply because of all the flashy stuff they promise and include (and under deliver on..). I don't think we have a snowballs chance of any revisions being made. yeah, unfortunately all it takes to fool 95% of the modeling public is a LOT of seperately applied detail parts. To a certain degree they don't even need to be the RIGHT ones, they just need to be there. |
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Post by Baikal on Dec 9, 2022 17:52:24 GMT -8
Putting a big fillet between the headlight and the nose would take material OUT of an existing mold. So I don't think a new mold would have to be cut. Ed
Not happening.
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Post by sd40tdash2 on Dec 10, 2022 1:02:50 GMT -8
These Rapido E-8s are truly amazing and beautiful. The nose profile is the most accurate that I have ever seen for an E or an F (better than the Highliner.) To my eyes, the window / gasket / body interface looks the most accurate. My guess is that the people whom are trying to create all of this dissent for Rapido’s beautiful new Es are probably affiliated with competitors like Broadway Limited, Walthers, or Athearn. Looks to be sour grapes to me.
The nit-picking here is ridiculous. You can not claim an inaccuracy unless you know the time period the model represents. Does the model represent “as delivered” “today” or somewhere in between? Now one thing Rapido can do better is make sure their marketing materials state the year or years the model represents, and if they change any details after conferring with a railroad historical society, then let us know that before release.
Either way, the fools who try to fool us into believing these Rapido models are cr_p, go right ahead. I’m going to enjoy these greatly, and I won’t hesitate to order more…
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Post by sd80mac on Dec 10, 2022 6:18:12 GMT -8
These Rapido E-8s are truly amazing and beautiful. The nose profile is the most accurate that I have ever seen for an E or an F (better than the Highliner.) To my eyes, the window / gasket / body interface looks the most accurate. My guess is that the people whom are trying to create all of this dissent for Rapido’s beautiful new Es are probably affiliated with competitors like Broadway Limited, Walthers, or Athearn. Looks to be sour grapes to me. The nit-picking here is ridiculous. You can not claim an inaccuracy unless you know the time period the model represents. Does the model represent “as delivered” “today” or somewhere in between? Now one thing Rapido can do better is make sure their marketing materials state the year or years the model represents, and if they change any details after conferring with a railroad historical society, then let us know that before release. Either way, the fools who try to fool us into believing these Rapido models are cr_p, go right ahead. I’m going to enjoy these greatly, and I won’t hesitate to order more… That's great you think they're great. I am in no way affiliated with any other manufacturer, and I think they look like hot garbage. Your statement that this steaming pile of crap is better than the Highliners shell proved right away that you have no idea what you're talking about. |
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Post by waverly5 on Dec 10, 2022 7:12:48 GMT -8
I have a nice pic of an Amtrak (UP) E9 nose being sandblasted. Anybody wants that I'll send and feel free to repost.
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Post by atsf_4 on Dec 10, 2022 7:35:35 GMT -8
waverly5--
Welcome to the ARF!
Please go ahead and either send that image to me privately or kindly post it on here, thank you very much.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Dec 10, 2022 9:15:06 GMT -8
Here's waverly5's picture:  Ed |
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Post by cera2254 on Dec 10, 2022 12:58:01 GMT -8
These Rapido E-8s are truly amazing and beautiful. The nose profile is the most accurate that I have ever seen for an E or an F (better than the Highliner.) To my eyes, the window / gasket / body interface looks the most accurate. My guess is that the people whom are trying to create all of this dissent for Rapido’s beautiful new Es are probably affiliated with competitors like Broadway Limited, Walthers, or Athearn. Looks to be sour grapes to me. The nit-picking here is ridiculous. You can not claim an inaccuracy unless you know the time period the model represents. Does the model represent “as delivered” “today” or somewhere in between? Now one thing Rapido can do better is make sure their marketing materials state the year or years the model represents, and if they change any details after conferring with a railroad historical society, then let us know that before release. Either way, the fools who try to fool us into believing these Rapido models are cr_p, go right ahead. I’m going to enjoy these greatly, and I won’t hesitate to order more… There is quite a bit to unpack here. First off, I don't have any affiliation with any MFR and would gladly offer my thoughts if they made mistakes like this model. Second, the Highliners nose is the standard against which all other E/F unit noses should be judged against. It doesn't really matter is a company 3d scans a model if it doesn't look "right". If Rapido had done the right thing and had their factory create factory painted samples early enough to make changes, there could have been adjustments made to correct that. The same goes for the hinged portholes. I don't think the nonhinged portholes look wrong at all to me, but the hinged ones are downright awful. If you can give me a photo of a real E or F unit from each road that they made where the portholes look like the Rapido model I will happily retract my statement. But without that it is just wrong, no two ways about it, no discussion. What does it matter if