MENG Cement Free Kits. Worth it?

[Robert Porter]

Over at SprueBrothers they have a 1:48 P-51 Mustang Kit from MENG, I noticed the cover mentioned it was a cement free (assume snap together) kit.

I have never built one before by that manufacturer nor one that snaps together but I recall seeing mentions here and there in these forums that you should not equate snap together for kiddie kit.

Anyone on here have direct experience with these kits? How is the quality? Are the cockpits good? In short any strong opinions one way or another on them?

MNGLS006 1:48 Meng North American P-51D Mustang

Edit* Added the link to the kit in question.

 

[Robert Porter]

I did read the review of this kit on Finescale here: Meng 1/48 P-51D Mustang Review by Brett Green and it certainly looks like a worthy kit.

 

[Wayne Little]

Yeah that was on Hyperscale, looks like they created a pretty good kit!

 

[Airframes]

It certainly looks the business. I'd be concerned about fuselage joints though, especially on a NMF aircraft, and I think I'd be gluing it.
Also, after time, there might be a chance that joints will show, regardless of what the colour scheme is.
Rather nice though, and it just shows how far model design and production techniques have advanced, even in the last twenty years.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Snap Togethers have come a long way since I was a kid!

 

[Robert Porter]

I was pretty sure snap together or not a little glue would help. The kits have indeed come a long way from the Matchbox ones I remember. I can't see any reason I could not use glue and joint filler as needed. So I might give this one a go!

 

[JKim]

That Mustang looks like a great kit. My only reservation about the snap kits is that the friction fit is so tight that dry fitting can be difficult.

 

[at6]

My biggest reservation would be the price. My budget can't handle the current costs.

 

[Airframes]

Just seen the first UK outlet for the Meng Mustang, at a reduced price of £31.99, normal retail price £35.
Don't care how good it is, that's too high a price for a 1/48th scale 'fighter size' kit, especially in light of what appears to be an excellent new 1/48th scale Mustang kit from Airfix, at around the £22 mark.

 

[at6]

Just seen the first UK outlet for the Meng Mustang, at a reduced price of £31.99, normal retail price £35.
Don't care how good it is, that's too high a price for a 1/48th scale 'fighter size' kit, especially in light of what appears to be an excellent new 1/48th scale Mustang kit from Airfix, at around the £22 mark.

OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Airframes]

Yep !
Just got the latest Airfix newsletter, with the new kits for 2017, and their all-new 1/48th scale P-51D will retail at £20.99 in the UK, and it looks every bit as good as the new Meng kit. Personally, I think that even that price is a tad on the high side, but then, all kits have increased in price, and the technology, and costs involved in producing 'today's' kits have risen tremendously, so in that respect, I guess it's acceptable.
I'm not being negative, but £35 for a kit the size of the P-51, in 1/48th scale, is rather steep - as bad as Hasegawa's ridiculous prices for their old kits - and it hasn't been 'proven' yet. It might fit together without glue exceptionally well, but will it retain dimensional stability over the years ?
It might start to 'relax' at the external joints at least, showing gaps, we don't know.
And if aimed at the younger market, then it's shot itself in the foot on price alone.
It might well be that, in years to come, these words will look rather silly, if the trend to 'glue free' kits swings to full production, but I don't think, that will happen, and hope it doesn't.

 

[Crimea_River]

MENG kits have been very steeply priced in my neck of the woods, with the 1/48 Me410 offerings priced between $80 and $100 at local stores. Needless to say, I balked at that.

 

[Airframes]

Yep, I'd considered getting their '410, but the price put me off, especially as it would probably sit in the 'stash' and maybe not get built.
I think the only way I'd pay those sort of prices, is if it was the only available kit of the type, and I really needed it for a project or commission, as I had to do for the Meteor NF.12 commission.

 

[Lucky13]

Wonder what difference it would make, if more manufacturers were more in the house businesses?

 

[vikingBerserker]

Man, some kits have become way too expensive!

 

[Airframes]

They sure have !
When I first joined this forum, back in August 2008, the average price for a 'fighter' sized kit in 1/48th scale was around £10 to £12, depending on manufacturer, and at that time, I'd recently got the Tamiya Beaufighter, which, from memory, was around £16, and the Academy P-47D, which I got for £10, and that was at the shop at Duxford, so certainly not discounted !
I remember 'digging deep' and buying the Dragon 1/32nd scale Mustang not long before, and thinking that £30 was a heck of a lot of money to pay for a kit !!!

 

[at6]

I do at least have my Pro modeler ME-410 kit still in my stash.

 

[fubar57]

My rule for purchasing kits is 40$ for a single and 55$ for a multi engine, including shipping. Takes a long time to get what I want but it keeps the already too large stash reasonable.

 

[Robert Porter]

I, on advice I received here, often search the online stores and auctions for kits I like. Usually, including shipping, they run about 20% less than the manufacturers retail price. But it does take patience and a lot of searching to yield results. I have seen the Airfix version advertised and I think I will go that way as opposed to the MENG kit.

On that subject though I recently watched a YouTube video of a series of manufacturers being interviewed last year at a large IPMS exhibit in California. They ALL said they were looking into heading into the snap fit space largely as a result of customer feedback about the difficulty of cementing kits together. I would not mind but only if they don't sacrifice quality. One concern of the MENG kit was that the parts looked much "thicker" than usual in places. Presumably to allow for mechanical strength in the assembly.

I guess I won't really know until I buy one, but think I will go with the Airfix version first as my budget is better suited to their price point and I have heard good things about their quality.

 

[rochie]

My rule for purchasing kits is 40$ for a single and 55$ for a multi engine, including shipping. Takes a long time to get what I want but it keeps the already too large stash reasonable.

I have a £30 rule, that I have broken twice, once for a Hasagawa Phantom FGR and once for the Airfix Gloster Javelin !
Getting harder to stick to though