Frontier Resin Design

[MrObsessive]

You got that right Ron!

I'm sorry but that just doesn't look right...........the proportions are all off on that one. And that coming from someone who remembers when these were new.

In other words, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!

Also, never buy from auctions where they can't show you more than one pic. I've got something on auction there right now and the pics are numerous and LARGE!

[Nick Winter]

I deceided against it after Randy Frost owner of Perry's Resin mentioned while were talking on the phone that he's gonna finish up his master soon and cast them. Aswell as the Buick Sport wagon.

[Nick Winter]

Ok fellas Ol' Dukefan did some detective work, As Roscoe would say "I love it, I love it," And got this.

- nickman150

I've been told that some of your stuff isn't of the best quility, I wonder what all do you cast?

- frontier_resin_design

hi sorry that you bin to listing to all the carp i made a lot of master for all most the resin caster now that i make for my self it is all carp wonder why i make what we bee n waiting for some nice thigs thanks curt

[Rob Hall]

Ok fellas Ol' Dukefan did some detective work, As Roscoe would say "I love it, I love it," And got this.

- frontier_resin_design

hi sorry that you bin to listing to all the carp i made a lot of master for all most the resin caster now that i make for my self it is all carp wonder why i make what we bee n waiting for some nice thigs thanks curt

Sounds like this clown doesn't even grasp the basics of spelling, grammar and punctuation. I'd steer clear of someone that incoherent.

Edited October 6, 2009 by Rob Hall

[Jaxman]

Hi guys. Brand new to the forum and was doing some research on resin casters and ran across the discussion on Frontier. I build fire apparatus so I am always looking for resin cabs from the 50's through 70's, medium duty commercial type cabs. I can tell you I have made four purchases so far from Frontier Resin of truck cabs and they are great and really fill my need for building pumper trucks. The castings are the 60 Chev, the 58 Chev, a 1950's Ford cab and most recently a 67 International V 190 last week. The delivery was pretty quick, arrived with no damage, pretty good resolution of measurements. Some sanding and a good lacquer paint job and these cabs look great. I don't mind the thickness of some, it keeps the any chance of warpage to a minimum. Sounds like others have had some less than good experiences, however I appreciate the caster who goes out of his way to fill a void on available types of trucks that I like to build. Count me in as someone that supports Curt's business. I will buy more of his subjects if he casts them.

Richard

[impcon]

I'm pondering at this minute buying one of his truck cabs that is on Ebay that seems to be a dream come true and I think I am going to go for it. the price is in line with most other casters and I just do not have the self confidance to try to modify another resin truck to make the truck that I want. Someone said, he is filling in some of the gaps and I for one am grateful that the resin folks are trying to please us while making a dollar or two. What it comes down to is that sometimes something that needs some work is better than nothing at all. Based on what I have read here and saw in some photos though, I am would almost be inclined to stay away from his cars. Having said that though, I will in all fairness still give Curt the benefit of the doubt and probably try one. I've been shafted more than once by sellers of resin kits so I am pretty well numb now - it don't hurt so much when I am disappointed now because anything that is better than what I expected is now a very precious and memorable experience. And really, most sellers are OK, reasonable and fair people.

I also agree about the picture issue and I have mentioned in some of my posts before I believe - that many ( most? ) sellers use Ebay's pathetic and ridiculous picture hosting rather than step up to the plate and post some decent pictures. personally, I wouldn't use Ebay's picture hosting if I was selling a box full of used buttons. I really can get frustrated when I see something that interests me but the pictures are out of focus or taken from too great a distance to be able to discern any issues that the model may have such as broken windshield frames on convertibles, broken vent window frames and missing pieces. And for goodness sake, have some ambition and post more than one picture is what my feelings are! I see pictures on Ebay that I would never even dream of posting if I was selling the item and one has to wonder if the focus problem isn't sometimes deliberate. If you want to get a decent dollar for something on Ebay, then your pictures are the most important tool that you have at your disposal followed by an item description that consist of more then four words and a grunt. Seeing something like "old built model for parts or???" to me indicates a lack of ambition and interest on the part of the seller.

