Repair or return?

Very hard decision.  Are they BTO and not in stock anywhere? You risk doing more damage in shipping and then not having any recourse but to return as they may not have sufficient parts if damaged in shipping.  If worth risk, I’d return as the mfg will never know there are issues and never fix unless the consumer votes with their wallet. I’m sure others will dissent, especially apologists on how a certain mfg can do no wrong and we tinkerers need to be able to fix $2000 products ourselves and assume wrong colors, broken parts, spelling mistakes, inconsistent lettering location, etc. are just an expected part of this hobby.

I hear ya, but ...

Most of us over the last 125 years, having been taught so well by this hobby we all know and love to use our hands and heads for most of what we do, are tinkerers.  So we fix things.  It's just part of the hobby and, taking even bad things in stride, we just do it.

Non-tinkerers send them back, and all too frequently get all bent out of shape about it.

Q1: Do tinkerers frequently counteract the manufacturers' quality control processes by accepting these bad things and fixing them ourselves?  Yes, unfortunately.

Q2: Does this drive many non-tinkerers nuts?  Yes, definitely.

Which is right?  Which is best for the hobby?

Which are you?

Mike

BTW -- It matters not how expensive the item is.

If it was me I would send Lionel Service a email with your pictures and ask if they would send the railings to you.

If those parts are plastic and your glueing to plastic to plastic I would use Micro Mark Professional Plastic Welder...any metal on metal or metal on plastic I would use thin mix super glue and then hit the bonded parts with super glue accelerator.

@Mark Storer 101917 posted:

If those parts are plastic and your glueing to plastic to plastic I would use Micro Mark Professional Plastic Welder...any metal on metal or metal on plastic I would use thin mix super glue and then hit the bonded parts with super glue accelerator.

Thank you Mark that is good to know. Opted to fix it myself. Lots of thin plastic detail on these cars, I hate to put them in the mail again. Plastic on plastic in this instance- I’ll have to pick up some Micro Mark plastic weld. I tried the testors plastic weld this afternoon, initial impression was not great.. was holding, barely. I’ll have to see how it feels in the morning