Fricking hell, you lot aren't kidding, my Lambda had serious issues.. In the end I had to pry it apart with 5 screwdrivers (as it was seriously glued), remove a lot of the pivot system with a scalpel and clippers (having to put a pin in one of the pivots that broke during the prying apart stage. Then rebend everything back to the correct curve. re-glue back together. drill and pin between the top and the bottom sections to stop them seperating, file back the pin heads, mix up putty and smooth over the slight gap and the pin holes.

However I think it's more or less there, after it's had the night to dry, I'll probably smooth it down a tiny bit more and start the repaint.

Can we see a pic of it on its peg/base, I'm curious if the wings make contact with the table surface fully extended.

I just picked up my shuttle and I am disappointed. I think I am going to modify my Halmark ornimant and use it instead. I paid less for it, the wings are perfect, the paint job is better and it plays the imperial march

Got my 2 last night. Neither one worked well. Eventually got one worked in and functioning today, but still haven't been able to pry it fully apart yet to fix the gaposis in the fuselage side.

I got mine yesterday, and the "pinch" trick written in an other thread worked out well for me!

To update my earlier post, the pinch trick was only a temporary solution for me. I had to force the wings back into the landing position, and I have to pinch them again to get them unfolded properly.

It's better than nothing, but I really wish I could permanently fix it.

Well I cant se myself folding an unfolding the wings so often actually.

When not in play I have my fleet standing in my boardgame Billy bookcase.

(but ofcourse an permanent solution would be graeat)

The hull is easily separated once you apply pressure to the wings. I will lokk closer at what can be done to fix the wing issue with the shuttle taken apart later if I can.

ACK!!! is THAT what happens when you put Vader on the Shuttle and use his ability?!

OK... I give up, the wings scrape the chassis removing any paint so I'm just pinning it in the flying position, which is where you are going to have it 90% of the time... the Back fin can be removed so it's still easy to store.

"Pinch method" worked perfect for me! Thanks looks great now

Yeah I noticed that trying to get my wings into the proper position was opening the seams on the side of my shuttle. Sent in a replace or repair request a few days ago, haven't heard anything yet.

I had the "pinch" method working fine, except this pried open the side of the fuselage. Unfortunately that really bugged me, so drastic measures called for.

The body came apart after a lot of prying with an exacto knife and tweezers. The resin is really brittle, I don't know if it is worse due to the paint stripping*. So there will be a fairly major rebuild needed as part of the wing brackets broke off although I wasn't pressuring those. I've trimmed down the marked areas on the wing stubs so travel looks OK. Although it would be fairly easy to rebuild with the wings in fixed position I really want them to fold up for storage.

*Star Wars ships are supposed to look lived in, but there is no way that Darth's shuttle would look anything less than "gleaming".

I had the "pinch" method working fine, except this pried open the side of the fuselage. Unfortunately that really bugged me, so drastic measures called for.

The body came apart after a lot of prying with an exacto knife and tweezers.

My shuttle was in pretty bad shape: wings wouldn't come down fully even with the "pinch" method and the wash is extremely streaky all over. I love the model but the quality control is below average on mine.

I spent an hour last night trying to pry the body apart and it wasn't happening. Got the front pins out but the back 2 pins are welded together as far as I'm concerned. If I use any more force, the body is going to crack in half before those pins are coming out. Extremely frustrating.

I'm giving it a Simple Green bath now. I planned to repaint it anyway and I'm hoping it helps with the glue in the rear pins.

Actually, are the pins inside the body even glued together at all? Or is the body just snapped together?

My shuttle was in pretty bad shape: wings wouldn't come down fully even with the "pinch" method and the wash is extremely streaky all over. I love the model but the quality control is below average on mine.

I had the "pinch" method working fine, except this pried open the side of the fuselage. Unfortunately that really bugged me, so drastic measures called for.

The body came apart after a lot of prying with an exacto knife and tweezers.

I spent an hour last night trying to pry the body apart and it wasn't happening. Got the front pins out but the back 2 pins are welded together as far as I'm concerned. If I use any more force, the body is going to crack in half before those pins are coming out. Extremely frustrating.

I'm giving it a Simple Green bath now. I planned to repaint it anyway and I'm hoping it helps with the glue in the rear pins.

Actually, are the pins inside the body even glued together at all? Or is the body just snapped together?

