Need some "how to" on building resin kits... Thanks

[nugundam93]

resin is also harder to bend back in shape if it gets distorted. you'd need a tub of hot water and patience.

both i didn't have when i tried straightening out the resin front bumper of the veilside skyline and broke it in half.

other than what the others posted, you're good to go and we'll wait for the progress pics

[drunken monkey]

be prepared for a custums charge.
anything over £18 from japan should incur a charge.

if you don't get charged i'm not going to speak to you for a month........


* * *

i never knew you could bend resin parts.

[mickbench]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

be prepared for a custums charge.
anything over £18 from japan should incur a charge.

if you don't get charged i'm not going to speak to you for a month........


* * *

i never knew you could bend resin parts.

Yep.. But, I've had orders from HLJ that were worth £57 and £63 and didn't get charged, but this package will... It's too much value. I'm expecting at least £25 on top....

As for bending resin, I'm not planning on bending the stuff...

[SeaBee]

Being on my first one - not some how-to's but some how-not-to's...

As allready stated by somebody else - the wings are tricky. When doing the final layer of paint on your rear wing, hold on very carefully. Otherwise even CA glue is not strong enough. To ehhrrr... worsten it - also keep this fact in mind when putting on the primer on your front wing! Well, otherwise don't work over a tiled area, like I do when I paint. Okay guys, stop laughing, please...

Also, onto something more serious and less easily repairable. It was strangely not mentioned, but I was warned about it a few times when doing my research. The white metal suspension parts can be broken surprisingly easily. The postal services around the world give it their best shot, causing you to have to straighten out everything. Be very carefull when doing this.

[Fangi0]

I didn't notice anyone else mention it, but don't just test fit stuff... dry build the entire car before you paint / prep anything. I've got a Microscale product called Liquid Tape which remains tacky enough to hold an S27 F1 car together, but never actually sets - Assemble it with this, then check ride height, suspension alignment etc - you'll probably find that the car's not actually square until you've tweaked / bent a few things - Often on S27 kits the supports for the nose wing are way too long - You need to have a good idea of the finished ride height before you start trimming / shortening them.

And as mentioned, wings can be a pain - You usually end up having to cut off the locating lugs and file the ends of the wing planes square. There's usually enough 'meat' in the wing elements to redrill guide holes, and assemble with sewing pins or similar while glue sets.

Also, be careful bending photo etched pieces, especially if you want a curve - Roll the parts over something circular, and work them into the shape you want - you can't just 'bend' a curve in a P/E part, it will crease, and you'll never get the crease out

Other than, just be patient and work slowly. A lot of Super glues are too 'fragile' for white metal - Especially something like the rear wing of an F1 car - and epoxy (your only real alternative for this sort of thing) is a pig to work with if you're not used to it....

This all sounds a bit doom and gloom, but I've built two, (and have about 15 more waiting) and am very happy with the results...

Good Luck

David

[willster127]

As mentioned before, dry fit everything. When I did my first one I got so excited that I prepped the body, painted it and then realised I had no holes drilled for the wishbones!!!!!

Oh, and have fun!

[mickbench]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

be prepared for a custums charge.
anything over £18 from japan should incur a charge.

if you don't get charged i'm not going to speak to you for a month........


* * *

i never knew you could bend resin parts.

Hmm... Well, the package is just down the road from me, held in storage, as customs will not release it, as the invoice is missing. Hmm... Royal mail says it's with Parcel force24, who say customs have not yet assigned their charge, but royal mail want £14.50 when it is released, and a further £5.50 for 10 day storage, free if the parcel is released in 10 days, but if it's 11 - 20 days then £5.50 will be slapped on top, + 17.5% on top of the actual cost of the goods.

I'd have been better off getting this from grandprixmodels in the UK. This is going to be expensive.. Very expensive. First, and last resin kit I get imported. I've still not got any idea if and when customs will release this. It took only 24 hours to get from Japan to the UK, its taken customs 48 hours so far to tell me the invoice is missing..

Gawd, I hate living in the UK... Its little wonder the UK is a laughed at country, what with all the red tape..

So, you can still speak with me, its been charged.. and retained at the moment..

[willimo]

Gosh! You've convinced me, I'll never use customs again!

[mickbench]

Originally Posted by willimo

Gosh! You've convinced me, I'll never use customs again!

Yeah sorry, bit of a rant on my part... I too "wish" I could chose not to use them, but not a lot of choice I'm afraid.. Oh well, just have to wait and see what happens. You're lucky, toys and models etc in the US are tax free when imported, us UK folks get ripped sometimes..

Its a UK thing I think, we aren't called "rip off" Britain for no reason..

[drunken monkey]

it souds a little strange that they say Customs has not assigned a charge;
it sounds like they've lost some paperwork.

lost invoice = reason to contest it in my opinion.

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by willimo

Gosh! You've convinced me, I'll never use customs again!

That's terrible customer service.

[mickbench]

Originally Posted by klutz_100

That's terrible customer service.

Hmm.. Don't think it's parcel force, but customs. I've dodged them with every single package sent from hlj, and I've had a few, but none sent via EMS. All SAL. This one is EMS, and I know HLJ do not put a printed invoice in the box. I bet they've opened it, and can't find the invoice.

They can sometimes open up parcels, but it's a sod when they do. I just hope the kit is worth the expense.... I'm sure it'll be fine, but I'm not sure what customs are doing.. I guess they are contacting the sender, to find out the invoice value, even though it will be on the box anyhow... Red tape as always...

[malscar]

Mick HLJ normally send you a confirmation of cost/invoice and sending the item. Will customs accept that as proof of value?

Mal

[drunken monkey]

last time i had a HLJ parcel, the cost of items was on the postage stamp/sticker on the front.

[mickbench]

Well,

This is getting better and better. The values for HLJ are always on the box, but I don’t know what they are doing… I called today, got nowhere… I could go into how they just jerked me around, but I’m now not in the mood. It’s been with them now since Sunday, and nothing has happened, and I’ve emailed, called, told them I can send them the invoice, everything. It’s really poor. Parcel Force really is a crappy company when it comes to giving advise. Just how hard can it be for them to tell me what Customs want, as I rang UK customs, and they told me the delivery com[any are the ones I need to speak with.. In the end, I lost my rag, and the last person I spoke with hung up on me….

So, I doubt I’ll ever see this… Parcel force will now perhaps stamp on the box, and crush it before they send it, just to try and teach me for mouthing them off, as I got no logical response from them… Glad it has insurance, but I don’t know what customs do with packages they confiscate. I’ve looked on UK law websites, and typical UK law, makes no sense at all….

Ah well, just ranting to get it off me chest.. Isn't worth the blood pressure anymore. If I get it, then I get it, if not then I'll have to see if I can claim on insurance..