Houdiniguy selling Mike Tait recasts on ebay

[Zombie Killer]

A good mold doesn't necessarily produce a good cast. It depends a lot on the casting materials and technique as well as the skills of the person who does it.

You are absolutly correct sir. The molds are fine it was the caster that didn't cast well. I will also add the gun that was molded was very straight. I put a straight edge on the inside of the mold and the gun had almost no warpage. One side needs to be glued to a backing thought because which ever side is the top sags a little with the weight. I have plans for them but it's not at the top of my list of things todo right now. There are plasma rifles available at the moment so they will chill for now until i get a plating setup.

 

[Wolvster1]

Apparently no one has bothered to ask this so WTH I'll
throw it on out there....

Sooooooooooo, is Mikey " using " Tom as his front man ?

:confused

 

[Megamicrofish]

Wasn't it also proven that it was a re-cast of a Sideshow Collectables Plasma Rifle ?

 

[erospawn]

Firstly, this is not an attempt to discredit or destroy anyone's reputation on the RPF, it is simply information on a situation I have found myself in and wish to warn others about.

2 months ago, I won an ebay auction for a Studio Scale X-wing which was being sold by someone with the username tomg981. A little bit of internet investigation and it turns out that this is Tom Gallo AKA Houdiniguy.
The SS X-wing kit is one which I have been after for a while, however there was no indication as to whether it was a Mike Salzo kit or a Captain Cardboard version or a recast of either. Also, shipping overseas was not specified - so I asked the question and the response (as seen in the auction) was yes, it is a Salzo and yes he ships overseas.
I paid straight away and heard no more from the seller until two weeks later when the kit still wasn't marked as shipped.
Tom assured me it had been shipped and that he would find me the tracking number.
Nearly two weeks later... no kit and no tracking number.
After several more emails Tom replied;
Hello,
I have been unable to locate the tracking numbers for this. I can
offer two options here for you. (Please check my feedback, I am an hoenst
collector and seller all at 100%) I am highly concerned this has not
arrived yet. I originally purchased 3 of these*, I will be more than happy
to send you the final kit I have, get tracking numbers and expidite the
shipping right to you. I of course will fully pay for the shipping etc.
Last resort... I can refund the balance to you. Let me know aqnd again my
sincere appologies on all of this.. Tom

* Bear that comment in mind for later...

I responded that I would cover the shipping costs if and when the replacement kit showed up.
Two weeks and several more unanswered emails later, I received a UPS tracking number. The kit was being shipped from Katy, Texas...
The seller resides in Tacoma, WA.

Another week later the kit arrives and it is obvious as soon as I opened the box that I have a recast on my hands, something which Mike Salzo himself confirmed.
I started back-tracking through posts on the RPF and the name Mike Tait (fairly synonymous with recasting) kept coming up.
On a whim, I Googled 'Mike Tait, Katy, Texas' and the senders address matched that of the Google listing for Mike Tait on the shipping label on the recast which I received.
Except that the senders name on the label says Tom Gallo.

By now, it was far too late to open an ebayclaim and Tom did not respond to my final email letting him know how disappointed I was.

I think that now, that disappointment has progressed to a case of being severely pissed off, not just because I received a recast, but because I was lied to by Tom throughout the whole process.
If the latest feedback on his ebay profile is to be believed, that is now something that may be becoming a little more commonplace.

So, I guess that this ends a sorry little chapter in my ebay experience.
Tom, if you are reading this, I am still disappointed and if there is anything that would possibly placate me, it would be a full refund and maybe an apology.

I won't hold my breath for either.

Yep that sounds like his M/O, especially the whole shipping problem.. So, looks like what you have here is a case of International mail fraud.. using a Fraudelent ID.. He loves to get International customers especially because its easier to screw someone outside the US.

 

[dropshipbob]

I think the op should bring this to the attention of the mods. If Houdiniguy is being a front man for Mike Tait, I'm sure that would get him banned pretty fast.

Not that I want Tom banned, but if he's helping a known recaster...and I'm sure he's aware of the destain people have for Mike around here, he should know better.

 

[TK4611]

I've already sent a PM to Walter advising him of this thread and giving him a brief of what is going on.
I don't want to see anyone banned either, but I want to help people avoid getting similarly scammed a whole lot more.
On the top of my kit closet there sits a box of nearly $250.00 worth of totally useless resin parts which can never be made to look anything resembling an X-wing. It's not even swamp-worthy. That kit was sold by Tom Gallo and cast and shipped from Mike Tait.
If Tom can offer a reasonable explanation and a plausible defence as to why he did this and how it happened, he is indeed worthy of his RPF name.

