HMS Hood by Old Collingwood - Flyhawk - 1/700 - PLASTIC - After her explosion.

[Old Collingwood]

Right  - It's  arrived  but look at the box🤬

 

OC.

[king derelict]

I'm glad its arrived; mine is still out there and now I'm nervous. That has really been roughly handled. Mine have usually been shipped in think slabs of expanded polystyrene. Its a shame to see it in such bad shape. How does the contents look? The Flyhawk boxes are usually so packed with parts that I'm anxious.

Alan

 

[Old Collingwood]

39 minutes ago, king derelict said:

I'm glad its arrived; mine is still out there and now I'm nervous. That has really been roughly handled. Mine have usually been shipped in think slabs of expanded polystyrene. Its a shame to see it in such bad shape. How does the contents look? The Flyhawk boxes are usually so packed with parts that I'm anxious.

Alan

 

It had styrene taped  around the box making a thin box itself, but even that was punctured, the package hd no  "Fragile"  tape or any form of warning that the parts were delicate, I have sent the seller in China a Fle Bay message  including the above photos.

 

I havn't fully checked the contents as I was frankly  so dissapointed to see the  damage after  asking them to  package it well  (as they had had several negative feedbacks for damaged items.

 

OC.

[Haliburton]

That is very disappointing OC.  I hope the contents are intact and that the seller makes the situation right. Scott

[Old Collingwood]

5 minutes ago, Haliburton said:

That is very disappointing OC.  I hope the contents are intact and that the seller makes the situation right. Scott

Thank you kindly Scott, time will tell  when I inspect the contents.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

Just checked  on the contents  - they look OK  from what I can see through all the sealed bags, and the hull parts  are still sealed in the styrene sheets with  rubber bands around both ends  -  The wood decks (that I brought seperatly)  are intact.

 

So it looks like just the box that got bashed  - just not  good from the different handlers  through its long journey.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

4 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Just checked  on the contents  - they look OK  from what I can see through all the sealed bags, and the hull parts  are still sealed in the styrene sheets with  rubber bands around both ends  -  The wood decks (that I brought seperatly)  are intact.

 

So it looks like just the box that got bashed  - just not  good from the different handlers  through its long journey.

 

OC.

Phew. It's great to hear the contents are in good shape. The parts are usually nicely packed with handling in mind. I hope the PE sheets aren't bent. It sounds like everything else is likely fine. Looking forward to the build. 

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

6 minutes ago, king derelict said:

Phew. It's great to hear the contents are in good shape. The parts are usually nicely packed with handling in mind. I hope the PE sheets aren't bent. It sounds like everything else is likely fine. Looking forward to the build. 

Alan

Thank you Alan.

 

OC.

[CDW]

This is one of the reasons I pay a premium price and buy from a dealer in my own country. Could have paid a few dollars less by ordering it direct from Asia, but far too often this is the end result. There are a few dealers in Asia I trust and order from them directly, but many just don't ship with adequate packaging. On the other hand, even when packed well, the Samsonite Gorilla sometimes gets ahold of your package and it's all over but the cryin'.  

[Old Collingwood]

3 hours ago, CDW said:

This is one of the reasons I pay a premium price and buy from a dealer in my own country. Could have paid a few dollars less by ordering it direct from Asia, but far too often this is the end result. There are a few dealers in Asia I trust and order from them directly, but many just don't ship with adequate packaging. On the other hand, even when packed well, the Samsonite Gorilla sometimes gets ahold of your package and it's all over but the cryin'.  

Trouble is when I went looking for it  - there was no UK suppliers of the kit only China,  and I went with the seller with the best Feedback, will be interesting to hear there  reply to my message I sent them.

 

OC.

[CDW]

35 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Trouble is when I went looking for it  - there was no UK suppliers of the kit only China

 

OC.

That's when you wait for your local shops to get them instead of ordering from Asis on Ebay.

Local shops didn't have them here in the USA when you ordered yours either. I waited until they had them here and ordered local which turns out to be a week or two faster than ordering directly from Asia.

[popeye the sailor]

or you talk to your hobby supplier and order it through him.  I used to have a great rapport with the folks in the past........now, the only one I know of is Hobby Town,  and I don't go there to often anymore.   good that you didn't find any damage........

[Landlubber Mike]

Glad yours is ok.  I was on another site this morning, and someone posted looking for a lower hull as theirs arrived looking like this 😬

[Old Collingwood]

41 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

or you talk to your hobby supplier and order it through him.  I used to have a great rapport with the folks in the past........now, the only one I know of is Hobby Town,  and I don't go there to often anymore.   good that you didn't find any damage........

Thank you Denis,   just the box seems to have took the impact.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

24 minutes ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Glad yours is ok.  I was on another site this morning, and someone posted looking for a lower hull as theirs arrived looking like this 😬

Good grief  - I would be fuming.

 

OC.