you have working class lights if you dont get basic details right that have been rendered much better on super cheap toy trains? There is no excuse, and again if there was a factory sample made early enough to make changes then this wouldn't be an issue, and even then it shouldn't be. IIRC the only "sample" they had didn't have any portholes, coincidence or done on purpose I don't know. This is just such a dumb mistake. Rapido is not a small time manufacturer anymore. If Atlas, Athearn, Scaletrains, Etc can provide factory painted samples Rapido should too. This would catch all of the paint color mistakes too, and an issue like the Southern E Unit emblems. That brings me to my next point, their overseeing of their factories seems nonexistent. I still cant understand how they allow their factory to make massive changes to drawings without their approval: the way they let them engineer the shells for the RS11 (and RS18 I think). They need to keep a much tighter leash on their factory. My hope is that like the RS11 mounting mistake, they will fix the porthole issue on future runs. And I guess I will just keep going while i'm at it. As has been pointed out, Rapido's biggest problem comes down to a lack of communication about what is actually happening. I can 100% understand why they didn't want to tool up SBD stepwells for the B36-7s. I know SE roads generally don't sell that well. But when you tell a customer you are giving them a 100% accurate model and make a big deal about how the steps will be correct, but don't deliver that is not okay. If you aren't going to do them fine, but you have to let it be known. To keep this on topic, if you aren't going to do nose grabs and numberboard numbers on your UP E-Units that is fine, but it needs to be communicated. I don't believe the changes they made were ever made public until people got their products. That sure seems like a bait and switch to me. I know some people get bent out of shape about the videos that rapido makes, honestly I dont care one way or the other on them. If its Rapidos thing, that's fine, but if you are hyping and making claims the products should match the hype and claims made. That being said, I have to give Rapido credit where credit is due. They did a wonderful job on the 5820 hoppers and from what I hear the Autoflood hoppers. I believe those were both Matt Gentry projects. I really like my F30 flatcar too. Heck I even like the SP boxcars they missed the waffles on. Christian |
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Post by gevohogger on Dec 10, 2022 14:26:34 GMT -8
These Rapido E-8s are truly amazing and beautiful. The nose profile is the most accurate that I have ever seen for an E or an F (better than the Highliner.) To my eyes, the window / gasket / body interface looks the most accurate. My guess is that the people whom are trying to create all of this dissent for Rapido’s beautiful new Es are probably affiliated with competitors like Broadway Limited, Walthers, or Athearn. Looks to be sour grapes to me. The nit-picking here is ridiculous. You can not claim an inaccuracy unless you know the time period the model represents. Does the model represent “as delivered” “today” or somewhere in between? Now one thing Rapido can do better is make sure their marketing materials state the year or years the model represents, and if they change any details after conferring with a railroad historical society, then let us know that before release. Either way, the fools who try to fool us into believing these Rapido models are cr_p, go right ahead. I’m going to enjoy these greatly, and I won’t hesitate to order more… I want some of whatever it is you're smoking! |
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Post by cemr5396 on Dec 10, 2022 14:33:48 GMT -8
These Rapido E-8s are truly amazing and beautiful. The nose profile is the most accurate that I have ever seen for an E or an F (better than the Highliner.) To my eyes, the window / gasket / body interface looks the most accurate. My guess is that the people whom are trying to create all of this dissent for Rapido’s beautiful new Es are probably affiliated with competitors like Broadway Limited, Walthers, or Athearn. Looks to be sour grapes to me. Congratulations, not only are you apparently squarely in Rapido's target market, you are also in the running for the 'worst take ever on the ARF' award! Frankly, I find the number of errors and mistakes on these models completely unacceptable. Unfortunately I'm not surprised, this has been happening for the last couple years with Rapido. I would call their downfall sad if it wasn't completely self-inflicted. |
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Tom
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Post by Tom on Dec 10, 2022 14:50:47 GMT -8
These Rapido E-8s are truly amazing and beautiful. The nose profile is the most accurate that I have ever seen for an E or an F (better than the Highliner.) To my eyes, the window / gasket / body interface looks the most accurate. My guess is that the people whom are trying to create all of this dissent for Rapido’s beautiful new Es are probably affiliated with competitors like Broadway Limited, Walthers, or Athearn. Looks to be sour grapes to me. The nit-picking here is ridiculous. You can not claim an inaccuracy unless you know the time period the model represents. Does the model represent “as delivered” “today” or somewhere in between? Now one thing Rapido can do better is make sure their marketing materials state the year or years the model represents, and if they change any details after conferring with a railroad historical society, then let us know that before release. Either way, the fools who try to fool us into believing these Rapido models are cr_p, go right ahead. I’m going to enjoy these greatly, and I won’t hesitate to order more… This is remarkable.
