AA Models
Following from my good friend Joe Caputo's recent posting of an AA models 1/48 Chinese fighter, here are some (not very good) pictures of the AA kits I've found currently advertised on the Chinese website Tabao.com. I think it's fair to say that their logo has been influenced by Tamiya's! These kits are quite cheap, but shipping to another country would probably be expensive...
Hope they are of interest. Thanks. George
There's a reason they're cheap: the closest they come to being "models" of any of the aircraft shown on the boxart is "an approximation" (and not particularly close). You get what you pay for, as the old saying goes.
Reading Tom's comments, I'd agree that the detailing is not to the standard we're used to seeing from other Asian firms, but it hasn't been that long ago that we could say something similar about Academy models. We might have to consider, too, that the models might be produced primarily for the home market and tight purse strings, and for youngsters 8-14 years of age.
Thinking back to when I was that age, I don't think the Aurora models of the day were any better (and pocket-money cheap). If the firm can make enough money in home sales then perhaps thay can invest in better research and technology, and become the next 'Meng' on the block.
I'd stay away from those if I were you...besides, like you said, it'd cost more to ship 'em that it would be to buy 'em. Stick with Tamiya (or similar). My .02
While the Trumpeter model kits for each of those aircraft are considerably more than these kits, each of the Trumpeter kits has been generally found accurate by Those Who Care About These Things, with any necessary corrections being well within the basic skill set of the average modeler. I discovered long ago that if you merely value your time at $10/hour (what used to be the going wage 20 years ago for a model maker in Hollywood when such existed), you'll discover that the more expensive kit with the fewer problems is actually "less expensive" than the cheaper kit with the multiplicity of problems. Not to mention, the kit with the fewer problems has a significantly better chance of ending up completed on your model shelves, rather than being consigned half built to the Shelf of Doom, where all investment in it becomes a Loss.
Amen
Thanks George, I really enjoyed seeing the rest of the AA line. Thanks for posting them.