discussion Have you ever complained to a company re the instructions.

[Guest]

This is what gets me, incorrect instructions. It can't be hard to make an amendment when its written as opposed to the cost of redesigning a mould. Time after time we read of mistakes, surely manufacturers hear from disgruntled modellers. You would think that keeping the customer happy and returning would be of paramount importance.
Although we have all found them and post our finds how many of us have actually written, and has anyone had any success or even a reply .

 

[Geoffers]

You are right John but the problem is model manufacturers know we will return when they bring out the next shiny, must have kit.

I’ve even seen modellers defending faults on new releases with the well worn “it’s an easy fix” phrase.

I can’t think of any other hobby where you have to fix a new item before it’s correct

Geoff.

 

[Jim R]

Frustrating isn't it John!
The problem isn't restricted to modelling. My wife is a keen knitter and she often complains about errors in a pattern.
I have come across faults but I've never contacted the manufacturer. Maybe we should all send an email and see if things change.
Jim

 

[Tim Marlow]

Happens with cookbooks and music texts as well. Near enough is good enough seems to be the modern mantra.

 

[Ian M]

It is a pain in the butt.
I did write to Italeri once about an error in the paint guide for a Hurricane. They had switched the TWO colours in the camo for the given airframe.
I got a polite reply with a comment along the lines of "thanks we'll look into it".

At the moment I am building another Italeri model. I think that the guy that did the instructions in this one is number blind. I have found about 10 - 15 examples of reversed figures; 75 when it should be 57 and LOADS of 60 something printed as 90 something and visa versa. The first one I found was blatantly obvious which made me very aware of the "error" .

 

[Allen Dewire]

Sorry John, I have never written to them about bad destructions. I think we all know a few manufacturers that do a really poor job of them. Most of the time we figure it out for ourselves and before it's too late. Other times not. I live with it and learn to study them very carefully. As long as they don't have you gluing the road wheels onto the gun barrel, I'm ok with them.........

Prost
Allen

 

[Guest]

incorrect instructions. It can't be hard to make an amendment when its written as opposed to the cost of redesigning a mould.

Don‘t forget they will have had whole stacks of instruction sheets already printed up for kits that are still in production — they aren’t going to put those into the waste-paper bin to print up new ones to correct an error. The best you’re likely to get before the current supply runs out, is an extra piece of paper added into the kit with errata, if the mistake is grievous and/or not obvious enough.

 

[Dave Ward]

I doubt that each maker has it's own print department, the work'll be subcontracted outside, which means that changes to instructions won't be a priority - getting a complete box out of the door is!
I wonder what would happen if all modellers complained to Dragon, about the errors in their instructions? :smiling5:
Dave

 

[Guest]

I doubt that each maker has it's own print department, the work'll be subcontracted outside, which means that changes to instructions won't be a priority - getting a complete box out of the door is!
I wonder what would happen if all modellers complained to Dragon, about the errors in their instructions? :smiling5:
Dave

They would either learn English or claim No Comment and say nothing.

 

[Guest]

Happens with cookbooks and music texts as well. Near enough is good enough seems to be the modern mantra.

Yes Tim since the proof readers in the print industry were made a thing of the past and young journalists do their own , or supposed to .
Our local paper, is prime example it's written by people with no understanding of grammar.
Nearly as bad as the BBC , Mrs R shouts out at the TV most days .

 

[Guest]

Don‘t forget they will have had whole stacks of instruction sheets already printed up for kits that are still in production — they aren’t going to put those into the waste-paper bin to print up new ones to correct an error. The best you’re likely to get before the current supply runs out, is an extra piece of paper added into the kit with errata, if the mistake is grievous and/or not obvious enough.

Considering that a lot of kits are produced and just have upgrades over the years, you would think that amendments could be easily done .

 

[Guest]

Thanks all for commenting, unfortunately think Dude 1 has the answer.
Still think that with the high prices some kits are priced at the manufacturers just don't care .
Try that in some sectors and the business would fold .

 

[rtfoe]

Yes Tim since the proof readers in the print industry were made a thing of the past and young journalists do their own , or supposed to .
Our local paper, is prime example it's written by people with no understanding of grammar.
Nearly as bad as the BBC , Mrs R shouts out at the TV most days .

I thought that only happened in my country...we lost our command of the Queens English for sometime now. Text messages haven't helped either.
Even us Asians have a hard time deciphering Dragons destruction sheets. :tears-of-joy:

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Tim Marlow]

I thought that only happened in my country...we lost our command of the Queens English for sometime now. Text messages haven't helped either.
Even us Asians have a hard time deciphering Dragons destruction sheets. :tears-of-joy:

Cheers,
Richard

Yes Tim since the proof readers in the print industry were made a thing of the past and young journalists do their own , or supposed to .
Our local paper, is prime example it's written by people with no understanding of grammar.
Nearly as bad as the BBC , Mrs R shouts out at the TV most days .

Local papers are written by people with no idea of real life either. When the Novichoc issue happened in Salisbury (probably the biggest story in the paper’s history) the local journalists assigned to it looked to be about twelve. To be fair, they were probably graduates on their first jobs, but they were hardly seasoned hacks….mind you, the news anchors of the “big” stations didn't look that much older….

 

[Andy the Sheep]

Playing the salmon role, :smiling6::rolling: I got a couple of destruction booklets, one from TAKOM with an errata corrige small sheet inside (but I'm still wondering how the tracks were allowed to so uncouthly appear with just a flick of the page without being somehow introduced to the modeller and instructed about its place in society! :surprised, and the other from Border (if I'm not wrong) with what looks like red pen hand made corrections.:confounded:
What I really don't like in destruction sheets is not mistakes (I'm following Allen's approach on that issue) but the skipping of the #1 "turn on the brain" procedural step before beginning drawing them.:sad-face:
And finally, no, I never wrote to a manufacturer about a mistake in their instruction sheet; maybe one day, if I'm in the mood and the mistake is so glorious I can't help.
Andrea.

P.S.: John, any chance I could ever be hired by BBC?

 

[Guest]

Local papers are written by people with no idea of real life either.

Not just local papers. It’s my observation that journalists in general have one main skill: being journalists. That means no real, or even superficial, understanding of the subjects they cover, which shines through very obviously any time they do a piece (written, televised, whatever) about something outside of general knowledge.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Not just local papers. It’s my observation that journalists in general have one main skill: being journalists. That means no real, or even superficial, understanding of the subjects they cover, which shines through very obviously any time they do a piece (written, televised, whatever) about something outside of general knowledge.

To be fair to them, they rarely get the time to fully understand anything these days. They simply write about what they are told to, when they are told to. Like most people, they can only have superficial knowledge of most subjects.

 

[outrunner]

Dodgy instructions are not rare but annoying making you take time to study them and figure things out, what really bothers me is badly fitting parts.
Perhaps they should write a PS to the instructions stating "some parts may need a bit of fettling to fit, but I am sure you will manage". :smiling5:



Andy.

 

[Guest]

They simply write about what they are told to, when they are told to.

Of course. And it’s only really apparent when you do have specialist knowledge. But it gets slightly annoying when you see things misrepresented when you did explain correctly

 

[Mini Me]

I had this problem with 1:1 scale Aircraft blueprints........sometimes costing the Company I worked for thousands of dollars in lost material and labor before the "sins" of the engineering department were discovered:rolling: Rick H.