desk11desk12
1st Lieutenant
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2005
- Messages
- 4,876
Figarti wanted me to post these instructions out and hopes they help those whom have the set already and others who have yet to get it.
Carlos
Carlos
Figarti-Karl Morsher Railway Carrier-Assembly Instructions (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter desk11desk12
- Start date
Thanks to Figarti for the instructions and to Carlos for posting them.
Unfortunately, for me they came too little, too late, and I know have a broken Rail Carrier. Although to be honest, I don't know if the instructions would have prevented the breakage.
The rail carrier and the Karl are both delicate, one might even say...fragile.
At least on my model, the fit of the arms from the rail carrier to the Karl was EXTREMELY TIGHT. So much so that, without even trying to force it, the piece on the arm that fits in with the Karl snapped off. Maybe having another person would have helped, but I doubt it.
The instructions warn "the mounting positions may be tight". That's all well and good, but if they are (as was the case with me), what are we supposed to do about it? Widen the mounting positions and risk breaking the Karl? That's a case where a warning was not enough, there needs to be a solution. And for the record, I WAS careful and the Railway carrier arm STILL broke.
In addition both pieces fragility, something else should be noted. The Rail Carrier comes with two train tracks. That may sound like a lot, and it's enough to accommodate the Rail Carrier itself. But it's not enough to accommodate the Rail Carrier with the Karl, which it was meant to carry.
That would be fine if the Karl came with a track. But now, I'm going to have to buy an extra set of tracks. That's what I'd call a hidden cost...
I'm going to have to write to Figarti and hope for a replacement arm. I dread doing this because I've now done this with a number of Figarti soldiers and models. That was a process that took nearly 6 months.
And I wonder if that will solve the problem. Are the Rail Carrier's arms the problem, or is it the Karl itself, where the mounting positions are tight.
I do have to give credit to Rick and the Figarti crew that everything I sent for replacement was eventually replaced, and he even threw in a VERY expensive piece.
And Figarti also deserves credit for producing such massive, attractive pieces at what are by industry standards a very fair price.
But, with the sheer number of issues I'm having, I do have to wonder about Figarti's quality control at this point.
My big worry right now is...how long will the Rail Carrier actually hold the Karl. Not just mine, with the broken hinge(?) on the arm. I look at it now, and as gorgeous as it is (and it is truly a shock and awe piece)...I wonder how long before I hear a crash. This may be completely unfounded, but the truth is I'm not sure we'll have an answer for months, maybe even years.
I would not have posted any of this publicly, but I felt that if others are considering buying a $400 piece ($800 if you are thinking of the Karl and the Rail Carrier), you should know what you are getting.
I still have a great deal of respect for Figarti's innovation, artistry and how they do business, but I thought it would have been irresponsible of me not to share my experiences with other Treefroggers.
I sincerely hope I'm the only one experiencing these problems and it's just bad luck on my part.
Mark
Unfortunately, for me they came too little, too late, and I know have a broken Rail Carrier. Although to be honest, I don't know if the instructions would have prevented the breakage.
The rail carrier and the Karl are both delicate, one might even say...fragile.
At least on my model, the fit of the arms from the rail carrier to the Karl was EXTREMELY TIGHT. So much so that, without even trying to force it, the piece on the arm that fits in with the Karl snapped off. Maybe having another person would have helped, but I doubt it.
The instructions warn "the mounting positions may be tight". That's all well and good, but if they are (as was the case with me), what are we supposed to do about it? Widen the mounting positions and risk breaking the Karl? That's a case where a warning was not enough, there needs to be a solution. And for the record, I WAS careful and the Railway carrier arm STILL broke.
In addition both pieces fragility, something else should be noted. The Rail Carrier comes with two train tracks. That may sound like a lot, and it's enough to accommodate the Rail Carrier itself. But it's not enough to accommodate the Rail Carrier with the Karl, which it was meant to carry.
That would be fine if the Karl came with a track. But now, I'm going to have to buy an extra set of tracks. That's what I'd call a hidden cost...
I'm going to have to write to Figarti and hope for a replacement arm. I dread doing this because I've now done this with a number of Figarti soldiers and models. That was a process that took nearly 6 months.
And I wonder if that will solve the problem. Are the Rail Carrier's arms the problem, or is it the Karl itself, where the mounting positions are tight.
I do have to give credit to Rick and the Figarti crew that everything I sent for replacement was eventually replaced, and he even threw in a VERY expensive piece.
And Figarti also deserves credit for producing such massive, attractive pieces at what are by industry standards a very fair price.
But, with the sheer number of issues I'm having, I do have to wonder about Figarti's quality control at this point.
My big worry right now is...how long will the Rail Carrier actually hold the Karl. Not just mine, with the broken hinge(?) on the arm. I look at it now, and as gorgeous as it is (and it is truly a shock and awe piece)...I wonder how long before I hear a crash. This may be completely unfounded, but the truth is I'm not sure we'll have an answer for months, maybe even years.
I would not have posted any of this publicly, but I felt that if others are considering buying a $400 piece ($800 if you are thinking of the Karl and the Rail Carrier), you should know what you are getting.
I still have a great deal of respect for Figarti's innovation, artistry and how they do business, but I thought it would have been irresponsible of me not to share my experiences with other Treefroggers.
I sincerely hope I'm the only one experiencing these problems and it's just bad luck on my part.
Mark
thebritfarmer
Moderator
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- Jan 29, 2008
- Messages
- 10,444
It's odd they had instructions but didn't include them in with the item?
jazzeum
Four Star General
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2005
- Messages
- 38,439
Mark,
You're not the only one. I broke the guard rails at the front of the Morser in taking it out of the box but it was only a slight break and I'm having that fixed by my friend who repairs anything for me toy soldier related. With my Morser it seems there's a piece in the way for the carrier arm to fit on and I didn't want to force it.
Frankly, I will probably store them away for fragility and size reasons, with a view to resale in the near future. Actually, I will consider selling them now at a discount if anyone is interested.
I don't want this to be considered a criticism of Rick or Figarti however, just an observation, as he and his team did their level best in producing a high quality model at prices affordable for many collectors.
You're not the only one. I broke the guard rails at the front of the Morser in taking it out of the box but it was only a slight break and I'm having that fixed by my friend who repairs anything for me toy soldier related. With my Morser it seems there's a piece in the way for the carrier arm to fit on and I didn't want to force it.
Frankly, I will probably store them away for fragility and size reasons, with a view to resale in the near future. Actually, I will consider selling them now at a discount if anyone is interested.
I don't want this to be considered a criticism of Rick or Figarti however, just an observation, as he and his team did their level best in producing a high quality model at prices affordable for many collectors.