I guess we will need to go over gear selection somewhere in this forum, won't we?
For modeling work, Sherline may not be the only choice, but it is undoubtably one of the very best. Sherline equipment is sometimes berated by 'full size' machinists because it is size limited- however given that obvious fact, in every other way it is truely excellent gear. It would be very difficult to find gear that is better in any meaningful way at all. Quality is absolutely top notch, their customer service is spectacular (I've delt with them once or twice, and they certainly exceeded my expectations), and they have a terrificly complete line of accessories to support their machines.
Sherline has a great website, and on it is a
list of dealers. Some of these dealers do sell at less than list prices.
This is one I've had good experinces with.
Package deals can be a good place to start. But the best deal going is to get a lathe, and then get a milling column and a (handfull of accesories). It gives you true milling and turning capability at a little over the cost of one machine. Obviously size is limited, but it's what both Mike and I are running. Certainly for 1/24 (and 1/12) work, it's plenty big enough. And of course when you're ready to have a dedicated mill as well, you can by the components you need to put it together- the milling column will transfer over.