Pretty much done with resin.

[comp1839]

My point.

i thought your "point" was, chris shot himself in the foot by opening this thread?

[John Teresi]

i thought your "point" was, chris shot himself in the foot by opening this thread?

[edboys]

Well, since my rep has been destroyed here on MCM here's my side of the story. Please ask Chris Sobak why he didn't answer or reply to any of my attempts to contact him by phone on several occasions. Left him messages with my return phone number so we could talk in person. A mutual friend of mine Mike Garland, who speaks with Chris was always telling me not worry as Chris was tied up with his Army Vega project and wasn't in a hurry to get to his next dragster build. Chris does his own parts in 3-D now so why does he need a caster anyway?

Teresi - I sent him a parts list when he was building his Stage Coach project and he instead decided to go with TDR, so he has NEVER ordered anything from me. I would discount any comment he would offer up as he is a friend of Chris Sobak and is obviously riding the friendship train here.

Some of you model builders who have never created, molded, casted resin parts have no clue as to how intense this process can be. It is time consuming and pays pennies an hour unless you approach this as a full time business. Don't own a pressure pot or vacuum chamber so this isn't no business in the true sense. More like a fraternity effort, just trying to help people get some of the same parts I create for myself. I made enough to pay for more materials so continuation of the process would go on. Trust me I will show you my records for the last year - would like to see anyone live on that income. 

Now a little back story - I started out offering parts in 1/16th scale, mainly drag race subject matter. Since I build in that scale for myself, many parts were being created for my own projects and it wasn't difficult offering some of these parts to like-minded 1/16th enthusiasts. I belonged to a Yahoo group that later went over to Facebook and have sold many engine packages/parts for over 15 years. I have never had anyone request a refund or demand their money back because of poor quality. Contact the Facebook site; Dedicated to the preservation of 1/16th drag race models and ask anyone on that site about me.

I am done with this business. I made that announcement 4/27/16 and have been trying to tie up loose ends ever since. Do I get to leave - NO - because people keep contacting me about product. Even Ted at Ted's Modeling Marketplace continued to take orders after I informed him I was out. I want to build my own projects again and not spend any more time fulfilling other people's desires, I feel I have contributed enough and want to get out of the resin side of the hobby. Will see how this goes as I have created many friends that will continue to have some business dealings with me on a personal basis.

As for Ted Bowe, we had a pretty good run. He convinced me to provide resin for his website and I had to inform him that my engines are custom tailored and that each order would be done on an individual basis. I can match up almost all the parts any modeler would need to build a vintage race engine from my stable of parts. All that was needed was an email from the customer informing me of the build/vehicle they intended to build. Example: I have 3 superchargers to choose from with up to 9 different end plates to pick from. My 392 Hemi engine has more choices than any other engine package and I just couldn't get Ted to have his website reflect these options so the customer could make better choices while making a purchase.

Now lets talk a bit about some of you customers. Ted would send me an order, I would send him that order in complete form and then get an email informing me that many parts were missing upon arrival. I know that those engine packages were complete when forwarded to him and towards the end was taking photographs before being shipped out. So, between my sending Ted the parts, he mails them to his customer only to be informed that parts didn't arrive and now I am supposed to replace these at my cost as well as Ted's. THIS GOT OLD REAL FAST FOLKS. 

In closing, I apologize to anyone I have slighted by being late in shipping product. I have no excuse for the 3 yr wait I put Chris Sobak through. I did follow through with his order and still owe him the hi-rise manifold for those Donovan 417's. It is in the works and I hope it gets done before he orders that same part from TDR. For those that have been loyal to me for the past 15 yrs I say THANK YOU. For those of you here on MCM who do not know me, but decided to deride me and sully whatever rep I might have in the modeling world - BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH OFF!!!

[plastic-mechanic]

i think most folks here understand there are three sides to every story:

mine

yours

the truth

[Mooneyzs]

Mark...  Over the past few years I have gotten to know Mike Garland and have become good friends with him. You are right that Mike and I talk quite often. There were a few times I told Mike that I needed to call and ask you about my engine. Mike had mentioned to me at those times that you weren't taking any calls, So why would I try and call then. I respected what Mike had told me and I didn't want to bother you. You could of easily called me as well because I had given you my number when I purchased your 426 Hemi for the Army car back in 2011. And yes it was true that back when I ordered the Donovan's I did tell you that I wasn't in a hurry for them at all because I was in the middle of the Army F/C Build but was wanting to start to plan the Dragsters build back then. When I showed you pics of the dragster and engine, you said you didn't have the High rise manifold at that time but would consider possible making it. I had no issues with that. I didn't expect that I wouldn't have to wait as long as almost 3 years as I did to get them.

