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After-market one stop shopping?

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  • Member since
    August 2009
  • From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
After-market one stop shopping?
Posted by StreetFightingMan on Friday, May 7, 2010 5:00 PM

At the risk of sounding incredibly lazy, I've been meaning to ask for a while if anyone recommends a website for after-market parts.  It is incredibly hard to find each and every aftermarket part made for certain models (mostly armor and aircraft, but other subjects as well) because it seems you have to visit 20 websites to round 'em up!  What I'm getting at is: Is there a website that gathers AM parts from many companies and lists them in one place? Any other discussion on AM parts is welcome!

Happy Modeling!

-Mike

On the Bench: 1/48 Eduard Avia B-534 Series IV, Cyber Hobby Messerschmidt Bf-109 E-4

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Friday, May 7, 2010 6:09 PM

Since not every retailer stocks every aftermarket bit or piece, you're gonna have to sit up straight and do a little work to find what's available. Most of the leading internet retailers such as Sprue Brothers have a very good search feature on their site to help you find the items in one quick and easy search.

Just search on the subject you are looking for aftermarket for...say F-104. All of the kits available will be listed as well as the pieces parts. You can further isolate your search by adding in scale...such as 1:48 F-104, such a search will weed most of the other scales out of the results.

At one time FineScale published a modelers resource book...it was outdated even before it left the printing press as the market was growing fast in those days. Now when you look at them, most of the companies producing stuff are gone.

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
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  • From: 41 Degrees 52.4 minutes North; 72 Degrees 7.3 minutes West
Posted by bbrowniii on Friday, May 7, 2010 6:39 PM

Gerald is right.  You'll rarely find 'everything' at one site.  Unfortunately, some sites (Squadron, for example) have an, in my opinion, archaic search engine that makes it difficult to find things.  Maybe I'm being too harsh because I was just frustrated in a search for aftermarket decals for an FJ-4H Fury - Squadron's got 'em, and I found 'em, but their search engine was no help.

On the other end of the spectrum is a place like Greatmodels who have a pretty good engine so you enter your subject, but there will be a tab for all the aftermarket parts, as well as only those they have in stock.  THAT is a nice search. 

So, if you are looking for a single site, I'd say start with Greatmodels if, for no other reason, because you can see all of the aftermarket stuff for a kit and, if they don't have it, you can try to hunt it down elsewhere.  But at least you'll know what you are looking for.

Good hunting.

'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing' - Edmund Burke (1770 ??)

 

  • Member since
    April 2010
  • From: Green Bay, WI
Posted by redraider56 on Friday, May 7, 2010 6:55 PM

I usually buy my aftermarket stuff from 3 websites.  I get Paragon stuff from Hannants, Verlinden stuff from Internet Hobbies, and everything else from Squadron

-Matt

On The Bench: 1/48 HK B-17G "Man-O-War II"

On Deck: 1/48 Tamiya P-38H, 1/48 Revell PV-1

 

 

 

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Saturday, May 8, 2010 8:07 AM

I'd venture a guess, but since I rarely use the stuff, it'd be pure speculation and the other guys like the above are way more knowledgeable about that stuff..

Any other discussion on AM parts is welcome!

Personally, I think that too many modelers are too dependent on AM parts, and scratch-building details and super-detailing is a dying art.. It DOES beg the question, are there AM parts FOR every model?  I doubt it... Seems that AM makers focus on parts for the new higher-end kits these days (which begs another question, if they're supposed to be "better" as new high-end kits, why do they NEED new parts?)  There was an ad for a 1/32 F-80 (think it's Czeck Model) I saw recently that had so many aftermarket parts for it that the total price for them was way more than the kit price of 80.00...

Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge folks that depend on them, but I wish that they'd at least try to make some detail parts on their own before running to the PE/Resin rack...  If a guy would spend the money needed for a couple large AM parts purchases on tools for scratch-building, like a Dremel, Pin vise & bits,  vac-former, soldering iron, punch & die set, a vise or two, magnifiers, templates & stright-edges, a modest stock of styrene structural and strip/rod materials (or learn how to stretch sprue into various diameters), and a few "For Sale" signs for sheet stock, pretty much anything that a manufacturer puts out can be built on the bench.  After all, 90% of everything in a cockpit, gunbay, or wheel well comes from the basic shapes of squares, rectangles, circles, cylinders, tubing, and triangles... 