 

[jedimaster]

If you think these molds look like crap you have no clue what you are talking about. :thumbsdown

Ok , firstly i am not having a go at you or your molds. There was a lot of problems with the rifles that were pulled from these molds ie air bubbles etc. A lot of people were very disapointed with what they recieved. Now that sounds like Mike Tait all over. Tait is not a very good mold maker and anyone who thinks he is needs to look at some of the other fine molds that have produced very nice casts on this forum.

I agree that it is not always the mold and has a lot to do with the person casting from it but some of the problems that arose from this run could have been avoided had a few simple steps been taken in preparing the molds to begin with.

I have molded everything from ww2 weapons to full body lifecasts and the smallest rivets to large machinery and one thing that is nearly always needed in this type of mold are channels for the air to escape. Especially in weapons like this. A few simple household drinking straws from the edge of the weapon to the edge of the mold placed every two inches would have forced the air from the mold as the resin is poured , thus eleviating air bubbles that would otherwise get traped in the detail parts which is what happened to some on the run that Tom/Tait did.

there is no reason why you can't get a perfect pull from these molds if you cut a small v channel in a few spots where the air is likely to get trapped. Had this been done by Tait there would not have been this problem in the beginning. Its one thing to have a mold sitting there looking pretty and all we can go by are the ones that were pulled from this already. Good luck with pouring yours and i hope you get some great advice from other members here to get the best results.

simon

 

[REL]

I haven't seen the castings, but here's a few places I would definitely put some air vents, just going by the picture and the direction of the pour spout.

Arrow indicates a possible problem with air entrapment.

Edit: Actually, I think you'd have more luck pouring that from the opposite direction.

 

[Scott Graham]

This is kind of like the news networks explaining what the terrorist did wrong after the epic fail in times square - so they can do it right next time. Kind of joking...



(no offense meant towards zombie killer, the owner of the mold here)

 

[jedimaster]

If you think these molds look like crap you have no clue what you are talking about. :thumbsdown

I haven't seen the castings, but here's a few places I would definitely put some air vents, just going by the picture and the direction of the pour spout.

Arrow indicates a possible problem with air entrapment.

Edit: Actually, I think you'd have more luck pouring that from the opposite direction.

exactly what i meant , thanks for illustrating it.

 

[jedimaster]

This is kind of like the news networks explaining what the terrorist did wrong after the epic fail in times square - so they can do it right next time. Kind of joking...



(no offense meant towards zombie killer, the owner of the mold here)

Thats funnylollollol:lol

 

[Wolfie]

I thought the problem sounded familiar , Tom's been brought up by RelicMaker before but 'cleared' of involvement with Mike in dealing with National Treasure props being recasted.

http://www.therpf.com/f12/my-national-treasure-pipe-box-has-been-recast-84173/

 

[Jedifyfe]

Did Tom move from Seattle to Katy TX? Could it be that Mike Tait is posing as Tom?

 

[EvilRocketeer]

I think there are three threads of this

 

[EvilRocketeer]

Did Tom move from Seattle to Katy TX? Could it be that Mike Tait is posing as Tom?

I doubt it..I think this is the third item they were almost connected with each other...first, the endo gun, the pipe from national treasure, and now this x-wing model.

The buyer bought this on ebay and then given the run around then it was shipped from tx...

It could be likely that tom is just the middle man for mike blah blah because his name is known for being a um you know.


Personally, I like Tom, and I dealt with him in the past. I just find this hard to believe..

 

[Megamicrofish]

Reading through the various threads and even Tom's explanations it would seem that Tom and Mike seem to have some kind of partnership going on

 

[Mutant-Enemy]

I only mention this because, weirdly enough, it was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the first post here and because no-one has mentioned it...

"Gallo" was the fake last name Joe Pesci's character used in the movie: My Cousin Vinny.

 

[.:MirrorminD:.]

I only mention this because, weirdly enough, it was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the first post here and because no-one has mentioned it...

"Gallo" was the fake last name Joe Pesci's character used in the movie: My Cousin Vinny.

That would be too crazy, clever though

 

[Zombie Killer]

jedimaster, no problem. You are correct about the vents, they are not big enough or enough of them but i am actually thankful for it. I am going to cast gelcoat/fiberglass halves for ultra low weight, assemble them and maybe chrome them.

As to the molds, i probably wouldn't have bought them if Tom didn't have a good rep here. I'm sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place now. Not sure if i can trust him or the story behind the molds so they will sit. When i get a chance i will start my "wall rack of plasma rifles". I still need to get a Calico also because i want a live fire version too.

 

[EvilRocketeer]

I may be wrong, but wasnt there a lot of talk of the plasma rifles being recast of the Master replicas gun? so does that ymean you have recast molds?