"studio scale desanto viper"
- Thread starter BarryZ28
- Start date
Kuhn Global
Sr Member
<div class='quotetop'>(REL @ Aug 16 2006, 04:30 PM) [snapback]1301886[/snapback]</div>
Agreed. Very nice. :thumbsup :thumbsup
BlueSquad2001
Well-Known Member
Hello Everyone... This is Terri. I was too lazy to log Michael out and log back in as Protector.We're on our way to the post office to mail these viper parts to Coby (thank you Coby)... I am insuring this package for $500. Maybe the post office will be extra careful with it. I consider these parts to be extremely valuable, especially after all that's happened.
I have noticed that most people believe we waited too long to find the lost package, and I would probably feel the same way if I hadn't had the opportunity to see the situation from the inside... Making the cannons and the canopy is probably a lot more work than most people realize. Michael has to go through about a million greeblies to find the right stuff, and the work is tedious. He has to use a magnifying glass and tweezers. For the canopy, all the angles have to be just right, and it is not easy. He made lots of canopies before he got it right. (If he got paid by the hour for this project, he'd be a rich man by now.)
Then there is the work that Gordon did... making the molds and casting the parts. The amount of work this takes (and the mess and pain in the butt factor) was beyond anything I could comprehend until actually doing it myself. No wonder he hates making molds. I hate it too............. I thought it would be right up my alley since I'm a chemist, but I have never had to work with anything so messy in my life. It is impossible to not make a huge mess when making molds. The small ones are the worst b/c the material is so thick that it is hard to pour. Gordon helped us with ideas to make molding easier, but it still wasn't easy. So I can totally understand that Gordon was hopeful that the package would be found after all the work he did. Besides, the post office was assuring him that it would turn up.
And once this matter is settled, I'm sure that damn package will arrive. They say the best way to find something lost is to get a replacement.
OK, away we go to the post office. Thank you to everybody for being so nice about this.
Terri
BlueSquad2001
Well-Known Member
We just got back Coby. The parts are on their way.
Insured for $500 smackers.
I'll call tomorrow with the tracking number and other info.
Insured for $500 smackers.
I'll call tomorrow with the tracking number and other info.
Kuhn Global
Sr Member
:thumbsup :thumbsup
:thumbsup<div class='quotetop'>(BlueSquad2001 @ Aug 16 2006, 07:08 PM) [snapback]1301913[/snapback]</div>
There's a trick a trick I learned to avoid the sticky mess of making molds.....actually I'm just kidding, there is no trick, it's a horrible mess, especially when you get it in your hair.
There's a trick a trick I learned to avoid the sticky mess of making molds.....actually I'm just kidding, there is no trick, it's a horrible mess, especially when you get it in your hair.
BlueSquad2001
Well-Known Member
:eek :eek :eek
I can't imagine getting it into my hair........ How about getting it into grout on brand new floor tile? :angry Or how about thinking you've cleaned everything up, then touch something you think is clean with your bare hands, only to find out it's sticky (and you've already washed your hands 20 times). :cry Or what about when you are trying to pour into a small mold, and it comes out in one big glob larger than the mold box? And it's $85 per gallon. :unsure Yuck, yuck, yuck... I think maybe we could start a whole new thread just for people who hate making molds. :booty
By the way, we are back from the post office and the cannons and canopy are officially mailed. Yay.
Terri (still logged in as Michel)
I can't imagine getting it into my hair........
How about getting it into grout on brand new floor tile? :angry Or how about thinking you've cleaned everything up, then touch something you think is clean with your bare hands, only to find out it's sticky (and you've already washed your hands 20 times). :cry Or what about when you are trying to pour into a small mold, and it comes out in one big glob larger than the mold box? And it's $85 per gallon. :unsure Yuck, yuck, yuck... I think maybe we could start a whole new thread just for people who hate making molds. :booty By the way, we are back from the post office and the cannons and canopy are officially mailed. Yay.
