A while back, I made the 1/6th scale master pattern for the Vincent Black Shadow. I decided because of its "sculpted nature I would make the engine cases in Ureol, a plastic modelling board now beloved of pattern makers. As it's plastic of a sort, it would need to be put in low temperature silicon moulds with no pressure.
What I eventually got back from Griffin Moulds in Birmingham was a bag of Ureol dust with some bits of brass and photo-etching. No e-mail, no apologetic phone call, no letter of explanation. Instead they actually sent me an invoice!!! I told them, naturally, to go to Hell. Whether the client paid them I don't know. But I have had to remake the model. And in brass, so there is no crap about which moulds to use. All I asked for was that they used a deeper than usual silicon mould for the Ureol parts. This they clearly never did, but just stupidly banged the plastic into a high temperature, high pressure, vulcanising black rubber mould. And never found the guts to admit it. They instead got their female apologist to contact me for money.
Now I am very anti violence to women, but if a woman agrees to do a man's job, I'll treat them as a man, so don't get all defensive on me love. If your stupid company fuck up and you defend them, I will treat you as a stupid man. I've heard nothing since!
It turns out that with little exception I could approach the model in brass, as essentially plates and wrappers with some detailing parts.
And so, 15 hours later we are here and all is doing well. With luck we should meet the launch date of April as planned, no thanks to the incompetence of Griffin Moulds. It's a shame, as Griffin had done some good work for Slot Rally GB, for whom I did all their masters, but suddenly they screwed us badly.
Here's the right hand side replacement, prior to clean up:-
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