Hi,

I've been a "silent" but nevertheless loyal member of Armorama for a while now, but after discovering the website of Miniatures Hobby, I feel I should post some comments here :

The Chinese company Miniatures Hobby are Pirates . They counterfeit Hornet heads and Alpine Miniatures figures, and sell these low quality fakes for a lower price.

look here :
[Moderator: removed links so as to not advertise potential fraudulent products, etc.]

I repeat, these are fakes, it's a rip off, so beware !

kind regards,

Hi

You need to report these to the relevant manufacturers, who it seems are the only ones able to put a stop to this kind of thing. Even then it is very hard for them to do so and in reality we must rely on the honesty and integrity of the buying public.

I'll let Roger at at Hornet & Wolf Miniatures and Taesung of Alpine know in the meantime


Alan

You'd want to be very careful with those sorts of comment there mate.

If you have a beef with a manufacturer best take it up with them, posting accusations here is as ineffective as it is inappropriate.

Well I've just looked at the site and its clear, Alpine figures with new reference numbers are being advertised. Hornet heads with new numbers. Otherwise why not advertise them as Alpine, Hornet etc ? They are well known brands, known for quality products that naming them would help in selling the items, not against them.

Alan

You'd want to be very careful with those sorts of comment there mate.

If you have a beef with a manufacturer best take it up with them, posting accusations here is as ineffective as it is inappropriate.

I checked out their site and the prices alone are a giveaway.. They have a Young bust that normally sells for $80.. and they're selling it for $29.95... no way it's an original

Hisham

I've been asked by Roger Saunders of Hornet & Wolf to pass on this statement, as posted on other sites.




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 "



and I quote from the actual web site in question that is shown in the original posters links, under their "How to Order " page

QUOTE

"Most of our miniatures are not original.
So they don't have original colour box,but the kit is high quality,ready to assemble and paint."

If that isn't an admission I don't know what is............

Would be best for the mods to delete the link as well. Although of course the topic here is piracy posting and the link alerts people to the site, it also advertises this scum bags wares and some people will inevitable follow the link, see some cheap hornet heads and buy them.

Arrr, sorry for the double post guys.

What evidence there may or may not be for a potential Copyright Infringement, the OP has made a potentially libellous statement accusing someone of Piracy, which is a very different act.

A smart lawyer would have their client living off your life savings and Kitmakers' advertising revenues quick smart.

All I am saying is that comments need to be tempered somewhat. Sure make a thread but say something like "Hey these look a bit dodgy" rather than leave yourself and the forum organisers open to any ruinous counter claim by making serious accusations.

I do agree that posting the links does maybe give them a bit of advertising but if they are a crappy as you say I guess most of us will give them a miss.

Gents

Mr Roger Saunders and I had emailed the
ISP company, and they promptly disabled the
website.

Thank you all for the support on this matter.

Taesung

Nice to see that there is some success against this growing menace.
J

Anybody that has had ORIGINAL Hornet heads in their hands would know that any cheap copy doesn´t reach the same standard. Pay a bit more & get the best . It goes for other products too.

I'd second that. If I'm honest, the Hornet headsets I have are worth way more than the 7 quid I paid for them, and I often wonder how Mr Saunders can make a living. And Alpine figures similarly, it's really not an enormous amount for such incredible talent (especially when you're prepared to pay £70+ for a Dragon tank)...