Terri (still logged in as Michel)
<div class='quotetop'>(BlueSquad2001 @ Aug 16 2006, 08:08 PM) [snapback]1301913[/snapback]</div>
Terri,
I was one of the ones who felt too much time was wasted on waiting on the post office, as I have stated in my posts. In no way did I mean to take away from the fact the amount of time put into building the parts. No one here can deny the amount of time put into making this model. I have built more models than I can remember, and yeah...if I got paid by the hour by customers, I would be a rich man. Maybe one day
I was merely looking at it from a customer's point of view who was told this model would be ready in the spring. But, being patient, I will wait for perfection. I know that is what we are dealing with here, so it makes the wait that much easier.
Steve
We're on our way to the post office to mail these viper parts to Coby (thank you Coby)... I am insuring this package for $500. Maybe the post office will be extra careful with it. I consider these parts to be extremely valuable, especially after all that's happened.
I have noticed that most people believe we waited too long to find the lost package, and I would probably feel the same way if I hadn't had the opportunity to see the situation from the inside... Making the cannons and the canopy is probably a lot more work than most people realize. Michael has to go through about a million greeblies to find the right stuff, and the work is tedious. He has to use a magnifying glass and tweezers. For the canopy, all the angles have to be just right, and it is not easy. He made lots of canopies before he got it right. (If he got paid by the hour for this project, he'd be a rich man by now.)
Then there is the work that Gordon did... making the molds and casting the parts. The amount of work this takes (and the mess and pain in the butt factor) was beyond anything I could comprehend until actually doing it myself. No wonder he hates making molds. I hate it too............. I thought it would be right up my alley since I'm a chemist, but I have never had to work with anything so messy in my life. It is impossible to not make a huge mess when making molds. The small ones are the worst b/c the material is so thick that it is hard to pour. Gordon helped us with ideas to make molding easier, but it still wasn't easy. So I can totally understand that Gordon was hopeful that the package would be found after all the work he did. Besides, the post office was assuring him that it would turn up.
And once this matter is settled, I'm sure that damn package will arrive. They say the best way to find something lost is to get a replacement.
OK, away we go to the post office. Thank you to everybody for being so nice about this.
Terri
[/b]
Terri,
I was one of the ones who felt too much time was wasted on waiting on the post office, as I have stated in my posts. In no way did I mean to take away from the fact the amount of time put into building the parts. No one here can deny the amount of time put into making this model. I have built more models than I can remember, and yeah...if I got paid by the hour by customers, I would be a rich man. Maybe one day
I was merely looking at it from a customer's point of view who was told this model would be ready in the spring. But, being patient, I will wait for perfection.
I know that is what we are dealing with here, so it makes the wait that much easier.Steve
Kuhn Global
Sr Member
Steve makes some very good points Terri. I know how hard you guys have worked, but Steve is correct,.. the customer side is waaaaayyyy different than artist's side of the coin.
That said,...I believe this may be heading in the right direction with Michael's (clearly AWESOME) re-do of the Canopy and Guns. They look great. :thumbsup :thumbsup
I agree with Steve that waiting so long for USPS was a mild error (as I have yet to have a positive experience with their service in my area). I think I stated that a few times in previous posts as well. But hey,... spilt milk, eh? Live and learn. Even so,.. I am very excited about this piece being even closer to delivery than ever. Sounds like this time it was insured and has a tracking #. Kewl.
Fingers are crossed,.... anticipation grows.
M&T...Keep up the good work of keeping this at the top of the priority list just as you're doing today. Very positive indeed... You're a talented artist team.
After these get delivered, I'll bet you'll both need a vacation. LOL.
Btw... are the instructions completed and ready for shipping? Can't wait to see your drawings of those. How about an itty bitty teaser page pic? LOL.
That said,...I believe this may be heading in the right direction with Michael's (clearly AWESOME) re-do of the Canopy and Guns. They look great. :thumbsup :thumbsup
I agree with Steve that waiting so long for USPS was a mild error (as I have yet to have a positive experience with their service in my area). I think I stated that a few times in previous posts as well. But hey,... spilt milk, eh?
Live and learn. Even so,.. I am very excited about this piece being even closer to delivery than ever. Sounds like this time it was insured and has a tracking #. Kewl.Fingers are crossed,.... anticipation grows.
M&T...Keep up the good work of keeping this at the top of the priority list just as you're doing today. Very positive indeed...