My pins were glued, as was the back edge. Definately not just snap fit. And yeah, it took a lot of effort, if I hadn't already seen this thread I would have chickened out before getting it open!

The forward two pins basically snapped off still in the sockets, again the material feels different to the other ships I've got. All pins and the edges will superglued so no lasting harm.

BTW simple green didn't do anything for me, I used brake fluid. A word of advice though, cover up the flight stand socket first.

My pins were glued, as was the back edge. Definately not just snap fit. And yeah, it took a lot of effort, if I hadn't already seen this thread I would have chickened out before getting it open!

The forward two pins basically snapped off still in the sockets, again the material feels different to the other ships I've got. All pins and the edges will superglued so no lasting harm.

BTW simple green didn't do anything for me, I used brake fluid. A word of advice though, cover up the flight stand socket first.

Yup, that sounds like my experience exactly. I also probably wouldn't have messed with it either. The pics in this thread with the body just "popping " off couldn't be farther from my experience.

Bummer to hear about Simple Green. I have my shuttle in a SG bath right now.

I've used acetone on metal models in the past and will definitely do the trick to superglue but I'm guessing it will also melt the plastic.

Hi all,

i have been reading the comments so far and i realy dont know why you dont all contact FFG and complane? surely if enough of you did this and requested a refund, as is your right as a customer if within 6 months you do not have satifactory use from it you are by law entitled to a replacement or your money back, FFG would have to fix this problem.

After all we pay good money for thier product so why should we put up with bent guns , warped wings and other dodgie bits, we should not have to spend our time fixing that which should be fixed??

After attacking with the knife and re-supergluing, the lambda is back together with repaired wings which now function as they should (drop down to correct position), and slide up again for storage, without deforming the seams. I will cover the gaps and minor damage and start the undercoat spray today. By the time I'm done the ship will be literally better than new.

I suspect the lambda wing issue will be resolved with a reprint, the way modern X-Wings are superior models to those when the game came out. I'm not complaining because:

a) I'm fairly experienced with miniatures, so this wasn't a particularly big modelling/repairing challenge, although if I had been new at this...I just wouldn't have known where to start.

b) Since I was going to strip and repaint it anyway, it is even less of a pain.

c) It looks like this problem is universal. So it's not like FFG or my distributor could just give me a better one off the shelf. Best they could really do is give me my money back, and I don't want that, I want my shuttle.

d) I'm in the UK. Even getting these ships through normal channels is a long and painful process - one distributor went belly up (with my money) the first time I ordered Wave 2 during the wait. Although FFG has a sterling reputation for customer service it isn't worth the hassle of doing this from thousands of miles away. I'm missing one peg from a small ship from my Wave 3 order as well and have no way of replacing it - annoying but not fatal.

I couldn't get mine to work properly without rubbing really badly against the hull, so in the end I just pinned it in position and repainted mine.

Dammit! I broke mine trying to fix it

Anyone interested in some cheap Lambda scrap parts?

That looks awesome! Is the paint scheme from the EU or your own creation? Does the writing mean anything?

[edit - need to look at other thread...]

And I love that TIE with the logo.

Dammit! I broke mine trying to fix it

Anyone interested in some cheap Lambda scrap parts?

Surely not beyond fixing ? If nothing else glue the wings in place.

That looks awesome! Is the paint scheme from the EU or your own creation? Does the writing mean anything?

[edit - need to look at other thread...]

And I love that TIE with the logo.

The colour scheme is not based on an image in the EU, but is based around the idea of being a shuttle linked to a elite unit of the Empire, the Shadow Guard. Who are a bit like the Royal Guard with basic force powers.

Ok,

My shuttle has the same issue, but the pinch method seems to work to 95% deployed, with a little bit of hull separation

Attempted to separate the hull to shave off the wing flanges, that resulted in slicing open my thumb to the bone. First blood to the shuttle before I even played a game with it.

I am going to put up with what I've got.

You know, the phrase "always cut away from your body" applies to your fingers as well.

The word for this kind of thing is "Figmata".

It's a rite of passage for any modeller. Bonus points if you have to go to hospital!

The word for this kind of thing is "Figmata".

It's a rite of passage for any modeller. Bonus points if you have to go to hospital!

Do you get extra points if you spend the day converting models with a scalpel and a saw, and then cut the tip of your thumb off while cutting bread for your dinner? (also if the hospital just glues it back on with Loctite?)