meng has apparently branched itself from model making into the AB manufacturing as well. their AB (which looks almost exactly like iwata HP-CS btw) is a first for them, which i find a bit... presumptuous. it won't be a first for a model company to go into the tools/AB field (like Tamiya) - but still, even tamiya which makes great stuff, isn't really a house-hold name when it comes to AB. maybe I'm a bit skeptic, but it just hard for me to see them making a quality AB, and still keep the momentum they have created and their kits up to the bar they have set.

what d'you guys think?

They probably farm-out their hardware line to tool maker companies. For instance, I was looking at a particular tool in Tamiya packaging, which cost $X; an IDENTICAL tool, from it's original producer cost half as much. Pretty sure it was the same tool - different packaging - higher price.

Why? As a relative newcomer to the market they have made a huge impact and quickly gained a reputation for quality. Why would introducing an AB impact their other products? I find that comment very presumptuous

Meng isn't getting into MAKING AB. It's getting into MARKETING someone's already-available AB re-branded as a Meng. It's legit as a business practice and lots of companies re-brand and market OEM stuff. It's a great way to quick-start an accessory line to support your larger brand, and Meng, with a growing rep for good models, could capitalize off bringing out some key support tools that could make them more of a go-to one-stop shop. The key point for Meng in this deal is... Have they 'chosen wisely" in selecting the OEM products they want to market under the Meng label? Someone will have to get one and carefully review it to answer whether they did, or didn't, do their rebranding homework right.

I would HOPE that Meng has indeed seconded a good AB- it could be a black mark against the larger company's rep among what is really a fairly small and strongly-opinionated customer base were they to have gone cheap and crappy with this.

Just my opinion, of course!

Bob

I'll tell an interesting story. My LHS had a visit from the Tamiya reps about six months ago; a rare thing. The only other line they were concerned about was Meng! Quite a compliment to Meng. And if you read their material they are very well organized as a coompany; I would buy stock in them if I could. No surprise on the AB, and I think they have already partnered with AK on the finishing supplies. Like it says, Meng is out to rule the modeling world, and I will vote for them with my hard earned hobby dollars! I'm finishing their Whippet right now and its a great kit; very much the same Zen as Tamiya.

it just seemed to me like spreading themselves too much, but after what panzerbob101 said, that they are just marketing an AB, it does makes more sense to me. if they were making their own AB, i think that that would have an impact on the (relatively new, mind you!) company which could be unfavourable to us (like them finding the cost of making an AB from zero too costly and going out of business).