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Old 12-08-2020, 09:31 PM   #1
ereyi
Fantastic Four
 
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F4F Mario and Yoshi Quality Issues and Surprising Customer Service Response

Hey Fellow Collectors. I Blind Ordered my Mario And Yoshi Definitive Edition Statue back in March of 2019 and just got it a few weeks ago. When I inspected it I noticed that there were a lot of Paint Defects and a few strange Holes in Yoshi and his Egg, so imagine my disappointment that my most anticipated statue in years had these problems. I have not had an issue with a F4F statue since 2011 (6 statues ago for me). But I contacted Customer Service as I remember doing many years ago and provided pics. The response was that they could not review my pics unless each picture was taken with the authentication card beside each damaged area + they also needed a pic of QC Sticker that comes on the tape warped around the foam (didn't even know I was supposed to keep this sticker but OK). Seems like a lot of new hoops to jump through. Either way I submitted 22 pics total. Here are just a few of the pics I submitted of the main problems with paint defects on Yoshi's tail (Sloppy paint + What looks like a crack or black line running from the tip along the top + many small particles like dust or debris trapped under paint), Yoshi's Left eye (Sloppy Paint), Mario's face (Brown paint bleeding into the white of Mario's Right eye + Wavy sculpt and sloppy paint around Mario's lower lip + small chip on Mario's teeth + many small particles like dust or debris trapped under paint of Mario's outfit), and the Holes on Yoshi's egg and Yoshi's Back between two of his spikes. I also asked about the vinyl wrap that was used on the DE Base that I have not heard mention of, seems this is the first time I have received a statue with a vinyl wrap.
Here are the responses that I got. In response to all the paint issues: "After further checking with our production team, the paint is within our tolerance as there may be subtle imperfections as the statues are handmade and painted by our artists."
In response to the holes: "Regarding the holes on the statue, due to the nature of production of the statue, they need to put the holes on the hallow parts of the statue to release pressure. Please note that all statues will have the holes as it is normal. If you are not satisfied, we can arrange for a full refund by returning the complete statue back to us then we can arrange for a pick up.Regards,Dipti"

Sorry Dipti but I disagree. Regarding the paint, there is a big difference between "subtle imperfections" and outright sloppy work. These statues are supposed to be produced by skilled artisans not painted in part by a skilled worker and then handed off to someone who can't paint a straight line to do the finishing work.
Regarding the Holes, I have never heard of Pressure releasing holes when working with resin, air bubble holes maybe but whatever the case, they should have been filled in before painting. I have over 20 statues in my collection from various studios and none have holes in them.
Regarding the vinyl wrap on the base, Dipti had no idea what I was talking about.

Either way, this is the situation I find myself in. Being told that my only solutions are to accept what I consider to be clear defects on a $674.99 statue or return a statue that I have been waiting almost 2 years for and is now sold out. I am left to wonder if this is the quality that F4F considers "within our tolerance" than maybe it is best to part ways. After all these years as a customer I truly hope I just got a misinformed representative and that his opinions are not shared by the rest of the F4F team. I tried posting this on the F4F community board but it is being reviewed. So for now I would like to get the opinions of memebers here. Thanks in advance.
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Old 12-09-2020, 01:02 AM   #2
joyfi2
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I think I own 8 F4F statues. They all have holes in them like that, including the Mario that I got a month ago. I think all statues have holes in them to varying degrees in order to essentially act as an escape valve for air to escape when fluctuations occur between the temperature and pressure.

In terms of the paint, the left eye on my Mario was a tad sloppy but I personally forgive those types of flaws because it's not noticeable enough for me.

I think you have a very strong point though with Yoshi's tail. That looks like the resin itself had issues and on to of that the paint and finish was done poorly. I'm surprised they didn't offer you a partial refund for his tail. That definitely looks like a legit cosmetic defect, especially that crack line.

I think out of my 8 F4F statues that I own, I had to report defects on 4 of them. Each time I was able to get a replacement.

