Should the 1:18 companies have a warranty or spare parts?

[tkjaer21]

Should the 1:18 companies have a warranty or replacement parts available?

The reason I ask is because this is a hobby and seems to not be on the shelf anymore. It not only help build a customer stronghold, but it would ensure that the product is in good hands when delivered to the collector/customer.

One of the many reasons why 21st did so horrible was because of the frailness of the product and marketing them to a kid. The parents would return them broken to Wal-Mart.

Not all is bad with every company as I have had above and beyond experiences with Admiral Toys and them replacing parts.

My latest problem is from JSI. I want them to do very well and succeed to help out this hobby for us. However, my plane was fine when I received it apart from the front landing gear.

The forward fuselage fell off of a table and both the canopy and plastic front fuselage shell cracked. One of the antenna things broke off as well. The only thing that is salvageable is the cockpit which took no beating at all.

I would pay for the shipping and part itself, but no one nor Merit or JSI has any parts which is ridiculous.

An expensive product like this should have replacement parts. That is the point. Especially if the customer is willing to buy them as there is no warranty.

Am I the only one whom feels this way? Also, is Admiral Toys the only company that responds and helps their customers out or is there other experiences that I do not know of from the other companies?

[Threetoughtrucks]

What warranty would cover a piece that "fell off a table" and broke?

As to replacement parts. maybe when the day comes that our "toys" cost $500 and up, then it would be worthwhile for the manufacturers to have "parts" for sale.

Meanwhile, be careful, and keep your wife, kids and dogs away from your "toys". Cats are OK, they can thread their way among your "toys", as they walk around on top of your furniture.

TTT

[MCalamari]

Replacements, no warranty.

Lionel trains sells extra parts to dealers and repair shops, including old parts for models no longer in production. I've taken a few of my trains to a "train doctor" (either a professional one or my dad).

The difference is I don't know if they'll be making 1:18 vehicles & figures 20 years from now ... I suspect so given that Fisher-Price released their 1:18 figures way back in the mid-1970s ... we're going on 40 years of small-scale action figures. I wonder who (company) had the first 1:18 scale toy figure?

[toyktdlgh]

Trains get mileage and need to be serviced from time to time. Also they have a huge collector base. Not to mention customization is quite common. As for 1/18th I think manufacturers might consider keeping some spare parts on hand for when PR issues arise but making parts available for sale is a long shot. Showing customers that they care when something happens to their product can really go a long way. Unfortunately many items that brake can’t be fixed by the average Joe anyway. Remember the P-38 Nose gear? If you snapped it off the only way to replace it was to take the entire fuselage apart or get a new fuselage. I doubt many places would want to hand those out especially since you would essentially be killing another plane to get it.

[tkjaer21]

So basically. I am out $250 and have to spend at least another $200 or wait for them to go on clearance some year. I think that as fragile as this hobby is. It is important to be able to get a replacement part. After all, I am not asking for it for free. I stated that I am willing to pay for it.

[tmanthegreat]

I don't think a warranty is needed, however, good customrer service and a supply of spare parts at the company/distributor are needed. Of even greater importance is strict quality control procedures on the manufacturing side of things. Good QC will save a company money in the long run...

Back in the day, 21c was reasonably good about providing spare parts, though sometimes you had to add the clout of a retailer, etc. to get it. They could also be kind of a pain as well, sometimes telling you to "Simply return it to Wal Mart..." Admiral Toys was the best, period. They replaced my "White 8" ME-262 after the box arrived trashed (due to UPS) and the plane without screw caps.

Given the fragile nature of these models and the less-than-stellar record or quality control, companies should at least keep spare parts on hand and be very willing to replace them if there was probably cause that the item was received in poor condition.

[STUKA]

spare parts and better customer service "go back on a companies radar" when there is competition. There isn't a second company making an F-14 at this time.
As in anything the company should learn from their mistakes - here we keep griping about rivot A isnt really 1:18 and the plane is great but the landing gear is too fat - so bang we get something spot on.
Sure they should have made the weak parts stronger - maybe spent hours and money running countless tests.
Like let kids play with it for two minutes and see what breaks -
From that test make a run of spare parts

Now if that company makes a second plane (S2) and it has the same problems then we know one of two things
1. Won't be in business for long
2. They employed folks from 21st Century for upper management

[scbvideoboy]

I collect a lot of 1/18 diecast cars, I know of no one that offers a warranty or spare parts, some of these cars are $250 or more. Exoto are almost $400 now. I haven't bought any at that price.

I don't have kids or pets either and have not needed any spares. My Revell 914 came in with wheels off, but that was a simple press back on.

Spare parts would depend on the actual number run. Would the production manager run the exact number of parts needed to complete the production run? Damaged and returns would be stripped to fix ones on the line to complete orders. It would be neat to actually learn if they do plan a few extra parts trees prior to the production run.

