Hi again!!!
Im sure I’m going to open Pandora’s Box on this one, but what is better, plastic or resin???
Is resin hard to work with???
I hear people comend it, while others curse it…
I noticed that these resin kits are much more expensive… Why???
Any thought any one???
Ron
Personally, I wouldn’t define one or the other as “better”. Most resin products and companies got their start filling in the little details pieces that weren’t available from the big plastic companies. Some have grown into large companies themselves but they still provide a product that targets a smaller market. It used to be the only way (other than scratch building) that we as modellers could produce an accurate conversion of an existing kit. That said, the cost is generally higher because of the limited number of finished product produced…they have to make their investments back in a run of say 2,000 pieces instead of 100,000 like the big guys. As far as working with resin, some companies produce a vaery easy to work with finished product…a company like Chesapeake Models for example has some of the best resin products on the market. Little warpage, fine detail work, and no big lumps for carriers make their product easy to work with. Others (and I won’t pick on any company here) are still really learning how to produce a good product and therefore their’s become a little harder to work with. The main thing about working with resin is that you have to take a little extra care when using it. When sanding resin it produces a very fine dust that can be harmful to you…wear a mask when working with it…play it safe! Most of all enjoy it…if it’s the only way to produce the end product you want give it a try.
It really depends on what its being used for if resin or plastic is better.
Resin is good for detail parts (cockpits, landing gear wells…) but I’m not fond of full resin kits, certain components in resin, especially large thin ones like wings can be prone to sagging over time. With resin there is also the possibility of large air bubbles lurking under the surface of a seemingly solid part.
Because a lot of resin kits come from the cottage industry and garage companies, they can be a hit and miss affair. Do your research before commiting money to resin products.
As for plastic, I’d say its getting better all the time, mold making equipment is getting more exacting, and plastics are being better developed to flow in the molds better during the molding process to better capture the finer detail that is possible with computer driven machining equipment making the molds.
I prefer to limit my use of resins to cockpit and landing gear areas, and keep the majority of the finished product in plastic.
Depending on what you like to build, resin companies can offer a variety of complete kits or conversion sets. Resin companies also offer products that can correct or improve detail on plastic kits. I for one am excited about the number of conversion sets that are coming out for the Tamiya T-55. So many variants, so little time… 
I have to ditto Upnorth. I avoid full-resin kits. The resin shrinks over time making parts fit terrible, then there’s those nasty air holes. Best use for resin is for detail or conversion kits.