Hi Everybody (said in the best Dr Nick accent),

Just cruising evilbay and came across this store in Portugal. It has a lot of nice looking Vietnam kit. Has anyone bought or used any of these products? I like the look of the Zodiac and the PDF CD looks very promising.

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Cheers, John

On a side note; the site is Australian, not Portugese. And, neither the selection or prices are that great.

No, can't say that I have. His profile looks okay and all the feedback I read on him is positive.

Might as well give him a try.

Steve

So can you explain why "All packages are shipped via normal airmail through CTT - Portuguese National Company" ?

Frenchy

Nope....

It is e-bay Australia, but the seller is in Portugal

Hi Matt.

Its funny that you think the prices are a bit steep cause to me they are about normal for what I would pay for 90% of AM kit here in Australia. There are some exceptions but even most of our home grown AM suppliers are exy. Part and parcel for an island Continent that has to import pretty much everything from overseas for this hobby. Especially for the AM blokes. Resin and Silicon isn't cheap here. The nice touch is the free postage which is a lot better than the minimum US$30.00 I have to pay to get kit from most suppliers in the US, of course there are some exceptions.
I just like the fact that it is solely Vietnam and not from the usual producers. But you are correct, the selection is limited.

Cheers, John

Often happens for me also .... I usually go into Ebay.UK, but for some reason it ends up as Ebay.Aus after a purchase or a search, with prices in Australian dollars.

Wonder what Osprey think about him selling burned DVDs containing 50 of their books scanned in PDF format, and selling them?

Thanks Frank.
I was a bit worried about that one too and that was the first thing that crossed my mind. It would be a very handy tool but I'm a bit worried about the copyright issue. Before I buy it I'll ask about that first. If it's not kosher than I'll pass

Cheers, John

I guess this could apply to some resin items as well :



Andrea's "Sat Cong Mission Vietnam" set #S6S01 :


and this seller explains that "All resin models are recast with the finest materials and feature ease of assembly with minimal clean up, perfect for beginners as well as experts"......

Frenchy

Could be Frenchy. Although the work on the Andrea's Zodiac looks more refined and crisper especially with the ribbing and the rope looks different in styling. Having said that some of the detail may have been reworked and or lost during the recasting. I am starting to wonder though now. Being as this is on ebay and it has been known for pirate knock offs to be sold this way.
I have sent a question to the shop via ebay about the PDF CD just to inquire about the issue Frank highlighted. Will be interesting to see if I get a response.

Cheers, John

John I am all for a bargain but this guy looks to be making profit from other peoples work (Piracy in other words). If you buy them I can't stop you but don't be surprised if they fail to live up to your expectations.

Well I got a reply.
The bloke was very helpful and advised that they were downloaded from the web as PDF Files. He is only charging for the cost of burning and supplying the disc.

I had a look myself and he is correct. They ARE available as a download from various sites which give you the option of waiting anywhere between 14mins to 30mins to download or if you pay for their service you can do it in a minute.

I provide this link as an example only.

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This Gentleman also said that if it is for my own use for modelling or research then it should be okay. If however I intend to sell it I could be in trouble. So I think I'll pass on this one tempting as it is.

Cheers, John

Hi John

He's spinning you a bunch of crap. So how come he can sell them (pdf's) if you can't ?

Recasting as in Frenchys' post, highlighted in the sellers description, is just that - recast. No legit figure I've ever seen is sold described as "recast".

As for the pdf files on disc. Sure there are many hosting sites on the internet with illegal scanned copies of books to download. You'll find sometimes you download more than you expected though ..... trojans, viruses etc.

Some of the stories about it being okay is based on the fact many book publishers are now selling books in electronic format these days, for use on computers, i-pods, tablets etc. but you'll find them on legit sites and will cost as far as I can see 2/3rds of what the paper version would be.

For personal use not resale is also no get out, still illegal.

It's a shame because whilst as an individual you may initially think you've scored a bargain by buying illegal goods the knock on effect is that many figure manufacturers will simply stop bringing out new figures or cease trading as they see their legitimate profit and investment being "stolen" by re-casters, counterfeiters. So long term its the modeller and the hobby that suffers in the end.

Alan

It is one thing to recast something for your own needs but this guy is making money by selling recasts of other people's work . That makes him a dirtbag. Aren't there international laws against this type of activity? How is his still in business?

Thanks Alan.
You pretty much summed up the impression I was starting to get myself. I along with everyone else like to score a bargain but not at the expense of a legitimate company.
That was the reason I posted this so that I could draw on everyone's experience and knowledge. I am not going to trash this bloke cause he may be quite legit but I am going to use the old discretion is the better part of valor approach. Until I see some positive feedback in regards to this seller I'm not going to make any purchases. Just to be on the safe side.

Cheers, John

This guy is indeed copying other peoples work and violating copyright in different ways. He ordered some items with me and also selling copies of these too. Ebay doesn't do much about that unfortunately. You will find a lot of Verlinden stuff in there aswell. As for the dvd with the books, I have had contact with Osprey and believe me; they're not happy.
If you're about modelling, please stay away from this guy.

Mark

Thanks Mark.
You've confirmed my worst fears. This guy is persona non grata. I had a look at your Mec Models site and he has been ripping you off . I noticed the commercial signs are one and the same. You have some really nice Vietnam kit so I have booked marked your site and once I get out of my WW2 sojourn and back to my favorite period I'll be in touch.

For everyone else, again thank you for your input. I raised this thread so that I could find out some information before committing to buying and I am grateful that I did. I try my best to deal with only legitimate traders and rarely buy After Market kit from ebay for this simple fact and only from Countries I trust such as the US. You have all saved me from making a terrible mistake and supporting a thief. It is through sharing information and experience that we can stamp out skunks like this.

Cheers, John

The correct thing to do is send the link of this site to Osprey and the others whose IPR have been violated.

I would do it, myself if I could still see the link.

Gentilemen, prior to reading this post. I dealt with the person in question. I purchased the Nha Trang Air Base Entry kit. I happen to have "Lincoln County Line's" Modern Era Checkpoint. I told him in an email, that his kit looked exactly like the Modern Checkpoint, minus the other items he added(even provided the kit number). When compared you're looking at a clone of the legit one.
His products are remolded items. I mentioned that a fellow hobbyist. BTW when i mentioned i was a Vietnam Infantry vet, he sent me the Command Bunker free. Of course i haven't dealt with him since. His products have made me want to find some of the old "Lincoln County Line" items.

R.J. Lopes