Revell 1/32 Red Arrows Hawk - is it just me...???

[Dennis.E]

Now I wouldn't normally look at a kit such as the red arrows Hawk; it's just not my cup of tea, but the wife looked at a finished version at the recent Nats and declared she wanted one...

Sooooo, after a quick search of the net I found one and a week later (and some hassles, but that's another story) the kit duly landed on my doorstep.

I have always been a little skeptical of Revell kits and the fit of their parts (an opinion borne of their earlier efforts that required more putty then glue), it was their 32 scale JU-88 that gave me some hope for the future of the brand. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I made a start on the hawk,

and, Jesus, what a bloody joke! The main fuselage halves were terribly warped, the cockpit section would not fit without some chopping and filing away, and now the intake halves will not fit together without superglue and copious amounts of masking tape. I am almost afraid to try

gluing the intakes to the fuselage, that now resembles the masking tape and clamp version of Frankenstein.

Is this just me, or have any of you out there suffered the same fate? If so, why are we putting up with this rubbish? Okay, so it's cheap, you say. Then I would point to Italeri's 32 Mirage and the fit issues there. Both late production kits, both should have been subjected to quality control measures.

I wonder how many of these kits (Hawk) have ended up in the bin, and how many young modellers have gone back into the lounge toward the playstation and out of our hobby (read that as the future of our hobby) because a manufacturer is more interested in their profit margin than say, Tamiya, who put quality first.

Anyone out there who has built the Hawk care to add to this??Is it just me?

Cheers, Dennis

[JeroenPeters]

Dang!

Haven't touched the Hawk myself. Have however seen finely built examples of them.

The He111 I'm building now is fighting me with weird fit issues, missing locating tabs here and there and downright strange engineering. 

 

So: Can you fix it? Or is she a lost cause?

[Dennis.E]

I've managed to get the main components to line up Jereon; with the superglue dry (cementing one small section at a time as I go - I am still worried about the canopy lining up with the fuselage halves)I intend to sandpaper the terribly fitting main pieces (the top fuselage from the canopy forward, and intakes are the worst culprits here) back flush and polish out any scratches left from this process.

Several of the intake parts and the fuselage leaves you with mating surfaces that are proud of each other, necessitating a good sanding session and plenty of superglue.

What is making me mad Jereon is the remedial work required to get this project up to an acceptable standard, in a product manufactured in 2010! If I brought a Hasegawa or Tamiya product of the same lineage a simple swipe of the sanding stick is usually enough.

I agree with your observation concerning the engineering as well. For the life of me I cannot see why Revell have done things the way they have. Several construction parts just don't work logically, and I notices Revell have printed step 48 twice - different both times.

I realize Jereon this sounds like a rant - I am quite happy to reach for the sandpaper to clean up parts, and work on the odd peice that isn't quite fitting right. What irks me is I work 12 hour night shifts for the money I use to fund my hobby, and if the standard of the work I put out was like this I would be hauled into bosses office for a 'please explain'!

The other side of this is that this kit was obviously aimed at younger modelers...how many of those have we lost back to electronic products due to products like this ending up in the bin?

I really feel manufacturers should just take a little more care, and be prepared to be scrutinized by their customers when they don't exercise a reasonable standard of quality control.

 

Ultimately Jereon I can save this project - but I have been doing this now for 40 years, so I should be able to. Younger, or less experienced modelers, attracted by the low retail price of this kit...wellll

[JeroenPeters]

It sucks and i know the feeling. I've binned some pretty 100 euro + kits in the past.

Hope you'll be happy with the result in the end!!

[Dennis.E]

Many thanks big J.

I think I may well take this up with Revell themselves, as I know from my professional knowledge the main peices have been taken from their molds far to early,

in all probability to get kits 'out the door' and into stores ASAP. I feel as modelers Jereon we have the stake here, and we have a say as to quality in the kits we choose to purchase.

I'll find an email address and send Revell an email - we'll see what- if anything- positive comes of it.

[Dennis.E]

I have emailed Revell detailing the concerns I have with this product...now we wait.

[Dennis.E]

...A footnote. I have had to bin this project, such was the gravity of the issues I faced. I am certain this may well be simply a (very) bad production run of kits;

as an Engineer I emailed Revell and detailed my concerns from both an Engineering and Consumer standpoint, to which Revell have not responded.

As I have previously stated, this is not a simple groan and moan session. These kits are primarily aimed at the younger, less experienced individual many of whom, confronted by the issues I have experienced, will simply not only bin the kit, but potentially walk away from our hobby as well.

Revell have put out beautiful kits ( albeit with , at times, questionable Engineering), and I will continue to buy their better products, that is to say, those aimed at the more 'senior' end of the modeler

spectrum.

I am also aware Revell are not the only company guilty of putting out product simply not worthy of our hard earned dollar ( a fact I feel is lost on some of these Manufacturers ).

I t is my hope somebody at Revell has read my email, and does care enough about the issues raised to do something about it in future.

[rkranias]

Sorry for your angst.   Stuff like this is like a kick in the groin. 

 

My Revell Ju88 had a very warped wing.  Sent memo to Revell via their link requesting replacement.  2 months later, not a word. 

 

I've been pretty busy lately to put the hammer down, now seems like an opportunity to start swinging.

[Dennis.E]

Thank you for your thoughts Rick.

To date I have not received anything in the way of a response from Revell either. It saddens me to think it is Corporates with this mentality we pay our hard earned money to for their products.

If I were you Rick, I would email Revell back and let them know how you feel as a Consumer, and detail the issue you have with one of their kits again. Surely Revell must listen to a structured and well considered voice of discontent...one hopes.

 

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