My former aerospace job, the engineers would machine up and order the exact number required.

There is a element of collectors that want pristine examples and would demand returns for any little blemish. Retailers don't want that. Home Depot keeps records of individuals returning too much stuff.

You have to admit it, some collectors are a pain in the assk. I personally have never returned a thing, granted 99% of my stuff has never left the box, so I could be in for a surprise someday.

DH

[VMF115]

They are covered under a warranty.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warranty

[Jesse James]

I think a warranty on something like this is a bit unrealistic... It's not a functioning item, it's a plastic toy. No electronics that can go out on their own, just plastic that can break in transit, when dusting, when the kids play with it... whatever.

As far as keeping parts on-hand, Hasbro keeps some parts on-hand for their toys, but they're limited in what they can/will keep available, and so again I think it's unrealistic to expect a company to keep enough in "just incase" for years to come. I mean, just the decision on what to keep would be somewhat daunting... Do you keep entire dismantled airplanes, or just things like landing gear?

[VMF115]

I spoke with my states attorney general on this. its different from state to state with some states being more strict then others. But the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act does cover it. Retailers stating on thier website that this is not a toy and that they will not exchange it or refund it or opening themselves up to litigation for selling a defective product. Just stating that implies that they know there will be problems with said product.

He said he is seeing more and more problems with products coming from China, while it might be hard to enforce these laws on the its not hard to enforce them on importers and retailers.

Not providing written instructions is also a violation of us consumer laws.

Any item sold over a certain dollar amount is covered by a warranty even if there is no written one. read up on the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act. If you but an item that is broken or defective once you get out of the box. meaning that it was defective IE spots or glued parts that prohibit it from functioning as advertised, or broken pieces, the damaged parts must be replaced or exchanged for one that is not damaged. while the Spots on the paint may be hard to define and enforce the glued landing gear and broken parts is not. in hindsight JSI needs to replace the broken items. Its already US law. You don't need a written warranty. one is implied as soon as you buy the product, it is illegal for a manufacturer to say that they will not refund or repair an item that is defective and it is illegal for a merchant to refuse refund or provide a remedy...I think any retailer is opening them selves up to litigation selling JSI products. that are defective. I


I am not talking about Woops I broke it after I got it. I am talking about defective from the factory and broken parts in shipping.

Basically Merit is opening themselves up to a lawsuit. I don't think it will happen but you don't want to take chances, if you are an importer of goods that are defective.

[pickelhaube]

Well I do know one thing. Your statement about 21st going out of business because of no warranty and no replacement parts is PURELY WRONG.

THEY DID HAVE WARRANTIES AND THEY DID HAVE REPLACEMENT PARTS.

BBI as well. I have a bunch of replacement canopies props and other "parts" all replacement.

Falling off of a table should not be covered under any warranty.

As far as JSI they have sent replacement landing gear. I have a set that was issued as "replacement" for the F-14.

They have had so many problems with their S-1 that they have just across the board said no we don't have that or can not do that.

This is their first big project and hopefully they will move in the right direction.
from now on.

S-1 is a wash it has problems. If they correct their ways hopefully we will be able to enjoy an S-2 .

If not another one bites the dust.

[VMF115]

This is their first big project and hopefully they will move in the right direction.
from now on.

S-1 is a wash it has problems. If they correct their ways hopefully we will be able to enjoy an S-2 .

If not another one bites the dust.

I agree...I think JSI should offer a 50% rebate on all S-1 tomcats that can be used on the S-2 tomcats.

But I don't think they would.

[skypirate]

My score card,

Admiral and 21c both provided great after purchase support for replacement parts.

Dragon, apologized for not having the part I needed in stock.

FOV, didn't respond at all.

[Jesse James]

Interesting debate...

What I wonder though... You get a toy out of the box, the landing gear are messed up... You complain. Who's to say you're not lying? It's a he said/she said thing too... You say the gear were broken out of the box, the company could say, "How do we know that?" in return... I would think certain periods of time would need established (when you got the time, etc.), and how it was delivered.

Is there any liability to the company that delivers an item as well, if ordered off the interenet or other mail-order method? That may come into play too.

[skypirate]

Interesting debate...

What I wonder though... You get a toy out of the box, the landing gear are messed up... You complain. Who's to say you're not lying? It's a he said/she said thing too... You say the gear were broken out of the box, the company could say, "How do we know that?" in return... I would think certain periods of time would need established (when you got the time, etc.), and how it was delivered.

Is there any liability to the company that delivers an item as well, if ordered off the interenet or other mail-order method? That may come into play too.

This is an interesting point that I left out of my previous post.

