MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

I cannot believe MatoMart will not honor a warranty issue with my new Jagdpanther. Several days after getting my new Tank I notice a crack in the lower hull. Since there is no external damage to the Tank besides the crack, it appears that the crack was possibly caused by whoever installed the gearboxes. I feel MatoMart should replace the Tank, MatoMart is only willing to send me a special order lower hull at my expense of $50!!! It would be a little cheaper they tell me that if I choose to have it sent by (get this) container ship which would arrive in 30-60 days!!!

They have a lot of nerve IMO to send a damaged item and not replace it, and expect the customer to pay to have it fixed. They claim that all of their Tanks are inspected before they are shipped. Looking at the photo it's obvious someone didn't inspect my Tank very well. MatoMart sucks IMO.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ann/crack2.jpg

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Rctankwars all the way brother!

As for the hull, I recommend doing a little "bodywork" and calling it a day. Not worth the extra cost for something that isn't your doing. Get yourself some squadron putty or even automotive filler and go over the crack. then sand it flush and apply paint. You will never know it was there.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

:D better yet get liquid model solvent and drip some into the crack and let it dry and it will melt it back together again.... do some weathering some mud and you won't even know it was ever there.

[8D] And yellowshaker said I also agree.... Phil @ RCTANKWARS!!

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

I know, but I shouldn't have to you know what I mean. Looks like I don't have a choice in the matter. I was actually considering re-spraying the whole thing with TS-4.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Never heard of that, can you shoot me a good source for the solvent.

Dominique at RCTankDE is my #1 guy.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Not worth the hassle of trying to get a replacement. The location is not going to effect the handling. Use a bit of CA cement and a piece of sheet styrene behind the crack....maybe a touch of modeling putty if it doesn't level itself out. If you are adding some weathering or field dirt, it will cover it anyway. No big deal.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Who are you communicating with there?. US or Canada.

That looks like an impact crack. Ideally a replacement would be nice, but with the size of these things, and the shipping price involved, a win -win , might be an offer of something free on the next order. As others have mentioned an easy fix, that will not cause you any problems.

A note explaining that you are going to fix it yourself, but on principle you are disappointed they didn't offer some kind of compensation for receiving a broken tank, and because of this you seriously doubt you will be a repeat customer. Might be enough to spur something out of them.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

The person I have been communicating with through emails did not give me their name. They offered to fix the Tank for me if I send it back to them, along with a check for $30 to pay for return shipping. I don't want to pay for shipping both ways, that would be about $50-60. I will not order from them again. I don't like receiving damaged items.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

go to your local hobby shop and ask for ambro pro weld it is the solvent for styrene and will fix you hull as good as new

do not use CA to fix the hull it will not glue the crack shut styrene solvent will melt the plastic back togeter making a strong joint as good as new and it can then be sanded smooth and you will never see the repair one finished

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Your a modeler fix it, it's not that hard. If you need help please ask, that's what this forum is all about.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

I bet someone here who has replaced the lower hull with a tamy has an extra one if you are set on replacing it.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Hi look here i used the stuff on the top of the page.... hobby shops that sell models have it.
http://www.plastruct.com/pages/GlueContents.html

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Great, thanks for the link.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Ok thanks for the tip.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

I wonder how they missed seeing it before they shipped it.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Kind of funny here sometimes how some members fail to get the point.You paid for a new tank.............Or did the add say "NEW TANK WITH CRACKED HULL"....................when you bought it.?

Most places will make you pay to ship an item back for a replacement in the case when you buy on-line from a seller who is most likely a great distance from where one lives.But the cost to ship a replacement back to the customer should be paid by the seller.

This is something one should think about when buying one of these tanks.(this applys to most anything,but this is the tank forum.so in this case it pertains to tanks ).It can be bad enough when you buy in your own country with shipping cost and the time involved in the return shipping and then waiting for the replacement.Buy from a foreign country and this can become a real can of worms if it needs to be replaced for one reason or other.

BIGMIG ;)

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Thanks, I'm glad some of us understand. For people to be OK with receiving damaged merchandise is odd to me. For a reputable business like Matotoys not to replace the whole Tank doesn't sit well with me. I understand for some people fixing it is no big deal, but I don't like having to fix something that I didn't break. No future business between myself and Matotoys.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

I can't say for sure but there is no garuntee that they would not just ship you an empty hull with out any suspention and wheels either. Then you must dissassemble and reinstall all the components your self. That is how the Asiatam hulls are shipped, unless you get the full boat with new wheels and geartrain.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

My take is simple. it sucks that you got a broken tnak. It is not, however, worth paying to ship it back and all that fuss. Should you be happy? No. Should you invest money to have it replaced? No. Fix it and never buy from them again. This would be the obvious solution to the problem.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Make it look like battle damage [8D]

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Sturm:

Ambro Pro-weld, Tenax-R, or any other of the 'solvent' styrene glues are your best bets for repair. It has CA beat by a mile where decent styrene is concerned. Done right, a solvent repair of this can be near-invisible (literally invisible if painted, or done right) AND be water-tight.

