Nikonov Submarine by ZHL

Yes. They are industrial kit pirates out of China that steals other manufacturers' kits and markets them as their own after some repackaging. Modelshipworld has branded them as pirates and won't allow any threads of builds of their kits.

I will not touch them.

Bill Morrison

As Bill said, ZHL is a notorious purveyor of knock-off model kits based on western designs. Definitive evidence of ZHL's theft of intellectual property can be read in this article published by the Nautical Research Guild. ZHL is on the list of banned dealers maintained at Model Ship World. Be advised, not all modeling communities share MSW's stance on protecting intellectual property -- ZHL has many defenders who do not truthfully represent what the company does, i.e. prey on the work of others, thus depriving them of the fruit of their labors.

As you may notice, this is my first post to this community, and yes -- I feel strongly enough about the kit piracy problem to register here just to spread the message: don't buy from model kit pirates like ZHL.

Cheers.

  Well said, Bill.

Bob,

Thanks!  ZHL is one of the worst pirates out of China.  I have looked at their website at several of their kits. They don't even hide the fact that the instructions in them actually include phrases that credit the kits to different manufacturers, such as those that mention that, "This Caldercraft kit . . .".  They are shameless!

Bill

The following is from am Intellectual Property attorney regarding the person purchasing products violating copyrighted materials.    If the purchaser purchased the product knowing it was infringing, then yes they are in violation.  Also If the person who purchased it decided to resell it, then yes.     If there was no knowledge (the facts usually show whether there was actual or purported knowledge), then perhaps not. If you are the purchaser, then you should seek counsel regarding your specific situation. 

If my property was stolen and it was difficult to sue ZHL, I would go after one or two purchasers as an example to ward off further theft.

Allan

Thanks for the heads up, saved again by fines sale modeler

Anyone know who makes a legitimate kit, I see so many on line I don't know who to trust

Hi!

      You know you are right on with this. Pirated Kits are a Nightmare! Why? Well, if you're a small company and these thieves were to steal one of your Models and make it a kit of theirs, they are taking money right out of your and your employees pocket.

 Even if you are say Revell, A pirate could definitely affect the bottom line, resulting in layoffs and possibility of non-viability on the market place for the Brand. So it's outright Intellectual and Commercial Piracy!

So, do youi have the names of other pirate companies we should be on the lookout for?  I have only ordered one kit from someone in China and that was the USS Salem.

Hello!

Here is the list of Banned Kit Manufacturers on the Model Ship World site (Note: I do not intend to infringe on any copywrited material from the Nautical Research Guild or Model Ship World site, just posting for information's sake). The topic link: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/24714-banned-kit-manufacturers-on-msw-pirated-kits-prohibited/ 

ZHL

RealTS 

Snail Model

XinFeng 

Crown
JD Model 
LHQK

Huasong 

Shi Cheng 

woodenkit (Russian MFG)
YengFan 
Unicorn Model 
YQ (YaunQing)

Master

CN

CF

shi hai

4H Model

Moxing

Microcosm

WN

SC

DUJIAOSHOU

Thank you for posting that info. Its to bad that there are people out there doing this. 

Tanker,

Very well said!

Bill

I'm interested in this kit but have been unable to find the genuine manufacturer, does anyone know who that would be ?

Or even a link ?

Mark