It's probably in our best interests to purchase early and then inspect for defects before a model is out of stock. This benefits us, the retailers and manufacturers as far a moving merchandise.

I would suggest a warranty for a limited time and then a small fee after the warranty period has expired.

I think forums like this are a good resource for reporting and discovering known issues with specific models.

[fightin]

I can't imagine a warranty system for 1/18 models, but spare parts would be nice.

My Tomcat came without a launch bar, so I'd love to have one...

[coreystinson]

I spoke with my states attorney general on this. its different from state to state with some states being more strict then others. But the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act does cover it. Retailers stating on thier website that this is not a toy and that they will not exchange it or refund it or opening themselves up to litigation for selling a defective product.

Not entirely correct. The definition of defective is debatable. One could argue that the landing gear getting sheared off of the F-14 due to manhandling it is a defect, but I could probably argue effectively that it would be *nice* if the landing gear were made out of titanium, but the fact that it is not does not in and of itself indicate a defect, since *my* F-14 seems to have no problem standing on its landing gear w/o said gear breaking. Attorneys can and will argue vociferously over such matters.
Also, something breaking because it has been dropped on the floor (what started this thread) is not indicative of a defect.

[coreystinson]

I have had customers come back to me a year and a half after ordering something asking to return it due to breakage, even readily admitting that the item had been out of the package all or most of that time... just to give you an idea of the wide variety of things that consumers think are appropriate to ask a retail establishment.

Interesting debate...

What I wonder though... You get a toy out of the box, the landing gear are messed up... You complain. Who's to say you're not lying? It's a he said/she said thing too... You say the gear were broken out of the box, the company could say, "How do we know that?" in return... I would think certain periods of time would need established (when you got the time, etc.), and how it was delivered.

Is there any liability to the company that delivers an item as well, if ordered off the interenet or other mail-order method? That may come into play too.

[coreystinson]

I agree...I think JSI should offer a 50% rebate on all S-1 tomcats that can be used on the S-2 tomcats.

But I don't think they would.

You'd be correct.

[[CAT]CplSlade]

Home Depot keeps records of individuals returning too much stuff.

When I was working at Borders Books we kept track of returners as well. If someone seemed to be returning stuff all the time (as if they were just using us as a kind of library) at some point we would politely inform them they could no longer return anything. Seriously, if they were having problems with our merchandise, then they should walk their butt over to Barnes & Noble and see if things are better there.

I have an uncle who often uses Home Depot as a rental place rather than a retail store. I can't believe they haven't told him to stuff it yet (because I know I would if I was managing the place).

[Jesse James]

I have had customers come back to me a year and a half after ordering something asking to return it due to breakage, even readily admitting that the item had been out of the package all or most of that time... just to give you an idea of the wide variety of things that consumers think are appropriate to ask a retail establishment.

I have 100% no doubt about that.

When I interned with JC Penney's, floor work was part of the job so you learned all aspects. A woman brought in an opened pack of men's briefs missing 1 of the 4 pairs it originally contained.

This was around 1998-ish...

Anyway, the pack's date was 1984, and the brand hadn't been sold by JC Penney since like 1990 or something... and the store took it back because that was the policy.

What the customer is capable of shouldn't ever be underestimated.

[la817291]

I agree with the expensive product like this should have replacement parts.
I don't think any warranty from JSI on these 1/18 models is realistic .Is there should be any warranty on the spots scheme?

[tkjaer21]

Two things. I am out $250 dollars because I cannot replace a part in which I am willing to purchase. Even up to $100 as I offered to many e-tailers. That part did break after I had it separated from the main fuselage as I wanted to paint it and fell off of the table and onto a hard wood floor. So the manufacture is not liable for that. That is where extra parts would be useful and nice.

Second, many of you may have missed in the first post that my landing gear was broken in box as well as 1 of the antennas that I could just re-glue. I have not complained about that as I can fix those problems. The problem here is actually on JSI sending out a two broken pieces in the front landing gear and the antenna on the side of the front fuselage. My mirror in the cannopy was even bent as well. Again, no problems at all as I can fix those. However, they should be held accountable for that in reality.

My main gripe is that I cannot get a beautiful plane fixed without having to spend another $200-$250. Why are their no replacement parts for user error as there seems to be many unsold planes from the various e-tailers? You would think that a new company would be more than willing to help out instead of shutting off their collectors. That is the way I feel. It is not like they could not just open up one of the many that did not sell due to poor quality control. I am just saying.

[Coreyeagle48]

Greetings

Someone should seriously break down an F-14 and use it to cast parts. I made back my initial purchase cost plus quite a bit of additional $$$ selling F-14 parts through this board and through ebay. It fully paid for my second F-14 from Jack and the leftover went toward purchase of another model.

Might be interesting for one of our customizers to do.

Corey