Cheapie Chinese kits?

[Brewerpaul]

While looking for a first time kit, I came across tons of VERY inexpensive (<$20) wood ship model kits from China. I stayed away from them because what seems too good to be true probably is...

I'm curious if anyone here has actually built one of these? How did it come out?
I'm hoping to win an eBay auction for a solid hull Scientific Dos Amigos kit as a starter, but I was thinking that if I contemplate a planked ship in the future, these ultra inexpensive Chinese kits might be a decent way to learn to plank without ruining a better quality kit.

[bruce d]

Hello Paul,

I suggest you read is:

 

It is a serious subject and an informative thread.

 

Regards,

Bruce

[reklein]

Not only the ship model kits. My cousin ordered shoes online from a Chinese company and they were BAD. Cheap materials and workmanship and not like the ads pictured. Sad.

[ccoyle]

Any kit under $20, regardless of point of origin, is bound to be a highly-simplified, toy-like project.

[BLACK VIKING]

Stay well clear of these cheep and nasty kits it would actually cost more for just the wood for the planks let alone all the rest of the stuff at $20 .

Martyn

 

[Ebomba]

just a suggestion but if you want to learn how to plank you might look at the NRG half hall planking project you get a basic education in how a POB ship is built and a great planking education by Toni it really is a learning experience and a fun project and if you have questions help is just a click away

 

Best

Ed

[Brewerpaul]

Thanks-- I'll navigate away from those kits. I don't want any pirated ships, as it were....

[modeller_masa]

Don't buy them. I was a victim of their strategy.

 

They just cut one piece of full kit from western companies into small pieces, and sell the hands and legs of the kit as 'enhanced parts'. If you buy the $20 kit, you will definitely regret because guns and anchors are wooden sticks. If you buy all of the enhanced parts, it costs more than the original kit they stole.

 

Economically, ethically, legally wrong decision.

[mtaylor]

Modeller_masa, I can't like your post enough.

[modeller_masa]

3 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

Modeller_masa, I can't like your post enough.

I bought the pirate kit when I was building the first kit an year ago. I didn't know this forum at that time, and the first time I read the post about banned makers was when I joined this community last month.

 

It is common that South Koreans buy chinese products from aliexpress, and I also found the kit when I was researching the next ship. As a consequence, I had to buy additional parts at $100 after I purchased the skeleton $20 kit. Unfortunately, SK modellers communities are super thin, and most people don't know about pirate issue. Only a few communities banned posting the pirate kit of 'GUNDAM', which is the most famous modeller's hobby in SK. When I bought the pirate kit, and was frustrated by the splitting sales strategy, some of modellers were building one of the pirate kits. At last, I stopped to make the kit because of horrible wood quality. It stinks really bad like strong chemicals.

 

That's my story. I think I need to spread about the pirate story to SK modellers. I'll translate the article and let people know what brands are wrong and why they shouldn't make the mistake I did.

 

[mtaylor]

We do have a list of pirate companies (see below) who's kits are banned from MSW.  I hope this might help you get the word out about them.

 

[Brewerpaul]

On 1/28/2020 at 11:38 AM, Ebomba said:

just a suggestion but if you want to learn how to plank you might look at the NRG half hall planking project you get a basic education in how a POB ship is built and a great planking education by Toni it really is a learning experience and a fun project and if you have questions help is just a click away

 

Best

Ed

Where would I find that project.

An off topic question as long as we're talking about planking. I'm currently on my first wooden ship,which is a cross section of the Constitution. In that short hull section,planking was easy, with no cutting,fitting or bending. I already have my next project;as a recent transplant to Maryland, I bought a used Pride Of Baltimore II online from eBay. Looking it over it looks like a terrific kit but I already have questions. Would it be a good idea to start a build log for the POB now and ask some of those questions even though I won't start the kit for several months at least?

[ccoyle]

6 minutes ago, Brewerpaul said:

Where would I find that project.

Here.

 

Cheers!

[mikegr]

Buying a 10€ cheap kit for practicing on planking seems a good idea. Of course the outcome result won't be impressive, cheap quality wood etc. But even buying a book is more expensive and you won't get any practice which is the real thing.