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Eastern express kits


feoffee2

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I don't buy Eastern Express apart from Tristars so I have no personal experience but I have read that some of the newer kits, particularly the DC-9 family, suffer from a plethora of tiny parts which are difficult to assemble. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I’m currently at work on an MD-80, my first Eastern Express kit. I have to agree that it (they) are terribly overpriced, even when finding one for a “reasonable” cost from somewhere deep overseas. The MD-80 is a pretty good kit, presenting some issues that really aren’t too large to overcome with so e patience and ingenuity. Parts fit is good, though there are no guide holes, which requires some foresight and careful planning when the glue goes on. There some small parts, for sure, and a good number of them, some not to correct scale and requiring trimming if they’re used over a good PE part. My main complaint is the same as most EE kit builders...the nose gear. It’s supposed to be attached to the fuselage in the gear well at the very outset of the build, which means that it almost certainly will be broken off during sanding or painting, unless its protected, probably by wrapping it in thick tape, which really is no real protection at all. I decided to wait to attach the nose gear towards the end of assembly, after fuselage assembly and prep, and after painting. Other than that one major point, I would most certainly buy other EE kits, particularly the B717, L-1011, and MD-11. These look like fine kits, even if the prices are way high and the challenges are..well...VERY challenging. 

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I don't know if it would work on a relatively small model like the MD-80 but if you scroll to the bottom of the first post this shows how I protected the nose gear on a Revell A350. Maybe the basic idea could be adapted.

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Price is always one of these subjects that is very subjective and, it is down to the individual buyer to decide if its worth it.

 

For myself, I do not like 1:144 scale at all but, I am a practical person and, if there is no alternative.......! 😊

I won't however pay any price. I was for example initially delighted at the news of the release of the Roden C-5 Galaxy kits. That was until I saw the truly shocking price they were asking!

With regard to Eastern Express, they have a number of subjects, that I like and, are otherwise unavailable in any other scale.

I won't however buy them because I think they are, for the most part ridiculously overpriced for what you get. 

My experience with EE is very limited so, I do not feel qualified to condemn the range as a whole.

I do however have a couple of their AN-22 kits which, I got for under £40 each. Appear to be quite cleanly moulded at least and, I'm sure assembling the 12 piece fuselage will be fun.

Everyone has the same choice of course. Stump up regardless or, do without! 😊

 

Allan

Edited by Albeback52
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The kit are over-expensive for the quality. I bought the Q400 as it's the only model available on the market for sentimental reason. What a deception ! It is so roughly molded. I spent a lot of time on it and I will finish it but now, the pleasure will be in the destination, not the journey as I usually do in modelling. As already written in another discussion, I have now black-listed all ukrainian brands, having being burnt several times.

 

Now, if you are patient, like to sand, fill the seams and build something from nothing, go for it, you will not be disappointed.

 

Edited by SodaCitron
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9 minutes ago, SodaCitron said:

I bought a Q400 as it's the only model available on the market......

 

No it isn't. There is a decent resin kit available from Welsh Models which I built a couple of years ago. It's not without its faults but I'd put a lot of money on it being streets ahead of anything produced by Eastern Express.

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13 hours ago, SodaCitron said:

The kit are over-expensive for the quality. I bought the Q400 as it's the only model available on the market for sentimental reason. What a deception ! It is so roughly molded. I spent a lot of time on it and I will finish it but now, the pleasure will be in the destination, not the journey as I usually do in modelling. As already written in another discussion, I have now black-listed all ukrainian brands, having being burnt several times.

 

Now, if you are patient, like to sand, fill the seams and build something from nothing, go for it, you will not be disappointed.

 

With all due respect, I think blacklisting all Ukrainian brands is a bit harsh. However, that's your prerogative and, I would not presume to argue.

 

My own view, based on experience is that there are a very decent kits provided by the likes of Modelsvit and, Roden.

Also, I would not necessarily accept that the entire Eastern Express range is as poor as you seem to suggest. All companies produce their own clunkers from time to time.However, my experience with EE is very limited do, I will not pass judgement here.

I recently obtained the Eastern Express AN-22. Cleanly moulded, quite nicely detailed and, fitting the 12 piece fuselage is going to be fun but,  who else makes one?

 

Allan

 

Edited by Albeback52
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Eastern Express are Russian not Ukrainian and refusing to buy first-rate kits like Roden's Super VC-10, Britannia and DC-3 because they come from Ukraine seems rather odd but as @Albeback52says, it's your prerogative to buy or not buy what you want.

 

In my experience Eastern Express are guilty of more than "clunkers". Their A318 is probably the worst airliner kit ever produced and is such a blatant rip-off of the Revell A319 that if you clean up the engines, undercarriage, stabs and a few other bits they are directly interchangeable with their Revell equivalents. Their Boeing 757s are ripped off from the Minicraft kit with all the accuracy problems of that kit plus atrocious moulding quality, all yours for £40-odd on eBay. Their Boeing 737-100 has -200Adv engines and weird wings which look as if the flaps are partly extended. The moulding quality of their Shorts 330 is so bad I consider it unbuildable. The MD-11 has fit and assembly issues which are an absolute disgrace on a kit selling for more than twice the price of the Revell A350 which just falls together. All these comments are based on my own personal and expensive experience and apart from Tristars (which are basically Otaki anyway) I don't plan to buy another Eastern Express kit ever again. If the dog has a bad name it has nobody to blame except itself.

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