Hello.
I wsa wondering if anyone could give me some info of these ‘detail kits’. im still fairly new to modeling. are there certain brands that make these and if so what are the best ones? are they worth the money?
thanks =)
I assume you mean the PE and resin AM sets that can be bought to improve a kit.
It really depends on waht kit you have and what scale. There are a number of companies that do AM sets. For aircraft the main two i use are Eduard for PE and Aires for resin. Some will tell you they are a waiste of money and you are better off scratch building, but i guess its all down to if you can afford it and jhow good a builder you are. Alot of these can be expensive and to be honest are not always worth it. I have bought a few sets and woundered why i bothered. But again, it depends on the kit.
I agree. Some say worth every penny and some say waste of money. Often it’s the same person saying both depending on how much resin dust he/she has had to inhale. I use Eduard for PE Color Zoom especially. For resin I get my engines from Aries for the most part and True Details for cockpits. I buy a lot of my detail sets at shows to keep the costs down.
Another source of detail parts is called “kit bashing”,that is combining parts from 2 or more kits to make one detailed model
If you do it right,after you rob the “better” parts from one model to make your main model better,you will still end up with another “basic” model to build
One example, resin cockpits for Phantoms are far more expensive in 1/72 than a cheap Monogram F-4 at a show might be,so, just steal the Monogram cockpit for your “better kit”,same with empty pylons so you can hang stores on racks,and missiles,for that stuff, just buy a cheap Fujimi at a show, last one I got was $4,I ended up with the cockpit, missiles, racks, and more decals,for $15 dollars or so to fix up one Hasegawa kit,and the left over Hasegawa parts will detail up the Fujimi,giving me 3 planes for less than 1 plane plus the resin cockpit
I would have saved money even if the Fuj and Mon kits didn’t get used,still cheaper than a cockpit and a weapons set
hope this helps
Rex
Count me in the “Waste of Money” camp… Anything that I can’t scratch-build or steal from another kit isn’t needed, lol… Lots of pre-packaged after-market sets will cost more than the kit you’re building and have a bunch of parts you don’t use. You can do a Google search with the key words, “Resin Aircraft Detail Sets/Parts” and a lot of manufacturers will pop up, giving you an idea where to start looking, at least… Aeroclub, Aires,CMK, etc…
You can also use “Google Image” to get a look at the actual parts-sets themselves…
Some sets, like “US WW2 Rudder Pedals” or “WW2 German Seat-Harness Buckles” are a good buy though, since you get several sets in one bag… (It’s been so long since I bought stuff that though, I can’t tell you what companies make them…) It’s a lot easier (and MUCH cheaper) to just make a jig and bend some wire for that stuff, IMHO…
You may also want to consider springing for a kit that is a “multi-media kit”, meaning that it includes the injection-molded plastic, resin, AND photo-etched parts… Those’re a really good way to find out if you even want to mess with super-detail parts, especially since you’re “fairly new”… They cost more, but still usually come in under what you’d pay for a regular kit AND a couple detail sets…
Were I in your shoes, I’d first pick the model, then go through it and check the areas I want to super-detail (making sure t test-fit the actual parts to see just how much space you have available), making notes on the instruction sheet, then hunt down the detail parts I actually want/need… No point in buying a 25.00 kit, then spend 35-50.00 on detail sets, only to find out that you can’t even see 70% of the parts you bought after assembly… It’s kinda like super-detailing a B-24 ball turret with a 25.00 photo-etched parts set, then having to keep it retracted into the fuselage because you also bought a 10.00 “landing gear brake-lines and oleo struts set” and 15.00 “flattened/bulged resin wheels” set, too…
I know I didn’t really answer your question, but I don’t wanna give any “absolutes” either… Ultimately, it’s gonna come down to what you want to do, and level you want to take accuracy, detailing, and super-detailing to (there’s a whole 'nother thread there, with “Creative Gizmology” and “Imagineering”, and whether or not you’ll want to buy parts, steal 'em, make 'em, or a combination of all three in order to either duplicate the prototype or just make a cockpit “look busy” and go for “suggestion” rather than “duplication”…
Clear as mud now, right?[;)]
Hwow thanks for the info guys!
lots of feedback here! well, what got me thinking is because i just finished my Trumpeter 1/32 scale MiG-29 M and then realized on the net that certain ‘detail kits’ are available, and kinda bummed me out a bit as i had seconds thoughts if i could have made it even better with the kits. some of the cockpit and ejection seat kits i have seen look pretty good! im still happy with how the model turned out though.
my next project is either going to be a Tamiya 1/32 scale F-4 Phantom II or F-16, and have noticed a few detail kits around for these, so tossing up if they are worth it or not. Hans Von Hammer is right though, if you cant see most of them its probably not even worth it!
Yeah, and beyond resin and PE don’t forget vacu-formed pieces, small castings of various metals, aftermarket stock styrene and, of course, custom decals.
This hobby has gotten way more complicated since I left it in my boyhood many years ago. Personally, I like it as I don’t have the time or inclination to do too much scratch building. Although I’m not above stealing parts from another kit and the occasional custom decal.
Chris