As a professional courtesy, we want to post a Buyer Beware notification.

We recently purchased a purportedly “high end” Trumpeter model (Item 01514 – German Halftrack) only to discover several critical parts were missing from the factory sealed kit.

The kit was purchased from a vendor while attending the “Mid Atlantic Air Museum’s World War II” weekend at Reading, Pennsylvania, held this past Saturday. The model was contained within its factory cellophane wrapper and was purportedly “high end”, so we had a reasonable expectation that the product was fine. Following a brief discussion with the vendor, we paid cash for the model and went on our way. We have no other information regarding the vendor’s ID.

According to the instructions, the kit should have contained three (3) rubber tires. The front of the model is supported by tires – so they are an integral part of the kit. We found only a single tire in a small parts box labeled “Mittlere Zugkraftwagen 8t early version” within the secured kit. Without these parts, the relatively expensive kit is practically useless.

The problem was reported to Stevens International of Magnolia, New Jersey, USA on Monday morning. According to the Trumpeter website, Stevens has been the designated importing agent for Trumpeter products on the east coast of the United States for some time. Stevens indicates that it will not provide replacements parts without vendor ID.

As the factory wrapping was intact, we had a reasonable expectation that the kit was okay. We also feel that the problem is likely related to a packing error at the Chinese based factory, an issue far beyond the control any vendor – whoever they may be. A brief review of information on the internet suggests this is a reoccurring problem.

We are uncertain why the importer - Stevens International - will not take responsibility for products they likely imported or help to fix the problem either by providing replacement parts free or for a small charge. As they are located nearby, it’s highly likely they imported the kit.

Bottom line: People will take advantage of consumers as long as consumers let them. Our experience demonstrates a problem exists with the manufacturer as well as the importer’s services. We hope our notification provides a heads-up to those considering future products manufactured by Trumpeter. Either thoroughly inspect the product or carefully consider the consequences – you may be throwing hard earned money away.

Thank you for the opportunity to post this consumer notification.

Respectfully,

Clearboard

Well it certainly sounds like someone really dropped the ball at the factory and I'm sorry to hear your kit did not include all its parts

As for the importer that is a disappointing and unusual attitude for them to take, however you could argue that with so many people these days buying from Hong Kong vendors to 'bypass the middleman' they could be concerned that the kit was never bought in the US and therefore not imported by them. I believe you, don't get me wrong! but sadly some people might try and get a part from them regardless of where the kit came from

Have you tried talking to Trumpeter for replacements? It might not be provable whether the kit was imported and therefore the liable party, but there is no disputing that Trumpeter is liable, after all, when you opened it , it was in exactly the state in which it left the factory. As far as I can see they owe you free parts and shipping

Chris

This is not just a Trumpeter problem but has happened for me with a number of manufacturers. One problem raised is that I emailed Trumpeter about the missing deck stripes in my USS Saratoga kit but have heard nothing back from them. Ignoring emails is not a good idea Mr Trumpeter.

There is one more possibility, the vendor bought the kit and realised the tyres where missing and rather than go through the hassle of getting replacements he sold it to you. Or he wanted the tyres for another project, bought the kit, removed the tyres and then resealed the bag or box. It is not hard to make something look as though it is factory sealed.

Hmm, you could call this either way, but parts missing from a sealed kit isn't funny or cheap.
The Trumpeter UK importer was soo bad at customer and vendor support, they lost their contract!

As the kit may be a grey import, the Stevens International's request for Vendor's ID isn't unreasonable?
Perhaps if you contact the show organiser, they will be able to tell you who the vendor was.
In the UK, your first port of call would be the original vendor (at the show) for them to offer a remedy, but someone on your side of the pond will be more localy informed.

Mind you, didn't Academy ship replacement sprues for the corrected M3 suspension against a kit box barcode remitance?

I had a similar problem in the UK with a Tamiya kit bought off ebay.
I contacted the UK importers, telling them it was an ebay find, who sent the missing kit specific poly parts (twice), without charge, as the poly washers were essential to finishing the kit,
but....... if I had wanted the metal springs to articulate the suspension, They would have charged their £5.00 (USD$8.00-ish) minimum.

