Jamz3k

Today I decided that I wanted to buy a model to build and off I went to 2 model shops and left with nothing. Not knowing what I wanted to build didn't help so I glanced around but couldn't find much that grabbed my attention other than a lancaster bomber. In neither shop did anyone offer to help me out so I didn't ask and now I'm asking NSR.

Where is good to buy kits and accessories? I think I might like a nice old sailing ship.

oldsplice

Amazon have got loads. If you mean Airfix.

Jamz3k

yep, just a little airfix kit to do indoors as the weather is pish!

davegtt

HMS Victory

http://www.model-ships.co.uk/index.p.../productid/508

Or the Cutty Sark

http://www.model-ships.co.uk/index.p.../productid/414

Not a cheap hobby though

Jamz3k

Class! I really don't think i'd trust myself to spend that much money on something I will either build wrongly/badly or not even finish.

Even worse, I was looking at train sets today too and it really made me want one. Friday it was a Volvo T5, today a model boat! what will tomorrow bring?

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

I built loads of kits when I was younger........usually hasegawa stuff Generally fits together better than airfix or revell.

Shaun

oldsplice

Lego?



I fancy the Victory.........

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Tamiya do some amazing tanks, in various scales, including one with all the interior.

Airfix Victory is good but basic by today's standards and don't forget the moulds are 40 years old if they are a day

Tamiya also do cars including various rally scoobs

Beware of aircraft, they have a huge footprint so are hard to do anything with once constructed.

mart360

Tamiya JPS black lotus was the one that did it for me

I think it was Revell or Monogram who did some custom car kits in the 70's that i particularly liked


In the 80's it was
http://public.fotki.com/mdlrk/models.../pyton357.html and similar.


nowdays i dont have the time or the inclination


Mart

Ant

My grandad did 100's of military ones, and got them all on the shelves.

Went in model room yesterday after his funeral, still has a unfinished one left

EddScott

I build and restore RC cars. I also picked up a 1/12 Tamiya McLaren M23 1974 F1 car. It was on special in Modelzone. Would not normally buy from there but it was cheaper than ebay. Its a bit big and complicated so waiting till winter.

BULLITT

Yep I build them, sat at my desk with an A-Team van on the way to being built and have another 39 kits to build.






Here's a few I've built.

https://www.scoobynet.com/members-ga...d-impreza.html













Some kit manufacturers are better than others, some like Fujimi and Aoshima also do full engines in some of their kits as well though there aren't many retailers in the UK for them. Tamiya is by far the biggest manufacturer and probably the most internationally accessible kits. Airfix kits are good, they are actually getting a lot better now, their newest plane kits being on par with Tamiya. Revell do some great unique kits but their quality is quite frankly shocking (The Audi Quattro is Revell and has about 50 parts less than the Tamiya version of the same car). If you're looking at buying online, you can also get kits, usually from the US by AMT / Monogram, they are usually of US cars, like Muscle cars etc. AMT/Monogram is actually part of Revell so the quality is the same.

If you're wanting to a car kit, you have literally hundreds to choose from, it's just a case of what car you'd like to build and what your budget is. A little word of warning is if you want to build a particular car, then be aware that some car kits are very rare now and prices are high - one example is the Tamiya Escort Cosworth Rally Car, I'm lucky enough to have the three versions in my stash but I've seen some kits sell for up to £75!

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

Interesting Spitfire......looks like a Mk II Is it any particular pilot's aircraft ?

Shaun

BULLITT

It's a 1/48 Spitfire Mk1 by Tamiya. I usually ask the same question when choosing the markings of aircraft kits. I like them to have a history, the Blackbird is a good example of this. BQJ was one of two different markings that came with the kit. "QJ" was part of 92 Squadron and was successful in defending the skies over Britain. That's about all I know of it.

CrisPDuk

**** me Bullitt, I thought I had some kits waiting for building

With regards to quality, I would echo everything Bullitt says, the Japanese companies are the best
The Americans are, as usual, 20+ years behind the times in terms of quality, but with work a decent model can be arrived at.

