We often gripe over the markup our LFS applies to their stock or the price we pay from an online store in our own country but my experience is a lesson to be learnt for everyone tempted to buy direct from cheap overseas sources.

For quite a while, I had been keeping my eye on a couple of giant scale planes from these people: www.cyclonetoy.com but they claim to be manufacturers of a variety of planes and also sell direct through their online store.
Being located in China, they ship their goods to you via EMS Express Post.

Needless to say, I bought this plane from them but they stated it was an OEMof the Aeroworks Pitts Python (in the photo below).

When the plane arrived, I excitingly opened the box to find that in the packaging they hadn't taped down the fuselage in the box and it had rattled around inside, badly breaking the canopy.
I also noticed that it is in no way an OEM of the Aeroworks Pitts because a number of thinfs are fundamentally different including airfoil on the vertical stab and a different cabane arrangement. Only thing similar is the colour scheme.
Nevertheless, I really liked the plane (OEM or not) and contacted Cyclone for a replacement canopy.
They gave me a lengthy spiel about how this had been their only unit and more production wouldn't happen for several months but offered to send me the plastic canopy only and I could glue it down on the formers.
I asked them if that part would restore exactly what I had purchased and they stated that was the case so I agreed to that.

The other plane Ihad really liked from the photos was their 50cc YAK-54 (photo below)

Previously, I had expressed interest in it and we came to an agreement that as they were being helpful on the Pitts canopy, I would buy the YAK and they would put the Pitts canopy together with it in the box.
This time around, I asked them to insure the shipment but they talked me out of that and said I could much rather rely on their excellent after sales service.

Anyhow, the YAK arrived yesterday. My heart sank when I saw the contents of the box. The Pitts canopy plastic was there allright, heavily wrapped into bubble-wrap and foam and squeezed into the box together with the YAK. They had also jammed two pieces of styrofoam into the box between the YAK canopy and the Pitts one, putting enough pressure on the YAKthat it's canopy was also broken.
The replacement canopy for the Pitts also was not the "exact replacement" but simply a clear uinpainted and untinted piece of vacum formed plastic - raw material actually.

I immediately contacted Cyclone for their "excellent after sales service", - sent them several photos of exactly what was in the box including photos of the outside of the box to show that the box itself was fine.
They completely refused to help in any way and said "take this up with your post office".

My problem is that because of advice from Cyclone, the parcel was not insured and it actually came via Chinese EMS, not Australia Post so I have no case there.
Cyclone refuse to help at all so now I'm stuck with two large planes, one with a broken canopy that Icannot have replaced and another where Ihave to try to get it to fit, try to get the same colour paint and hope it actually fits.

If you purchase in your local country from a local dealer, at least you have some legal consumer protection. I don't believe you have any such when buying direct from an unscrupulous supplier in China.

<u>Let my experience be a warning to everyone not to get carried away by lower prices and order direct - at least not from Cyclone Toys.</u>

Does anyone here know a supplier of the same YAK-54 who can sell me a replacement canopy for it?</p>