Good luck & please post any outcomes.

I've mailed one of the big Chiefs at Trumpeter to see if that will help.

I'd say this is extremely unlikely to say the least! Vendors generally buy dozens of kits and its really not their job to check them all for missing parts.

I doubt very much indeed that the vendor even knew it, let alone stole some parts then willingly sold it on incomplete.

They package hundreds of these things at the factory, one day one worker on pence per day miscounted the parts they were putting in or maybe just wasn't concentrating and messed up. Or they had a bad apple on the line for a little while, who knows, but ten kits in a run of thousands is a believably low error rate

The important factor is what Trumpeter do about it when a problem is identified.

Best of 'clearboard' and I hope you have a better experience than Warren


Chris

PS, this isn't really a build log is it?

I have to admid I'm a big fan of Trumpeter with all their nice modern vehicles and have build quite a few.
However, on my M1117 Guardian the sprue for the turret was missing from the box, purchased through HLJ. Didn't get much satisfaction from HLJ so PM'd Gaoyue, Trumpeter's R&D Manager, here on this forum and a few weeks later received the missing sprue. A few months later got one through HLJ...better late than never.

Hope this helps

Clearboard I wish you success in getting replacement parts for the model, I am curious as to why you say "we", is the model yours or does it belong to a group?

On the subject of missing parts no manufacturer is perfect as I have had sprues and parts missing as well as misformed from MasterBox, Tamiya, DML, and Italeri, with DML being the only one I failed to get a resolution from.

Didn't Squadron also become one of Trumpeter's importers? If so, maybe you can try them?

I have received replacement items via Stevens and never had to produce a Vendor ID. Weird- maybe too many people were taking advantage of free sprues or something?

Having worked at a factory when I was living in the States back in the 1990 in North Carolina.. I remember the quality control people had a certain percentage of "acceptable" errors or faulty parts... so, a missing sprue or a deformed part WILL happen... the real problem I find with many manufacturers is their "after sales service" when it comes to replacing parts or dealing with complaints in general.

I was curious regarding the "we" part, also.

Hisham

I'm sure your upset and you have every right to be, but I don't think your claim is with Trumpeter or Stevens. Your claim is with the vendor who sold it to you at the local hobby show. I don't trust those guys at all. It is not hard to own a shrink wrap machine that can re-wrap these kinds of kits. If he is not an established brick and mortar shop always ask to inspect the kit before purchase. Some of these guys are modellers and they could take out the good parts and then reseal the kit to any unsuspecting modeller.

It may be easy to find the vendor. If the vendors were following the rules, I believe they had to have a "tax number". This way, sales could be taxed at the local sales tax rate. A friend who runs a Brick and Mortar shop in RI, has to get a tax number, when he sells at a show in Massachusetts. The show organizers should have a record of who vendors were.

Trumpeter has a certain kind of cellophane on their kits from the factory- It's very heavy, it can virtually stop a bullet. That said i used to receive kits from my Trumpeter distributor without any shrink wrapping at all.

So, if the kit was shrinkwrapped in the heavy, it's a quality control problem and Trumpeter is responsible.
If the kit was SW in the flimsy stuff that Tamiya uses, then it was done by the vendor knowingly and he should be called to account.

here in malaysia we got trumpeter kit without the shrinkwrapped .. only the box and they were not sealed....

i never heard local modeller got this very big problem..

only one time i got part missing from my Kilo class sub... email mr trumpeter and got the replacement (in 2 months and still acceptable)

got some problems with other manufacturer as well.... some replaced it free, some with a small fee....

and i agree with Darren the only company that didnt solve the problem is dragon... got tired contactting them... i got one more issue which havent been resolved since 2004...

First off, Stevens probably asked for a vendor ID number because they aren't the only importer for Trumpeter in the US anymore, so they probably want to see if the vendor you bought it from, bought the kit from them. If the vendor you bought it from, bought it from Squadron, or possibly from Asia, then Stevens bears no responsibility at all to replace the part for you.

Second, Trumpeter kits don't come from the factory sealed. In fact most kits are not sealed in plastic when they come from the manufacturer, that job usually lies with the importer.