If I ended up receiving the statue that you did and I was only given a full refund option, I'd probably take it. The tail is too big of an eyesore for it's price. The rest I personally am totally fine with. But good luck with whatever you do. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. It really does feel like these things are total hit or misses.
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Old 12-09-2020, 09:50 AM   #3
ereyi
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joyfi2 View Post
I think I own 8 F4F statues. They all have holes in them like that. I think all statues have holes in them to varying degrees in order to essentially act as an escape valve for air to escape when fluctuations occur between the temperature and pressure.
Thanks for the your input, it is greatly appreciated.
The issue of the holes is an interesting one. You are actually the first to confirm that you have holes in your statues. Like I said in the original post, I have been collecting for about 11 years now with well over 20 statues from many different companies and not a single one has had a hole in it until this Mario and Yoshi statue and mind you it is only on Yoshi and his Egg but not Mario. And it is interesting that you should confirm that it has something to do with pressure because from my own work with resin I have never encountered an issue with "pressure" building up or fluctuating during the curing process as resins cure using an exothermic chemical reaction which realeases heat as far as I know. The holes seem to me to be imperfections caused by trapped air in the resin mix. Now I have seen some resin mixtures cured in a pressure chamber to try to force out as much air from the resin mix as possible and the few bubbles that get pushed to the outside would definitely cause these types of holes but I don't think that they are deliberate or a normal part of a good casting. I for one would consider them an inperfection and if they are in a noticeable place I would say they are unacceptable and regardless of how they occur, these holes are really such an easy fix if they are filled before the paint is applied so it seems almost lazy for a company not to fill the holes. Either way, thank you very much for the response.
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Old 12-09-2020, 10:44 AM   #4
ereyi
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Update:
I got an actual phone call from a very agreeable F4F rep just a few hours after having posted this issue. I found it very impressive for a company to reach out this way and speaking to an actual person really helped to resolve these issues. I was relieved to see that F4F has not lowered their customer service standards and that the original response I got was not representative of the company opinion. After going over the my concerns with this new rep I have been offered a replacement of the Yoshi and Mario. We did still disagree about the holes as F4F insists that is it normal for all statues to have small holes in them and I continue to beleive that holes are fixable QC issues but nevertheless I am very happy with the way this was resolved.
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Old 12-09-2020, 11:51 AM   #5
gra007
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Glad to hear you're happy with how it was resolved. I checked and my Yoshi has the hole between his spines as well. I got the Regular Edition though, so I didn't get the egg.

It seems like your new one will probably still have that little hole, but I've had mine for awhile and didn't even notice it. I think in time you'll be able to appreciate the statue even if it's there, it's a wonderful piece!
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Old 12-09-2020, 12:27 PM   #6
First4Figures
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Sorry to hear about the issues that your Mario and Yoshi arrives with him, but happy that your case is being resolved to your satisfaction. We strive to always take care of our fans and make sure that no one ever gets stuck with a statue that they aren’t happy with.
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Old 12-09-2020, 01:09 PM   #7
eternalblue02
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My Bowser had a hole under the EX flame to vent air/heat as did other collectors here. I’ve got a bunch of F4F pieces. QC paint issues, scuffs and smudges are my most common issues. Usually I can fix them myself but their customer service has been decent. They’re definitely asking for more on their refunds but I’m glad they’re working with you.
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Old 12-09-2020, 01:43 PM   #8
AsianJedi
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I was just going to say that my Bowser had a hole in the flame too as it seems that F4F pieces are the only ones that has this. However, I've been collecting F4F pieces for awhile and have over 20+ of their pieces and they've recently been having these holes with their larger pieces, along with some really spotty paint job. Bowser's paint job was not pretty either. I have yet to inspect my Mario and Yoshi. Lucky Cat and Tanooki Mario did not have these issues, but they are much smaller.

Quote:
Originally Posted by eternalblue02 View Post
My Bowser had a hole under the EX flame to vent air/heat as did other collectors here. I’ve got a bunch of F4F pieces. QC paint issues, scuffs and smudges are my most common issues. Usually I can fix them myself but their customer service has been decent. They’re definitely asking for more on their refunds but I’m glad they’re working with you.
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Old 12-09-2020, 04:34 PM   #9
eternalblue02
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AsianJedi View Post
I was just going to say that my Bowser had a hole in the flame too as it seems that F4F pieces are the only ones that has this. However, I've been collecting F4F pieces for awhile and have over 20+ of their pieces and they've recently been having these holes with their larger pieces, along with some really spotty paint job. Bowser's paint job was not pretty either. I have yet to inspect my Mario and Yoshi. Lucky Cat and Tanooki Mario did not have these issues, but they are much smaller.
My Bowser's paint rubbed off his left arm from the styrofoam. Alucard has a scuff on his boot, thankfully its on the black and not noticeable. Eggman had a mark on his leg and there was some grey caca on his base. Simon, Snake and Mantis came perfect, hopefully Dracula and Mega Man will too. F4F has definitely come a long way and I do appreciate the drop test videos they do.
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Old 12-09-2020, 04:52 PM   #10
AsianJedi
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Agreed. My Bowser also had some paint rub off on the right hand. Simon, Snake, Mantis, and Alucard came perfect for me. I didn't even have the ammo box issue with Snake that many people had. Hopefully, Dracula, Mega Man and Kait Diaz come with no issues. F4F has definitely come a long ways, especially in their Metroid and Zelda lines too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by eternalblue02 View Post
My Bowser's paint rubbed off his left arm from the styrofoam. Alucard has a scuff on his boot, thankfully its on the black and not noticeable. Eggman had a mark on his leg and there was some grey caca on his base. Simon, Snake and Mantis came perfect, hopefully Dracula and Mega Man will too. F4F has definitely come a long way and I do appreciate the drop test videos they do.
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