For instance, an instrument panel doesn't need to be a 12.00 piece of photo-etched brass. It can be made from styrene easily. Cut two panel shapes and drill the holes for the instruments and switches.  Then either add a decal or needle-scratch the gauge faces into the first panel sheet, then glue the second over the top.  Four pieces of sheet and three pieces of strip or rod become a throttle quadrant (Throttle, Mixture, & Prop levers) by sandwiching the stips into the sheet and mushrooming the strip with a lighter or soldering iron.  Various diameters of solder & electrical wire are cables, wiring harnesses, fluid lines, & conduit...   Everyone has junked electronic "stuff" that will supply a plethora of wires, large diodes are great for oxygen bottles, the limit is your imagination...  Need a P&W R-2600 radial for that Hellcat or B-26?  That's more than enough reason to buy some resin and RTV rubber... It'll cost about the same as ONE aftermarket resin engine in a bag and you can cast at least a dozen... Cast copies of the one from the Monogram P-61.  And when you're casting parts, cast half a dozen, not just one... If you're like me at all, you'll eventually use them up... Oh yeah, cast copies of guns & figures too...  I've got a bag of .30 & .50 cals, and  flight crew figures from Monogram that I cast myself, mostly the TBD pilot, as well as some like the B-26 top turret gunner, Pro Modeler B-17 gunners,  F-86, Me-262, F-5, B-25, SNJ/T-6 pilots, paratroopers from the C-47, and a few others from Tamiya and Verlinden. 

Now I know that some folks will say that they "don't have time" to do all that part-hunting and casting/cutting/shaping/bending/sanding, but I don't buy that at all... No one has ever been banned from their bench for missing a "deadline" (unless they build models for a living).. Time is what we got a LOT of, unless your goal is to knock a kit out in two hours a day...  When I read that someone has spent say, 6 months building a kit, I'd venture a guess that it actually took them about 20-30 hours in reality, were they able to devote their attention to it full-time, say, eight hours a day, rather than a few hours a week... 

So, bottom line is that I feel that, although there are SOME instances where AM parts are a necessary evil because the kit needs more details and the needed parts are too complex for standard scratchbuilding techniques (like say, the canopy/nose on an HE-111 or main gear wheels/tires that have complex hubs and tread patterns, etc..), a great number of parts can come from YOU and that makes the model YOURS and yours alone...

But that's just me... I hated it when guys would look at my dioramas and say something like, "Oh yeah.. I see you used the set from Verlinden for that scene there, and that guy's from the Tamiya Infantry at Rest set over there... I see also that you used the main gear from True Scale."...  Plus, when I became a "serious" modeler, there just flat wasn't any (or very few) after-market parts for ANYTHING out there... Had to buy a second TBD to get the .30 cal in order to make the proper "Two-gun" rear cockpit for a "Torpedo Eight at Midway" Devastator diorama because I didn't know how to cast parts then, and the nearest "real" hobby shop an hour (by car) away... Too far for me & my bicycle, lol...        

Your mileage may vary... 

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Saturday, May 8, 2010 8:28 AM

He's absolutely right! We didn't have many of the now common aftermarket stuff that is available now...we became modelers to improve our models.

The last brass instrument panel I went to install was damaged...I simply used a piece of styrene, cut it to the right shape, used a hole punch to cut out the gauge openings and used it instead. My investment...time and a piece of scrap stock. I cut some of the raised detail sections of the damaged brass panel and used them on the plastic one.

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Saturday, May 8, 2010 8:41 AM

Heh.. Yeah, Hawk... My investments in "AM Parts" run about a buck a model, lol...

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: 41 Degrees 52.4 minutes North; 72 Degrees 7.3 minutes West
Posted by bbrowniii on Saturday, May 8, 2010 8:43 AM

Well said Hans. 

I think I am proving that philosophy to myself with my Marder 1A2 build.  The decision to forgo aftermarket parts and (finally!) use all the stuff I've accumulated over the years has been a challenge - but nothing that can't be overcome.  Heck, the amount of stuff you can make from an empty soda can has boggled my mind!!Geeked

'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing' - Edmund Burke (1770 ??)

 

  • Member since
    April 2010
  • From: Green Bay, WI
Posted by redraider56 on Saturday, May 8, 2010 11:43 AM

The only PE I use is for gun sights and sometimes ammo belts from a Verlinden kit I bought a while ago.  Other than that, I find the metal ot be too two dimensional

-Matt

On The Bench: 1/48 HK B-17G "Man-O-War II"

On Deck: 1/48 Tamiya P-38H, 1/48 Revell PV-1

 

 

 

  • Member since
    August 2009
  • From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Posted by StreetFightingMan on Saturday, May 8, 2010 11:43 AM

Very good comments, I may be a little too dependent on AM stuff, and a few of the comments made encourage me, along with the articles in FSM, to try some of my own scratchbuilding!