[RogerF]

17 hours ago, CDW said:

That's when you wait for your local shops to get them instead of ordering from Asis on Ebay.

Local shops didn't have them here in the USA when you ordered yours either. I waited until they had them here and ordered local which turns out to be a week or two faster than ordering directly from Asia.

Glad to hear that your kit seems to have survived without damage to the contents of the box OC.

I understand what you are saying Craig, but my supplier here in Germany has it in stock - but not the wooden deck, paint masks or the delightful original Flyhawk stand. Most European specialist stores simply do not stock the huge variety of kits and upgrades that you in the US enjoy. I ordered mine, not because it was cheaper but because they could supply everything I needed from stock. Mine arrived yesterday and I picked it up today. Everything was well packed and there was no damage, just lucky I guess. However, I ordered from Hobbyeasy in Hong Kong which I understand from experiences posted by members of this site, to be a reputable dealer. They declared it as a 'Model Kit' and for customs purposes valued it at 8 USD when the total bill with all the extras was actually around 130 USD... cheeky, cheeky! As a result I only paid €1.29 in customs duty (just over 1 dollar US) - I didn't complain!

It is a real gem of a kit and I am looking forward to starting the build. I recently read somewhere here that ".. Flyhawk kits are good but not the best..."! I should have asked who made anything better, more detailed kits but, being a peace loving chap, did not wish to cause any friction. 🙂

I will take building mine slowly and in short bursts so as not strain the eyes (and back!) too much.

I'm really looking forward to your build-blog, yes siree!

[Old Collingwood]

7 hours ago, RogerF said:

Glad to hear that your kit seems to have survived without damage to the contents of the box OC.

I understand what you are saying Craig, but my supplier here in Germany has it in stock - but not the wooden deck, paint masks or the delightful original Flyhawk stand. Most European specialist stores simply do not stock the huge variety of kits and upgrades that you in the US enjoy. I ordered mine, not because it was cheaper but because they could supply everything I needed from stock. Mine arrived yesterday and I picked it up today. Everything was well packed and there was no damage, just lucky I guess. However, I ordered from Hobbyeasy in Hong Kong which I understand from experiences posted by members of this site, to be a reputable dealer. They declared it as a 'Model Kit' and for customs purposes valued it at 8 USD when the total bill with all the extras was actually around 130 USD... cheeky, cheeky! As a result I only paid €1.29 in customs duty (just over 1 dollar US) - I didn't complain!

It is a real gem of a kit and I am looking forward to starting the build. I recently read somewhere here that ".. Flyhawk kits are good but not the best..."! I should have asked who made anything better, more detailed kits but, being a peace loving chap, did not wish to cause any friction. 🙂

I will take building mine slowly and in short bursts so as not strain the eyes (and back!) too much.

I'm really looking forward to your build-blog, yes siree!

Thank you kindly Roger, yes supply of these kits  does seem a bit slow  here in UK  no where has yet started  selling  thh Hood kits by Flyhawk, also sometimes you have to buy something when you have the money  - that was my case  - I knew it would be a long delivery  I was/am in no hurry  and I chatted with the chinese dealer  who said the baox would be securely and strongly  put together  - the only thing missing  with it in fairness  was Fagile tape all over it.

 

OC.

[CDW]

Just now, Old Collingwood said:

Thank you kindly Roger, yes supply of these kits  does seem a bit slow  here in UK  no where has yet started  selling  thh Hood kits by Flyhawk

 

OC.

There's at least one who does, did not check for others.

 

HMS Hood 1941 Deluxe edition | Starling Models (starling-models.co.uk)

 

Here's another:

Dorking Models | Home

Edited August 20, 2021 by CDW

[Old Collingwood]

5 minutes ago, CDW said:

There's at least one who does, did not check for others.

 

HMS Hood 1941 Deluxe edition | Starling Models (starling-models.co.uk)

 

Here's another:

Dorking Models | Home

Thank you for  the link Craig, thats quite a hike in price  over what I paid,   only  extra cost to me was buying the wood deck  my price also included Free delivery.

 

Interesting to see what UK shops will stock Hood  and what thier price ranges will be.

 

OC.

[CDW]

4 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Thank you for  the link Craig, thats quite a hike in price  over what I paid,   only  extra cost to me was buying the wood deck  my price also included Free delivery.

 

Interesting to see what UK shops will stock Hood  and what thier price ranges will be.

 

OC.

The "hike" in price is because your local dealer takes on all the risk and cost of the shipping from Asia. When a kit box gets damaged in shipping, like the one you received, your local dealer cannot sell it without selling it for a loss. When one buys it directly from Asia, one just needs to understand the risk involved. Returning a damaged item to China is cost prohibitive. The cost of postage alone is very expensive. 

