Quote:
Originally posted by morpheusxiii
Hello again, Silver S2000. Thanks for directing me to this forum. For some reason, I never really enter the 'other forums' but I'm getting more and more interested on what else you folks have to say about other topics, besides the general car makes/models areas.
Anyways, I've only built one, and it was about 4 years ago. It was a race model, the Castrol Supra GT from the JGTC. I gave it to my friend (who actually owned a Supra) because I didn't want to ruin it while moving. In any case, I can't seem to find many places that sell these car models, and when I do find them, they are rather on the pricey side. The reason I consider them pricey here is because I used to find them in Asia for the equivalent of 2 or 3 bucks, and there were A LOT of them (mostly Tamiyas). Are there any good areas in California where you can find these for a fair price? And not the same old stuff either.
I'm more used to building model aircraft, and I've noticed that one can spend much more time with the interior cabin detail on a model car than on a plane. I feel that the interior is the source of real satisfaction, since you are crafting something that others won't initially see, but once someone peers through the windows, they will see the superb craftsmanship.
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The prices are high for all Japanese kits in the U.S. Too bad for us.
It really sucks, too, because the Japanese kits sell for $20 a pop, and sit next the the American kits, which rarely sell for more than $12! So when casual modelers wander in to pick something up, they'd tend to go for the cheaper model of the more recognizeable American car.
So, $20 is about what I expect to pay, and I just get to be surprised if I end up paying less. For rarer kits, I just order them straight from Japan through
www.hlj.com. I got my Castrol Mugen NSX from them on sale for 1400 yen (~$15) so after shipping it was still a couple bucks less than retail (~$22).
In Hacienda Heights there's a store called Legends Hobbies. They have a great selection of Japanese model kits of all kinds, not just cars. They also have aircraft, armor and a
lot of Gundam kits. They have some military dioramas there that'll blow your mind. I could look at them for hours. Their prices aren't exactly
low, but when they have something you want...
They also have a 1/12 scale NSX made by Rosso that's real hard to come by nowadays that's built up and sitting in their display case. Apparently the kit came with an extra engine to display outside the car.
There's a place in Montclair called Pegasus Hobbies that decent, but it's right down the street from Upland, so I buy paint there a lot. Their prices run high. Pegasus Hobbies is know for producing a wide selection of wheels and accessories for low-rider models, like gold 100-spoke rims. They also reconfigured the servos in an R/C car to give it "Hoppin' Hydros." LOL! That thing's rad!
You could also try a chain of hobby stores called "Hobby People," (formerly Hobby Shack). They carry the static models, but not a particularly wide selection. I
did buy my S2000 from them, though.
I found a place in L.A./Hollywood once, but I can't remember where it is, doh! My friend says thay have models in the Japan-town area in the toy stores, but I've never been.
As for what you say about detailing the interiors: Here, Here! I want to get into superdetailing my models, but it's quite a hefty task. Look at
primera man's funny cars for the detail that goes into wiring and "hose-ing" the engine. Damn, he's good!
My super-project is a Mugen Integra Type R. The Mugen car is a Fujimi kit of the regular J-spec ITR, plus the Mugen bodykit parts. That's one I bought from Japan. Fine, good enough, right? Then, right after I bought it Revell released a kit of the American version of the ITR, complete with engine. Well, my Mugen kit had no engine, so I went out and bought the Revell kit as an organ donor. Curses and swears came out of me like you wouldn't believe when I saw that the Mugen kit was 1/24 scale and the Revell kit was 1/25!
:zx11pisse
Well, it's on the back-burner now, but once I have a bit more experience under my belt I'll pick it back up. It's not like I haven't got anything else to work on in the meantime. That is,
if I ever got off of AF.
That was long!