I truly appreciated that you got my engines to me and fixed the issue. My only Problem was about how long it took to get them. That was my only issue I had with you. At a certain point back when I ordered the engines (lets pretend this was 3 to 6 months after I ordered them) you could of told me.... Hey Chris things have been busy and I don't have the time at the moment to develop the High rise manifold but I could pour your engines and when I get the time to do the Manifold I will. I would of been completely ok with that. A little communication would of gone a long way or even just an email saying... Hey I haven't forgotten about your engines, Life has been busy and in the way. No biggie I would of understood. At one point I figured you had completely forgotten about them. How would you or anyone else feel about waiting for parts for almost 3 years? I think people would of felt similar to what I did and been a little frustrated.

Now to answer to your comment as to why I would I want to buy Resin since I can draw my own stuff up. Well back when I ordered your engines I wasn't doing any 3D drawings for parts and don't think I had ever considered it until some time after I had gotten some 3D parts from TDR off Shapeways. After seeing the parts it dawned on me that I draw stuff up for work all the time and heck I bet I could draw something up for my model. I think that is when I did the blower and the only reason I did it because I was trying to make the blower look exactly like the one on the restored Army Vega Funny Car and since you didn't have a Mooneyham Blower I wondered if some of the details would print. Seeing that it printed some of the details it made me wonder what else I could draw that would print ok enough to put on a build and that's how I got to where I have with a few parts that I have done for the Army Car. But if I want to order Resin, Photo-etch or 3D printed parts, It's my choice and If I don't use all of said parts on a car, whats it matter anyway. I paid for a product and using what I want to replicate and engine or parts on a car or what ever it may be. Not everyone of my builds will be replica's Like the Army F/C or the Dragsters I want to build.

Prior to ordering the Donovan engines from you. I had bought 2 of the Comp Resin's Donovan's and well after I had received your 426 Hemi, I was so impressed at the quality, how nice they were and how well they fit together that I traded one of the Comp Resin Donovan's and gave the other Comp Resin one to a friend because when I knew you had the Donovan's and I was going to order them from you. I know the quality was going to be way better and I wanted to buy yours for these builds. Now I have seen your post over on Facebook on the Dedicated to Preserving 1/16 drag models that you just posted a day ago (i was able to view as a guest, wasn't logged in), even though I haven't been on in almost 2 years now (I deactivated it for personal reasons) and how your are saying people here are saying you are the worst resin caster. Not once did I ever think that. I have always said and I will stand by this that your 1/16th Scale Engines are the best in the business. I will stand by my word on that. Ask Mike Garland because I just told him the same thing again earlier today when I talked to him. When ever people asked about where I got my engine for my funny car, I always told them you did them and passed your info on, as well as said he is the best in the business. Now I don't know how many people ever contacted you but I would tell them to let you know I recommended you.

As far as John Teresi goes... Yes he is a dear friend of mine and we have become close friends over the years of going to shows here in AZ, California, GSL...etc. I am not exactly sure why he chose to go the TDR route. It may of been just the fact that he wanted to do something a little different that what I was doing since he wanted to do his own version of the stage coach. I know he did like the engine in the Wells Fargo Coach since it was different from the Jolly Rancher Coach. He is the only one that can speak to why he ordered what he did.

Mark I do hate to see you say that you aren't going to be doing any more resin business and getting out of it because the stuff you did for us 1/16th scale builders is truly some of the best resin I have seen in that scale hands down. I know that resin casting isn't an easy thing but when you told me in one of your emails that you were burnt out of doing it and wanted to get back to building some of your own build. I totally understood and respected your decision for that. You had also mentioned that it was only a part time gig for you and that it got much bigger than you expected when you started out just wanting to offer your parts to other 1/16th scale builders. With it getting as big as it did I think that should tell you something, that you do nice work on your parts.

