Graupner Yamato unboxing and first look
12-16-2015, 04:48 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Graupner Yamato unboxing and first look
Hi guys,
I thought it would be a good idea to show what I just received today. This is the newest model of the Graupner Premium line and even if it was written do not open until xmas on the box, I just couldn't resist to share my first impressions with you.
Here are the photos of what you can expect from this model :
I thought it would be a good idea to show what I just received today. This is the newest model of the Graupner Premium line and even if it was written do not open until xmas on the box, I just couldn't resist to share my first impressions with you.
Here are the photos of what you can expect from this model :
12-16-2015, 04:56 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Now a mini-review :
I guess you can easily imagine my impatience while I was waiting for the good news, impatience finally rewarded when I received the delivery notification. To avoid any problem with the company, I decided to drive to the delivery center to pick up the box myself.
It is huge but not really heavy, a good news when you know I was alone to do that...
The packaging is really close from the Titanic one, except you have to install few bits like the main and secondary turrets and the beautiful crane.
Like with the Titanic, the protection seems very effective, no shipping damage to report. Good point !
I cannot say the same about the model itself, what I feared happened : the quality control from the Chinese factory and Graupner missed a big defect. I noticed the same problem on my Titanic but on the Yamato it is unfortunately much more visible : the wooden deck was not glued on a pretty big surface resulting a very nasty bent deck near the flush shape.
On the RMS Titanic, only few spots were affected, mainly on hidden areas. Thus, I decided to fix that later. On the Yamato, it is just not possible.
You can judge by yourself with the attached pics.
I asked my dealer to contact Graupner to get the info about the best glue to use. Wait and see.
I still think it is not tolerable with a model sold this price.
Having managed to fix temporarily the deck problem (you can see it on the previous photos), I studied carefully the model and concentrated on its accuracy.
All can I say is that Yamato looks surely impressive but shows a lot of inaccuracies or mistakes. In general proportions, I must admit it looks great but if you get your eyes closer you will notice many little goofs. The fwd main turrets are offset, the 2 barbettes of the 155mm gun turrets are not strictly vertical as they should be, they have an angle, the rear telemeter mount has the same problem. The AA guns are quite offscale and ugly, as the aircrafts are...etc
Nothing that can't be fixed, with some elbow grease and scratchbuilt, but one can be surprised regarding the price of the battleship. I would have expected a better quality and finish with this newest Premium model and to be honest the Titanic and Bismarck gave me a much better first impression.
To sum up, I'd recommend this Graupner Yamato if you are ready to study, build and fix. The model has a very good size and a great look on a shelf, I bet it must be a real killer on the water.
Very pricy and not really RTR and accurate but I do not regret my purchase.
Will I buy another Graupner Premium model ? Yes, only one and this will be the last one, the HMS Hood when it is available again. I'll purchase it knowing the main drawback of this model line : Chinese quality.
I guess you can easily imagine my impatience while I was waiting for the good news, impatience finally rewarded when I received the delivery notification. To avoid any problem with the company, I decided to drive to the delivery center to pick up the box myself.
It is huge but not really heavy, a good news when you know I was alone to do that...
The packaging is really close from the Titanic one, except you have to install few bits like the main and secondary turrets and the beautiful crane.
Like with the Titanic, the protection seems very effective, no shipping damage to report. Good point !
I cannot say the same about the model itself, what I feared happened : the quality control from the Chinese factory and Graupner missed a big defect. I noticed the same problem on my Titanic but on the Yamato it is unfortunately much more visible : the wooden deck was not glued on a pretty big surface resulting a very nasty bent deck near the flush shape.
On the RMS Titanic, only few spots were affected, mainly on hidden areas. Thus, I decided to fix that later. On the Yamato, it is just not possible.
You can judge by yourself with the attached pics.
I asked my dealer to contact Graupner to get the info about the best glue to use. Wait and see.
I still think it is not tolerable with a model sold this price.
Having managed to fix temporarily the deck problem (you can see it on the previous photos), I studied carefully the model and concentrated on its accuracy.
All can I say is that Yamato looks surely impressive but shows a lot of inaccuracies or mistakes. In general proportions, I must admit it looks great but if you get your eyes closer you will notice many little goofs. The fwd main turrets are offset, the 2 barbettes of the 155mm gun turrets are not strictly vertical as they should be, they have an angle, the rear telemeter mount has the same problem. The AA guns are quite offscale and ugly, as the aircrafts are...etc
Nothing that can't be fixed, with some elbow grease and scratchbuilt, but one can be surprised regarding the price of the battleship. I would have expected a better quality and finish with this newest Premium model and to be honest the Titanic and Bismarck gave me a much better first impression.
To sum up, I'd recommend this Graupner Yamato if you are ready to study, build and fix. The model has a very good size and a great look on a shelf, I bet it must be a real killer on the water.
Very pricy and not really RTR and accurate but I do not regret my purchase.
Will I buy another Graupner Premium model ? Yes, only one and this will be the last one, the HMS Hood when it is available again. I'll purchase it knowing the main drawback of this model line : Chinese quality.
