So I received this diorama and unfortunately must report that I am crushingly disappointed. It is so bad I would never display it as is.
It arrived damaged because the lights broke off and scratched up the back wall. I got that sick feeling in my stomach as soon as I picked up the box and heard something slide.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Among the things I dislike:
- The floor "grating" is a horrible grainy photograph in person, an absolute joke.
- The door is just painted on, no depth as in earlier dios.
- Sloppy, jagged cuts on the PVC piping.
- The pink real-life lettering on the PVC piping was not painted over.
- Missing plastic edging that leaves foam core exposed.
- Lots of airbrush splatter that ruins the weathering effects.
In a small 72 dpi photograph it looks OK. In person it looks like the sloppy, half-assed work it is.
The Reverened has some personal issues that have my full sympathy, but that does not excuse him from cheating me out of $400. He chased ME down to ask for this commission and then failed to deliver his usual standard of work.
He ultimately refused to accept a return, citing a never agreed upon "all sales final" policy. The inital payment was too old to challenge with PayPal and I was foolish enough to pay him as a "gift", something he specifically requested.
Here are some choice quotes that sum up his attitude:
“i no longer work on dios or with SSF so im not concerned with any feedback or that site”
“this dio was a awesome piece,,,i NEVER made shoddy work...i have more problems to worry about”
“it is a awesome dio and well i could have charged 900.00 for a far more detailed dio this is a$ 400.00 do...and yes it is just as good as the other 10”
“i never cut corners on any dio i build they all have the love and attention and i enjoy every build...i just dont have the time or energy to take it back and resell it...again its a masterpiece and if you dont like it sell it off.”
He was willing to repair the damage. I give him that much credit, but that would have hardly address my concerns.
People are free to go see the dio he made for
Sabres21768 and see if they honestly see a comparable level of care and detail.
I am just disgusted by his work and his attitude. I try to do my best everytime I make something and would gladly accept a return if a customer of mine were as unhappy as I was upon receipt of this dio.
I may try and salvage it some day, but I will sell it for $200 plus shipping if someone else wants to take on that challenge.
