Ok.
What do you guys think is one of the best aftermarket detail/upgrade parts producer for armor.
My opinion would have to go to MiG production (although they dont have much selection) and also who can forget Verlinden [^]
Well i can forget Verlinden, there no where near the top
i would say Formations
Aber
Eduard
WW2 productions
Accurate Armour
Cromwell models
Royal models
frui model
Modelcasten
calibre 35
Tiger model
blah blah blah
Velinden seems to be low standard on your list.
How come is that?
I though they are one of the best in aftermarket.
i Like Mig too the lists missing loads and its not in order
Verlindem make there Zimerite sets up, but dont say that on there box (Jwest will tell you about that)
there figures are more like 1,32nd scale than 1.35th (from what everyone says)
there 251/20 is way out and even labeled wrong, it says its a 251/9
there dozer for the sherman has alot of things that you need to build yourself,(like rods and other bits that would be easier if they did them out of resin) i buy the kit so i dont have to scratch build things
there zimmerat set for the Panther Ausf G is alfull, its a big block of resin for the turret with thin sheets for the sides that are too small and will take ages to sand thin enough.
i was going to use the turret as a pillbox but i got the Mig pillbox instead
ive got loads of verlinden stuff but im not getting any more from what they said to JWest about his Diamond zimm
I like Part and ExtraTech for my 1/72 scale photoetched needs.
Part , Aber PE , Part has even more detail than ABER at times if that was possible .
CMK has some nice interior resin kits ., TWS does as well .
Last time I did a verlinden detail kit was a while ago on a M-60ERA , so I cannot judge them , I do like their figure kits though and have many sets of them on my tanks .
Barrels I would go with Eduard or the new ABER ones if you feel like a real challenge .
Tracks well ,… fruil is my current preference here , those WWII Production tracks look fantastic however , and intend to try a set soon , ( for a T55 )
Have not done any MIG Prod stuff , I am sure it is great stuff , if it is MIG the modelers company ( one of the best in my view ) . His selection so far is pretty limited , but I am sure in a year or 2 he will have a nice selection of goodies to choose from .
Figure kits ,…
Warriors are my fave, great detail ,and in scale . Reasonable price as well .
“Tank” Are really nice but very expensive , sometimes $20 plus for a set of 2
Verlinden are also one of my faves here , although at times they seem a bit big (Height, size wise) compared to some other sets , so when I mix , the verlinden fig will be the Schwarzenegger of the crew !
[8D]
LOL.
Those are some of the things that I wanted to pick up too.
Verlinden is getting a bit disappointing, first I learn that their diorama kits come only with walls [:(] you have to scratch the rest, and then this. I was acually going to order the Sherman dozer this week, now, there is no way, like you said, I am not going to pay 40USD to scratch half the kit.
What a disappointment.
With soo many aftermarket companys fighting to provide, they should break away from doing the same things like wheels or tracks over and over and start bringing out some stuff that is unique like the Sherman calliope kit or aftermarket set. [8D]
the Dozer blade comes with the bits you need for the tubes
you just need to cut them the right lenth, and theres also the part of PE sprue you need to find and use for a cable holder, then theres the nuts and bolts you need to add to the atatchment to the wheels
it looks good when done
some Verlinden stuff looks good
Aber, in my humble opinion, has superb PE. Much better than anything from Verlinden, and also better than eduard. It can be extremely complicated at times though. Be prepared for several deep breaths while trying to assemble some of the finer, smaller details.
I recently had the oportunity to compare the Verlinden stowage box detail pe set for the M8 greyhound (won it with the kit on ebay) to the detail set from aber for the same thing. Unbelievable detail, much thinner brass (vs. copper) and better overall value. Again, this is only my opinion, my stuff isn’t good enough to really give an opinion outright, but since you asked…
I also prefer MK tracks to friul, mainly based on the crispness of detail. They can be tiresome to assemble, but once you get past the boredom, you have a nice set of tracks. I recently started working on a set of Jaguar Tracks for the Elefant and they are injected molded plastic, but very nice, not working, indy tracks, and very cheap.
I have been thumbing through the parts for the VVSS that AFV offers for the Sherman, and their stuff seems acceptable as well, and there’s a ton of parts to fit together and the suspension is workable after assembly (if I do it correctly)
I have also found that Plus models, while not making alot of detail sets, has great offerings for both Dios and Figures. Extremely detaild and they give you the extras that Verlinden does not.
Warrior figgy’s in Resin are also very nice, most of the time.
Like I said, Just my Opinion.
Ted
I’m a bit bummed on MK tracks. They look fantastic, and I didn’t think all that hard to build, but they are soooo very weak when finished. The ones for my Panther broke apart many, many times while I was painting/weathering them, and even when fitting them. I picked it up off the shelf a couple of weeks ago and noticed that one of the tracks has broken apart again. I got so frustrated with them I wound up gluing many of the links together. Not much different in effect than regular (non working) indy’s, but what’s the point!
I like the detail on Aber sets, when I can get by the dificulty of them (I am terrible with CA!) I like Eduard for their simpler construction, although they’re still not “easy”.
ATAK makes some interesting zimm sets, if you can live with the TOTAL absence of instructions or even illustrations.
Formations (you should check out their Sherman pioneering tool set) is probably my favorite with Tiger Model Designs right behind them if they have what I’m after.
R&J Productions does some beautiful resin, too.
GUM KA has what appears to be some nice stuff, if you can find them, and are fairly inexpensive. I don’t know what their quality is really like, though.
As for Verlinden, I’ve looked at a couple of their sets, was totally blown off by their very poor (my opinion) instructions, and didn’t get any of them!