Those who can identify issues are not fooling anyone, rather those who select to spend $400 on something that is not any better than what's currently offered, well....
No affiliation with any company any more than one who highly promotes something that is not accurate, but thinks it is. This is not nit-picking, nor era specific, this is dimensional inaccuracy, this is having knowledge and pointing out marginal workmanship. This is also not unique to one manufacturer, but some listen when provided info and make an attempt, others do not.
Is there any other that screams "we're 100% accurate?" no. They want to make videos, fine, I just wish they'd place that effort into the product. In this case, it appears the videos do sell the product to some, rather than the accuracy of the product.
If one thinks they look good, great. There is nothing to prevent them form voting with their cash and continually give us mediocre products with 7000 detail parts and scream that they're perfect, all while charging bundles. I would really like a HEP E, but given this release, I'm not about to spend that kind of money when I can get another brand for less and add do some modeling.
How many of us have first-run Turbotrains that don't run due to marginal build quality- at the company's own admission. Then, rather than offer anything to those who have them and they become shelf decorators, are told to put them on an auction site and buy the $900 replacement. is that an acceptable practice?
As others have said, this discussion is focused on one item, namely, or a QC issue set that you may have no experience with; others here clearly do.
Credit is due and has been stated, the FL-9 looks great, the E, doesn't. The Flexi-Flo and Barrel Ore cars, are fantastic, the Comet and Horizon cars, not so much. Some of us have tried to help, and selective aspects seems listened to, but there's apparently a fundamental issue (or three) at work here.
Again, we're all able to vote with our wallets so if you like them, you can order the dozen or two this one thread represents, to offset what some would have spent - and are not. More power to you if you have that kind of cash.
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Post by Baikal on Dec 10, 2022 15:09:34 GMT -8
These Rapido E-8s are truly amazing and beautiful. The nose profile is the most accurate that I have ever seen for an E or an F (better than the Highliner.).... I won’t hesitate to order more… ...That brings me to my next point, their overseeing of their factories seems nonexistent. I still cant understand how they allow their factory to make massive changes to drawings without their approval: the way they let them engineer the shells for the RS11 (and RS18 I think). They need to keep a much tighter leash on their factory. My hope is that like the RS11 mounting mistake, they will fix the porthole issue on future runs. Christian
Consider the possibility that the Home Office knows exactly what's going on in their factories. No "rogue Chinese workers". No miscommunications. Everyone on team R working together, making money.
Maybe the drawings were approved. People are buying.
The increase in sales, if any, from fixing certain mistakes may or may not offset the cost of the fix. This is going to vary all over the place, depending on a lot of factors.
It's possible Rapido just lets some glaring problems slide ("what difference does it make?") on some models due to sharp pencil cost-benefit analysis. Could be short-sighted...
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Post by cemr5396 on Dec 10, 2022 16:17:36 GMT -8
...That brings me to my next point, their overseeing of their factories seems nonexistent. I still cant understand how they allow their factory to make massive changes to drawings without their approval: the way they let them engineer the shells for the RS11 (and RS18 I think). They need to keep a much tighter leash on their factory. My hope is that like the RS11 mounting mistake, they will fix the porthole issue on future runs. Christian
Consider the possibility that the Home Office knows exactly what's going on in their factories. No "rogue Chinese workers". No miscommunications. Everyone on team R working together, making money.
Maybe the drawings were approved. People are buying.
The increase in sales, if any, from fixing certain mistakes may or may not offset the cost of the fix. This is going to vary all over the place, depending on a lot of factors.