In closing Mark what I would like to say is, you did come thru with the parts and I am truly thankful that you did. So thank you again for getting them done for me. I feel the issue has been squashed and I don't have any issues with you. For the people who have bought from Mark before you know what I mean when I say he has the best quality parts in the business. And for those that have never had the opportunity to buy his parts, if he decides down the road to start selling again, I would tell you to give his parts a chance and order an engine from him. you won't be disappointed.

 

 

[mrindy77]

After reading this thread, it was like peeling the scab off an old wound. I too have waited 3+ years to receive product from a resin caster. I doubt I will ever receive the order for 3 Indy cars. The resin caster has left a swath of unshipped orders in our little Indy car model building community. We were also Facebook 'friends', and when I questioned the where about of my order I was unfriended. I have a string of private emails from the Indy car blog I am a member of and it is almost comical the response I'd get after questioning where my order was. All just stringing  me along until I no longer had any recourse via Paypal or Ebay. I can sympathize with anyone who has been cheated out of money by so called fellow modelers. Caveat Emptor.

[Codi]

A simple question for anyone that has followed this thread from the beginning.....including & in particular, Mark Johnson.  Nobody has "trashed you" on this forum Mark.  Reputations are earned, not subjectively assigned.  My assessment is that someone pays for something upfront, they have a reasonable expectation of performance, product or service.  Ask yourself Mark, if it was YOU that put YOUR money upfront would YOU be willing or tolerant of a company or person who performed / delivered in the manner which you did?   Rhetorical, I'm certain the answer is NO.  So instead of attacking the community that you profess to have "served" due to your good graces, which is the way you make it come off, maybe it would be best if you did just go off and do your own thing.  I am certain other companies and individuals will come forward, such as TDR / Shapeways, and will somehow serve the hobby in a positive manner.  Nature hates a vacum, so does the marketplace.  Best not to aggravate others OR yourself right?  It seems the biggest issue in the resin casting world is the difference of expectations between the buyer and the seller.  There ARE good resin casters that deliver great products and more importantly, in a timely fashion.  I've said before and will repeat myself, someone comes to me and sets my expectations, well I must be foolish but I expect them to deliver based upon their commitment.  Chris' point about FOLLOW-UP is most important to any business.  If you're going to miss a dead-line, be honest and up front with your customer and communicate any issues you might have meeting that commitment.  That's how you garner respect.  THEN deliver as promised.   These are just common sense business practices IMHO.   If you collect someones money for a product or service, you're in business.  At least until others decide otherwise.  Cheers 

[plastic-mechanic]

exactly. the "C" word = Communication.

[American 185 Heavy]

After reading this thread, it was like peeling the scab off an old wound. I too have waited 3+ years to receive product from a resin caster. I doubt I will ever receive the order for 3 Indy cars. The resin caster has left a swath of unshipped orders in our little Indy car model building community. We were also Facebook 'friends', and when I questioned the where about of my order I was unfriended. I have a string of private emails from the Indy car blog I am a member of and it is almost comical the response I'd get after questioning where my order was. All just stringing  me along until I no longer had any recourse via Paypal or Ebay. I can sympathize with anyone who has been cheated out of money by so called fellow modelers. Caveat Emptor.

I could not agree more. I only purchased one resin model from what was supposed to be a reputable site, only to wait 8-10 weeks for something that I ended up having to correct numerous mistakes on that were obvious.  Was advertised at 3-4weeks. Ha ha !! Some of the casting on this model could have been done better by a child. If you do it on the side, out of your garage or only in your free time, just be up front and say so. Don't spend hundreds on a fancy glamorous website, showing this that and the other, when in reality you have zero, nada, nothing ever in stock, and cast to order.  Problem then is unless multiple orders are coming in for the same thing, not likely the person will only cast one and ship it right away. And some pictures of the actual casting instead of the real automobile or part it represents would be refreshing too. Tends to boarder on false advertising, but the internet is it's own world and not regulated like print ads are. I prefer the old styrene kits anyway. Less messy prepping, easier to paint, and not as delicate when holding as resin. And styrene kits seem to be cyclical for the most part anyway. The reboots and re releases speak for themselves. What is dead and gone today, will likely pop up again in 7-10 years once more. And trying to buy parts at a reasonable price on Ebay is near impossible. Gouging seems to be the in thing for parts. No thank you.....Caveat Emptor for sure is the thing with resin.....

