Model upgrades

[Canyon Man]

Hello Guys,
I'm curious. When You guys buy a new model, do you buy ALL the aftermarket parts immediately( photoetch parts,lighting kits, accurizing parts, improved decal sheets) or do you wait till you start building the kit?
The reason I ask is because I bought the J2 a few weeks back and I am in the process of getting all the upgrades but now I just bought the 1701 1/350 scale for a good deal and now am looking at another couple hundred.
I guess my main concern is availability of the upgraded parts when I'm finally ready for them. Is this ever a problem? I've been out of the modeling scene for over 20 years and just starting to get back in and building my shop.
Thanks ;D

 

[Grendels]

For me it depends upon the kit. For some models I don't buy the upgrades at all. For others I buy them right away. The upgrade market can be funny. For some kits, these upgrades can be found for years, and for others, the market dries up pretty fast. I think it really depends upon the model kit.

The 1/350 refit market I suspect won't dry up very fast. There are quite a few of those still on hobby shop websites. My LHS has one in stock.

 

[Quaralane]

I agree with Grendels.
Depends a lot on the kit.
I've got the etch for my second Galactica, but have very little in the way of AM parts for any of my other pending kits

 

[Solander]

As for me, when I find an aftermarket product for one of my kits, I consider about buying it for maximum 3 days and during that period try to solidly decide do I really require it or not, in if yes - I purchase it. The fact is that I has happened for 3 times already when I've been trying for too long and lost my opportunity to buy some out of prod./limited run AM-parts and then was sad for long that I prolonged purchasing them, try not to repeat such mistakes. Besides, such approach teaches to get only those aftermarket that you really require and would use on a model, not waisting time and cash on trifles.

 

[Splashcoat]

I'll usually open the kit and look at the detail before I decide to purchase any upgrades. Some kits can be vastly improved with just a few scratch-built modifications and I find this a very rewarding. I suppose it ultimately depends on the level of accuracy you're going for. By way of example, I've just started working on Mobius' Viper MKII model and the differences between the stock cockpit and the cockpit modified with ParaGraphix's PE set are night and day.

The stock cockpit is okay, but the PE enhanced cockpit is more accurate. The question is, is it worth it for you, the modeler, to purchase an aftermarket set that costs as much as the kit you're building. Sadly, I find that as a modeler's skills advance so does his or her threshold of acceptable levels of accuracy and detail. It's a slippery slope; the better you get the better you want your models to be.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Depends on the kit....

Good example (while not Sci-Fi) the new Eduard 1/48 Mig 21 MF.....Eduard keeps coming out with more "Brassin" sets for it, and try to snap them up when I can, some go out of stock really quickly, however unlike some smaller companies....with Eduard you just have to wait until next month and a resupply of the parts.

With probably 4-5 different variants of the Mig 21 coming out, I figure I will do one with all the bells and whistles, and the rest just box stock. But even those with box stock, there is usually a couple of resin pieces and a whole whack of PE in the box already.

Got the Paragraphix set one Viper MkII, and have been patiently waiting for my supplier to get the Galactica set back in, but Paragraphix seems to sell them as fast as they are making them.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

I don't really find it necessary to get every available aftermarket set for the kits I have. I may get a resin tire set, or a small PE fret that has just some of the basic necessities but I steer clear of buying up all the possible add-ons simply for the sake of having them. Years ago I used to do that with every kit I purchased and still have a drawer full of etch sets and resin that I have yet to use.

I've been out of the modeling scene for over 20 years and just starting to get back in and building my shop.

This is the one sentence that stuck out for me and the one that I would consider when deciding whether or not to spend a ton of money. If I were just starting out, I would try to keep it simple for now and work on my painting/finishing skills.

I have seen kits loaded with aftermarket goodies come out so-so in the end and at the same time, I have seen out of the box kits blow my mind with the paint job/weathering.

Just make sure and have fun whatever you do. 8)

 

[Quaralane]

Just make sure and have fun whatever you do. 8)

So Say We ALL.

 

[RocketSilo]

I only have a handfull of models under my belt ,, If I can figure out a way to scratchbuild it I will.

once I get into the more complex models ,, than that will get harder to do and I will have to break down and get some photoetch or resin (I'm tempted to try cloning some things in resin already)

 

[Glorfindel]

"It's a slippery slope; the better you get the better you want your models to be."

The best quote on this thread and the truest. Not every kit requires AM but you will start tampering with it eventually as you get better. It's the results you get when you finish that will suck you in to the AM vortex. It's costly but look on the bright side, you'll be known as a "super detailer".
And as Pippin said to Gandalf, "That doesn't sound so bad".

 

[punkpigpen]

a photo etched cockpit upgrade is a must for me. but the rest depends on what im getting or if it matters.