Why the great desire for resin?

Good question. I only occasionally build aircraft. I mostly do ships and spacecraft. The only reason I ever buy a resin model is in a case where any other type of model is unavailable for the subject, or where the available kit in styrene or other material is pure crap.

hill4448@gmail> Okay, here's a link to an eBay auction that I don't hill4448@gmail> understand. I'm not trolling, I really just don't hill4448@gmail> under stand the lure of a resin kit.

hill4448@gmail>

hill4448@gmail> There's the Airfix/Heller kit if you want a basic hill4448@gmail> one to go all ape-poo detailing, and there's the hill4448@gmail> Trumpeter kit if you want a 'shake and bake' hill4448@gmail> beautiful build with lots of detail.

hill4448@gmail> Why would someone want the obscure resin kit that hill4448@gmail> requires more skill, money and equipment to build? hill4448@gmail> I'm not criticizing the bidders! I would just like hill4448@gmail> an explanation as to why this would be a much more hill4448@gmail> sought after kit.

Well, obviously one's pocketbook influences primarily where one places ones value. Everything is marginal.

That said, AKI is one of the top resin makers in the world quality-wise, their Sea Fury, Firebrand (IIRC) and maybe a 3rd aircraft, and then their CVEs (three to date) in 1/700 are absolutely exquisite in terms of details, casting quality, and thinness of parts.

From the above I think you can garner a few of the points:

1) most importantly, resin is cheaper to use for small-run kits; i.e., not so popular subjects. It is true that as competition increases, and subjects are progressively exhausted, injection makers will either redo existing ships or choose less popular subjects for their next release. Still, resin has an absolute advantage here. Of course, the molds do not last as long either.

2) you cannot get the level of detail, crispness, sharp angles (90 degrees, for instance), and thinness, with plastic. That is a limitation of the medium. So resin kits have the potential to be simply much much better-looking than plastic kits, something apparent ever more at smaller scales (1/72 for aircraft, 1/700 for ships).

3) Resin pieces can have more detail, more undercutting, and this means complex pieces and assemblies can be case whole (entire ship superstructure, for instance). This is a great time saving and construction saving for the modeler, in terms of alignment, filling, and possible errors.

So, yes, while unit-wise more expensive, there are definitely advantages associated with resin kits.

Cheers,

Hi.

You *can* get detailing in a resin kit that is far better than plastic, and has a 3D effect that PE will never achieve. Done right they are masterpieces. Generally resin manufacturers make their kit's to a far more accurate shape/outline, unlike some plastic kit manufacturers. (it seems most trumpeter kit's these days have shape/size/outline problems)

I have a 1/48 Hawk 75 in resin. Very nice cockpit, and a one piece fuselage, one piece wing. Some white metal (which I don't like) parts, inc. engine and landing gear. If and when I get the time to build it, I know it will be stunning with the restrained surface detailing, very nice cockpit, and accurate shape. (it came with scaled down copies of original Hawk 75 engineering plans)

In the end it is to each their own...

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: : : There's the Airfix/Heller kit if you want a basic one : to go all ape-poo detailing, and there's the Trumpeter : kit if you want a 'shake and bake' beautiful build with : lots of detail. : I quickly found a review that begs to differ with your opinion of the Trumpeter 1/72 Sea Fury offering. :-)

And, as for as the Airfix/Heller kit, a good resin kit may be easier to build that futzing with a bad plastic kit. : : Why would someone want the obscure resin kit that : requires more skill, money and equipment to build? : I am not sure I agree that resin kits require more skill or equipment to build. Glue, sandpaper/files, paint. Nothing really any different there.

I don't much like super glue, but I have to say, after finding Tamiya's "single serving" super glue, a lot of my objections to super glue are gone. Gunze Sangyo/GSI Creos "Mr. Glue Applicator" helps, too. :-)

Bruce

Hey guys and gals! OP here...

I've got a couple of resin kits myself, one or two that I bought because they were the _ONLY_ available option for that subject, and one that I picked up because it was dirt cheap.

I've played around with them, opening the boxes, cleaning up some flash and what not.