I still buy the odd old Airfix kit, mainly for sentimental reasons, but I wouldn't recommend them to a newcomer. You'd get disheartened with the coarse mouldings and poor fit pretty quickly. I'm told the new releases are a big improvement, but I've not tried any yet.

The old Matchbox range, now being re-issued by Revell, were pretty good for their age, and definitely a league above Airfix at the time

Jamz3k

What are Moebius models like? Just seen they do a range from Battlestar Galactica which would look cool in the man cave once complete.

I really wanted to build a ship ie HMS Victory but th ey are far too expensive to test the water on my skillz as from memory I wasn't very good the last time I tried painting models.

BULLITT

Personally never built them, AMT/Monogram also made some battlestar ships. Try a search on google, you should be able to find a review on their quality, ease of build etc.

Ships are a bit of a no no unless you have loads of room and as you say, quite experienced, there a lot of very fiddle bits.

chief-long-shin

There is a good company in rounds northwest. It's online order shop. Believe it's called modelsonline.com or something.

Hasegawa, fujimi and Tamiya all do kits

sunny1989

http://www.tougedistribution.com/cgi...=ALL&ref=&cat=

can't go wrong with some of these classics, the prices are in yen though!

brilliant range of models, the initial d impreza gc8 is next on my list!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

This place is worth a look: http://www.djparkins.com/acatalog/flightpath.html

He does etched parts in various scales to replace the more fragile, or not too well rendered/too thick plastic bits.

There might even be some brass/whitemetal castings available.

His stuff is exquisite. I model 7mm scale locos, and have a couple of his diesels ready to build.
He even includes the ashtrays from the driving desk, coathooks for the doors into the engine compartment and laser plotted dials which can be read and illuminated if you want.

CrisPDuk

AMT/Ertl made some fairly passable Star Wars & Battlestar Galactica kits back in the '70s, they need a fair amount of work though. I have one of their Millennium Falcons myself

If you want real top notch models though, Fine Molds are the business, but you'll pay for them

I'd love one of these;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fine-Molds...item2c6465c2fb

But at the moment I just have a couple of X Wings and a Tie Fighter

No experience of Moebius models, so can't personally comment, but they tend to get good reviews on the geek forums.

I built a 1/168 Airfix 'Sovereign Of The Seas' for a friend a while back, there's a hell of a lot of detail painting required, and a lot of fiddly parts. Definitely not for beginners

Jamz3k

Leaning towards a BSG Viper now to begin with then work my way up!

I'm a big StarTrek fan but I really can't bring myself to look at their stuff.

CrisPDuk

Here's some of my handiwork;







I've got about as much again built, but boxed away, half as much again that I'm on with, and at least as much again sat in the loft waiting for me to start

borderlinechris

iTrader: (5)

some nice stuff there! i know its slightly off topic but anyone got rc petrol cars/trucks? i quite fancy a monster truck type thing for playing round the field with and wouldnt know where to start......

DYK

Actually its been years since i last had a go at this airfix,wouldn't mind having a go at a Harrier,i want it to be big though,what sort of money are looking at 70/100 quid..

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

http://www.relishmodels.co.uk/1-24-a...1-24-jets.html

70 odd quid then...

Shaun

CREWJ

Probably not what you are after but I like Gundam models. Here's one I made with my little brother;

CrisPDuk

Just noticed this one, what's worse about train sets

I have well in excess of 50 OO gauge locomotives, and very large quantities of coaches and wagons

Unfortunately I don't have a layout at the moment so they're all in boxes at the moment

Jamz3k

I used to have quite the collection too. Looking at train sets is just the start of a slippery slope. If u like trains u'd love where I live, I'm right beside the workshops they use to restore steamtrains and carriages. Its very cool hearing them wake up on a Sunday morning.

Leslie

I used to build R/C flying models. Got a lot of enjoyment out of that once I learned how not to crash them!

I did quite a bit of R/C aerobatic competition as well as I got better at it. That was a lot of fun. Those aircraft with a good 10cc well tweaked engine would bat along at close to the ton we reckoned.

Les