Resin/Plastic Model clarification

Resin and vinyl are two very different types of kits. The resin kits that you are pobably running into in a hobby store are aftermarket add ons / corrections / conversions for existing plastic kits though there are complete resin kits available. They are usually a product that has been ignored by the large injection molded companies like Tamiya, Dragon, etc. Some of these kits can be quite easy to work with but others ...... OH BOY. If you intend on using an resin product, it would be wise to research it a little and find out if it's worth the extra cash.

Oh I see so they're all resin kits it's just particular ones are independents so to speak that the big boys won't or don't produce. Okay that makes sense. I just purchased a Valkyrie VF-4 Resin Kit and I was just wondering if it was going to be soft vinyl parts or hard plastic and now I see it'll be hard plastic. It's this one inp articular btw; http://www.hobbyfan.com/product_info.php/cPath/21_24_82_242/products_id/1847

Resin kits can also be expensive, but they often make kits that aren't/won't be offered by mainstream plastic companies. When working with resin, you need to be more careful during clean up and will have to acquire different tools. If you haven't worked with resin before and want to try it, I recommend finding a small, simple conversion in your area of interest.

Just to clarify things a bit. All models are not resin kits. Resin kits are resin, vinyl kits are vinyl and plastic kits are styrene. Now i'm not a chemist, but I think I have the basic differences between the two. At room temperature resin is a liquid. To make a model out of it ,you need to add a catylist (hardener) to make it cure hard after it is poured in to a mold. Styrene is solid at room temperature. You must heat it and do some other stuff to it to make it a liquid that can be injected in to a mold. When it cools it hardens again. I believe that due to the nature of the process, injection molds are limited in the details that they can reproduce. Resin allows for more intricate and precise details. This process is more time consuming and costly, therefore it's left for detail sets and small production run special interest subjects.

If a company such as Tamiya or Hasegawa tried to mass produce an all resin kit, you would have to mortgage the house to buy it .

Darren

Funny you're the one asking about this. I just happen to have a resin kit of an Invid scout!

Two things you should know about resin kits, Invid.

1) Your regular cement won't work. A good CA glue ( often referred to as "super glue" or "crazy glue" ) will be needed.

2) If you're thinking of adding details with a scribing tool, forget it. Resin is much harder than styrene and you'll ruin your scribing tool in less than a second. I know from experience.

You'll have to post pics of that VF-4 when you're done. The only pics I've seen of a completed kit are the fuzzy b&w ones used for ads in Japanese hobby magazines.


I couldn't even find my way back to "normal" with the Hubble!

I'll definately post pics of the VF-4 when it's done. I'll even post the pics of the 3D mesh I make from it being a reference. As for the glue I didn't know regular model glue won't work with resin kits. Also did you get that Invid Scout from Marcsmodels? He sent me a pic of the 1/48 kit but I didn't like the way it looked as it wasn't accurate enough for me.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Invid Also did you get that Invid Scout from Marcsmodels? He sent me a pic of the 1/48 kit but I didn't like the way it looked as it wasn't accurate enough for me.

Yep, that's the one. I also feel it's somewhat inaccurate, but that's what Milliput and similar things are for.


I couldn't even find my way back to "normal" with the Hubble!