Below is a statement from Roger Saunders of Hornet. Our hobbies best defense against these sorts of actions is to be informed, so, please disseminate this statement as far as possible.

Fake Hornet heads

"At least one company in China is now mass producing ‘1/35 heads’ and offering them for sale over the internet.

The pictures used are of genuine Hornet heads downloaded from my own site, but the products can only be illegal copies

Hornet does not license reproduction by anyone else.

Copying is a huge and widespread problem that is gradually throttling honest manufacturers, and if their quantities are as stated this one company alone has more stock per item available for sale than I do myself!

Copying on this scale means that the heads have to be remoulded at least twice. Each time an item is remoulded it becomes smaller, distorts slightly and loses detail. A pirated head on a figure tends to look like a pea on a pylon.

Human nature being what it is, some people will find and buy these knock-offs anyway. Eventually complaints will appear on forums that an alleged ‘Hornet head’ is below par and I get hit a second time because it will be said (unfairly) that my standards are slipping.

In your own interest, and mine, please specify only genuine products. And give lots of negative feedback if your purchase turns out not to be!

Roger Saunders (sculptor and owner of Hornet models)

[Hornet & Wolf


Please pass on this message as widely as possible!

With sincere thanks to Johan Putsey for his help."