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Reliable Resins


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I don't blame people for wanting to check a resin maker out before ordering - I've been burned by a couple in the past that didn't deliver - one that even said he had it in stock,,,  all I got was the family, real job and fire department shut down his resin shop at home stories.

The Modelhaus deal was different because everybody putting in their final orders knew going in that it would be a two year wait - Modelhaus delayed their retirement and delivered to many grateful model builders just like they promised - good people and I believe that they handled it very well.  As long as the delivery time is understood before the order is accepted, there shouldn't be a problem with a wait (as long as the casters delivers).

 

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On 7/28/2020 at 10:46 AM, ScottH454 said:

 

 

Dale, after you poor a batch an get it in the pot have your pin hole parts on the bench. Take a toothpick, dip it in the uncured resin left in your mixing cup to dap it into the pinhole. Once cured sand it smooth an you might be able to save some of that otherwise rejected parts.

I’ll give that a try , I never even thought to do that. I’m just a perfectionist , I have a 50% reject rate on a couple items , although I try to keep it around 10% for the most part . I can’t imagine sending something out with even a minor pinhole.
 

This is totally a side hustle for me , although it’s becoming more and more full time as the months progress . I use the resin parts sales to either buy more supplies or kits to in turn offer more parts ..... hopefully I can transition to doing this full time as a business before too long .... but 3d printing is creeping in awful hard . 

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On 7/28/2020 at 12:43 PM, Tom Geiger said:

Hey Joe- from my experiences with a couple of these guys.. it creeps up on them and they don’t realize they are under water until it’s a mess!

That's an excellent point. I used to paint cars (1:1) as a sidejob on weekends. It didn't take too long before I started having trouble keeping up. The last job didn't turn out too good. It was fine for the elderly couple I did it for, but was below my standards. I quit, and had to return some cash I'd taken up front on a couple jobs. 

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I ordered from him, and it took a while to get my stuff. It was as if he was selling stuff not in hand. It was getting close to the time limit Paypal allows to file a claim for undelivered goods. Finally after mentioning filing a complaint I received my stuff. He had me call him, and he talks a good story, but I doubt I would buy anything else from him. If it was stated , the items will need to be poured that's one thing. In stock sales would be better at least on eBay.

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Sadly, it looks like a case where people get out of their depth very quickly. It is ok to knock up some stuff for yourself and close friends, but when going on to an open market place they need to comprehend what commitment is being taken on. When people part with money, excuses and platitudes will not be accepted for long, and reputation goes down the pan regardless of how well intentioned.the maker/supplier is. It becomes business, not a hobby when this sort of undertaking is made.

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Don and Carol Holthaus (The Modelhaus) created the standard by which resin casters are held to and with good reason. Some resin folks do this as a side job, others it becomes their main job. In any event, stating upfront what the timeline will be helps all involved and is what made Don and Carol so successful. Like it or not, but their method of processing orders in the order they were received kept them organized, on time and had people willing to wait for the product because they knew how they were being treated. Today many casters try to operate the same way and they have earned a similar reputation as The Modelhaus. The biggest problem I see is a lack of communication leads to frustration. In the case of (un)Reliable Resin, it becomes confrontational and usually not worth the hassle. If you are laying out $5 or $150, it pays to vet whether or not a company is worth it.

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I by no means am trying to hijack this thread but I wanted to chime in with my experience with another aftermarket vendor, Thunder Valley F1, (TVF1). TVF1 makes PE and machined aluminum parts for large scale F1 kits.  It is such a mixed bag. On one hand TVF1 makes some of the most absolutely gorgeous parts for F1 kits out there. On the other hand TVF1 went through a rough period and gained a bad reputation much like Reliable Resin. He got back on track and I ordered hundreds of dollars worth of parts for a Williams F1 kit. Took a little while but I received everything and the items are exquisite. I picked up a Tamiya Ferrari 641/2 kit. About the same time TVF1 announced that they were getting out of the 1:12 scale side of the hobby and focusing on another scale. I placed another order worth hundreds of dollars. It has been well over a year and the only communication is when I initiate it. I do not get solid answers. I’ve passed the PayPal time frame and I think even the credit card time frame to file a claim. I really do think I’ll get my items and I know they will be stunning but in the back of my mind I have that little nagging feeling that is “what if you don’t”? The amount of money that he already took from me is enough that I will do something through legal channels, small claims court perhaps? Besides getting my items what do I want? COMMUNICATION! That’s all. Be honest and tell me what is going on. “Hey, it will be 18 months before you get your order.“ “Sorry but you’ll get A, B and C but part D is out of stock and will not be made until I get a few more orders”. Just shoot straight with me. I’m willing to wait if I know up front that I have to. Anyhow, thanks for letting me chime in.

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On 8/6/2020 at 9:52 AM, Nacho Z said:

I by no means am trying to hijack this thread but I wanted to chime in with my experience with another aftermarket vendor, Thunder Valley F1, (TVF1). TVF1 makes PE and machined aluminum parts for large scale F1 kits.  It is such a mixed bag.

. . .

John,

Since this is unrelated to Reliable Resin, or even to 1:24 scale, why not just start a separate thread about your TVF1 experience?  That way the new subject line will make it easier for members to find your experience with that vendor (not buried inside Reliable Resin thread). 

Edited by peteski
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47 minutes ago, peteski said:

John,

Since this is unrelated to Reliable Resin, or even to 1:24 scale, why not just start a separate thread about your TVF1 experience?  That way the new subject line will make it easier for members to find your experience with that vendor (not buried inside Reliable Resin thread). 

I hear you, I chimed in because of the “communication” aspect of aftermarket vendors and got carried away...lol. It was therapeutic, however ?

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  • 4 months later...

I add comment here not to bash, but my experience. I placed an order with this guy from ebay back in 2017, before reading any reviews online. Never did get my order, thankfully only one engine hood. Filed a refund with paypal, that's is why I only use paypal for purchases. Got the same style hood from Clearly Scale, a Shaker style hood for modern Challenger, much happier I did that.

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