MENG 1/12 GT40 Mark II ??

[Roncla]

The shape of the Meng kits roof is something i just can't unsee.  it just looks plain wrong to my eyes.

 

Edited January 17, 2021 by Roncla

[niteowl7710]

20 hours ago, dbostream said:

But the Trumpeter kit was never this expensive was it? So it can't be just licenses. Of course license costs could have changed since the Trumpeter kit was for sale.

The kicker to this whole mess is the Trumpeter kit was just reissued by Trumpeter as well around Christmas.  One of the great mysteries of the Orient right now is exactly how many kits "Magnifier" actually ran off, and who decided to distribute them worldwide.  Because everyone I've spoke to who would know confirms that it was very specifically NOT supposed to leave Mainland China/HK/Macau.  It was a 3rd party paid for run of the Trumpeter tooling, to which no licensing was paid to anyone or anything, which is why it's so cheap.  Nobody knows...or well nobody wants to admit to knowing...how a short run local production item was distributed to reputable front line wholesalers/vendors worldwide.  I have about a half a dozen "white box" kits in my collection, things that were run off for the local HK/Chinese market, but they come in just that - a plain white box.  You had to know the guy who knew the guy to get your hands on one, in my case they all have different livery options than the original issue of the model kit, but the contents of the white box are just a straight pull of the original kit down to the instructions.

[kentak]

Got this kit a couple of weeks ago, I think I like the Trumpeter body better than Meng's. The shape of the headlight openings and front hood/trunk opening seems more accurate on the Trumpeter/Magnifier body as well as the shape of the rear curving under to the rear wheels. The Meng engine is way better than the T/M engine; Meng chassis components, rear axles (u-joints), and tires are better too. The Meng interior is better, especially the seats and dash board. Unfortunately for the cost of the Meng kit it's especially sad that they didn't get the body right as it's the most prominent part of the kit. I'm hoping the headlight shape can be corrected as that, to me is so prominent.

Just my 2cents worth,

Ken

[Roncla]

There is a chap currently building the Meng kit on YouTube. We are now up to episode 5 and i still can't understand a word he says but you can follow along and see how it goes together along with the fit and appearance of the model