You're a talented artist team. After these get delivered, I'll bet you'll both need a vacation. LOL.
Btw... are the instructions completed and ready for shipping? Can't wait to see your drawings of those. How about an itty bitty teaser page pic? LOL.
<div class='quotetop'>(Kuhn Global @ Aug 17 2006, 03:47 AM) [snapback]1302048[/snapback]</div>
....anyway's on the upside I'm glad there is actually some progress happening. :thumbsup
I also hope it was sent with the correct zipcode as well which is what started this lovely soap opera in the first place...... Even so,.. I am very excited about this piece being even closer to delivery than ever.
[/b]
....anyway's on the upside I'm glad there is actually some progress happening. :thumbsup
BlueSquad2001
Well-Known Member
Hi... It's Terri again...
It was not my intent to minimize what the customers have endured through this ordeal. I've been on the customer end of things many, many, many times... Obviously, nobody can go through adult life without being a customer. I have suffered a great deal of anxiety on behalf of the customers. I do know what they are going through, and at times I have been upset with Michael for being overly optimistic and posting dates of when the model would be ready for shipping, when huge assumptions had to be made about molding and casting going well, something we had no experience with. Michael and I have very different personalities. He is beyond optimistic, and although he may call me pessimistic, I prefer to call it realistic and cautious. Anyway, all I was trying to do was explain WHY one would really, really want to be hopeful that Gordon's package would show up. And from our end, the post office has always been wonderful. We've sold hundreds of items on eBay and have never had a package come up missing. Never. So, when the post office said the package would turn up, we really thought it would. We knew where it went b/c we knew which zip code was used. Even I, the more "negative" one, was sure it would turn up.
This reminds me of the "waiting for the bus" analogy... Let's say the bus is supposed to arrive at 3:00 and you are waiting on it. At 3:00 the bus does not show, so you think it may be a little late... no problem. You keep waiting. At 3:10 it's still not there... You think, "Surely it will show up soon. I've waited 10 extra minutes." At 3:30 it's still not there. You think maybe the bus was in an accident, but surely if it were and they had to get another bus, 30 minutes should be enough time to almost have that handled... so now it HAS to arrive at any time. The bus can't take ALL NIGHT... You call the bus station and they say the bus should be on its way. You could leave, but after all the waiting you've invested, you don't want to leave and then have the bus show up 5 minutes later... so you wait a little more. And on and on and on....
The idea is that the longer you wait, the more you think the odds are that it will show up any minute. I think this was similar to our line of thinking with the package. In hindsight, I wish we had assumed it was hopeless and got on with remaking the parts. I'm sorry that we didn't know. I have felt really terrible about this whole thing.
I hope people really enjoy their models when they get them. They may end up being quite a rare item, because I seriously doubt we will want to keep making these. It's just too hard to do it without the space and luxury of a workshop, a place where the mess wouldn't matter.
Terri
It was not my intent to minimize what the customers have endured through this ordeal. I've been on the customer end of things many, many, many times... Obviously, nobody can go through adult life without being a customer. I have suffered a great deal of anxiety on behalf of the customers. I do know what they are going through, and at times I have been upset with Michael for being overly optimistic and posting dates of when the model would be ready for shipping, when huge assumptions had to be made about molding and casting going well, something we had no experience with. Michael and I have very different personalities. He is beyond optimistic, and although he may call me pessimistic, I prefer to call it realistic and cautious. Anyway, all I was trying to do was explain WHY one would really, really want to be hopeful that Gordon's package would show up. And from our end, the post office has always been wonderful. We've sold hundreds of items on eBay and have never had a package come up missing. Never. So, when the post office said the package would turn up, we really thought it would. We knew where it went b/c we knew which zip code was used. Even I, the more "negative" one, was sure it would turn up.
This reminds me of the "waiting for the bus" analogy... Let's say the bus is supposed to arrive at 3:00 and you are waiting on it. At 3:00 the bus does not show, so you think it may be a little late... no problem. You keep waiting. At 3:10 it's still not there... You think, "Surely it will show up soon. I've waited 10 extra minutes." At 3:30 it's still not there. You think maybe the bus was in an accident, but surely if it were and they had to get another bus, 30 minutes should be enough time to almost have that handled... so now it HAS to arrive at any time. The bus can't take ALL NIGHT... You call the bus station and they say the bus should be on its way. You could leave, but after all the waiting you've invested, you don't want to leave and then have the bus show up 5 minutes later... so you wait a little more. And on and on and on....