-Mike

On the Bench: 1/48 Eduard Avia B-534 Series IV, Cyber Hobby Messerschmidt Bf-109 E-4

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Monday, May 10, 2010 10:43 PM

redraider56

The only PE I use is for gun sights and sometimes ammo belts from a Verlinden kit I bought a while ago.  Other than that, I find the metal ot be too two dimensional

Not talking about PE itself so much as aftermarket PE stuff... I've used plenty of PE parts that came with the kits...  Then again, PE isn't always better than scratchbuilt either... Case in point is the aluminum ammo feed-chutes that come in the Pro Modeler B-17G and B-24D kits for the waist guns... These REALLY fit the 2-dimensional category you mention... Zip ties worked as good (they need to be heat-formed, but still the work is worth it) and looked a lot better IMHO... Those were discussed (and used) in the B-17 GB in the Aircraft Forum, BTW...

I've also made a few dozen (over the years) ammo belts (.50 cal for 1/32-35th and 20mm for 1/48th) from straight pins and also from stretched sprue.. It's tedious, but the pins actually have a "bullet-point" and really look nice..  You don't need to make a lot of them, just a few LONG ones (Usually I do about 100 or so rounds in a sitting) and trim to length for the 1/4-inch run from ammo can to gun breach..  Stretched sprue is quite effective for spent brass...

Here's an example or three..

Front cockpit of the Monogram TBF:

Nothing in there but sheet, strip, sprue, foil, and a P-61 piot seat with Evergreen rod frame.

For the one-piece engine and cowl, I carved out the blank space behind the front row of cylinders and added another set of jugs cut from a P-61 engine in the spaces.

There probably is a detail set for the TBF that you pay 25.00 for, then could paint and drop in an hour or so, but I prefer to do it this way.. This way cost me about a nickel in material..

For the Monogram B-26, I reckon that there's a detail set for the cockpit and radio/nav compartment for 25.00 os so, but this one cost about a quarter altogether.

Since the viewing areas are through the opened bomb bay hatch and flightdeck curtain, I figured that I could fudge a bit on the RC..

This Monogram Jug lost it's head, and the firewall is done with brass tube, sprue, strip, sheet, and the nuts shaved off some German tank's drive sprocket.

Oh yeah.. Don'r get hung up on buying accessories either... Most are right there in the parts box and strip selection..

The stand is strip styrene with basswood planking and the casters are from an F-80 engine stand found in the Monogram kit.  The fuel hand-pump is a model railroad brake-part with a sctratched handle and some solder "hose"..

Anyway, you get the idea... It's only limited by your imagination and parts boxes...

 

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Central Florida
Posted by plasticjunkie on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 6:37 AM

I find it more challenging and satisfying if I can fabricate as much of the detail as I can. The resin stuff is fantastic but I think that even IPMS judges will have a more favorable vote for the scratch built effort over the pure am stuff. I'm not taking anything away from am items, I think that they add super detail to models.  I rather fabricate it myself if possible. If I see am on sale, I usually will buy it and combine it with my own fabricated thingies.  As far as a one stop place for am, not very realistic since merchants will carry different stock.

 GIFMaker.org_jy_Ayj_O

 

 

Too many models to build, not enough time in a lifetime!!

  • Member since
    August 2009
  • From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Posted by StreetFightingMan on Thursday, May 13, 2010 7:42 PM

Hans: your work is incredible, approaching the stuff you see Sheperd Paine doing! Just thought I'd say that I hope to be half the modeler you are one day!

-Mike

On the Bench: 1/48 Eduard Avia B-534 Series IV, Cyber Hobby Messerschmidt Bf-109 E-4

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Friday, May 14, 2010 6:28 AM

Thanks for the props, but if you only wanna half the modeler I am, you're not setting your sights very high (Meaning that I'm no Master Modeler by any stretch of the imagination, lol)...  But you're right about Shep Paine...  His work with Monogram kits are what set the bar for me and kinda made him my "Sensei"...  His Monogram dioramas from the 70s are what made me become a "serious" modeler, as well as his tutelage in scratchbuilding, figure modification, lighting, and overall "Creative Gizmology"...  If you don't already own it, I highly suggest you pick up a copy of his book, "How to Build Dioramas" (especially the 2nd edition)...

