So I just got the Vintage Classics Rotodyne, and I've noticed something odd about it. All the pins on the rear door mechanism bars are broken off. The relevent parts are nos 23, 24, 30 & 31.
They aren't short-shot: the grey plastic has white stress marks where they were. I suspect that they snapped off when the runner was pulled out of the mold.

Could anyone else who's opened their's have a look at them and see if the same thing's happened, please? I'd like to know if it's a generic problem or just mine.

Quote from: Weaver on February 15, 2024, 01:58:44 PMSo I just got the Vintage Classics Rotodyne, and I've noticed something odd about it. All the pins on the rear door mechanism bars are broken off. The relevent parts are nos 23, 24, 30 & 31.
They aren't short-shot: the grey plastic has white stress marks where they were. I suspect that they snapped off when the runner was pulled out of the mold.

Could anyone else who's opened their's have a look at them and see if the same thing's happened, please? I'd like to know if it's a generic problem or just mine.

Mine has the same problem. I hadn't looked that closely at the parts so thanks for the heads up. 

Gondor

Just checked mine. and it has the same problem, so it looks like it's a generic issue

Geriatric moulds - Time for Fred's 1/72 Airfix New Mould Rotodyne to be tooled up & produced, methinks!

Quote from: Old Wombat on February 16, 2024, 12:46:51 AMGeriatric moulds - Time for Fred's 1/72 Airfix New Mould Rotodyne to be tooled up & produced, methinks!

 

Quote from: zenrat on February 16, 2024, 01:37:14 AM

Quote from: Old Wombat on February 16, 2024, 12:46:51 AMGeriatric moulds - Time for Fred's 1/72 Airfix New Mould Rotodyne to be tooled up & produced, methinks!

 

  

Next thoughts - what's the best way to resolve the issue? My first thought was glue the clamshell shut, so no need for the opening mechanism, and then secondly drill through where the pin is supposed to be and replace with a piece of rod/tube

Quote from: Leading Observer on February 16, 2024, 03:09:58 AM......... and then secondly drill through where the pin is supposed to be and replace with a piece of rod/tube

Why not? It'd be stronger than the original plastic and last a lot longer. I did just that with my old mould 'dyne umpteen years ago, and the doors still hinge now.

The conspiracy theorist in me says that Airfix didn't want people  complaining that the hinges broke after some months and that they were snapped off intentionally during packing.

Then the customers would HAVE to glue the doors shut and the problem goes away. 

Gluing the doors shut would also hide the lack of any internal detail...

Quote from: Leading Observer on February 16, 2024, 03:09:58 AMNext thoughts - what's the best way to resolve the issue? My first thought was glue the clamshell shut, so no need for the opening mechanism, and then secondly drill through where the pin is supposed to be and replace with a piece of rod/tube

Precisely. The corresponding holes in the door brackets are quite wide, but a piece of tube should do it nicely.

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 16, 2024, 03:41:17 AMThe conspiracy theorist in me says that Airfix didn't want people  complaining that the hinges broke after some months and that they were snapped off intentionally during packing.

Then the customers would HAVE to glue the doors shut and the problem goes away. 

But then why not just snap the parts off the sprues entirely and change the instructions (which they've had to reprint anyway) to show glued shut as the only option?

Quote from: Weaver on February 16, 2024, 04:19:01 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 16, 2024, 03:41:17 AMThe conspiracy theorist in me says that Airfix didn't want people  complaining that the hinges broke after some months and that they were snapped off intentionally during packing.

Then the customers would HAVE to glue the doors shut and the problem goes away. 

But then why not just snap the parts off the sprues entirely and change the instructions (which they've had to reprint anyway) to show glued shut as the only option?

I think (hope) Kit was joking.    There's enough conspiracy theories floating around this planet without starting another one 

Quote from: NARSES2 on February 16, 2024, 06:05:48 AM

Quote from: Weaver on February 16, 2024, 04:19:01 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 16, 2024, 03:41:17 AMThe conspiracy theorist in me says that Airfix didn't want people  complaining that the hinges broke after some months and that they were snapped off intentionally during packing.

Then the customers would HAVE to glue the doors shut and the problem goes away. 

But then why not just snap the parts off the sprues entirely and change the instructions (which they've had to reprint anyway) to show glued shut as the only option?

I think (hope) Kit was joking.    There's enough conspiracy theories floating around this planet without starting another one 

That sounds like another conspiracy theory to deflect people away from the fact that Kit was right       

Gondor

Quote from: zenrat on February 16, 2024, 03:51:03 AMGluing the doors shut would also hide the lack of any internal detail...

Considering what Revell did with theirs it's always surprised me that Airfix did NOTHING with the interior.