Edited August 24, 2016 by American 185 Heavy

[John Teresi]

A simple question for anyone that has followed this thread from the beginning.....including & in particular, Mark Johnson.  Nobody has "trashed you" on this forum Mark.  Reputations are earned, not subjectively assigned.  My assessment is that someone pays for something upfront, they have a reasonable expectation of performance, product or service.  Ask yourself Mark, if it was YOU that put YOUR money upfront would YOU be willing or tolerant of a company or person who performed / delivered in the manner which you did?   Rhetorical, I'm certain the answer is NO.  So instead of attacking the community that you profess to have "served" due to your good graces, which is the way you make it come off, maybe it would be best if you did just go off and do your own thing.  I am certain other companies and individuals will come forward, such as TDR / Shapeways, and will somehow serve the hobby in a positive manner.  Nature hates a vacum, so does the marketplace.  Best not to aggravate others OR yourself right?  It seems the biggest issue in the resin casting world is the difference of expectations between the buyer and the seller.  There ARE good resin casters that deliver great products and more importantly, in a timely fashion.  I've said before and will repeat myself, someone comes to me and sets my expectations, well I must be foolish but I expect them to deliver based upon their commitment.  Chris' point about FOLLOW-UP is most important to any business.  If you're going to miss a dead-line, be honest and up front with your customer and communicate any issues you might have meeting that commitment.  That's how you garner respect.  THEN deliver as promised.   These are just common sense business practices IMHO.   If you collect someones money for a product or service, you're in business.  At least until others decide otherwise.  Cheers 

Tim.......perfectly said

[edboys]

I take full responsibility for my errors and have made amends where possible. I've ended my association with Ted at Ted's Modeling Marketplace and here on the aftermarket list. None of you here on this thread know anything about how I operate, it is not an established business like Comp Resins or Altered States, but as stated taking money does indeed make it a business venture. I build in 1/16th scale and began offering some of my scratch built parts to like minded modeling enthusiasts through sites like Yahoo/Groups and now Facebook. I never established a website or regularly attended any swap meets to sell my resin. Every transaction was on a personal contact basis and I would refuse to take funds until the engine package was ready to go out the door. Ted Bowe convinced me to offer them through his website so the general public could have access to my resin. I knew what I was up against by offering my engines to the public and that is where a lot of the confusion started. I'm not sure where the loss of communication took place between me and Ted, but as customers placed orders with Ted I kept telling him that I did not have professional equipment to meet mass production goals. All of my engines are custom made, pinned and test fitted before they went the door. A slow process I know no other caster even attempts to provide for their customers. A ten day delivery time frame was supposed to be stated and I kept to that schedule until recently. Ted would put in an order for 7 or more engines so he had some on hand as orders would come in. At times the customer would request a specific engine tailored for a particular vehicle and most times I accommodated that request because of the extensive amount of parts I have created. These orders took more time to get done. However, the customer(s) always seem to think these items were sitting a shelf somewhere that could be immediately put in box and shipped right away. Some customers didn't like this third party interaction and would contact me directly for better communication during this process. Well, as it turns out this venture did not work out as planned and I have marred my own rep in the process. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience I have caused.

For every person here who has posted there have been 10 who have come to my defense contacting me not to give up my offerings. I am returning to that core group and will in the future only cater to that fraternity of fellow modelers in 1/16th scale. Nothing more to be said I are done here.

[Codi]

Mark, I sincerely appreciate your honesty and closing post.  I'm sure you'll be happier with the direction you've outlined.  I would never disparage the quality of what you can make or do.  I'll shut up now and wish you the best in whatever you decide to do, for yourself OR others.  tim

[Daddyfink]

I thought I had replied to this thread, but I guess my stuff was either deleted, not the first time, or it must have been another thread. 

I am glad Chris got his stuff and that Mark has spoken his peace. But, I am not glad about what some had said about all this. With no skin in the game and based on what other are saying, it is easy to disparage someone who is not fighting back.

Some are comparing what Mark was doing to some other casters out there, and that, is totally wrong. Yes, there have been some horrible resin casters out there, either in quality or delivery of product, who have taken advantage of builders. Sadly, most of them never made it right with their customers and money and time was lost. Mark made it right and yet some are still jumping in and making comparisons. 