I agree that the detail is often far better, and more accurate than on mass production kits, I also will agree that the kit will usually give the builder a greater satisfaction (more accurate, more effort put in).

I guess my question is more along the lines of: "Why spend so MUCH money" or "Why would someone specifically search out resin?" Does that make more sense? That's the part I don't understand. I realize that there's folks out there who only want to do vac-form kits, kind of a sub- culture in model building. Is there a resin sub- culture as well?

Thanks a bunch, good thread!

" snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" wrote in news:ea7c5b68-e238-4b5a- snipped-for-privacy@y12g2000prb.googlegroups.com:

I've got a Kubel, a German infantry gun and a German soldier figure in resin in 1/16. Got them all dirt cheap. Just thought I'd play around with it, make a di with the parts. Still looking for addition figures, plastic or resin.

I bought just because, they seemed like a differnt set of challenges from the regualr stuff i do and frankly the castings look really good, albeit some of the poor stubs in the Kubel have enough excess resin for a handfull of 1/72 aircraft kits.

hill4448@gmail> Hey guys and gals! OP here... I've got a couple of hill4448@gmail> resin kits myself, one or two that I bought because hill4448@gmail> they were the _ONLY_ available option for that hill4448@gmail> subject, and one that I picked up because it was hill4448@gmail> dirt cheap.

hill4448@gmail> I've played around with them, opening the boxes, hill4448@gmail> cleaning up some flash and what not.

hill4448@gmail> I agree that the detail is often far better, and hill4448@gmail> more accurate than on mass production kits, I also hill4448@gmail> will agree that the kit will usually give the hill4448@gmail> builder a greater satisfaction (more accurate, more hill4448@gmail> effort put in).

hill4448@gmail> I guess my question is more along the lines of: "Why hill4448@gmail> spend so MUCH money" or "Why would someone hill4448@gmail> specifically search out resin?" Does that make more hill4448@gmail> sense? That's the part I don't understand. I hill4448@gmail> realize that there's folks out there who only want hill4448@gmail> to do vac-form kits, kind of a sub- culture in model hill4448@gmail> building. Is there a resin sub- culture as well?

I think you rather answer your own questions there, several ways. Since each of us has an ever-shifting and readjusting set of ordered values (something that can be shown easily by examining one's stash and asking oneself why one accumulated various individual kits), the reasons for going for resin above, say, an equivalant plastic rendition of a subject, is something only the individual in question can answer.

We can speculate about the various possible "payoffs", of course, and you have listed a few in your reply above, as have others here in this thread.

The restrictions are also interesting, what we need to give up to get a "payoff". Most importantly, I would guess, are the size of one's purse, and the effect of marginal utility.

In essence, a first kit has far more value than a second one; and if the total number of kits is limited (as is the case with resin compared to injection molded versions) the subjective value can be relatively much higher. So the impetus to buy a "rare" resin kit might be caved into quicker than a plastic kit, of which "another" copy can easily be bought at some later date.

When I first got interested in Luft '46, resin kits were about the only game in town. The only injections that I could use were usually kitbashed from the Lindberg kits or a few Bf.109 kits (the Bf.109z comes to mind). Planet Models, Unicraft, RS and a few others gave me the models that I wanted to build; it was only later when Revell AG came out with a few injection out-of-box kits to go with them. So, yes, I've done a LOT of resin kits and enjoyed each and every one of them, but culture? No, they were just a means to an end, just like a few vacuum-formed Airmodels kits that I've done as well....

Because we can. And it is a different skill set, which as one progresses in the modeling world people will want to work at and master. Just as one moves through a field of study/work and learns all the different skills needed.

Yes. But most of us do it for the exclusive kit's and or accuracy and the enjoyment of taking on a new and different work project.

;-)

AM> snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: >> Hey guys and gals! OP here... >> >> I've got a couple of resin kits myself, one or two that I bought >> because they were the _ONLY_ available option for that subject, >> and one that I picked up because it was dirt cheap. >> >> I've played around with them, opening the boxes, cleaning up some >> flash and what not. >> >> I agree that the detail is often far better, and more accurate >> than on mass production kits, I also will agree that the kit will >> usually give the builder a greater satisfaction (more accurate, >> more effort put in). >> >> I guess my question is more along the lines of: "Why spend so >> MUCH money" or "Why would someone specifically search out resin?" >> Does that make more sense? That's the part I don't understand.

