My NEW Side Rod.

[racprops]

Here is an interesting story behind my newest upgrade to my Blade Runner Blaster.

First let me show you the new side rod. See Below:

I had felt that my old side rod was not as good as the Tomenosuke Pro which was a nicely machined aluminum part, at least until I looked at one closed up.

OMG They copied my rod. AND they copied my mistakes (again).

First it was my cocking lever with the same incorrect markings from a newer model Steyr, now it was the gap between the side cuts, they copied my way too wide spacing. Then they did the diamond pattern too crispy and the wrong size.

So I ordered a new set made at a local machine shop. I ordered 10 full sized and 12 oversized for making a new mold from.

I waited a few months to get them and they were ready a day before Jackie was to come home from her surgery.

So I paid for them with a credit card and set them aside for a few days before I looked at them.

When I did I was very upset. They had done them wrong. I gave them a full mechanical 3 view drawing very precise and the copy of my old side rod and one from the Tomenosuke Pro kit to help them see what the drawings were about.

Funny as the got the diamond pattern dead right and the side and mounting holes also dead on, BUT they then did the wide space between the groves JUST like my old one and Tomenosuke Pro version…DARN.

I called and complained and was asked to send pictures and a revised drawing of the mistakes and they would redo them.

I did the above, and waited a week.

Then I was told by the owner to forget it. To take a hike..to get lost.

So I called my credit card company and they did a charge back.

I was so glad to get my $600.00 back; IF I had any idea Jackie was going to be sick I would never have placed that order. But I honored the payment and got the parts from them none the less.

The owner backhanded me a Christmas present of $600.00.

At this point I was going over the full 22 side rods to see if there was any way I could fix them and found that all 10 standard sized rods were all wrong.

BUT out of the 12 oversized rods three were VERY close and a forth was nearly as good as the three.

I don’t know IF at the last four the guy running them off relished he had done almost the whole run wrong and corrected these last four, or it was just another mistake.

None the less I was then able to take them to my spin casting mold maker and had a mold made and not have a much better side rod and it ended up costing me nothing.

IF the shop owner had been willing to talk I would have at least paid for these four rods.

But he said take a hike.

So all my current in production models, all Silver Ghosts, all the next run of standard blasters and the plastic kits will get these new better side rods.


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I never have enough time to do all I want to do!

[hirohawa]

Looks great!

[joberg]

Very nice indeed