But anyways back to Frontier Resins.. I am going to buy the truck and let it do the talking when it gets here regarding quality. If I were selling a product like resin kits and stuff, I'd certainly be taking more than one picture and most certainly use a generic chassis or two to do a mock up of what the kit would look like built. I'd bet that his sales would be much higher and so would his final selling prices. Just my opinions..

[chrismooney]

This was a Frontier Resin body.. it cam out nice but had lots of issues to to deal with.... I would say if you work with resin alot and have the body work skills you can make his stuff look dame good. and as you said impcon sometimes his subjects are the only game in town...... Now this was just a body and not a kit. so i an speak for the fit quality of his all resin parts. The rest of this beast is a Die cast Presidential car.

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

[impcon]

Holy moly is that ever nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't imagine the hours that went into that car.. it is simply stunning, to say the least!!

I just bought one of his truck kits but I did so with the understanding that it is not going to be like assembling an AMT or Revell kit. All I can say is that if it is near as good as it looks in the auction picture, I'll likely be pretty happy. And if I feel that it is beyong my skils right now, then it will go on the shelf until I am ready. No one else makes this truck so if it takes some work, then so be it. If it is junk - then I have been forwarned and it is no one's fault but my own. I only wish that he would have posted somemore pictures of it and definitely larger ones. Somehow, I think that I will be happy though. I'll be sure to post my thoughts once I have it in hand.

[chrismooney]

Holy moly is that ever nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't imagine the hours that went into that car.. it is simply stunning, to say the least!!

I just bought one of his truck kits but I did so with the understanding that it is not going to be like assembling an AMT or Revell kit. All I can say is that if it is near as good as it looks in the auction picture, I'll likely be pretty happy. And if I feel that it is beyong my skils right now, then it will go on the shelf until I am ready. No one else makes this truck so if it takes some work, then so be it. If it is junk - then I have been forwarned and it is no one's fault but my own. I only wish that he would have posted somemore pictures of it and definitely larger ones. Somehow, I think that I will be happy though. I'll be sure to post my thoughts once I have it in hand.

Thanks for the comment.. it has two paint flaws (fish Eyes) that will be covered up with decals..... I use the same theory u do.. I build for fun and what I like. if its not 100% accurate I don't care and still make it look nice... When you resin come please post Photos of it.... so the masses can "Pass Judgment" LOL

[impcon]

You are most welcome Chris. I just calls it like I sees it is all. Yes, I will be sure to post pictures and comments on the truck once I get it which will be in the next two or three weeks. We live in Canada but we have a U.S. address that we have stuff shipped to but we don't get to Oroville every week so sometimes there is quite a gap in time from when I order or purchase something and and when I receive it. But I'll be sure to post on this thread.

There is something that I really have to say here and I don't want to offend anyone here by my comments. So please guys, understand that I am NOT throwing stones at anyone here or elsewhere. All of the comments on R&R's products are valid and justifyable and most come from more seasoned modellers than myself. However, having said that, I suspect that some of R&R's bad feedback ( and not just here but on other forums and on Ebay ) may well come from people who have little or no experience with resin products and expect the likes of a Monogram or Revell or AMT quality product when they open the box. I have bought a few resin products over the years and I am not that experienced with working with it but let's face it guys, we are essentially buying a home made product and you can't expect total perfection. I have bought styrene lits that were a disater such as the older Revell stuff like the '53 Chevy two door sedan. That thing was warped and just a mess. I started to build it and ended up after it was painted and detailed, just putting it in the box and packing it away. Maybe one day I will try again but it was a write off as far as I was concerned. It was the last Revell product that i bought for years.

So I will let the product do the talking and I assure you, my opinions will be totally unbiased. But I am not expecting perfection based on the fact that it IS a resin model. If it ain't good, then it wont be the first resin product that I was disappointed in. AGain, just my opinions and I hope that this post has not offended anyone or hurt anyone's feelings. like I said, I am not pointing fingers at ayone. These are just my views and honest opinions.

[dimaxion]

I was in this Hobby from 1958 until I was talked out in 1978 . I got back in 1984 . This was the years of all the makers , Revelle , Monogram , AMT , MPC , and the imports were creating problems . It had been an Industry Standard to make the kits .040 thick plastic . This is the days of the raw material prices escalting . So ...some well educated fool decided for thinner plastic . SAE ran articles how to fix and how to send for replacement bodies . At that point , it was a bad idea and abanded . Then came resins .

