Small Scale Military Headquarters

I just received BBD from Badcat. The plane looked pristine from the outside....

But the plane literally FELL APART. I didn't even noticed it at first, but the first indication something was messed up was when I tried to put on the wings....and then the whole front winshield/cockpit glass part popped off...

Then while I was going WTF.....the propeller fell off....then the rudder...

Someone didn't put enough glue on this plane!!!!

*mutters*

I'm in the process of gluing it all together now.....but man, this is fun.

Thank God I got the AT ME-262 at the same time...now THAT one went together perfectly.

I had that happen to me on my ridge runner I bought last year. I think it was fluke.

I think our planes where made right before brake, lunch or was made by a new employee with less then 100 built under his belt.

Thanks for the heads up! I'm getting an "Old Crow" in a few days and hopefully it won't have the same problems

***

On the other hand, it seems there has been a dip in the overall quality of some 21c products... It is something that seriously needs to be addressed!!

One member PMed me regarding a similar incident to the above, only occuring with the new "Tuskeegee" P-51.

I have my story with recieving a "Flight 19" Avenger with a cracked windshield.
(When I got another to replace it, I had the retailer look through their selection to find a pristine example. They said they had to go through a couple cases to find a truly good plane without messed-up markings or broken parts. There were other boardmembers that recieved broken Avengers as well.)

While not every 21c plane is a bad example, and that defects are to be expected with any large production run, it seems to be occuring with somewhat greater frequency among 21c products. BBI and Admiral Toys items do not seem to have the same level of mis-markings or broken parts...

Loose quality control is what scares me about the B-25, F-4 and Mig-21. There is alot that can go wrong with the B-25 especially. I sincerely hope 21c does not let the quality dip on those planes, and takes the approporiate measures to ensure all-around good examples are sent out to the consumers. For the price we pay, we deserve it! I sincerely hope 21c's self-proclaimed status as the leader in small-scale military products is not getting to its head. If we, or Wal Mart, has to wait in order that QC issues be properly addressed, it will be worth it in the long run!

Just my two cents

On my Tuskegee P-51 the tailwheel was glued in the up position. I tried to get it down but it broke. I ended up making a really neat mount for the tailwheel, but now it is in the "glued down" position.

tmanthegreat wrote: Loose quality control is what scares me about the B-25, F-4 and Mig-21. There is alot that can go wrong with the B-25 especially. I sincerely hope 21c does not let the quality dip on those planes, and takes the approporiate measures to ensure all-around good examples are sent out to the consumers. For the price we pay, we deserve it! I sincerely hope 21c's self-proclaimed status as the leader in small-scale military products is not getting to its head. If we, or Wal Mart, has to wait in order that QC issues be properly addressed, it will be worth it in the long run!

Just my two cents

That's the main concern I have with 21c's stated price PR. Admiral's stated prices seem much more realistic for a quality product.

I do think AT has it priced right.

Sounds like the QA inspector must have picked the lock to his chains again! It's off to Uncle Mao's scenic retreat in Mongolia for him!

I don't usually complain about QC issues, when I can fix the problem, but having the fusalage split apart from the seam completely is a bit much...

Plus the fact that the inside of the wheel well covers are left unpainted kinda sucks...

It just seems that 21st took some shortcuts. I only have the Flying Undertaker to compare it to, so I dunno whether the other Mustangs has this same problem.

But on the plus side....the BBD paint scheme rocks. Still no nazi kill marks though...

I wonder if the kill marking decals designed for the old 21st Mustang will still work on this version...

I agree with the sentiments regarding 21st's QC issues. When BadCat had the BBD up for pre-order, I was very early in purchasing one. I actually received my BBD on Monday April 2nd. I was so excited and couldn't wait to open it up. Only to my severe dissappointment I deceided to send it back to BadCat and ask for an exchange. The props were scratched up. The checkerboard patterns on the cowl and the left wing tips were so horrible, it looked like a five year old painted it. (No offense to anyone with a five year old child). The plane was missing one of its horizontal stabilizers. Ugh!! I was wanting to post pics of it here after I assembled it. But I just put it back in the shipping box and sent it on its way. My replacement should get here to Charleston by the end of the week.
I've been unlucky on a QC issue only one other time. For just this past Christmas my wife ordered me the BBI Marines Dream Corsair. She knew how much I liked it. My wife is great!!
The engine was completely upside down in the cowl, the landing gears were so loose and floppy and the rudder was already broken. Not fixable. When I returned it to Flying Mule, they said that was the last one and they couldn't get me another one. So I even exchanged it for a Huff F-86. Wow!! What beauty. Not a single imperfection on mine. Very happy with that one. I later a found a Marines Dream anyway from Aikens Airplanes a month ago and got that one. Great condition.
If my replacement BBD is just as bad, I'm just gonna get my refund. I'll wait sometime later to get it.

I think 21C QC sucks all the way down the line. First I ordered the Tuskegee Airman P51 from Historic, what I got was junk. base coat showing through finish coat,open seams landing gear not fitting right and fingerprints all over the paintjob. Sent the plane back at added cost and received a much better one except the pilot had two right hands. Got that straightened out. I just ordered the 1/32nd Jolly Roger version F4U from Small Joes. When I received it the paint job was all scratched up, It had spots all over it and the proverbial fingerprints one of which was right over the star under the front wing. That's the main reason I don't like to order on line. I repainted the whole thing as I didn't want to add the my cost by shipping it back. What are we going to be getting in the upcoming planes? Sounds like junk to me. I'm tired of excuses for 21C they've been around long enough. Just about everything you get from them has to be touched up or sent back. You all enjoy em. Sarge

But you and tkjaer21 and tpa05 don't want to pay anymore, right? Just better QC, better paint, better fit & finish - at low low WM prices!

