New Andrea Miniatures

[Einion]

...there's plenty of opportunity here for Andrea to counter the continually eroding bad comments about quality control.

Why would we want to give them that opportunity if poor quality control is the reality?

I doubt they'd be willing to do this (I doubt they're bothered) but even if they did, what if they cherry-picked good castings to send out?

The weight of evidence tells us - and has from long before they moved production to China - that frequently things go straight out the door of Andrea like grass through a goose. Reviews from people who are buying anyway would be better so that there's a random chance of good/okay/poor castings, given that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there's that much variation.

Einion

 

[housecarl]

I think it needs the secret shopper approach. As Einion says, if they know a piece will be reviewed, then a top notch casting will be forth coming.
Apart from that, they're both a bit different,
Carl.

 

[Jim Patrick]

I myself have personally never had any major problems or issues with Andrea. I guess I'm just lucky? What minor issues I have had have always been responded to QUICKLY by Andrea with a replacement part mailed to me free of charge (even once received a free set of their Post Cards!).

I do find their resin to be more than acceptable early on in a production run but I admit, it does have issues later on. Still though, it was nothing that the average modeler can't fix with a little skill.

As far as Andrea providing review samples? Well....whom should Andrea send review samples to? Here at pF? Ok....then who's next? After they're done sending out review samples to everyone that we feel should get one, Andrea has just watched some of the revenue dissapear with said samples and don't forget the postage!

I see nothing wrong with companies that send their products off to be reviewed just as I see no issues with those that don't (Andrea isn't the only company out there that doesn't).

It's their product (until it's purchased by us) so they can do with it as they see fit. You have an Andrea product? Cool, review it. Got issues with it? Cool, review it anyway. Just remember to be fair and impartial with your review and give the company a chance to fix the problem. Nothing can be better than a review where a company has to replace a part or two thus allowing their customer service (or lack there of) to be a part of said review.

Jim Patrick

 

[Mark S]

Why would we want to give them that opportunity if poor quality control is the reality?
I doubt they'd be willing to do this (I doubt they're bothered) but even if they did, what if they cherry-picked good castings to send out?
Einion

The point is we don't know if poor quality control is the reality.
Any company that supplies product for review could cherry pick good castings to pass on to reviewers.
Is that infact the situation now regarding the products we currently see in the Open Box forum?
Just the act of supplying a product for scrutiny is at least a part way gesture towards promoting more confidence amongst potential buyers.
It's up to them to help confirm or deny that there is a quality control problem or not.
All I'm saying is whilst some doubt still exists about the quality control of their products on at least one international forum,which must effect sales, the least they can do is to offer their latest products for expert appraisal.
I should add here that I'm quite happy with all the Andrea products I have in my collection but realise others have not had such a good experience.

 

[Mark S]

I think it needs the secret shopper approach. As Einion says, if they know a piece will be reviewed, then a top notch casting will be forth coming.
Carl.

Does this mean that none of the reviews we currently see in the Open box review forum can be trusted?
Are some companies to be trusted to supply typical production castings whilst others are not?
If so how do we tell which are the ones to be trusted and which ones are conning us?

What I'm suggesting is Andrea simply needs to open up to scrutiny like many of it's competitors and gain that trust we have in other producers.

 

[housecarl]

Mark, what I was meaning. That if someone reviews a figure off their own back, then the quality would be of the standard that everyone could expect. Where as if the manufacturer sent a piece for review, then they could cherry pick the piece. I was no way implying that reviewers can't be trusted.
Carl.

 

[Einion]

The point is we don't know if poor quality control is the reality.

Er, yeah we do Mark. I've certainly heard enough comments both online and in person from people who have received sub-par castings, as well as having seen more than my fair share in person too (going back more than two decades) that there's no doubt in my mind.

Casting quality is sure to vary to some degree of course with any maker - IME it's practically a given with white metal that you'll tend to see very smooth early castings with minimal mould lines and then more textured later castings with mould mismatch evident - it's the degree of variation that's the issue isn't it? And Andrea have produced some of the worst castings we've seen or heard about, things you seriously can't believe left the factory.

Einion

 

[Mark S]

Er,no we don't Enion and that's the point.
What I'm saying here is we need to see evidence of these bad castings, which I have no reason to doubt exist, or we need them to show evidence to the contrary.
There's plenty of talk about I saw this and heard of that but no pics or details.
Currently we have complaints without evidence nor do we have any evidence that what they produce is not below standard.

It's simple, we as consumers put up our evidence of poor quality and force the producer to counter the claims if they can.
Show them what we're talking about.
Can't be any simpler than that.

As I said earlier they need to regularly provide items for review and we need to show proof of poor quality whenever it becomes apparent.

 

[Michael Tse]

I guess I am one of the luckier modellers whose financial loss owing to Andrea's casting problems remains small - well no amount is small enough in absolute terms such are the selling prices.

I can't even recall which purchase appalled me enough to refrain from Andrea's offerings for a while. But my fragile truth is that, their figure sculpting and box art are just way too seductive. For example, knowing their girl kits fit worse than PegaXX's, I still keep stocking the previous like mad. Spell-bound is probably the word.

As for Andrea moving production to China, that is strangely exciting seeing as I am based in China now. This does qualify as one reason why casting has suffered. But an up-bringing rich in factory encounters makes many mistakes quite forgivable to me. Quality Control may be black and white for the person paying for the good. The realities in a facotry in the developing world gives it a whole different context. Maybe the real shame is not with lousy QC. It's just that we are in too exquisite a hobby to tolerate lousiness.

 

[chippy]

I'm putting my two cents worth in here about quality from china , IT'S CRAP . I'm speaking from an other angle , things that effect our every day lives . I get involved in plumbing and woodwork in my occupation and the last five years have been HELL due to faulty goods and poor quality where in the past reliable manufactures have now moved their production to china , In the last two weeks I have had to replace three kitchen taps at my own expenes ,these were from a World known supplier who I now discovered is having there goods made in China . Just to give you an idea of the differance , in the past if I fitted a brass door knocker and letter box on a front door it would last a lifetime , now if I fit one it last 4-5 years . We are all paying for cheap goods dearly in more ways than one by the end of this decade China will be the number One Super Power and there will be no more cheap goods if any at all as they will have a home market that will obsorb everthing they can make . If companys like Tommys War can still produce excellent figures at a fair price and keep production in Europe why can't other companys . Think about it before you buy your next figure and who you buy it from .
chippy

 

[Johan]

the Martini-sipping German in Paris is an interesting concept

Sorry to interrupt this discussion about casting quality, but I think that this Martini-drinking Nazi or whatever you want to call him is an interesting concept : the conqueror after the battle, finding himself in a strange new place. Enjoying his new environment as if he were merely a tourist.

see for example the attached photograph of German Hussars in 1914 in Brussels (Belgium), probably sitting outside a café at the Chaussée de Louvain. Would make a lovely figure ... any manufacturor reading this ?

 

[marius'mules]

Re: the Martini-sipping German in Paris is an interesting concept

see for example the attached photograph of German Hussars in 1914 in Brussels (Belgium), probably sitting outside a café at the Chaussée de Louvain. Would make a lovely figure ... any manufacturor reading this ?

That would make for a very good subject to sculpt---some body should consider doing that.

 

[Diegoff]

I don´t buy a lot of kits, because sculpt my own figures, so I can't speak about the quality of the casting.
Andrea is no longer making the casting in China some time ago!