My latest build, IJN Mikuma
Discussion
Looks very good Shar2
I dont know how you can settle down with all those intricate "fiddly bits" on these ships
The Tamiya ship I made was a scary ride, realising I was heading off on a voyage I'm really uncomfortable with
Looking at this I see all the traps I should have avoided on it, smashing job well done
(aside: I do like the Japanese Navy's paint colours, that Deck Red Linoleum colour is quite striking)
I dont know how you can settle down with all those intricate "fiddly bits" on these ships
The Tamiya ship I made was a scary ride, realising I was heading off on a voyage I'm really uncomfortable with
Looking at this I see all the traps I should have avoided on it, smashing job well done
(aside: I do like the Japanese Navy's paint colours, that Deck Red Linoleum colour is quite striking)
That's quite a difficult question to answer, as it depends on the kit, AM manufacturer, extent of details added etc.
For example. With the Mikuma there are no specific aftermarket sets so I used parts from another ships etch set and a generic sheet of railings from Eduard. So the cost ratio of kit to aftermarket was quite small.
I do have other kits, mainly from Hasegawa and Fujimi, where their own add-on sets can equal or surpass the cost of the original kit, even when that kit is already hugely expensive.
Add-on sets from companies like White Ensign Models, Pontos, Lionroar, Flyhawk etc can add a lot to cost of a model, the Far Eastern companies more so than European, and there is a tendancy for these companies to produce ever more complex sets of turned brass, etch brass/nickle and wooden decks that you end up with just using the basic details of a kit and throwing the rest away. Which is probably why I generally stick to WEM or Eduard for any AM I need.
The best deal I've come across recently are the Premium editions from Academy. I have just received their HMS Warspite for review and it comes with everything you will ever need to build a museum quality model. The basic kit itself is very good to start with. To this Academy have added turned brass barrels, masts, yardarms, and booms, etched brass detail sheets and wooden decks. All for a lot less than one basic Tamiya kit.
For example. With the Mikuma there are no specific aftermarket sets so I used parts from another ships etch set and a generic sheet of railings from Eduard. So the cost ratio of kit to aftermarket was quite small.
I do have other kits, mainly from Hasegawa and Fujimi, where their own add-on sets can equal or surpass the cost of the original kit, even when that kit is already hugely expensive.
Add-on sets from companies like White Ensign Models, Pontos, Lionroar, Flyhawk etc can add a lot to cost of a model, the Far Eastern companies more so than European, and there is a tendancy for these companies to produce ever more complex sets of turned brass, etch brass/nickle and wooden decks that you end up with just using the basic details of a kit and throwing the rest away. Which is probably why I generally stick to WEM or Eduard for any AM I need.
The best deal I've come across recently are the Premium editions from Academy. I have just received their HMS Warspite for review and it comes with everything you will ever need to build a museum quality model. The basic kit itself is very good to start with. To this Academy have added turned brass barrels, masts, yardarms, and booms, etched brass detail sheets and wooden decks. All for a lot less than one basic Tamiya kit.
Shar2 said:
That's quite a difficult question to answer, as it depends on the kit, AM manufacturer, extent of details added etc.
For example. With the Mikuma there are no specific aftermarket sets so I used parts from another ships etch set and a generic sheet of railings from Eduard. So the cost ratio of kit to aftermarket was quite small.
I do have other kits, mainly from Hasegawa and Fujimi, where their own add-on sets can equal or surpass the cost of the original kit, even when that kit is already hugely expensive.
Add-on sets from companies like White Ensign Models, Pontos, Lionroar, Flyhawk etc can add a lot to cost of a model, the Far Eastern companies more so than European, and there is a tendancy for these companies to produce ever more complex sets of turned brass, etch brass/nickle and wooden decks that you end up with just using the basic details of a kit and throwing the rest away. Which is probably why I generally stick to WEM or Eduard for any AM I need.
The best deal I've come across recently are the Premium editions from Academy. I have just received their HMS Warspite for review and it comes with everything you will ever need to build a museum quality model. The basic kit itself is very good to start with. To this Academy have added turned brass barrels, masts, yardarms, and booms, etched brass detail sheets and wooden decks. All for a lot less than one basic Tamiya kit.
That's great, thanks. I'll look out for the Academy stuff at Telford. A colleague of mine is looking for a decent ship model, so this sounds like a great candidate.For example. With the Mikuma there are no specific aftermarket sets so I used parts from another ships etch set and a generic sheet of railings from Eduard. So the cost ratio of kit to aftermarket was quite small.
I do have other kits, mainly from Hasegawa and Fujimi, where their own add-on sets can equal or surpass the cost of the original kit, even when that kit is already hugely expensive.
Add-on sets from companies like White Ensign Models, Pontos, Lionroar, Flyhawk etc can add a lot to cost of a model, the Far Eastern companies more so than European, and there is a tendancy for these companies to produce ever more complex sets of turned brass, etch brass/nickle and wooden decks that you end up with just using the basic details of a kit and throwing the rest away. Which is probably why I generally stick to WEM or Eduard for any AM I need.
The best deal I've come across recently are the Premium editions from Academy. I have just received their HMS Warspite for review and it comes with everything you will ever need to build a museum quality model. The basic kit itself is very good to start with. To this Academy have added turned brass barrels, masts, yardarms, and booms, etched brass detail sheets and wooden decks. All for a lot less than one basic Tamiya kit.
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