RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

How to identify bad resin ..............Lesson two : Density
This is probably the most tell tale sign you can use to determine whether or not the resin is good or bad... especially when the occasion arises that you get a tinted casting
Density... bad resin feels stiffer...does not flex... and most of all weighs more
I didn't think my ancient scale would detect the difference .... but it did


What I did was put all the major components into the hull this first one is the F


This is the Profiline... Stug A .... much lighter.... especially since you have to consider there is still resin over cast existing on the product
Flipped it over


THE "F"


The Profiline "A" same load... different weight
Now the Hull as they stand alone

THE "F"

The Profiline "A"


You will also notice how the bad resin's translucency has a stained glass effect.... that's because it's made of the same synthetic that you might find in those stained glass kits ...it's very very brittle...and will shatter if handled incorrectly ...or in other words ...it has to be "worked" in the same way as artificial glass

Questions? Comments...it's all part of the learning process

ALPHA

All very interesting, but in my opinion a little bit pointless for those buying resin kits online, as all of this will only become apparent after the kit is purchased and opened. No help in choosing a resin kit from an online seller at all as far as I can see.

I wonder ALPHA is it time to drop your apparent preoccupation with the recent purchase of an item which it seems you are not happy with? I for one have certainly got the message now. You did not like what you got for your money.

scalawag wrote:All very interesting, but in my opinion a little bit pointless for those buying resin kits online, as all of this will only become apparent after the kit is purchased and opened. No help in choosing a resin kit from an online seller at all as far as I can see.

You may not see the value Scalawag... I do... you see this lesson is not only for tanks..but figures ..cars.. anything that is made of resin... if the seller is savvy he will take photos from strategic angles only.... and will not answer questions...If you are dealing with a purchase you should be safe.... and as I said before ... I don't feel this is a Asiatam...It reminds me of the cheap resin kits Taiwan used to produce ...anyway... this is just a heads up... so if you are looking for a resin kit to mod or just build as a static... ASK QUESTIONS.... and if it is a walk in Hobby shop... ASK QUESTIONS...and if they fail to answer CAVIAT EMPTOR

I wonder ALPHA is it time to drop your apparent preoccupation with the recent purchase of an item which it seems you are not happy with? I for one have certainly got the message now. You did not like what you got for your money.

... It made for a good example of what to look for.... excuse if it bothered you ...as it doesn't bother me as you think it does... but there are a lot of modellers that didn't know the difference ....and because there was an authentic Profiline kit available to make the comparison ... Why not? right?
I do this on all my threads...especially the build threads because many do not really cover the pitfalls ...and how to overcome them... what you might interpret as "sour grapes"... isn't ................. as I view it as more "part of the Adventure" and how in every adventure ..there are things to overcome

Now I will refer to an old Idiom.... "It's all in the Eye of the Beholder" as you may not view it as beneficial...others might...and I do

ALPHA

PS. You failed to recognize Scalawag... I'm not addressing the transaction anymore...but the quality difference in "RESINS"...the thread could be considered an elaboration of what was said on Saxondog's thread http://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/forums/v ... 3006&f=182 about the resin and castings

Sour grapes aside, I still really do not see the point here.

As I said before none of this is relevant until the kit is in your hand and opened.

This is surely proved by the current situation where you yourself, with your extensive experience with resin kits, were unable to discern that this was a "poor" casting until after you had received it. You believed it enough to want to buy it. What chance do those with less experience have of spotting this?

Also comparing this to a profileline kit is again in my opinion unhelpful as profileline no longer exists. Their resin kits will no longer generally available. Granted their moulds have been purchased, but they will no longer be casting them, so, as you have indicated, who knows what the quality will be. I don't see the utility in comparing this to something which is no longer available.

The link you provided appears to be about a warning of someone copying other companies products. Do you have proof that this is a pirated product?

Just disagreeing with you thats all.

DISCLAIMER: This thread is for those who understand the methodology of turning a "LEMON" into "LEMONADE"
For those who do not know resin...and how it can work with you or against you...there are many detail oriented builds with aftermarket metal parts PE and such...Imagine drilling a small hole in the foundation part of your tanks...that being the hull... and as you drill.. it shatters That's the result when makers use the wrong resin compounds .... the good resin compounds drill and work just as well as plastic ...where when you drill..you get a nice worm of material...parts adhere well ...and the basic overall result is a strong long lasting durable model

If this is not what you seek...ignore everything said...buy the cheap recasts...CAVIAT EMPTOR BABY

ALPHA

scalawag wrote:Sour grapes aside, I still really do not see the point here.

As I said before none of this is relevant until the kit is in your hand and opened.

This is surely proved by the current situation where you yourself, with your extensive experience with resin kits, were unable to discern that this was a "poor" casting until after you had received it. You believed it enough to want to buy it. What chance do those with less experience have of spotting this?

All there is to say.............Good luck if you should ever get a kit made of poor resin Scalawag...
What you again fail to see is.. if anyone...should be unfortunate enough to get a poorly cast kit... if they have anything to say about it...people will know what they are referring to as a foundation has been set...right here... and not after the fact

Bottom Line...if you cannot see the Positive side of it... you never will

Also comparing this to a profileline kit is again in my opinion unhelpful as profileline no longer exists. Their resin kits will no longer generally available. Granted their moulds have been purchased, but they will no longer be casting them, so, as you have indicated, who knows what the quality will be. I don't see the utility in comparing this to something which is no longer available.