Edited June 23, 2010 by dimaxion

[dimaxion]

The early kits were only conversions . Thick , mostly slushcast was the norm . Quality improved . I still will get a TKM Kit if I want the Subject . The price is low , the work is great . The results , I value builds I struggle with more than a straight out of the box project . Everyone has and is entitled to an opinion . This Forum and the others are for expressing Opinions . New builders are warned and accomplished builders are made aware . It is 'my' opinion : I don't ever expect a Resin to be like an Injected Model . Hand Made is hands down more work to build and has flaws . The good part is you get what you want . These people provide the niches the Manufacturing Giants won't and can't . The latest resins I have been getting are very close to boxed kit quality . Thank you for reading this . Thanx ..

Edited June 24, 2010 by dimaxion

[impcon]

Well, my wife is off to Oroville to up the mail today and my '58 Chevy truck cab should be there. I received an email a few days ago that it was on the way. I'm not expecting perfection - just something decent that someone with mediocre talents like myself can work with. I'll be sure to post some pictures and an honest appraisal of it tonight or tomorrow. I've got my fingers crossed on this one. If it's good, I am going to order at least two more for other projects that I have in mind..

Edited July 9, 2010 by impcon

[element]

i purchased an Ice Cream truck from them. The grill didn't fit, front fenders were warped and large gaps everywhere. I sent it back and got another one even worse. There is a 3/4 to 1 1/4 inch difference between the back fenders that mount to the ice cream freezer. Any way to fix this or should I just try and get my $ back?

[impcon]

Sorry I didn't get back yesterday to upload the pictures of the Chevy but life got in the way as it often does. Anyways, here are some pictures of the Frontier Resin '58 Chevy Spartan or Viking - take your pick..

Overall, I am quite happy with my purchase. The delivery time was fantastic!!! As soon as my payment cleared, Curt emailed me that the model was in the mail. His service is better than a lot of private people who I buy from where it takes up to two weeks to get my purchase after the payment goes through. Definitely no complaints in the service areas at all!

It goes without saying that it will need some cleaning up and some work to make it look right, but I was actually expecting much worse based on what I have read about the quality of Frontier's models - and I was really hoping for something better than what I was expecting. Frankly, it is indeed better than what I had hoped for. The cab is straight and not warped and I'd say that the casting is fairly clean. The windshield wipers and cowl vents are well pronounced and clean as are the door handles. The windshield and door glass openings will require the removal of a bit of flashing but again, it is actually much better than I expected. The fender side trim pieces could be a bit lower on the fenders but I'll deal with that - not a real issue again - just an attempt toportray the good things and point out what a builder may wish to improve upon.

The hood is going to need some clean up along the edges to get it to fit into it's resting place but mostly, I think that it is just flashing that needs to be trimmed away. The cab's engine bay edges seem fine and wont require any real effort. The back edge of the hood is the worst and I'll need to do some filling to bring everything into it's proper shape. I feel that this is acceptable given the fact that scratch building this truck for me would be a major effort and am just grateful to have something to start with that is not an impossibility. I guess that the worst of it all is the grille which will need some work to make it fit as it is about 1/8" too wide for the opening. I may order a Modelhause grille if this one fails to cooperate with me and see how that fits. I know that thier grilles are pretty nice as I have had one of their '58 or '59 Chevy truck cabs for a few years. The passenger's side headlight eye brow will need a tint bit of cleaning up but again - it's a resin model and it's going to have some minor issues.

Here's a couple more shots of the truck..

As said, all in all, this is much better than I expected given some of the reviews that Curt has been given. My abilities in model building are no where's near what most of you guys can do but I think that even I can make this into a decent model. I wish that it had the small back window.. I may see if I can do something about that because the big back window option was not very common at all on the big trucks.

