[WWI] Americal-Gryphon

[dnsh at verizon.net]

I bought a total of nine AG decals sheets both directly and through shops, but I eventually gave up on them.  The instruction booklets were terrific, but out of the nine sheets I have, not single one is in register.  The only useable parts are the single color decals and even some of those have such ragged edges it might be better to make a template out of the decal and spray it. I never sent a sheet back or wrote in to complain, I just kept hoping the next decals would get better.  They never seemed to improve based on what I received.  And to me, that's the double edged sword in the situation.  Should I have returned nine sheets over that period of time and been labled an ingrate or would it have helped to return them and maybe the product would have improved?


>From: wed317 <wed317 at mchsi.com>
>Date: 2008/01/14 Mon PM 04:39:27 CST
>To: 'World War I Modeling Mailing List' <wwi at wwi-models.org>
>Subject: Re: [WWI] Americal-Gryphon

>I think that it is important for all concerned to understand that A/G was not Dr. Merrill's "business", but more a labor of love that he did in his spare time.  He paid the rent and bought his beans as a university professor in Paleobiology. Failing health, other family issues, and a growing frustration level with customers drove him to the decision to close down. (As I have been made to udnerstand it by others close to Dr. Merrill.)  If you have ever worked in a business dealing with the general public, you know what it is like to deal with people that will not be satisfied unless the product is perfect, and you give it to them for free.  Just one look at some of the childish whining on some of the other modeling message boards, then imagine trying to do business with those individuals. One bad one can often-times wipe out the goodwill of ten or twenty.    I too held out hope that he would "will" the business to someone else, and that thye could carry on.  However, that was not to be, and it was his business to do with as he pleased. Warren