I kind of look at 21st Century models as "semi-built" when I get them. I say this because I know I will have to some finish work on them when I take one out of the box. My Flight 19 Avenger was a mess. But after some work it is fine now. But I must admit the last two MIG-15s I got were perfect right out of the box.

Sabrefan wrote:I kind of look at 21st Century models as "semi-built" when I get them. I say this because I know I will have to some finish work on them when I take one out of the box. My Flight 19 Avenger was a mess. But after some work it is fine now. But I must admit the last two MIG-15s I got were perfect right out of the box.

That's the weird thing! My MiG-15s are absolutely flawless too...

Maybe the Chinese workers pay better attention when assembling the "people's" airplane, and not one of those "imperialist" planes?

The MiG-15 is the first plane I ever had from 21st that didn't have a SINGLE flaw.

Well, the pilot looked like he rubbed shit all over his face, but the plane was FLAWLESS.

Bummer you had a problem with your plane. I can’t say I have ever gotten a "bad" plane from 21st. Some had slight QA issues like a print or a less than sharp paint line but in general they were all good. I did get a Bubble top that had the rear wing glued together with rubber cement. That was odd for sure.

Wow. I might just wait for Old Crow after all! Thanks for the heads up guys. This is what I have been fearing was going to happen to this Mustang and maybe even Old Crow. Is 21st starting to rush the Mustangs? I think they are due to other projects coming up and if thats the case then dont do anymore Mustangs for awhile 21st. They supposedly piggy backed Old Crow onto the TT project so which begs the question if they were producing Old Crow at the same time as Tender Terror then why did BBD come out first? I think they rushed out BBD and the result? QC issues. Now this could be just a fluke deal and some people just got a bad BBD out of the bunch. Lets hope so, at least for my sake.

digger wrote:But you and tkjaer21 and tpa05 don't want to pay anymore, right? Just better QC, better paint, better fit & finish - at low low WM prices!

Ill add 5 bucks to the price if it means near perfect planes.

I have my share of QC issues, most ignorable though, besides the Starfighter and Sabre

Starfighter - On one wing-tank, the fins are at a 10 degree angle
BBI Zero - Engine is about 20 degrees turned to the side
BBI Mustang - Gap in between the flap and wing/doesnt raise up flush
21stCT Corsair - Broken wing hinges
Mig-15 - Paint spots on wing tip (very ignorable)
Sabre - Worst of all, Paint bubble and 3 inch scratches on wing, paint chip near landing gear door, and a half painted .50 cal.

My Bf-109 E and G, FW-190, P-47BT, Avenger, Stuka, PaveHawk, F/A-18 and F-16 are more or less flawless.
All my armor is flawless too

digger wrote:But you and tkjaer21 and tpa05 don't want to pay anymore, right? Just better QC, better paint, better fit & finish - at low low WM prices!

Yeah and it don't cost a fortune to take it back either

What if cost a bit more so you didn't have to...

digger wrote:What if cost a bit more so you didn't have to...

Why you so interested in what I do or feel guy? You ain't paying for it. That's right you said there was no WMs in your area go move next to one .

is it QC issues or shipping and handling woes? I can't really comment on 21C as they are all in the box except for TBM, I did take the one out.

AT I can take out and look at real good then slip them back in the packaging.

I have seen a few 21C planes on the WM shelves that look like a fork lift ran over it.

DH

But the other part is I have 1 21C Mustang and 1 BBI P-51D. No more unless it's a B model.

0101

Jackson wrote: Hey All- Just a Heads Up- the decal for the old BBD will not work on the new and I will make them up and sent to BadCat as soon as I get back into town in about a week........... TJJ vexillarius rebellis.......

Thanks for the heads up! We'll be waiting.

I have not taken my Tender T . out of the box. Have any of you other guys done so? Is it in top form or does it have condition issues as well?

Digger wrote:

But you and tkjaer21 and tpa05 don't want to pay anymore, right? Just better QC, better paint, better fit & finish - at low low WM prices!

You might have a point Digger. Perhaps we should consider paying more money for aircraft that disintegrate when we open them up! Some have been referring to the 21c aircraft as static displays. Who says they weren't indeed meant to be model aircraft? Pretty smart actually to simply save the money on printing an instruction sheet when you can have them (mostly) put together prior to building them. Just follow the already-put-together configuration set and add the glue. No need to kill a tree by printing instructions that "manly men" like us don't use any way no?

Anytime I pick one up (at great Walmart prices!) I always ask myself if I have any crazy glue at home. I've needed some for each of the 1/18 and 1/32 aircraft I've purchased. As for the armour, I don't take any chances and automatically drop a few tubes in the cart just in case.

As for the Migs, yup different story. Those commie bastiges showed us a thing or two on how they're supposed to be put together. They didn't want to leave us any reason to put pieces together that might compromise the aerodynamic superiority gained by they're doin' it right. Yea, they made the Sabre look great (I mean that - cool lookin' plane for damn sure) but who know's what structural problems lurk underneath the wings and/or fuselage? Get out the glue my friends as we can not let them win!

Last night I set up some new bigger shelves to display my models. I had my Avenger displayed with the wings folded. I want to display it with the wings extended on my new larger shelves. When I put the wings into the extented position, one set of the wings flaps fell off. I had glued the other side, but I guess I need to keep the crazy glue close for this plane. That is kind of a bummer because it really is a great looking model.