Your first call should have been to the vendor you purchased the kit from, they in turn could have contacted the importer they bought the kit from to get replacements and there would have been no trouble.

Hi.
I have red about your problem, and I must say it's pretty annoying to find out your kit is missing parts. I also bought that same kit Trumpeter 01514, mine was ok. I just want to let you know the tires are in the same box as the main body of the halftrack, thus they are not in a sealed bag, so it's possible that they were missing from the start, or removed by someone. But, to comfort you (not that I would agree the fact they were missing), the tires of that kit are totally rubbish, as they are a post-war pattern, replicated by Trumpeter from a museum refurbished vehicle. They needed to be replaced anyway, so your loss is not that big. Though, I would be as upset as you are if I would buy a kit with missing parts. Cheers!

Hi

Whilst its always disappointing to receive anything, let alone a kit, and find it not working correctly, or parts missing with the thousands of items packed and distributed daily there is bound to be occasions when a part is missed out. Law of averages etc.

I'm feeling a little uneasy about this thread to be honest. Without wishing to cause offence we have a single only Armorama post from this person, who only joined yesterday, or is it persons ?? that makes statements like " A brief review of information on the internet suggests this is a reoccurring problem. " Where is that coming from?

Added to that we have "As a professional courtesy, we want to post a Buyer Beware notification." Clarify we (which is also used elsewhere) and in what capacity is this "professional".

Finally we have "We hope our notification provides a heads-up to those considering future products manufactured by Trumpeter. "
So how many kits have you brought for you to imply that people should beware of buying Trumpeter products as opposed to any other kit maker.

Sorry but I find this heavy handed condemnation of Trumpeter on a single experience a little uneasy to be honest, given the nature of mass production these days, and that Stevens are somehow not justified in requesting proof to ensure it is a kit supplied via them.

Alan

Gentlemen,

I am very grateful for the many comments provided by modelers across the world as well as the nearly 900 people who made time to read our concerns over the past 24 hours – very impressive. Many good points were raised providing food for thought in days ahead. Permit me to work through a few of them.

To appreciate our circumstances, a little background may help. As previously reported, the kit was purchased from a vendor while attending the “Mid Atlantic Air Museum’s World War II” weekend at Reading, Pennsylvania, USA.

Aside: This annual, 3 -day event is attended by tens of thousands of visitors, reenactors, veterans, entertainers, and WW II luminaries. Among the dozens of restored flying aircraft were vintage B25s, a B29, a Mustang, a Spitfire, a Navy Squadron, fighters, bombers, trainers, scouts, and many others – gates are open between 08:30 and 22:00 and the aerial program typically runs between 13- and 17:00-hours. In addition, the event also hosts over 1,500 WWII military and civilian re-enactors, dozens of combat and support units, hundreds of military vehicles, and numerous skirmishes with small arms fire and armor thundering away. It is a very impressive, well managed event held annually during the first weekend of June. We typically park in business lots surrounding the field, hop a shuttle bus, arrive on-site in about 20-30 minutes, and make a day of it. For those living in the eastern USA, or considering a future visit, this event is a must see – www.maam.org/maamwwii.html contains more information. FYI - The United States Army Heritage Museum, www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/, the Army Ordnance Museum, www.ordmusfound.org/, and the civil war battlefield at Gettysburg, www.nps.gov/gett/, are also nearby. End Aside.

A portion of the airfield is set aside for vendors selling vintage military uniforms, arms, music, paintings, posters, photos, books, maps, models, metals, badges, kit, tents, packs, you name it. As the weekend event is held rain or shine, vendors occupy dozens of modest-sized tents. The Trumpeter kit was found in this setting. It was selected in part because it was well wrapped in heavy cellophane and touted as a very detailed, high-end model – suggesting the kit was intact and a quality product. No error, no fowl, plunked down coin and off we went.

We did everything expected of us – we trusted the system, but sh--t happens. Even in the best of worlds, there’s always margin for error; however, the many comments posted here raises more cause for additional concern. Had quality control issues and potential for pilfering been known, additional safeguards would have been taken. Always amazing how hindsight is 20-20. Suffice to say, revisiting the transient vendor is no easy task. Doesn’t say it can’t be done. Concurrently other trees also need to be shaken.

