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Mini Hobby Models

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wes
  • Member since
    February 2006
Posted by wes on Sunday, March 26, 2006 10:18 PM
the replies that ive read was helpful, my lhs here in the philippines have stocked mini hobby models, i would say that they are very cheap, the 1/350 pola is being sold at around 350 pesos (7 US dollars based on today's currency exchange) and their 1/700 hornet and arizona are around 5 dollars Big Smile [:D],
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: arizona
Posted by cthulhu77 on Sunday, March 26, 2006 6:33 PM

  All too true...but I loved their PT-815 very much !  It is still one of my favourite builds to do, and at the incredibly low price, worth quite a lot.

             greg

http://www.ewaldbros.com
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Rhode Island
Posted by oz1998 on Sunday, March 26, 2006 4:21 PM

Ed's response hit the nail on the head about the MiniHobby Model kits. I recently built the MiniHobby Models 1/350 Prince of Wales. It did build up into a very nice model, but I did have to do some extra work with the fit on some of the parts and replace some of the more "clunkier" pieces. You can really tell the difference with some of the smaller pieces when compared side by side to it's Tamiya counterpart.

Ted

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Mansfield, TX
Posted by EdGrune on Saturday, March 25, 2006 12:48 PM

MiniHobby Models is a sister company to Trumpeter.   Both are owned by the Wasan Moulding Company.   MiniHobby Models (MHM) seems to have developed the reputation for doing clones of others work while Trumpeter does the original projects.   Some of Trumpeter's early works were crude but their reputation has been steadily rising.  

MHM's products are mostly scattershot.   Their 1:700 USS Hornet and Enterprise were 1:1 copies of the Tamiya versions.  The suffered from soft raised details and yawning ravines of engraved details.  The only good thing was the price -- less than half that of the Tamiya.   But the question is how much is your time worth in correcting such flaws?

The MHM Tirpitz/Bismarck are again clones of the Tamiya with softer details.  The MHM 1:350 Enterprise is another clone, but it is a bit better quality - but not as good as the original.

In 2001, Wasan produced the 1:350 USS Arizona.  It was a re-engineered version of the box scale Revell.   It had some improvements yet introduced flaws of its own.   The original batch were sold under the Banner label.  This was before the Trumpeter brand started to flourish.  Perhaps they thought better of the name (as in Red Banner?).   Now you will see that exact kit in MHM boxes.

The MHM small Arizona is essentially a pantograph down of their big version.  It fixes some of the problems with the old small Revell kit - but has other problems of its own.

Essentially, MHM is the low price/low quality brand of Trumpeter.   Thank the gift giver. Enjoy the build for what it is.  Go into the model knowing about the manufacturer and don't get wrapped around the axle on accuracy or details. 

Caveat Emptor

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
Mini Hobby Models
Posted by SNOOPY on Saturday, March 25, 2006 12:03 PM

Any opinion on the company, MiniHobby Models from China?  I got one of their models last Christmas and have not gotten around to building it.  I was just wondering if anyone knows the quality of these models.  I do not want to start any thing right now if it is going to be a pain in the @#$.  Spring is coming and R/C flying will consume my time until Fall.  Any information will be helpful.

 

-Scott

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