Meantime, if you're interested, here's a link to some of his old diorama tip sheets that contain some good info...

http://sheperdpaine.atspace.com/index.htm

 

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: cleveland
Posted by uglygoat on Friday, May 14, 2010 8:13 AM

that is a great link hans!  i remember reading that b-17g diorama sheet over and over and over till it fell apart, i thought i'd never see it again.  Smile

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Crawfordsville, Indiana
Posted by Wabashwheels on Friday, May 14, 2010 9:51 AM

I've found it best to be flexible to go either way.  I like to lurk on ebay and pick up cheap targets of opportunity of AM parts.  I also watch Squadron for their sales on AM parts.  They offer some incredible deals regularly.  But with my somewhat mediocre scratch building vision and skills, I still enjoy the investment in time to create parts from "scratch" and adding simple little details that add depth to key spots.   Rick.  

 

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Friday, May 14, 2010 3:24 PM

For armor stuff, rjproducts.com has some really cool sduff.

You won't find a website with everything. Different suppliers have different distribution deals with different companies. That's "competition".

  • Member since
    April 2010
Posted by Robh22 on Friday, May 14, 2010 3:30 PM

Hans, can I ask you what color you painted this plane in? I don't know why but I really love it.

 

  • Member since
    August 2009
  • From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Posted by StreetFightingMan on Saturday, May 15, 2010 6:13 PM

Hans, the book you mentioned is actually what got me started in modeling! It's the best of its kind that I've ever seen, and the meaty text combined with the beautiful pics makes it a really good read! It seems everyone knows it, kind of a "diorama-making bible"! (P.S. loved the link!)

-Mike

On the Bench: 1/48 Eduard Avia B-534 Series IV, Cyber Hobby Messerschmidt Bf-109 E-4

  • Member since
    August 2009
  • From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Posted by StreetFightingMan on Saturday, May 15, 2010 6:16 PM

By the way...I see you did an awesome job scratchbuilding for the monogram marauder, I just picked one up a week ago and am currently letting the ideas I have for it ferment.  Any advice? I'd like to make a diorama, but I have yet to make one that is more than a plane on a surface with a standing pilot, lol!

-Mike

On the Bench: 1/48 Eduard Avia B-534 Series IV, Cyber Hobby Messerschmidt Bf-109 E-4

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Sunday, May 16, 2010 1:55 PM

Robh22

Hans, can I ask you what color you painted this plane in? I don't know why but I really love it.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/HansvonHammer/Screenshots/Models/f7f-002-workstand.jpg?t=1273548980

Thanks, but it's nuthin' special.. Plain ol' Testor's Model master Dark Sea Blue in a rattle-can... FS-15042 over-coated with a rattle-can of satin clear varnish...

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Sunday, May 16, 2010 2:09 PM

StreetFightingMan

By the way...I see you did an awesome job scratchbuilding for the monogram marauder, I just picked one up a week ago and am currently letting the ideas I have for it ferment.  Any advice? I'd like to make a diorama, but I have yet to make one that is more than a plane on a surface with a standing pilot, lol!

Thanks, I hope the Marauder works out ok... Actually building two of them, lol...

Well, the idea is to show the subject doing it's thing and the only things aircraft do on the ground are get maintained or wrecked...   Click onto Google Image and see what comes up with "B-26 Marauder"...  Also, keep in mind that you can uuse about any subject for ideas... If you see a B-17 getting something done to it, it's likely that it happened on a B-26 ground crew also..

For instance, the Tigercat dio I'm building has a crew of armorers loading up the magazines and a couple other guys fueling it from the drums nearby... It's called "Care & Feeding the Big Cat"... The idea actually came from a P-61 photo... I just changed the aircraft from a Widow to a Cat and the locale from England to Korea...

Another one, a B-17, is getting recovered by a Recovery Crew that the USAAF sent around various locations in England to see if crashed aircraft could be returned to service..  Mine shows the guys putting inflatable jacks under the wings of a Fort that had crash-landed "wheels-up".. The jacks were used to raise the plane high enough to gte the gear down, then the crew could decide if they were going to repair it enough to fly it ut of there, or salvage it on the spot... The dio has the planes, a tent (They'll be there a few days y'know), a 2 1/2 ton truck that haulded the jackes, tools, and air compressor (scratchbuilt from the tow-tractor in the Monogram B-24 kit) and various figures.. Any England-based bomber could be recovered that way...

So basically, just look over photos and see what strikes your fancy... Don't ovrelook YouTube videos either... I found a number of films from the USAAF that showed various scenes and just used the "print screen" button, to capture a shot, then pasted it to MS Paint to keep it on my HD...

If you'd like, feel free to email me or PM me and we can brainstorm about diorama ideas... Once you decide about what you might wanna do, you can have any reference photos that I have that may fit what you're wanting to do...

 

 

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