Archive for the ‘Resin Sets’ Category

Monday we had a look at some gorgeous decal sets from Starfighter Decals. Today, we’ll continue with our review of Starfighter Decals products, looking at some resin upgrade sets. (And don’t miss out on part III, with photoetch and more decals.)

Though Mark Tutton produces many different decal, resin, and photoetch products, what Starfighter Decals is best known for are there sets for classic Monogram and Revell 1/72nd kits. Here are some of those resin sets. Read the rest of this entry »

Several years ago, Mark Buchler of Modelnerd’s Modelshack fame had released a resin cowl update set for the Monogram P-61. With the renewed interest in the P-61 thanks to Great Wall Hobby’s Black Widow kit, it was time for an update to that set.

Mark’s new update will do double duty, working on both the Monogram and Great Wall kits. So regardless of which base kit you choose, you can be sure you’ll have some great looking power plants and their associated parts hanging on the ends of the booms.

The set itself consists of cowls, engines, props and spinners (with alignment jig), as well as a spacing adapter for the Great Wall kit. The parts are cast in light grey resin that almost has a styrene feel to it. The parts are free of pinholes or other deformations, with only a light amount of flash here and there. Impressively, none of the parts have the huge casting plugs normally associated with resin parts. Mark’s use of sprue-like attachments has always impressed me, and sets him at the top of the heap in my opinion when it comes to smart engineering for small resin operations. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo courtesy Mark Büchler

Many folks may know Mark Büchler as “Modelnerd” on various model related forums. A few may remember the super-impressive scratch built cockpit and other additions he did a few years ago for Lindberg’s Goshawk kit that was posted on Fine Scale’s forum. He did an awesome job on that, and decided to make resin copies. He sold a few of those, and decided to do more resin. An upgrade for the Hobbycraft/Academy I-16 followed (which I used in a build and quite enjoyed), as well as an engine/cowl set for Revell’s P-61.

Now Mark has re-done his Goshawk set, adding in some additional parts. The sets are available in a limited quantity, so if you’ve ever considered building Lindberg’s Goshawk, you might want to snag one of these really quick. Read the rest of this entry »

NOTE: Mark has issued an updated set to replace this P-61 set. You can see a review of the updated version here.

Mark Buchler is on his way to be the King of Resin. I’m just proud to say “Ah, I knew him back in the day…”

You may recall when mark set about updating his Lindberg F11C-2 Goshawk build. He posted his work on the Fine Scale Modeler forum, showing off his great technique and skill. When he realized he had a pretty decent set of molds, he decided to release his set to the world.

About the same time Lindberg was re-releasing kits, including the aforementioned F11C-2. And then came Mark’s book on how to cast your own resin parts. Followed not too long after that by his update for Hobbycraft’s Polikarpov I-16 cockpit, which worked really well in my own build.

Now Mark is back with his newest set- a beautifully produced cowl and engine set for Monogram’s venerable 1/48 P-61 Black Widow. Read the rest of this entry »

Mark Buchler, the “nerd” behind Modelnerd’s Modelshack, will shortly be releasing his second resin set, this one for the 1/48 Academy/Hobbycraft Polikarpov I-16. He sent me some information sharing the photos with me, and describing the new “discovery” he’s made to assist him in parts design and fabricating: CAD.

The I-16 kit is almost ready, and I’m real excited about this one! It’s a quantum leap ahead of my first kit. CAD has so much more possibilities.

He also has some additional information on his website about the forthcoming release:

The kit will contain twelve individual parts, plus a printed gauge cluster which can be glued to the back of the instrument panel. Two cowls will be provided for both the Type 10 and Type 18 variants. I am currently working on an instruction sheet, and I hope to offer the kit for sale within the next few weeks.

Mark also shares some interesting information on ways he’s able to improve the quality of his castings…. but I’ll let you visit his site to read that.

Pricing on the set will be $15, plus shipping. I’ve already sent my money in- I want to see this set! (Now to find the kit…..)

And if you’re interested in learning to cast your own parts, check out Mark’s wonderful book, “A Beginner’s Guide to Mold Making and Resin Casting for the Hobbyist“.

You may recall a short while back I highlighted Mark Buchler’s resin update set for Lindberg’s F11C-2 Goshawk. The set corrected several kit parts, and added several more detail parts.

Well, Mark has been quite a busy guy. He not only scratch-built those parts, and then cast resin copies, he also decided to write a book about it!

If you’ve ever considered getting into the world of making your own resin parts, but made the assumption that it was too hard, or required expensive or difficult to find tools- think again.

With this book, you’ll be able to start casting your own parts in no time at all. Step-by-step instructions guide you right through it, and Mark’s writing style is clear and simple. I even chuckled at his creative use of some simple tools- who would’ve thought Legos and rice would be useful tools in making your own parts? Read the rest of this entry »