what are the best kind of kit to buy for detail?

krade · Post by **krade** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:16 am

i have a few star wars scratchbuild in progress and i'd like to know which are the best to add detail using model kit.
boat,car,planes....???

en'til Zog · Post by **en'til Zog** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:20 am

The original studio models were detailed with parts from many different model kits. What kind? Kits with lots of tiny detail bits. For less then giant models, you need tiny detail bits. Armor kits are often good - 1/35th to 1/72nd scale. Aircraft can have armaments & tankage, and tapering fuselage bits. Ship models can have lots of detail bits.

But you don't have to buy whole model kits.

Aircraft armament kits (like for modern jets, or Valkerie transformables) are good for the armaments, without the jets.

The Starship Modeler store has WAVE Option System and Kotobukiya M.S.G. packs with just hatches, panels, vents, nozzles, vehicle suspension components, etc. (which change constantly) and a nice Valk weapons pack. Also look at "Armored Core" weapon unit sets for more weapony things.

It makes sense to me to just buy sets of the kind of detail bits you need, rather then the old way - buy whole kits just for the detail greeblies. That gets expensive, fast.

Then again, partial kits sometimes show up at Goodwill stores, or deeply discounted at dollar stores. I've found dollar toys & games with very nice domes & shapes.

Then there's always textured Evergreen sheet, rod, I and U channel stock, and just plain pieces of scribed and cut up, stacked, glued sheet plastic.

Scotaidh · Post by **Scotaidh** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 11:45 am

Another resource are the batches of built kits on Evil-bay. I've gotten a few from there.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 11:52 am

Or somebody's parts bin. I've seen those come up on the odd occasion on ebay.

Tanks & ships models are a fav, from 1/24 to 1/700.

Squall67584 · Post by **Squall67584** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:45 pm

Car kits are also good, usually in 1/24 or maybe larger depending on the scale of what you're building. Sway bars and odd things that go in the engine compartment are useful too.

Wug · Post by **Wug** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:47 pm

Model contests are a good place to buy donor kits. Bag kits and older kits frequently sell for $5.00 or less. For the price of a new model you can buy about four old ones. Unlike ebay, you don't pay postage and you can examine the parts in person to see if anything looks useful.

Should you buy planes, tanks, ships or cars? I'm partial to older 1/48 aircraft kits with lots of underwing ordnance from Revell or Monogram. They tend to have a decent number of parts and the molding and fit are usually good. Many of them are inexpensive because other manufacturers have newer and better versions of the subjects. However, armor, ship, car and robot kits can all have good parts in them. It really depends on what you want to build.

Mike

Andrew Gorman · Post by **Andrew Gorman** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:25 pm

My two favorites are the Monogram 1/48 F-18- usually found as a "blue Angels", and the old Revell V-2 and launcher. Lots of not easy to identify parts, and both can be cheap. Cheap is good. I just picked up a box scale USS Nimitz at a yard sale for $1.00. It's a little big to turn into an Ithacus Jr. launcher-but for a dollar, I'll find something to do with it.
Any small plastic pieces that you can get a lot of are always useful- doll eyes, printer and fax machine buttons, etc.
Forgot to add a link to a picture:
http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/i/ithacus1.jpg

USSARCADIA · Post by **USSARCADIA** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:13 pm

Also try your local model railroad store for less recognizable parts. Our local shop, The Whistle Stop in Pasadena, CA has a wall-o-parts that would make you drool.

en'til Zog · Post by **en'til Zog** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:38 am

Ah, don't forget bead shops for all types of small shapes, some you wouldn't think of as beads. Or the beading supply departments of craft stores, including Wal-Mart.

Scotaidh · Post by **Scotaidh** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 6:54 am

I try to remember to ask the checkout folks at supermarkets if they have any empty register rolls - the centers are plastic, usually tube-in-a-tube, and are really good for engines, drains, inlets/outlets - the list goes on. Usually the checkout folks are only too glad to give the empty rolls to you - they're just going to toss them out anyway.

Dollar stores, Big Lots, Ocean State Job Lots, "stuff" stores (as I call them), Salvation Army stores usually have a bin of plastic toys for kids - lots of good stuff in there, and inexpensive, too!

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:47 pm

The best kits, bar none, are the tanks made by Dragon. Even the tiny 1:72 tank kits have 50 plus parts.