Questions on this type of kit

[RustyNail123]

What is this all about? How are these things so cheap? I guess because of the cheap material? I can’t even make out if the kit includes planks? 

[Jim Lad]

There are dozens (maybe hundreds) of these available on eBay.  All from China; all stupidly cheap.  Probably pirated and undoubtedly of very poor quality.  My advice would be to stay well away and spend your money on a kit from a reputable retailer.

 

John

[RustyNail123]

Gotcha. Yea there is no way I would buy that lol. I was just looking through eBay for something totally different and it popped up in my suggestion feed. I guess because I’ve been looking at ships models on eBay , but the “real” deal. 😉  

[ccoyle]

Also, see this topic on pirated (i.e. intellectual property theft) kits. This is a continuously evolving issue with many complicated origins and interwoven plot strands, but MSW is working hard behind the scenes to help ensure that designers can fairly profit from their work -- even designers in China. BTW, some of the promo photos for the Chine knock-offs -- including possibly the one you screen captured -- don't even show a finished model made from the kit; oftentimes it's a cut-and-pasted photo of the same subject built from a different kit or from scratch.

[RustyNail123]

Wow that’s crazy. So it’s hit the ship world too 😡. This is a cancer that has hurt the figure world for years. Hate to hear it creeping in this historic hobby ☹️

[mitbok]

Could also be a scam, never mind piracy - you want get anything at all.  Similar to bunch of 18$ Trumpeter kits on Ebay that usually cost over a 100$

[BLACK VIKING]

Stear well clear of this rubbish a friend of mine got one and all it was good for was lighting a fire. Total rubbish 

Martyn

[ccoyle]

50 minutes ago, RustyNail123 said:

This is a cancer that has hurt the figure world for years.

Yes, it is particularly harmful to esoteric, niche hobbies. Apple and Gucci will still make their money when faced with illegal competition, but mom & pop hobby suppliers are a different story.

[mtaylor]

Yes, there are a lot of scammer out there.   Looking at the posted ad, the price itself sets off alarm bells.  It could be a scam or it just could be really tiny... but my money is on "scam".

[Jack H]

The postage for my express delivery from China to the United States is $26, which is the price obtained through the freight forwarder, including the agent's customs clearance fee, but this is the price of 500g, more than this weight, $6 per 500g. Then I have to send the package to the agent. The total price is $30. It's hard for me to imagine that the kit costs only $13.14 and includes postage. 

 

There used to be a micro model kit in China's market, but it's only a cross-section model. The price is about $26, but the postage in China will not exceed $1.50.

 

So....

[RustyNail123]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I assure you that I am not going to buy such a kit, just curious because I didn’t realize such a thing existed as far the wood ship hobby goes. It’s been going on in the figure hobby now for years.