The search is on now for a tandem axle chassis for the truck. It will be a gas job with a 348 just like my friends had and it will be painted red with white trim. I'm going to start cleaning it up in the next few days - I have a full calendar for the next week or so - and start looking around for a chassis and a gravel trailer. I'm cheap and I don't want to pay $40.00 or more for a trailer kit that I am going to have to modify and butcher into what I want so I may end up just trying to build a trailer from scratch. We'll see what happens and how the spirit moves me.. after all, this IS all about honing and improving our skills and about stepping out of the box, isn't it? Comments and suggestions as always are welcomed and appreciated. Just be honest and open - I respect those traits. Thanks for looking. Gary

[chrismooney]

Gary thanks for the Honest and complete review I cant wait to see how this turns out!

[dimaxion]

I have had kits worse than that . I am talking Injected . At the least , you have plenty of material to make the hood fit right . Casters make the hoods too large , period . No one here seems to remember the '80's ? The Kit makers decided to reduce the thickness of the plastic fron .40 to a thinner thickness . As a result , many kits had to be sent replacement parts . Totally unusable in the box . Thanx ..

Edited July 16, 2010 by dimaxion

[element]

I talked to a friend and he said my ice cream truck could be built with no damaged. The rear of the body is twisted where there is a 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 inch difference between the right and left side. I looked over their replies and it seems the seller, Curt, talks like yoda from star wars.

They may do a fine job with truck cabs but I wouldn't recommend this kit, ice cream truck, unless it was a last resort. The only decent part of it was the freezer box. The molds for the body, grill and interior tub need a lot more work, IMO. I'm glad this wasn't my first resin purchase.. if it was, it might have turned me off of resin forever.

Just my 2 cents... As always, your opinions/results may vary, .

[dimaxion]

Help me please ? I am intreged . How do I get ahold of his products and shipping information ? I gotta try . My 2 cents ..Thanx ..

[element]

I did a search on Ice Cream on the 'bay. His product was the only one that came up for what I was looking for. Just the old time one that used to go through my G-mas neighborhood.

Do a search for Ice Cream, If nothing shows up on the current, do a search for completed listings. Still come up empty??.. do a search for resin in the model car automotive section and look at them one by one. His other offerings may be better than the ' kit ' I received.

[Hypermung]

QUOTE(Dukefan69' @ Oct 6 2009, 02:44 PM)

Ok fellas Ol' Dukefan did some detective work, As Roscoe would say "I love it, I love it," And got this.

- frontier_resin_design

hi sorry that you bin to listing to all the carp i made a lot of master for all most the resin caster now that i make for my self it is all carp wonder why i make what we bee n waiting for some nice thigs thanks curt

Sounds like this clown doesn't even grasp the basics of spelling, grammar and punctuation. I'd steer clear of someone that incoherent.

I have been toying of the idea of getting one of his Ice Cream vans as well, but his ebay listing says at the bottom "outside USA contact me first no sales to australia sorry" yet it is listed on ebay Australia as well. I contacted Curt through ebay & asked if he would please send to Australia & got this reply back "hi what i sell some one over there make to sell". What the? So a second message to Curt in response from me to clarify what exactly he was trying to say went "What? Who? Please tell me". Well his response was even more bizarre than the first one.. "hi auskid he is bad"... What in the hell does that mean?. Perhaps he's been "listening to all the carp" (like he told Nick Winter) & has his ears full of fish food.... AND his grammar & punctuation don't appear to have gotten any better.

[Danno]

It all sounds like too much carp to me.

[Hypermung]

I tried a user I.D. search and it said this user does not exist. I just wanted to get a look at some of his adfs to see how bad it really was. Judging by the pics shown earlier I certainly wouldn't give this flake any of my money.

I'll try to post a link or 2 for you http://myworld.ebay.com.au/frontier_resin_design/&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2754 Don't ask any technical questions though, I think he's off with the fishes

It all sounds like too much carp to me.

lol

[Hypermung]

Follow that link & click "see all feedback" & you can view the items sold over the last 6 months. Fast shipping. But wish it didn't smell like an ashtray. Buyer:

Member id jcornman66 ( Feedback Score Of 79) 22-Aug-11 02:10 1954 chevy pick up cab (#330599518496) US $41.00 View Item 1954 chevy pick up cab

[george 53]

Guys, there's a 69 Marauder on the bay right now, by a frontier Design resins. I've never heard of them, but I sure like that resin kit. It looks like it's not too bad! Anybody ever hear/know of these folks? Are they still in buisness?