yet more QC issues at Airfix, Check your Vulcan kits for short shots

[Duncan B]

I have just had an email from my first customer of the new Airfix Vulcan with a horror photo of a badly short shot part. I have just checked the rest of my stock and sure enough part C01 is missing at least 25% of the plastic on half of my total stock. That's a 50 % failure rate so this is unlikely to be an isolated issue. 

 

I would suggest to anyone who has already bought one to check it immediately, if you've already started the kit you'll know if yours is affected as the part is used in the very first stage. To anyone thinking of buying the new Airfix Vulcan I would suggest asking to see in the box to check the parts or to get your online Retailer to confirm the parts are unaffected before parting with your money.

 

Duncan B

[PhantomBigStu]

That’s awful, hope Airfix can do right for you and other traders and customers effected but either way that’s appalling. Glad there doesn’t appear to be anything up with mine 

[-Ian-]

Thanks for the heads up, first thing I'll check when I get around to buying mine.

 

Is this a relatively common Airfix problem? I ask because the only kit I've encountered this problem myself was also a recentish Airfix kit, a new tool Gladiator to be exact.

[GrahamS]

Just checked mine and it appears fine, but thanks for the heads-up. 👍👍👍

 

Graham

[Duncan B]

12 hours ago, -Ian- said:

Thanks for the heads up, first thing I'll check when I get around to buying mine.

 

Is this a relatively common Airfix problem? I ask because the only kit I've encountered this problem myself was also a recentish Airfix kit, a new tool Gladiator to be exact.

It certainly seems to be an issue that comes up with Airfix kits more often than other Brands I stock (I've never had any short shot issues with other Brands in fact).

 

Duncan B

[alt-92]

Question is, would bringing the IM process closer to home prevent issues, and are customers willing to pay for the inevitable price hike that would cause?

[noelh]

20 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

Question is, would bringing the IM process closer to home prevent issues, and are customers willing to pay for the inevitable price hike that would cause?

All that's needed is a proper inspection by the moulding company and indeed proper moulding in the first place. Short shots should never make it to customer. But it seems Airfix simply haven't solved the problem at all. It's a repeat of Typhoon canopy debacle. 

 

Other manufacturers rarely have the same issues. Maybe it's time to move moulding to one of the better manufacturers out there not necessarily in the UK. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by noelh

[alt-92]

15 minutes ago, noelh said:

All that's needed is a proper inspection by the moulding company and indeed proper moulding in the first place. [......] But it seems Airfix simply haven't solved the problem at all.

That's the thing: Airfix doesn't do the moulding, that's subcontracted.

And short of putting someone from HQ on site, there's little you can do from 5 timezones away if your subcontractor says A but keeps doing B.

 

Mind you, not disagreeing at all with you. 

[bentwaters81tfw]

1 hour ago, alt-92 said:

Question is, would bringing the IM process closer to home prevent issues, and are customers willing to pay for the inevitable price hike that would cause?

With the spiralling costs in seafreight, it may well be cheaper to mould in the UK.

[IanC]

10 hours ago, Duncan B said:

It certainly seems to be an issue that comes up with Airfix kits more often than other Brands I stock (I've never had any short shot issues with other Brands in fact).

 

Duncan B

 

It's an unacceptable situation. These kits aren't cheap, and even if they were the customer has a right to expect the contents of the box to be in good order and as described, no matter where it's produced.

 

It's up to the modeller to mess it up at the building stage...

[Nocoolname]

Checked my kit quite a few times now but no problems identified to date. I am, however, now worried about the Chipmunk I just paid for. 

[noelh]

35 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

That's the thing: Airfix doesn't do the moulding, that's subcontracted.

And short of putting someone from HQ on site, there's little you can do from 5 timezones away if your subcontractor says A but keeps doing B.

 

Mind you, not disagreeing at all with you. 

Indeed, but other sub contractors are available. In fact in my experience admittedly in a dissimilar industry there usually is someone if not from HQ then a local expert whose job is to keep the sub contractor in line. Clearly this isn't happening. 

It isn't acceptable for what is in fact a premium product not a toy. In fact if a toy manufacturer were selling toy aeroplanes and cars with short shots. I'm sure the likes of multiples like Smyths would refuse to stock them. 

 

It's pretty disappointing. 

 

 

[alt-92]

13 minutes ago, noelh said:

Indeed, but other sub contractors are available. In fact in my experience admittedly in a dissimilar industry there usually is someone if not from HQ then a local expert whose job is to keep the sub contractor in line. Clearly this isn't happening. 

Might be time to lawyer up so to say - and by that I mean investigating the legal options of amending the current contracting, or (provided an alternate party is found that is both capable and willing) prematurely ending the current agreement. 

That may sound rather harsh, but from experience if one of your subcontractors is not capable to keep it's end of the deal, no-one is going to ask that subcontractor, they're asking YOU questions. 

[Admiral Puff]

I've just finished a review of my Vulcan kit for my club's newsletter and found no problems but, like Nocoolname, I'm now a bit concerned about the Chippies I've just ordered. Time will tell, but the problem shouldn't arise in the first place. These are not "pocket money" kits we're talking about, after all ...

[Duncan B]

Just so people know what they are looking for this is the short shot cockpit floor.

 

 

As you can see it will affect how the rear bulkhead sits and there is no way you are going to fit some of the rear facing seats in the cockpit. Whether it's enough to put you off is entirely dependant on your modelling skills and requirement for accuracy. Thankfully I was able to send a replacement kit to the customer who received a faulty one.

 

Duncan B

[Mick4350]

23 minutes ago, Duncan B said:

Just so people know what they are looking for this is the short shot cockpit floor.

 

 

As you can see it will affect how the rear bulkhead sits and there is no way you are going to fit some of the rear facing seats in the cockpit. Whether it's enough to put you off is entirely dependant on your modelling skills and requirement for accuracy. Thankfully I was able to send a replacement kit to the customer who received a faulty one.

 

That is quite awful, especially when this part is used in step 1 one the instruction sheet.

[STRAT'71]

My defects are minor. On main u/c leg G03 is missing a projection where it meets G20, and one main wheel G11 is missing the detail on the hub face.

[JPuente54]

@Duncan B Thanks much for letting us know about the problem. Will check mine when it arrives.

Joe

[treker_ed]

Just had a quick look at my Vulcan - and cannot see any short shot parts or any mis moulded parts. Thankfully have dodged that bullet - bought mine direct from Airfix.

 

Also bought one of the Chipmunks, and have seen reports about the undercarriage attachments being short shot. Dodged that one as well! Maybe I should be putting numbers on this weeks lottery?

[JPuente54]

My Vulcan was delivered yesterday(Aug. 6); when I checked the parts, everything was was fine. Again, thanks for letting us know.