It is encouraging that Billings have lifted their game. But who knows what is on the retailers shelf? Could be old stock. To me, Occre seems the best option close to my preferred scale.
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OK good luck to you with your builds. You are not in a rush so maybe it is worth keeping an eye on Ebay , i see quite a few old artesania Endeavors on there (that was the kit i had)not very expensive. i buy a lot of kits that age , seems no problem apart from sometimes white metal castings (anchors especially) which can crack up with age, but are usually easy to replace. By the way, the day the bounty was burned happens to be my birthday, it is funny as aquarius is the sign of free spirits and rebellion. Perhaps i should build that little ship next after all !
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I agree. I have built a few Billings Boat kits and the instructions are terrible. I would also consider more kits from them, but not until they have much better instructions. Occre's are much better. There is little guesswork and head-scratching with Occre kits.
Instructions are the reason why so many model kits are assembled wrong, or thrown out.
In the past I have seen kits that have parts assembled out of sequence. As in you install the door lock into the door jamb, but before you intall the door lock into the door.
And the companies dont really care about translation to english. That kills alot of kits for people. Nothing like scratching your head and crying because the instruction manual had you cut the only mast dowel to 40mm in lenght, when the ship plan has it listed as 130mm.
tball4217
And you know that they don't care how? I am no fan of most kits and I agree things are sometimes lacking but has anyone at any kit making company ever told you that they don't care? I have communicated with Xavier at OcCre and others about things that could use improvement and they were very receptive and welcoming for any constructive input.
Allan
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Somethings dont have to be told for it to be obvious.
For example, when the foreign kit maker gives a person an english translation of "we glue the bulkheads now". But provides a 3 sentence, 48 word set of directions for the same step in Italian.. there can only be an issue against the customer.
And I was a member on an airfix model forum, authrorized by Airfix at the time, and for all intents and purposes partially funded by Airfix. Anyway, I was kicked off said forum when I asked how/why the "entry level" Eindecker kit i purchased had critical design issues in it. The issue was that the bottom panel had 4 small round tabs that fitted into 4 matching holes in the side fueselage panels, and the holes were 2-3mm in diameter. And the round tabs were 1mm at best in diameter, kit couldnt go together..
Some of the kit makers know that their instructions are an issue. The last Billings boat I made, I sent about 10 emails with questions regarding unclear instructions. to their office. I also had continual questions posted on the builders Facebook page, and again other builders helped. While all concerned were very helpful responding, ff they really, really cared enough they, the manufacturers, would make a decent effort to improve these. So much work goes into the design, engineering, production and packing of kits. Would it be so difficult for the manufacturers to upgrade the instructions?? Even packaged kits with obsolete instructions could have a sticker directing the buyer to a website where they can download the improved version. I agree that Occre is very responsive and makes a real effort to make the instructions comprehensive, but I wish some of the others would step up.
And if the reports are accurte, the new mamoli kits from dusek have not improved the instructions.. "photo copies of the old" i saw in a post in a thread on our site. Not endearing me to purchase a mamoli kit.