Insanemoondoggie

I have been building on an GP Ultimate .40 for several months now and without exaggerating , have had to replace just about all the wood that came with the kit. Most the balsa is the color of chocolate milk , very hard and brittle. First time I`ve run into balsa with knot holes. Ordered replacement fuse sides and the replacements were not any better.
Had to cut all new ply formers, as the ply that came with the kit didnt seem to have glue between the layers. It`s like I got a kit they threw all their rejects in. I am accustom to having to replace a few parts on a build , but nothing like this. And the cost of the kit has doubled because just about all the wood has had to be replaced.
Sat down last nite to build the second wing , made a list of what needed replaced , everything but the ribs have to be bought new.
Contacted GP customer service thru e-mail , have`nt heard a word from them . I think they know they have a problem with this kit and have decide to ignore in hopes that it will go away. They don`t know me very good
I help out at the LHS and asked the owner why he did`nt carry much GP products. His exact words, Their customer service sucks ! Which I`m finding out first hand.
This is the 7th kit I`ve built from GP , all the others have been of good quality . So I am a little surprised at this one.
Has anyone else run into the same problems with their customer service and poor quality of wood in their kits ? If so , please post your experience with them .
I started a build thread on this kit , but gave up due to all the problems I`ve encountered .This is turning out to be my first scratch built. LOL! It would be funny if it wasn't so aggravating

Lomcevak Duck

My Feedback: (14)

I hate to hear that. I've had trouble with Top Flite and Great Planes kits' wing sheeting being very brittle, but that's it. And every time I've used their customer service it has been second to none. Normally when I have a problem they'll send me a new part over night no questions asked.

cstevenpeterson

My Feedback: (21)

As with any product - there are lemons out there. Overall, I have had good experiences with their products and when I get a kit with defective parts - GP makes good on it. Call Mary Ann at GP: 1-217-398-8970, ext 3. She is the best Customer Service person I have ever dealt with - period. If you have a legitimate issue, you will get replacement parts. Hope this helps.

Steve

Insanemoondoggie

Thank for the replys. I will contact her today. It not a big deal to me that the kit is so bad , as not getting any help to deal with it. And I have`nt complaiined till the replacement parts I special ordered and paid for ,came in the same condition.
I took lots of pics and have offered to send them as proof , maybe thats why I have`nt recieved any help with it. I`m just getting flustered , as I want to get this build off my building table and am determined to finish it , even if I do end up cutting all the parts by hand.
It may well have been a Lemon , as the other kits have been really nice. Luck of the draw I guess. Thanks for letting me vent.
Robbie

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I'm surprised too Robbie. Like I told you on Sunday, I've built that kit too and everything was top-knotch.

ChuckW

My Ultra-sport .40 kit is the same way. I think the wood came from petrified trees and the die cutting is terrible. I had a Dazzler kit that was so bad that I got mad and threw it away. other companies seem to come up with decent balsa an ply so I don't see why GP can't too. It's really too bad since I think their designs are probably among the best and they have a good reputation for quality. In fact, my revolver ARF may be the best built and most well engineered I have ever seen.

spiral_72

I wonder if the kit got wet or sit in a very hot and or damp location? GP kits are usually very good.