Considering points raised by folks who responded to this forum, it seems the best way to effect change is to start at point of sale. After all, who spends $50-, $100-dollars, or more for a product “site unseen” - a sealed box of stuff? Back in the day, when a kit typically cost a few buckets, a cellophane wrapper provided sufficient assurance that everything in the box was fine. If not, the local hobby shop usually addressed the problem.

As the saying goes, money doesn’t talk, it screams. Alleged high-end kits need to be inspected before person to person sales occur. Similarly, cost effective means needs to accompany internet sales to assure products are intact prior to shipment. If not, money walks. In many ventures, if the product isn’t right, it gets sent back - period. Modelers should demand the same respect.

If we are asked to pay higher prices, then vendors, importers, and manufactures need to be held to higher standards of quality assurance/quality control. This business of not returning calls or emails for legitimate issues is crap. Likewise, opportunities for selling pilfered items also need to be controlled. In an age of computer controlled everything, it’s hard to think a simple bar coded sticker couldn’t assist tracking as well as vendor / importer identification.

The age-old cellophane wrapper isn’t cutting it and people will take advantage of the situation as long as they can. Probably no easy answers are out there, but awareness of the problem may be the first step. Rest assured in the future, a means will be found to check things out with discretion and professionalism before coin is dropped. Should objections be raised, then money will walk as there are numerous opportunities out there. It is what it is.

Once again, many thanks to all who read this note as well as those who took time to drop a line.

Respectively,

ClearBoard

Glad its not just me Alan.
The "we" and the "high end" statements are setting off alarm bells.
Also the "We have no other information regarding the vendor’s ID" is a bit strange, surly you would remember who you bought the kit off, especially as "we" had a "brief discussion with the vendor".
This post has the hallmarks of a lawyer writing it and not a modeller .
Andy

My simple take on this situation: always check what is in the box. If something is missing, scratch it or replace it. I had more success getting replacement parts from smaller companies, no luck with Dragon care

Yes, and added to the fact it happened this weekend and the thread started on the Tuesday is hardly giving time for the matter to obtain a satisfactory result or not, before "Buyer Beware" notices are posted.

I'll speak plainly ....it strikes me as a knee jerk reaction, over zealous in its condemnation of a well known manufacturer before giving the matter fair time to be resolved.

Alan

I have lots of Trumpeter kits in my stash and have built perhaps a dozen others. No problems.

If you PM me, I can mail you the tires, as I use AM resin ones instead. Lots of folks in the past have sent me spares, I see no reason to condemn the company for a single oversight.

And yes, it's a bit fishy someone turning up here and posting this long-winded diatribe.

Thank you for saying that, Alan.. I was afraid of saying something for fear of being accused of having some ulterior motive for defending Trumpeter... as has happened here once before

I've bought kits from other manufacturers in the past which had either a missing part or a deformed part.. and I didn't attack the manufacturer. Like I said, I used to work for a small factory in North Carolina which made plastic parts that went into the interiors of Ford cars.. and quality control had an acceptable percentage of faulty parts. Now if this person had this problem for the tenth time specifically with Trumpeter kits, then maybe he has cause to complain the way he did. I personally have around 30 different Trumpeter kits.. none of which has any problems.

And I would still like to understand the "we" thing

Anyway.. maybe it's a small manufacturer of resin kits who feels that Trumpeter has stolen one of his kits like some accusations we've read here before.. who knows?!!!!

Hisham

Mmmmm to me it sounds like an espionage attack on Trumpeter.....

Anyway, from my experience at air shows and what not, vendors should always give a receipt. If parting with a huge amount of money I'd have certainly asked for one. Another thing, why on earth would you fork out a lot of money on a model at a show? When you could take a note of the make and model and find it cheaper online? Furthermore I do find it quite strange to join this forum, and make a first post as a 'buyer beware' instead of introducing yourself.

Off topic, I have found Revell of Germany to be good. Lost a track link on a 1:72 Panther, contacted them and they replaced it free of charge within 2 weeks. Result.

You may want to try "iamsu7" on this forum. I have contacted him about missing parts and he is more than helpfull in having them replaced.