JohnWJ

I am perfectly aware there is no obligation on any of these companies but, as a beginner to the hobby, I had foolishly hoped one of them would have offered some assistance. The stockist did at least offer a token refund. All any of us can do when things go wrong is learn from the experience and avoid making the same mistake again. Thank you to all the forum members who have offered their help and guidance since my first post. It has been much appreciated.

The final outcome of my dilemma will come as no surprise. After many weeks of waiting for a response, Customer Services have finally advised me that there is nothing they can do to help. That their product is being sold "unfit for purpose" by one of their stockists, is of no concern to them. I will now purchase sufficient paints (not Humbrol) to complete the model, and will buy Tamiya and/or Revel kits in the future. I evaluate companies not on whether something ever goes wrong but on how well the company supports the customer when it does. In my eyes, Airfix are not the quality company I thought they were.

That's extremely generous of you John, thank you. Regrettably it is almost all of the pots in the gift set, HOWEVER, on a wing and a prayer I contacted Airfix Spares department and they are currently looking into what they can do to help. If they can supply the full set then I'll be sorted. Fingers crossed.

After a couple of weeks of back and forth wrangling with the original seller, the best result my family could get was a partial refund of £12 which is supposed to cover the cost of buying the paints separately. Before I start ordering various pots of paint from wherever, does anyone know if it's possible to buy the actual 5ml pots as shipped in the kit?

Thanks for the feedback. I hadn't wanted to let my family know their gift wasn't fit for purpose but I did. It seems they purchased the kit through Amazon and they are currently exploring the Return/Replace options available to them. I'll wait and see what they come back with before I do any more. Fingers and toes are crossed.

I'm sure this isn't the place to get a resolution but I'd be very grateful if someone could point me in the right direction. My family bought me the Overlord set as a birthday present. I am just making my first very tentative steps with it and am horrified to find the first pot of paint I open is dried up solid. I'm reluctant to open all the pots before I need them so don't know how bad the problem is. Is this something that Airfix can help me with or do I have to ask my family to get back in touch with the retailer? A very disappointing start to my new modelling hobby.

I had no idea they were that varied John and from what you've said, this is an issue across all brands. It's obviously something that you modellers are well used to and something I'll have to accept too. It's good to know though ... thank you.

Thanks for explaining that Ratch ... that makes more sense. As a beginner, I have no idea how far I'm going to take this, so absolute accuracy isn't an issue at this stage and 'face value' will do as a starting place.

That's interesting. I can only assume there is so little difference between the 2 scales that it doesn't really matter. Thanks for your help Ratch.

I'm completely new to modelling and about to buy my first kit, the Operation Overlord gift set. Before I do I'd like to try and sort out what scale it is. In the bottom left of the box it states 1:76, however, the smaller print states the Higgins LCVP and Wil ly's MB Jeep are both 1:72. The technical information on the website also states 1:72. I'd be very grateful if someone could clarify which scale it is. If I happen to enjoy making this model, and if I happen to do okay, then I may purchase other D-Day diorama's to expand the display, and I obviously want to stick with the same scale throughout. Thanks in advance.