Hi guys,
My el cheapo small scale Nina arrived today bought off of Ebay for $22.00 This will be a photo unboxing and impressions review so everyone can see what to expect
from such a cheap kit. Im not going to bash it and compair it to Corel, Mamoli, Sergal, ect as it is not in their league or price ranges. This will be an honest what I think review
based on the price I payed and what I feel I can do with this kit.
Lets start with the box art
Thats always a fun place to begin and thats what catches your eye right.
Its a pretty picture printed out on paper then pasted onto the box. I origonally thought this kit was associated with CAF Models as it says the logo in the top right corner.
Lower right corner says CFShipModel, hmmm... I wonder why that is. So the picture is pretty but the size of the box was a let down but only because Im used to buying much larger,
more expensive kits. Next photo is for scale with my coffee and mouse.
"Itsy bitsy teenie weenie polka dot bikini" plays at full volume in my head as I see the comparison.. lol
Inside the box we are presented with, surprise, some very small parts laser cut in very thin plyboard. However, for as small as they are the cuts are crisp and clean with no warping
evident in any of the ply sheets. A+ for the quality control on this scale and this cheap.
I found their attempt at the deadeyes pretty neat, we'll see how much of a pain they are to shape and rig though.
The decks of course are one peice with printed on plank detail. The thought of some basswood sheet cut into planks to
replace it has crossed my mind and will probably happen.
I was surpised to see some sort of pinrails included as well as gratings and a seperate door on the bottom sheet.
Next we have hull finishing supplies, a bunch of laser cut planks from extremely thin ply, transom/stern piece with finely laser engraved planks. No, it is not ink as I can feel each line
as I run my finger across the piece. I was really expecting much, much worse quality for such a meager price point.
And then we have a god knows what they are supposed to be, but I'll eventually find out
And what kit would be complete without dowling for masts and spars, rigging material in 4 sizes, and then 2 clear plastic anchors? Once painted black and the laser cut
wood parts installed they actually probably wont look too bad. Oh, and we have paper sails? I think thats what they intended.
Now we have a legal size paper with a sail/rigging plan ( kind of ) and a short history of the vessel in English. Note there are 2 small flags on the bottom to cut out and paste on the ship.
Then a one page, 14 step instruction manual, all photos with calls to each of the different sheets of ply and parts in English.
So that is what $22.00 US gets you on Ebay in this year of our lord 2020.
I actually expected a total let down, horrid parts with half broken, and Chinese only instructions. No offence to our Chinese friends intended, I just cant read or speak the language.
What I got really isn't bad at all considering the scale of the model and the price I payed. Yes I know this would be tossed aside as not even worthy of fire pit fodder by most
modellers but I was curious what was in the box so I bought it. It very well may end up being my first SOS build log as well. My wife and I had a spot in the basement that was
going to be my workshop now that Im returning to ship modelling, but before we got it cleared out and fixed up our youngest daughter needed to move back home. So for the
time being I kind of need something small to goof with as I have nowhere to build my Black Beard, HMS Terror, or anything else.
Thank you for reading and following my follies as I dove deep into the world of cheap Ebay ship models
Clair
My el cheapo small scale Nina arrived today bought off of Ebay for $22.00 This will be a photo unboxing and impressions review so everyone can see what to expect
from such a cheap kit. Im not going to bash it and compair it to Corel, Mamoli, Sergal, ect as it is not in their league or price ranges. This will be an honest what I think review
based on the price I payed and what I feel I can do with this kit.
Lets start with the box art
Thats always a fun place to begin and thats what catches your eye right. Its a pretty picture printed out on paper then pasted onto the box. I origonally thought this kit was associated with CAF Models as it says the logo in the top right corner.
Lower right corner says CFShipModel, hmmm... I wonder why that is. So the picture is pretty but the size of the box was a let down but only because Im used to buying much larger,
more expensive kits. Next photo is for scale with my coffee and mouse.
"Itsy bitsy teenie weenie polka dot bikini" plays at full volume in my head as I see the comparison.. lol
Inside the box we are presented with, surprise, some very small parts laser cut in very thin plyboard. However, for as small as they are the cuts are crisp and clean with no warping
evident in any of the ply sheets. A+ for the quality control on this scale and this cheap.
I found their attempt at the deadeyes pretty neat, we'll see how much of a pain they are to shape and rig though.
The decks of course are one peice with printed on plank detail. The thought of some basswood sheet cut into planks to
replace it has crossed my mind and will probably happen.
I was surpised to see some sort of pinrails included as well as gratings and a seperate door on the bottom sheet.
Next we have hull finishing supplies, a bunch of laser cut planks from extremely thin ply, transom/stern piece with finely laser engraved planks. No, it is not ink as I can feel each line
as I run my finger across the piece. I was really expecting much, much worse quality for such a meager price point.
And then we have a god knows what they are supposed to be, but I'll eventually find out
And what kit would be complete without dowling for masts and spars, rigging material in 4 sizes, and then 2 clear plastic anchors? Once painted black and the laser cut
wood parts installed they actually probably wont look too bad. Oh, and we have paper sails? I think thats what they intended.
Now we have a legal size paper with a sail/rigging plan ( kind of ) and a short history of the vessel in English. Note there are 2 small flags on the bottom to cut out and paste on the ship.
Then a one page, 14 step instruction manual, all photos with calls to each of the different sheets of ply and parts in English.
So that is what $22.00 US gets you on Ebay in this year of our lord 2020.
I actually expected a total let down, horrid parts with half broken, and Chinese only instructions. No offence to our Chinese friends intended, I just cant read or speak the language.
What I got really isn't bad at all considering the scale of the model and the price I payed. Yes I know this would be tossed aside as not even worthy of fire pit fodder by most
modellers but I was curious what was in the box so I bought it. It very well may end up being my first SOS build log as well. My wife and I had a spot in the basement that was
going to be my workshop now that Im returning to ship modelling, but before we got it cleared out and fixed up our youngest daughter needed to move back home. So for the
time being I kind of need something small to goof with as I have nowhere to build my Black Beard, HMS Terror, or anything else.
Thank you for reading and following my follies as I dove deep into the world of cheap Ebay ship models
Clair