I believe I was one of the first to buy from Mark when he first offered to us large scale types and the stuff that showed up in my mail box was beyond compare. He offered it to a small group of us and we where happy to get it. Then he went online and that is when things changed. Like Mark said, he is not a full blown resin business and I can understand how he might have been overwhelmed with it. But, he was never out to cheat anyone out there. Mark is making it right where others just ran, and that to me is a class act. 

As for some of you who just threw rocks without really knowing much, you kinda dropped a notch in my book. 

Mark - Glad to hear you around here again, you rep is fine in my book and I am sorry I have not started that Pete car yet! 

[American 185 Heavy]

From what I was reading this was not about any one particular castor or company. But as usual people have made it about someone in particular that is not part of the 'club' in these forums. And that is obvious from the word go. In general, not anyone in particular, most resin castors other than modelhaus operate with anything less than a business model. It is a hobby, or not enough time put in to it. Either way, if you don't have stock, say so, post real pictures of your merchandise, not pictures of car parts from real cars or those cars themselves. Legitimacy goes a long way with people, as does being up front about stock and real length of time delivery, not perfect situations. I for one avoid all of them, especially anyone trying to dump things on ebay at insane prices. Less grief and more legitimacy dealing with good old fashioned styrene kits. They can be comparison shopped anywhere, and don't have any uniqueness about them. And when a seller says 3-5 business days you can pretty much bank on it. Something you can't with resin unless buying at a show or from a hobby shop.

Edited August 25, 2016 by American 185 Heavy

[Daddyfink]

Sadly, not all good old fashioned styrene kits or manufacturers make everything we would like to see or get. Hence, the aftermarket. Yes, it is mostly a custom deal and some are more specialized than others, hence waiting times and availability. Hand crafting a product vs. making one with an injection machine is a bit different and require a different set of skills. 

I appreciate casters who have taken the time to vest into something that they are doing for the joy of it and rather the profit of it. Making your own masters vs. sourcing them out from others can be quite time consuming,but, you will in the end get a better product. I have purchased from vendors who used other folks masters and either botched them by trying to "perfect them" or avoided giving credit to the original master maker. Mark makes his own masters and molds. And the quality is top notch, because that is what he wants for himself and he was kind enough to share it with us who shared the same interest. Yes, it took some time to get some items done, but, they got done and shipped to the end user. A lot more than I can say for some other casters and vendors, who I will not mention a the risk of starting a whole new can of worms! 

I consider myself luck and quite happy to have a few of Marks engines and if he decides to sell them again, I would gladly order them up. 

[cobraman]

I believe I just hit the 7 month mark waiting for my 2 sets of tires.

[crazyjim]

Who's holding you up, Ray?

[keyser]

Ray, lots of people have called out others. You've been polite. 

But this is ridiculous. Some great suppliers are closing shop, and many of us will be looking for alternatives for some of their products. 

If someone is jacking you around for 7 mos, multiply that by 20 or more other people, and it's huge. Mail fraud is not really dependent on value, but frequency. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_and_wire_fraud

Let us know. 

And we don't need excuses and TL:DR responses from casters. Send product, or send money back. Period.

If you want to use other people's money, go to a bank. If you want to tell stories, write a book. 

[cobraman]

My order was placed with Ma's resin. I had heard good things so I dealt in good faith. I wish I could report I got my items but I cannot. Not even an answer to any of my emails asking where my order is.  Not fair perhaps but it has given me pause to deal again with a caster. I have still purchased resin items but only on ebay for items in hand.

[aurfalien]

My order was placed with Ma's resin. I had heard good things so I dealt in good faith. I wish I could report I got my items but I cannot. Not even an answer to any of my emails asking where my order is.  Not fair perhaps but it has given me pause to deal again with a caster. I have still purchased resin items but only on ebay for items in hand.

Welp, I totally understand.  Total bummer to loose hard earned bucks.

A few excellent casters I have dealt with and have always delivered and communicated with me in a timely manner are;

Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland, Norm.

Historic Racing Miniatures, Harold.

Two Cats Models, Paulo.

FPPM - Fernando Pinto Portugal Models, Fernando.

I'm sure there are others but this is my personal experience.  These ppl are top line, AAA etc...

[aurfalien]

i think most folks here understand there are three sides to every story:

mine

yours

the truth

This is pure genius and should be copyrighted.

[peteski]

 

This is pure genius and should be copyrighted.

That saying has been around a while. It was even a title and a theme of a rock album .