Resin kits

I've been on this forum awhile back but I had to quit until now due to school.

Anyways, I am back but it's not specifically for cars. I do have a little bit of experience with plastic kits (Revell and Tamiya) but never had resin kits. Is resin kit easier to deal with than plastic kits as far as trimming, painting, and gluing are concerned? I have TONS of paint in my garage (all Tamiya) for plastic kits and I am not sure if these can be used for resin kits as well. Also, I am curious if there are any differences as far as the procedure of making these models.

My dilemma:
Can I use all my plastic kit tools/equipment for resin kit?
Is resin kit more user friendly than plastic kit?

Thanks!

You can use most of the tools and materials, but styrene glue doesn't work on resin, so you'll need epoxy glue and superglue. Resin takes conventional hobby primers and paints just fine.

The biggest difference I can think of is that resin kits require a great deal of preparation and dry fit, because most parts do not fit properly; they require thorough clean-up; some parts might have air bubbles you have to fill with putty or superglue; or there might be missing details that you have to add with a piece of styrene, etc. Essentially, the modeler is responsible for cleaning and preparation of individual parts before assembly.

It's all basic stuff, and the same can be said about building plastic kits, but resin kits involve a lot more preparation.

If you have a favorite subject or a particular kit you are interested in, I suggest that you go ahead and get one and start building it. After all, you can never learn about extensive parts preparation no matter how many plastic kits you build. If that sounds too tedious for a relatively high price, it's better staying away from resin kits.

I was comfortable building resin kits when I was only 16 years old, so it's not difficult to do.

You can use most of the tools and materials, but styrene glue doesn't work on resin, so you'll need epoxy glue and superglue. Resin takes conventional hobby primers and paints just fine.

The biggest difference I can think of is that resin kits require a great deal of preparation and dry fit, because most parts do not fit properly; they require thorough clean-up; some parts might have air bubbles you have to fill with putty or superglue; or there might be missing details that you have to add with a piece of styrene, etc. Essentially, the modeler is responsible for cleaning and preparation of individual parts before assembly.

It's all basic stuff, and the same can be said about building plastic kits, but resin kits involve a lot more preparation.

If you have a favorite subject or a particular kit you are interested in, I suggest that you go ahead and get one and start building it. After all, you can never learn about extensive parts preparation no matter how many plastic kits you build. If that sounds too tedious for a relatively high price, it's better staying away from resin kits.

I was comfortable building resin kits when I was only 16 years old, so it's not difficult to do.

Thank you for your reply. One of biggest problem that I've been having is glueing painted parts. Paint tends to melt and it gets messy. Do I just need to be more careful when I glue products together?

Also, is there any US vendors that sell wide range of cars and Gundam model kits? ebay is quite competitive even with high shipping cost because most of "big" vendors are in Japan and shipping tends to be half the cost of the product.

Thanks!!! :)

Is resin kit more user friendly than plastic kit?


No, just the opposite. Resin kits are as a general rule LESS user friendly than plastic kits.

There is a very wide range of quality available in resin kits. Some are produced by companies that produce consistently excellent kits (like MFH). Others are produced in very small runs by enthusiasts in their basements. Some are fantastic, and some are utter crap. And it's very hard to tell how a kit is going to be until you have it in hand.

Generally speaking, the skills required for resin kits are beyond those required for plastic. Resin kit makers design their kits with this expectation. Building plastic kits is the best way to learn them. If you're not comfortable with plastic, resin can be a complicated, expensive, and miserable experience. But if you're up for the challenge, they can be a lot of fun.

In case no one mentions it; don't confuse the cost of resin kits to be an indicator of how good the kits are.
Even the best kits require a lot of work and quick look at the Model Factory Hiro kits built by members here will show you that even the best (as MFH are oft regarded as being) aren't always straight forward builds.

At the same time, don't hold resin kits to be some sort of holy grail of kit building.
In some cases, they may be the best in terms of built detail (that still may not be 100% accurate if that's your thing) but in some others, resin kits are there because the mainstream plastic kit manufacturers simply don't make a kit of the cars we want to build.

I actually had very frustrating experience with Revell R8 (I believe I posted a thread long time ago). After building the entire thing, I was ready to put the fully body on top of the finished body. Guess what? It doesn't fit! The wheel arches are too wide compared to the body arch so there was no way I could fit that in. I ended up sanding both wheel arches to try to make that fit but it ended up messing up the whole body. Honestly, I have no idea how that happened since none of users on this forum seem to had that kind of issues.

Then, I was working on Revel Enzo, which I couldn't finish.

I don't think resin kits are easier but I felt that it's going to be a lot more flexible since there's good amount of sanding to do. Gundam kits that I am looking at are from Bandai (well known). For all car kits, I think Tamiya is superior over Revell IMO (I built 2 Tamiya and Bandai and Tamiya cars went pretty well besides the decal part. I bought a wrong decal solution and ended up ruining decals :p)

Also, is there any US vendors that sell wide range of ...... Gundam model kits?

If you're interested in Gundam kits, probably the best place to buy them anywhere near NoVa is the dealer's room at Otakon in Baltimore next month. You would of course have to pay to get into the conference, but outside of Japan I have nowhere else seen anything close to the number of Gundam kits available there. It's not really a genre I know about, but you could certainly spend a lot of money- and get a great deal of stuff for it.

If you're interested in Gundam kits, probably the best place to buy them anywhere near NoVa is the dealer's room at Otakon in Baltimore next month. You would of course have to pay to get into the conference, but outside of Japan I have nowhere else seen anything close to the number of Gundam kits available there. It's not really a genre I know about, but you could certainly spend a lot of money- and get a great deal of stuff for it.

have you been there by chance? i was actually looking for online stores. i've been searching but cant beat japanese market :p

Been where- Japan, Baltimore, or Otakon? I've actually been to all three.

My understanding is that the market for Gundam kits in the US is enthusiastic, but very small. So there are few importers in the US that bother bringing in much, and those that do are significantly overshadowed by buying from shops in Japan (HLJ, Hobbysearch, Rainbow10 etc). In the DC area, Hobbyworks (I want to say there's one in Fairfax) sometimes stocks Gundam stuff, but I think what they carry is pretty limited.

Been where- Japan, Baltimore, or Otakon? I've actually been to all three.

My understanding is that the market for Gundam kits in the US is enthusiastic, but very small. So there are few importers in the US that bother bringing in much, and those that do are significantly overshadowed by buying from shops in Japan (HLJ, Hobbysearch, Rainbow10 etc). In the DC area, Hobbyworks (I want to say there's one in Fairfax) sometimes stocks Gundam stuff, but I think what they carry is pretty limited.

i've bought all my stuffs from hobbyworks and another place in chantilly. i was referring to the conference, not cities. sorry!

i am a full-time student and currently working so i am primarily looking for online vendors. Thanks!

Like I said, I've been there also. ;) It's kinda fun, if you're into that sort of thing. And if you're shopping for Gundam kits, I think you won't be disappointed.