Post
by tmanthegreat » Wed Dec 19, 2012 10:07 am
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.
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."