[Old Collingwood]

28 minutes ago, CDW said:

The "hike" in price is because your local dealer takes on all the risk and cost of the shipping from Asia. When a kit box gets damaged in shipping, like the one you received, your local dealer cannot sell it without selling it for a loss. When one buys it directly from Asia, one just needs to understand the risk involved. Returning a damaged item to China is cost prohibitive. The cost of postage alone is very expensive. 

Indeed, I am speaking to the chinese seller about this very thing  - they have offered a partial refund  and are very sorry  - just waiting to  discuss how much this will be?

 

OC.

[lmagna]

20 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

just waiting to  discuss how much this will be?

Call me stupid I suppose, but I don't understand why a manufacturer, (Or possibly a seller in another country) would be held to task to make monetary restitution when there really was no loss by the buyer? I understand that the box was less than perfect, but with the few pictures I saw it really didn't look much worse than a few of the boxes I have in my stash that have been there stacked up for years. My fault for having too large of a stash and the ones on the bottom sometimes getting the worst of it. I would definitely be on the same page if the contents had been damaged or even worse if the lower hull or some other part was deformed from the factory like the picture Landlubber Mike submitted above, but in this case OC says that the model is completely unhurt.  Am I just being stupid, and every item bought mail order should be held to the same level as when you pick the item out in the store and transport it yourself? I have seen advertisements on TV where the pizza company will replace your pizza even if you drop it off of the top of your car taking it home.

[Old Collingwood]

50 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Call me stupid I suppose, but I don't understand why a manufacturer, (Or possibly a seller in another country) would be held to task to make monetary restitution when there really was no loss by the buyer? I understand that the box was less than perfect, but with the few pictures I saw it really didn't look much worse than a few of the boxes I have in my stash that have been there stacked up for years. My fault for having too large of a stash and the ones on the bottom sometimes getting the worst of it. I would definitely be on the same page if the contents had been damaged or even worse if the lower hull or some other part was deformed from the factory like the picture Landlubber Mike submitted above, but in this case OC says that the model is completely unhurt.  Am I just being stupid, and every item bought mail order should be held to the same level as when you pick the item out in the store and transport it yourself? I have seen advertisements on TV where the pizza company will replace your pizza even if you drop it off of the top of your car taking it home.

I assume all the parts are ok and not broken  - quite a few were loose in the sealed bags  - off the spru's,  I wont know fully till I build the kit  (months away yet)  as to  the  physical condition of every part.

 

Regarding the box condition  -  lets say I had purchased this Brand New  kit in its box  to give as a present or sell on, the  appearance of the box would surely have an impact  - as it should have arrived in perfect condition  - if it had not been badly thrown around or had things  sticking into it.

It was actually worse when I took the  packaging and styrene  off it  - I had pulled it in to shape slightly  - how more damage was not done is beyond me.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

Just me then I suppose.

[Old Collingwood]

16 hours ago, lmagna said:

Just me then I suppose.

Not at all Lou.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

Yesterday marked the 56th day since my Hood package was shipped and still no sign of delivery. I checked Trackingmore.com and there was an entry for Wednesday suggesting that the package was still wandering around China. I checked Freetime Hobbies and they show HMS Hood out of stock but still had Prince of Wales

Then our nice post lady knocked on the door this afternoon with this

 

Both arrived safely at last. Both look impressive but daunting. So much for thinking I would beat the on=shore stores with the delivery.

Alan

 

[Old Collingwood]

25 minutes ago, king derelict said:

Yesterday marked the 56th day since my Hood package was shipped and still no sign of delivery. I checked Trackingmore.com and there was an entry for Wednesday suggesting that the package was still wandering around China. I checked Freetime Hobbies and they show HMS Hood out of stock but still had Prince of Wales

Then our nice post lady knocked on the door this afternoon with this

 

Both arrived safely at last. Both look impressive but daunting. So much for thinking I would beat the on=shore stores with the delivery.

Alan

 

Glad they both arrived at last  Alan.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

13 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Glad they both arrived at last  Alan.

 

OC.

Thank you OC.

I've used the seller before and he has always done well but this time we were six days away from the end of his stated delivery window. I was glad to see the package today and no mistake especially as it was the right shape, After your experience I have been imagining it wandering around the world gradually leaking small plastic pieces.

On the other hand I just sent a package to my dad in the UK and it arrived in five days.

Alan

[mtaylor]

Breathe a sigh of relief, Alan.  With the way shipping is from China (huge backlog of ships parked outside the west coast ports) I'm glad you got it.  I'd have been worried too.   For awhile last year, getting stuff from or to or from the UK or Europe in general was a problem.  

[mikegr]

On 8/18/2021 at 8:59 PM, CDW said:

This is one of the reasons I pay a premium price and buy from a dealer in my own country. Could have paid a few dollars less by ordering it direct from Asia, but far too often this is the end result. There are a few dealers in Asia I trust and order from them directly, but many just don't ship with adequate packaging. On the other hand, even when packed well, the Samsonite Gorilla sometimes gets ahold of your package and it's all over but the cryin'.  

Don't tell me