Small Scale Military Headquarters

Hey All,

So I've been pondering this question for awhile and was wondering what your thoughts we're. Is there any demand for spare 1/18th parts? More specifically aircraft parts? The reason I'm asking this is because I'm in the need for such parts myself and was wondering if you were too.

Resin casting seems like it can be a moderately expensive endeavor. So my thought is, would it be cost effective to have a production run of multiples? And for that matter what parts are you guys looking for / need?

• Props
  Landing Gear
  Wings
  Horizontal Stabilizers
  Canopies
  Wheels
  Aftermarket parts?
  Miscellaneous

Of course this is all hypothetical at the moment but I am seeing a market (albeit small) for such parts. Currently I'm just looking into aircraft parts since that's my own personal need right now.

i would definetly be in i need new canopies to replace the missing two on my desert snake stuka

I really need the hard point for a Jolly Rogers F-18 and a set of bombs. And there is probly a short list of other things if I really think about it.

I could really use gear and a canopy for my pego my heart P-47 and gear for 2 different F-104's that the same darn thing happen to them plus gear for my 190 and a few parts hear and there for a few others such as springs for gear and avenger...

2 x 2 Hellfire missiles with glazed nose and the twin launching rails for my Apache and a customized Kiowa project. Roof Pitot tubes for 2 Blackhawks (but member pizzaguy has allready made some). 1 front windshield and 1 main gear wheel also for the UH-60... and a lot of other things.
Aferg launched the topic "Salvage Yard" http://www.warbird-photos.com/gpxd/view ... =3&t=25682, but there is not so much to find, allmost any contributions are from members looking for something.

I could use a propellor for an Avenger, gear bay doors for a ME-262B, tailwheel doors for a P-51, and a grenade launcher for a Huey.

so no one knows any dedicated seller that stocks lots of spare parts, instead of searching high and low.

No one was ever supplied with spare parts as far as I know. You normally had to contact 21C for parts. As said above, most spares come from other collectors - especially guys who do mods and end up with leftovers.

Ohhh, pickle......

Coming from someone who's been in this hobby since the beginning, there has never been a reliable source for spare parts. We traditionally had the following options:

1) Replace the entire item -- it was easy enough to do when these models were common and sold at mass retail for cheap. Not so easy now when they are rarer and more expensive.

2) Get replacement parts from the manufacturer -- On occasion, 21c would replace missing/broken parts, as would BBI. This got more difficult to do during the later years of 21c's existence and BBI usually only did so through a retailer.

3) Replacement parts from other collectors -- this has been the most reliable source. People that did customs & had parts left over, broken items they wanted to get rid of, models bought for cheap & then scrapped have been the most reliable sources of "parts".

4) Custom-made parts -- Some people like Pickelhaube, Grunt1, Skyworks, and others have made custom cast parts using resin, plastic, metal, etc. This is a difficult process as first one has to have the item to be replicated and correct materials for creating moulds and casting. They cannot just make anything on demand.

Given the above state of things, I think Warbird Kid's proposition is a good one. He should consult with Pickelhaube and Grunt1 for starters on how to properly cast parts and materials to use.

I know you guys are mostly vehicle, or more specifically aircraft oriented, but I would love to get some extra stuff for my figures.

I could really use extra arms, and more importantly, hands for my 1/18 scale soldiers from both 21st and Unimax brand figures. Part of the reason why I like to say they don't sell figures anymore is because the hands would just snap like twigs within a minute of you pulling them out of the package. Some figures, didn't even come with the appropriate type of hand sculpts to hold their weapons with. I have almost a dozen 21st USMC figures and almost all need new hands so they can hold their Garands and BARs in a firing position. A couple marines need new arms because they broke. My one Japanese officers left arm was also ass, and broke off. I currently have to use the sticky tack treatment for him, because his arm broke off in a weird way. I have Germans who only have a static open hand, and their STG 44, or worse a Mauser, just has to rest in their palm, without any firm grip. It is rather annoying.

I need a ton of extra hands with finger triggers and a proper grip.

Thanks for the continued interest in this idea! I really do hope for creating a "One Stop Shop" for every spare 1/18th part you can imagine. A tall order? I think so. Especially when I just got laid off yesterday. But as I'm looking more and more into this, it seems more logical to go down the 3D printing route. Parts would be closer to the original, they could be made in a variety of different materials, and you could make as many duplicates as you'd want and they'd be exact. Unlike with casting which degrades over time. Still very early in this project but I would love to see this idea come to fruition.

I've dabbled in making a few spare parts. The quickest way would be silicone, but as it was said the molds degrade over time and you have to recast.

I have a guy that wants LGB's on the back of his BK F14. I will need to cast the JR hard point and bombs from the BK in silicone. Just the hard point mold will run $40 + another $30 for the bomb mold. Your at $70 before resin or labor. For two hard points and two bombs this could turn into a $120 project. The silicone I've been using runs about $.70 an ounce. The hard point mold will use 4lbs of silicone.

I think it boils down to how many can you sell. As the 3D printing gets more common I think that will be the way to go. Take your part down to Kinko's. They'll scan it and print you out a copy.

lancelot wrote:I know you guys are mostly vehicle, or more specifically aircraft oriented, but I would love to get some extra stuff for my figures.

I could really use extra arms, and more importantly, hands for my 1/18 scale soldiers from both 21st and Unimax brand figures. Part of the reason why I like to say they don't sell figures anymore is because the hands would just snap like twigs within a minute of you pulling them out of the package. Some figures, didn't even come with the appropriate type of hand sculpts to hold their weapons with. I have almost a dozen 21st USMC figures and almost all need new hands so they can hold their Garands and BARs in a firing position. A couple marines need new arms because they broke. My one Japanese officers left arm was also ass, and broke off. I currently have to use the sticky tack treatment for him, because his arm broke off in a weird way. I have Germans who only have a static open hand, and their STG 44, or worse a Mauser, just has to rest in their palm, without any firm grip. It is rather annoying.

I need a ton of extra hands with finger triggers and a proper grip.

Lancelot, sounds like the paint is sticking in the joints. If you ever get new figures, you can try the freezing method or dipped in very hot water to loosen up the joints. Give it a try, might save you some heartache. Both methods worked for me, no more frustrations after breaking a couple of wrists and an ankle on new figs.