You miss the point of the comparison.... it's not that one is a Profiline.... it's more because they are both Stugs ...and a more viable example can be set... if I had used one of my garage kits to illustrate... would it be the same? ... Don't think the message would come across as well as with two similar models

The link you provided appears to be about a warning of someone copying other companies products. Do you have proof that this is a pirated product?

Again you err... I never used the term "pirate"... I said recast.... even the seller used the term "recast"...I couldn't say this is a "pirated" product... why... because I haven't found a dealer carrying this kit...under any circumstance...not even under the Asiatam label...but it is most certainly a recast ...for all I know it's a 1st gen recast meant for evaluation (which I might point out is usually destroyed once a permanent mold is created) some of these get leaked out to the public unfortunately
to which unsuspecting buyers like Blue buys it... then doesn't like it...and sells it to someone else... in this case me...to which I am more than glad to bear the expense and get it out of circulation

Just disagreeing with you thats all.

Bottom Line...if you cannot see the Positive side of it... you never will

ALPHA

lposter wrote:Im confused. If I buy a kit in resin, how can I tell if its good or bad based on density unless I have another identical kit in either known good or bad resin with which to compare?

Because I cannot really measure the absolute volume of a kit easily and there are no tables listing densities of good and bad resin.

And how do i do all this before I buy it? And even if it tuns out to be bad resin, does that allow me to return it after i purchased it? It still beibg resin after all. That it is not reason enough to return seems indeed to be the case or you probably would have done so.

All "official" kits I have done... you do not have to worry...as you would actually be able to deal with the manufacturer .... with garage kits or figures (notorious for it) .... there is the risk... But yes in a way...you would help to have to have hands on experience with at least one resin kit (I have done many)...as that is one thing I cannot do online... that is to allow you to feel out the differences...all that can be depicted is photos and words of experience

This is actually the first time I've seen this in tanking... hopefully my last... as for even if it were a static model...it would not be one that would endure

one red flag would be packaging ...to which I have to admit...this one had many... as there are no PE or white metal parts....as when I did research the kit...I couldn't find anything but another person who built one... Under Profiline ...........it is supposed to have PE and white metal parts ...but that kit if you can find it.... costs three times as much...which brings up red flag #2 "price".... reason good communication is important ...which in this case wasn't really there..but that's all history

and yes...if you do get a pooly cast kit from a reputable vendor ...you should be able to return it

ADDED NOTE: the reason I pointed out weight ...it is a very noticeable player in determining a pooly cast kit from a well cast kit ...recast or original...good resin is up to 75% less in weight to mass. comparison

This is an interesting comparison of two kits, one of which you are obviously not happy with..

Happy ...not Happy... it's all water under the bridge ...I'm just going to keep on moving...first complete my L70...take a breather by doing another quickie on my Panther...then on to my King Tiger...don't really have time to dwell on the negative...I rather keep moving and find better horizons with Positive happenings

But its all very after the fact (ie. purchase).
P

Not really... if it is a "walk in purchase... you can always ask questions...perhaps even ask to have them open the box...online... you can ask if it is an official kit... and what guarantees can be given.... in a private sale... you just have to take the guys word for it knowing that he himself is uneducated to the differences in casting resins
Most official kits are well packaged... I would say one of the exceptions is Nick Aguilar... with him... his reputation precedes him.... his resin is excellent ...recasts have funky packaging... no identifying marks... just a photo

ALPHA

PS... there is a seller on Ebay UK and US... that sells kits that look like Nick Aguilar's Shermans... this is a prime example of Asking the vendor first before purchasing....

ALPHA wrote: Again you err... I never used the term "pirate"... I said recast.... even the seller used the term "recast"...I couldn't say this is a "pirated" product... why... because I haven't found a dealer carrying this kit...under any circumstance...not even under the Asiatam label...but it is most certainly a recast
ALPHA

I don't recall you using the term pirate either but the link you provided clearly did (in the last post)

Saxondog wrote: If we the Hobbyist do not purchase there Pirated products they loose money. The situation really remains that simple. we are the market. And we have the power to control the market through our choices.

Tankers make the right one, spend a few extra coins to prevent Pirating.

Quoting this would seem to indicate that you are suggesting similar in relation to this kit. Particularly if this is "an elaboration" of that thread.

As to finding the kit from a retailer it is on the Asiatam web site under Profileline Produktion:

http://www.asiatam.com/product_info.php ... -1-16.html

scalawag wrote:
I don't recall you using the term pirate either but the link you provided clearly did (in the last post)

Not my words ... not my post...my reference to the post was meant because of the pictures that were provided on it... excuse me if you needed clarification on that ...to me bad resin is bad resin... it may have been a stretch... but that post had a lot of examples of bad resin

Saxondog wrote: If we the Hobbyist do not purchase there Pirated products they loose money. The situation really remains that simple. we are the market. And we have the power to control the market through our choices.

Tankers make the right one, spend a few extra coins to prevent Pirating.

Quoting this would seem to indicate that you are suggesting similar in relation to this kit. Particularly if this is "an elaboration" of that thread.

As to finding the kit from a retailer it is on the Asiatam web site under Profileline Produktion:

http://www.asiatam.com/product_info.php ... -1-16.html

Remember it is your elaboration..and your interpretation of the situation... I'm saying it's similar..because if there is a production line of this Stug kit available to the public... Buyer Beware ...just like buying parts from the person on Saxon's post .............thanks for the link Scalawag

ALPHA

ps. BEWARE OF THAT LINK ...Mcafee said "WHOA" ...guess that's the reason I never saw it listed before lol

ALPHA wrote:...the thread could be considered an elaboration of what was said on Saxondog's thread http://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/forums/v ... 3006&f=182 about the resin and castings

Elaboration, not my words.