Aircraft Models Crux

Subtitled: My first overseas airplane models purchase.

Happy new year, everyone! For the first post of 2008, let me share with you my experiences in buying my first planes from abroad (I live in the Philippines). The online merchant from which I bought was DieCastAirplane.com, and the package arrived last December 4, 2007.

The store’s owner, Steven Howland was very quick, helpful, and accommodating in replying to my inquiries regarding the availability of the models, as well as the ‘delay’ in their delivery (the USPS package took about a month to arrive). The latter wasn’t actually the fault of the merchant, but rather the inefficiency of the Philippine postal service and customs.

The five diecast planes I ordered — two from Philippine Airlines, one Cebu Pacific, 1 Air Spain, and 1 F-15 — arrived in great condition. The Cebu Pac model answered my desire for the first plane on the top of this wishlist.

All in all, I am very satisfied with my experience with DieCastAirplane.com, and I recommend it to anyone who’s planning to buy toy planes online. You can check out their clearance items for some affordable finds.

One caveat for newbie overseas buyers — don’t forget how much you need to pay your local customs office! The customs here sprang a surprise for me, as I had to pay nearly $40 upon claiming the package. The actual prices of the planes, shipping, and customs combined, my wallet took a damage of around $223. That’s a prohibitive price around these parts, and as I’m definitely not wallowing in cash, I’ve considered this purchase as just a rare Christmas gift for myself.

Here are more photos of my newly landed planes (click for full versions):