If you are going to use it more often (it has tube-glue beat, and is VERY useful) you may want to buy it under the name MEK : Methyl - Ethyl - Ketone , from a plastics fabrication shop. For the same ounce or two from a hobby shop you can often get a full PINT at least, if not a QUART (500ml to 1 litre for Canucks)

Ever since being introduced to it with an old Tamiya Sherman hull (original '74 issue) that wouldn't bond with tube glue, I tried it, and haven't gone back. It can be flowed into a fine crack like you have there, and seal it watertight. Just get the styrene even, and then use a non-plastic paint brush (hair & wood - another dollar store item) or if you're cheap, pinch a few of the SO's Q-tips. Apply a bit, and if you want, you can even back it with a thin sheet of styrene (coat one side ~sparingly~) then slap it on like a pool or inflatable pool/mattress patch) Put a bit more around the edge if you want to be extra-extra sure. But watch out, it literally liquifies the styrene. Even put a bit on the outside, then sand after its dry.

If you want to really over-do it, do like the glass-repair guys do, deepen the crack on both sides, and to fill it, put a bit of the MEK in an old glass bottle with a bit of styrene sprue. You get instant putty... apply and over-fill the gouge, and when it dries, trim back to level. Presto - invisible repair. I've used this method for both styrene and ABS-type plastics (even that funky stuff Robbe & Graupner use!)

MEK is one of those all-purpose chemicals. Styrene glue (and MANY other plastics - hence avoid plastic brushes) and it will even de-bond epoxies. It dismembered my home-made applicator that I'd assembled with JB-Weld. Now I use a 'Touch-n-Flow' (can be bought alone, or with Tenax-R packs) which is basically a glass pipette with a 27 guage needle-tube on the end (blunt) and I always keep a spare (have a BAD habit of breaking 'em (*sigh*)

As for after-sales service, Mato has never been really big on that. I can see some stooge looking at the crack, and saying " He's a modeller, why dun he just patch it himself? " but thats still not right. Murphy Ma, one of the Mato Reps, used to be around... If you like, I'll see if I've still got his e-mail address stored. Have you tried to contact Mato Head office, and perhaps Hen Long themselves, to point out that QC is getting sloppy?

Anyone able to help him with head office links?

WhiteWolf

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

"Authentic Battle Damage"

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

I know plenty of reputable, well respected dealers who ship items they have personally tested only to have the customer respond to them the tank was broken, not working. These tanks really do not like being mishandled shipping wise. I could be cynical here, but are you telling me you didn't notice a 1" impact crack when you took the tank out of the box, installed the battery etc? Perhaps you didn't and I could understand that but then that is what Matomart might be thinking. Of course they will also be thinking the profit margin on these tanks is fairly low and the costs you are talking about would wipe those profits out completely. I know what you are feeling, I recently purchased a pair of King Tigers for around $450 US, one was DOA, with a broken controller, smoke oil leaked everywhere and both had broken exhausts. One that did work had a broken smoker and I originally thought both were broken but it turned out that one tank had mismatched crystals in it. Four months and I got my money back. The tanks being broken wasn't the retailers fault nor was the long delay faced waiting from them to supply parts (Matorro suck) but they could have fixed it in other ways. Try telling them you are returning it, claim the money back from the credit card company or Paypal are also options. Problem is RC vehicles and electrical spares are fragile and prone to rough use so suppliers are often hesitant about fixing problems. Added to this the large amount of fraud from customers wanting something for nothing and it makes life harder for people with legitimate issues.

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

Well in the picture you posted there apears to be a couple other scuff-marks showing.I don't think it would get cracked like that at the factory just from the person installing the gear boxes.It looks for sure to have been done from some form of "impact".Three days is a long time to have passed for you to have disscovered the crack.Guess thats possible...

One would think if they care about return customers that they might try to make an ajustment of some sort short of returning the tank.When you return it,it costs you more money and it also costs them more money.Not to mention that when it is returned they now have a tank with a crack in the hull plus the cost of sending you another one.(now what do they do with the tank.?? scrap it out and sell the parts to regain there loss.? or sell it to someone else and hope that buyer will not complain.? )

I think if I were them i would have replyed by saying....If you would be interested in repairing the tank and to try to make it right with you we would like to send you a extra battery for your tank free of charge.Or we will still replace it if you wish.That is what one would like to see but most likely will not be the case.

BIGMIG ;);)

RE: MatoMart.com sent me this!!!
 

I opened the Tank today to inspect further, and discovered two of the standoffs the gearbox is attached to are broken. The gearbox is butted right up to the hull, so I resubmit my initial suspicion that the assembler cracked the hull while installing the gearbox, or when the upper and lower hulls were joined together. The other scuff marks you refer to have nothing to do with the crack. If the crack was caused by an external impact, the scuff marks would be closer to the crack.

It was actually longer then three days that I discovered the crack, so weather you find it "possible" or not doesn't matter. Because the lower hull is angled at an extreme angle is probably why I didn't notice it right away.