Transkits???

Ok guys im thinking about venturing off into
uncharted waters and trying something different
on my next build!!
Was looking at the s27 and mfh debates on here
about which is better when someone suggested trying
out a transkit first to get my feet wet.
Any thoughts on which one would be the easiest on a
noob???..or which guys arent quite so good??

I've only had experience with Hobby Design trans kits and on my recently finished Fiat Hamann trans kit the resin side skirts suffered from the resin warping. The resin front and rear bumpers were perfect though.

I have Hobby Designs Mercedes SLR 722 GT trans Kit and the resin bonnet on that is warped as well.

I've read of others on this forum having similar issues with Hobby Design resin warping too

You might want to consider a Fisher Model and Pattern multi Media kit to start with as they are well made and easy to build



44876

It is better to do something like a whole resin/metal kit or a simple transkit than some of the more complicated transkits. If you are into racing models, by far the best to try first is a Fisher Model and Patterns kit. If you want to stick with a transkit, Historic Racing Miniatures has several Corvette transkits that are really easy to use or one of the engine transkits like the GT40 would be good as well. Studio27 makes several curbside resin kits that are also a pretty good start. I would not go with MFH until you feel comfortable with resin and white metal. If you could give us some ideas on what kind of stuff you like, we could probably give you an example of a kit to start with.
Nic

Thanks Ron..well lets see..hmmm..I like the Cobra Daytona coupe in 1/24th
Also Ferrari 512BBLM..but alas i think these kits have white metal in them
which ive never worked with before:).Like you said maybe ill try a s27
simply because they are curbside.
I looked at the fischer site..dont like those cars ..but I do like rally..and those
lemans cars...Maybe a simple Aston Martin curbside dbr9.Not really into the older ferraris or
porsches..little more up to date for me!!
What do you think of this one???
http://www.hlj.com/product/S27FR2433

Here's a link with pictures and the instructions.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10086299

That would be a good start. Do you have any experient with vacuum formed glass and photoetch? If not, I know that S27 has very thin plastic for the windows so it can be a little difficult. They usually include about average amount of photoetch so it should give you a start. These kits do contain some white metal but not a lot.
Nic

As a complete NOOB you might want to try something rather easy.

I can recommend any one of these kits for a beginner:

ScaleProduction Golf Mk2 GL transkit for Revell kit (http://www.scaleproduction.de/product_info.php/info/p177_V-W-Golf-2-GL-bumpers--REVELL-.html)

^^This kit is the easiest really, because you don't have to cut the kit body. Just replace the stock parts with the transkit ones. Done.

Or a bit more modern:

ScaleProduction Golf Mk5 GTI ABT transkit for Fujimi kit (http://www.scaleproduction.de/product_info.php/info/p1651_V-W-Golf-5-GTI-A-B-T.html)

^^ A little more advanced, but still a rather easy conversion. Also just replacing the stock parts with the TK parts. This one even makes use of the original mounting points of the kit.

Or a full body transkit. Not that many parts, but builds into a very nice model, utilizing the well known Hasegawa T1 as a base: T1 CrewCab transkit (http://www.scaleproduction.de/product_info.php/info/p1581_V-W--DoKa---CrewCab-.html)

If you trust yourself to manage white metal parts (which isn't witchcraft, really), you might want to try a more complicated transkit like this Porsche (http://www.scaleproduction.de/product_info.php/info/p1568_P-911-R-S-R--1973.html).

I have built quite a few SP transkits so far and can really recommend them for beginners. No warped parts, very crisp, no shrinking. And very important: no sinkmarks or bubbles! Sinkmarks and bubbles are the main reason most people don't like to work with resin parts.

Like I said, it's not witchcraft. Just pay attention to preparing the parts properly before painting. Resin parts almost always have residue from mold release agents, which need to be removed prior to painting. There are different ways of removing them and you'll sure find one that you are happy with.

Now, have fun building. Don't be afraid, resin, PE and white metal parts don't bite you. The main difference is that styrene kit parts are attached with modeling cement and other materials with super glue. Oh, use a gel-type super glue - it's a lot less messy :loser:

Hope I could help.