Lately we've discussed Chinese counterfeits (knockoffs; unlicensed products) in various threads. So I thought it would be nice to have a fresh new thread just for them, for sharing experiences with those engines/trains.
Generally speaking, I do not endorse manufacturing and selling counterfeit products, and I don't support the manufacturers of such products by buying their products. That being said, I admit I made an exception and bought some of these Chinese TM knockoffs. Why? Let me explain...
I found them on eBay, and they are rather cheap (some are selling for just 10 USD!). Some of them you can find on AliExpress too. I think we should value their looks and performances according to their prices. They are not spectacular, but they are good runners, and they look OK. Colours may vary a bit, there could be some "overspraying" of colour here and there, but nothing too bad. In any case they are not (and I don't think they'll ever be) Plarail-quality engines, by no means. But they are ok.
The other thing, which is very important, is that there are some engines that are really hard to find, and „Chinese TrackMaster“ offers those engines "new in box". Where else could I buy NiB Rheneas for US $13.01?
Moreover, if you have a „blue tracks layout“ (as I do), new TrackMaster engines (with spiky wheels) are almost completely useless; they don't run on blue tracks. Chinese conterfeits do. Therefore I hope they'll find some way to go legit. That would be awesome: a whole series of engines without the silly Mattel's games with ugly spiky wheels that run only on their special tracks. And in mentioned price-range…!
![[Image: IMG-20210124-123331.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/WbygCtds/IMG-20210124-123331.jpg)
![[Image: IMG-20210124-121453.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/gJ46D09F/IMG-20210124-121453.jpg)
I really wanted (among others) the "Skarloey Railway" narrow gauge engines. Rev. Awdry's Railway Series Book No. 10 "Four Little Engines" is one of my favorites in the whole series. Originals are hard to find in most cases (NiB - almost impossible), so I bought these counterfeits (except Skarloey himself - he is Plarail original). Here are they in action:
They come in boxes, some come loose. In some cases, you can choose: do you want them in the box (for a few Dollars more) or without the box (loose).
![[Image: IMG-20210325-113622.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/zfjdbgyH/IMG-20210325-113622.jpg)
My latest „Chinese TrackMasters“ – Red & Green Salty – came without their boxes (but they were bubble-wrapped in a tight and sturdy little package):
![[Image: IMG-20210325-113716.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/xCptgVy0/IMG-20210325-113716.jpg)
Generally speaking, I do not endorse manufacturing and selling counterfeit products, and I don't support the manufacturers of such products by buying their products. That being said, I admit I made an exception and bought some of these Chinese TM knockoffs. Why? Let me explain...
I found them on eBay, and they are rather cheap (some are selling for just 10 USD!). Some of them you can find on AliExpress too. I think we should value their looks and performances according to their prices. They are not spectacular, but they are good runners, and they look OK. Colours may vary a bit, there could be some "overspraying" of colour here and there, but nothing too bad. In any case they are not (and I don't think they'll ever be) Plarail-quality engines, by no means. But they are ok.
The other thing, which is very important, is that there are some engines that are really hard to find, and „Chinese TrackMaster“ offers those engines "new in box". Where else could I buy NiB Rheneas for US $13.01?
Moreover, if you have a „blue tracks layout“ (as I do), new TrackMaster engines (with spiky wheels) are almost completely useless; they don't run on blue tracks. Chinese conterfeits do. Therefore I hope they'll find some way to go legit. That would be awesome: a whole series of engines without the silly Mattel's games with ugly spiky wheels that run only on their special tracks. And in mentioned price-range…!
I really wanted (among others) the "Skarloey Railway" narrow gauge engines. Rev. Awdry's Railway Series Book No. 10 "Four Little Engines" is one of my favorites in the whole series. Originals are hard to find in most cases (NiB - almost impossible), so I bought these counterfeits (except Skarloey himself - he is Plarail original). Here are they in action:
They come in boxes, some come loose. In some cases, you can choose: do you want them in the box (for a few Dollars more) or without the box (loose).
My latest „Chinese TrackMasters“ – Red & Green Salty – came without their boxes (but they were bubble-wrapped in a tight and sturdy little package):
My YouTube Channel: Mister No
![[-]](https://www.blueplastictracks.org/images/collapse.png)