It's possible Rapido just lets some glaring problems slide ("what difference does it make?") on some models due to sharp pencil cost-benefit analysis. Could be short-sighted...
Little of Column A, little of Column B. I'm sure some of the things the factory does are not sanctioned by Rapido HQ. I'm also pretty sure that once Rapido HQ finds out whether or not they do anything (or even tell us, the end customer) depends on how serious the screw up is and whether they think it will affect the bottom line more to 'fix it' or 'not fix it'. Take for example, the RS18 and 11. The factory designed and built them in about the stupidest way possible, which didn't really bother Rapido until they had the motor issue and their warranty people had to try and take apart hundreds of the stupid things. So they redesigned both models for their upcoming second runs, purely for the reason that it had bit them in the ass the first time. Mark my words if the motor issues had not happened on the first run, the models would not have been re done for the second run. The RS18/11 is far from the only thing of theirs that is stupidly difficult to take apart, the SW1200RS is terrible as well and I have a friend with some FA-2s and he reported also finding it nearly impossible to remove the shell. I'm sure there are others. Have those models been redone to improve them? Nope. It has not significantly affected Rapido, therfore it's not a problem. |
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Post by mvlandsw on Dec 10, 2022 17:39:44 GMT -8
I had no hint of the difficulty in removing the FA/B shells until I started to repaint a set of them. The FA I finally got off. The FB had to have the ridges on the inside of both ends of the shell cut off with a razor saw. The ridges are so close to the ends of the shell that the shell cannot be spread enough the release them.
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Post by cera2254 on Dec 10, 2022 17:41:42 GMT -8
I had no hint of the difficulty in removing the FA/B shells until I started to repaint a set of them. The FA I finally got off. The FB had to have the ridges on the inside of both ends of the shell cut off with a razor saw. The ridges are so close to the ends of the shell that the shell cannot be spread enough the release them. See this is exactly what I don’t understand. There are established means to make the shell easy to remove that do not cost anymore than doing it the wrong way. Why would someone choose to do it that way? |
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Post by atsf_4 on Dec 10, 2022 18:48:34 GMT -8
This is quite simply inadequate project management and/or inadequate supervision.
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mdq
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Post by mdq on Dec 11, 2022 9:37:11 GMT -8
Another of Mister Tyson's Machines showing the unkindness of time. Note the porthole difference. I believe the circle on the side is a plate over a water fill.
I've been running an ABA set around the layout quite a bit since they came out. I think they are an important evolutionary step towards everyone being able to run an 'Ultimate E Unit'.
This is a gorgeous shot. Wow! I agree that the Highliners nose is the best one ever made. |
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mdq
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Post by mdq on Dec 11, 2022 9:39:15 GMT -8
These Rapido E-8s are truly amazing and beautiful. The nose profile is the most accurate that I have ever seen for an E or an F (better than the Highliner.) To my eyes, the window / gasket / body interface looks the most accurate. My guess is that the people whom are trying to create all of this dissent for Rapido’s beautiful new Es are probably affiliated with competitors like Broadway Limited, Walthers, or Athearn. Looks to be sour grapes to me. The nit-picking here is ridiculous. You can not claim an inaccuracy unless you know the time period the model represents. Does the model represent “as delivered” “today” or somewhere in between? Now one thing Rapido can do better is make sure their marketing materials state the year or years the model represents, and if they change any details after conferring with a railroad historical society, then let us know that before release. Either way, the fools who try to fool us into believing these Rapido models are cr_p, go right ahead. I’m going to enjoy these greatly, and I won’t hesitate to order more… Wow! Spoken like a real rapifa (rapido-fanatic) Please put me with the "sour grapes" and "ridiculous nit-picking" group. |
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Post by middledivision on Dec 12, 2022 10:39:10 GMT -8
I had no hint of the difficulty in removing the FA/B shells until I started to repaint a set of them. The FA I finally got off. The FB had to have the ridges on the inside of both ends of the shell cut off with a razor saw. The ridges are so close to the ends of the shell that the shell cannot be spread enough the release them. It took an experienced scratch builder forty five minutes to remove the shell from my FB unit. The hidden tabs on the ends were the culprit. No mention was made of them in the manuel, you only needed to spread the shell at the middle and it would come off. Nope. |
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