AM> Because we can. And it is a different skill set, which as one AM> progresses in the modeling world people will want to work at and AM> master. Just as one moves through a field of study/work and AM> learns all the different skills needed.

So is this the time to mention Mach kits?

LOL

Yes. But most of us do it for the exclusive kit's and or accuracy and AM> the enjoyment of taking on a new and different work project.

Concur.

;-)

It reminds me of how RMS used to be!

Only if you're willing to point out StarFix as an example of sterling injection..... Every medium has duds and misfires.

Ultimately, people do it because it's the only way to get a kit of that particular subject in the scale or level of quality/accuracy that they want, they REALLY, REALLY want it, they'd rather not try to scratch-build or kitbash it, and they think it's worth spending the high(er) price to get it.

Consider other types of products where you might be willing to pay more for something that's bigger, better, or rare. Would you...

- Spend thousands of dollars on a 60-inch TV when a 15-inch TV is so much cheaper?

- Spend more money to get Blu-ray discs instead of DVDs?

- Buy an expensive surround-sound audio system instead of a cheap stereo?

- Spend twice the original retail price for an out-of-print book or DVD?

- Pay for front-row concert seats instead of cheap seats in the back?

- Buy a real hardwood bookcase instead of a cheap bookcase with a fake woodgrain finish?

- Pay for high-speed internet instead of a slow & cheap connection?

- Buy brand-name peanut butter instead of cheap generic stuff?

That's it. There's not a lot of resin in my stash but I have two Fisher 1/32 Sea Furries. The HobbyCraft plastic version is nice but.... The Sea Fury is my all time favourite Single engine WWII aircraft and The Fisher offereing is as good as you're going to get short of a total scratch build. Also have an MPM 1/48 Do 24 T in resin because it's the only game in town at that scale.....

Wayne C. Morris wrote: : : - Spend thousands of dollars on a 60-inch TV when a 15-inch TV is so much : cheaper? : Because their manhood isn't undersized, dammit! : : - Spend twice the original retail price for an out-of-print book or DVD? : Only twice? Damn. I'm envious. :-) : : - Buy a real hardwood bookcase instead of a cheap bookcase with a fake woodgrain : finish? : Because you will only need purchase the real wood bookcase once. The one made from, glit, well... : : - Pay for high-speed internet instead of a slow & cheap connection? : What is your time worth? Personally, I don't need to brew my own soda/coffee/beer while waiting for a page to download. Besides, only you and the cable/phone company call this crap "high speed". :-) : : - Buy brand-name peanut butter instead of cheap generic stuff? : Because I can pronounce all 3 ingredients in the good stuff? (and, well, hopefully it came from a factory that wasn't closed down due to all of the dirt, bird and rat dropping falling from the rafters.)

Bruce

i'll buy a good tv and maintain a good stereo but i'm a vinyl collector. i reant movies, buy an occasional music dvd. i buy old books and vinyl. no concerts near here. no live music at all. i buy hardwork bookcaqses. from the thrift stores. internet is cheap here, i buy good peanut butter on sale. life is compromise. we do not kill for colored vinyl. it's a vicious lie.

1. No

1. DVDs? What the heck are they and will they fit my VCR?

2. No

1. Maybe. Depends on the subject matter.

2. Concerts? Heck, I stopped going in 1970, IIRC.

1. Hmm

2. The only reason I'm on DSL now is because my son moved in here a year and a half ago.

1. Can't eat PB. No real sacrifice there as I never craved it.

However, I will buy TDK VHS tapes in preference to almost every other brand.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

Mad Modeller wrote in news:fpCdnXCF2PKFlMzRnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Just because yer gettin' old doesn't mean you can't adapt.

re: "However, I will buy TDK VHS tapes in preference to almost every other brand."

I always had a preference for their casette tapes, as well.

:o)