Marco Polo Practice Erhu : OK feel, but tone is inauthentic

I bought this as a training instrument, and don't have any prior experience playing the erhu. It may well be my technique, but the tone from this doesn't sound at all like any of the snake-skin (or even synthetic skin) erhus I've seen / heard online. The resonator is wood, and to me it sounds like a lame violin.

That said, it's attractive enough and it seems fairly well built, so if you're looking for something cheap to train on, it seems like an alright option. The tuning pegs work well enough and the bow seems okay. Just don't expect too much from the sound. (Worst case, it makes a nice display item.)

If you can spare a bit of extra cash, I'd recommend getting a synthetic skin model as it will probably give you more of the sound you'd expect from this type of instrument.