The idea is that the longer you wait, the more you think the odds are that it will show up any minute. I think this was similar to our line of thinking with the package. In hindsight, I wish we had assumed it was hopeless and got on with remaking the parts. I'm sorry that we didn't know. I have felt really terrible about this whole thing.
I hope people really enjoy their models when they get them. They may end up being quite a rare item, because I seriously doubt we will want to keep making these. It's just too hard to do it without the space and luxury of a workshop, a place where the mess wouldn't matter.
Terri
I posted again because I wanted to say "AMEN" to Coby about doing this messy work at somebody else's place. I also went off on a few tangents, as I often do. :unsure I don't even remember what I was talking about. Oh well, not important. I do kind of wonder what happened to my post. I guess it is floating around in cyberspace somewhere.
I'm at work, so I logged in this time and didn't use Michael's account. I'm surprised I can get into RPF from work.
Speaking of work, I better go do some.
Have a great day everybody. B) B) B) B) B)
Terri
Oh... and Michael, I really need a picture by my name here. Since you know how to do it, will you put something up for me? In case you can't get around to doing it, I will try to figure out how to do it, when I get a chance.
Terri
I also went off on a few tangents, as I often do. :unsure I don't even remember what I was talking about. Oh well, not important. I do kind of wonder what happened to my post. I guess it is floating around in cyberspace somewhere.I'm at work, so I logged in this time and didn't use Michael's account. I'm surprised I can get into RPF from work.
Speaking of work, I better go do some.
Have a great day everybody. B) B) B) B) B)
Terri
Oh... and Michael, I really need a picture by my name here. Since you know how to do it, will you put something up for me? In case you can't get around to doing it, I will try to figure out how to do it, when I get a chance.
Terri
Dobber
Well-Known Member
I think we all understand Terri. Tensions just probably got to the breaking point for most involved and finally got to the point that people just needed to vent. It's all good now. Can't wait to get this baby but until then I got a Gunstar comming my way that will occupy me.
Chris
Tensions just probably got to the breaking point for most involved and finally got to the point that people just needed to vent. It's all good now. Can't wait to get this baby but until then I got a Gunstar comming my way that will occupy me. Chris
BlueSquad2001
Well-Known Member
<div class='quotetop'>(Dobber @ Aug 17 2006, 03:35 PM) [snapback]1302510[/snapback]</div>
And Chris......what preytell is a "Gunstar"???? :eekI think we all understand Terri.
Chris
[/b]
Peter Noble
New Member
Those cannons are way cool.
Best to everyone.
Peter
Best to everyone.
Peter
Kuhn Global
Sr Member
<div class='quotetop'>(BlueSquad2001 @ Aug 17 2006, 02:24 PM) [snapback]1302533[/snapback]</div>
[/b][/quote]
The Gunstar is the fighter from The Last Starfighter. For a fighter,..it's is a BIG SUCKA.
And Chris......what preytell is a "Gunstar"???? :eekI think we all understand Terri.
Chris
[/b]
[/b][/quote]
The Gunstar is the fighter from The Last Starfighter. For a fighter,..it's is a BIG SUCKA.
Dobber
Well-Known Member
LOL. Yup the Gunstar is from the Last Starfighter. To me the B5 starfury definately is "inspired" by the Gunstar, mainly the engines.
She is definately a Big Sucker though, I guess it would be classified as a Heavy fighter or even a Gunship, but I guess in space it really wouldn't matter. I always liked the Gunstar and will always remember that it wa the first scifi fighter, that I noticed, having attitude thrusters, thus acknowleging that in space things don't fly like airplanes.
Chris
She is definately a Big Sucker though, I guess it would be classified as a Heavy fighter or even a Gunship, but I guess in space it really wouldn't matter.
I always liked the Gunstar and will always remember that it wa the first scifi fighter, that I noticed, having attitude thrusters, thus acknowleging that in space things don't fly like airplanes.Chris
