1/18 aircraft Details

[Rob Colvin]

I am new and have a question......

I am a scale model builder and build in 1/32. I picked up one of the 1/18 scale SBD kits and I was looking for details.....I know that smaller scales are supported by aftermarket companies, but I cannot seem to locate anything for 1/18. Am I on my own to make additional details? I am only looking for a couple of things.....Seat belt buckles, photo etch/ decal placards, and hollowed out 30mm barrels for the tail guns. Does anything like that exist in 1/18?

Pic of my work

[tko211]

Not really. There are a small handful of things that are offered by others who scratch build.
1. F-14, F-18, F-16, Cobra, Blackhawk, Huey, Apache: remove before flight covers.
2. F-14, F-18 engine exhaust replacements

that is about it.

[Light.Inf.Scout]

Welcome aboard Rob

[tmanthegreat]

Welcome, and as TKO211 said, you will need to scratch build a lot... Particularly when you get into small unique pieces, like those you mentioned.

1:18 is sort of the "bastard child" of the modeling world. Its not quite 1:16 and its not quite 1:25 (G Scale), both scales of which have tons of aftermarket accessories available.

If you need 1:18 diorama pieces, like crates, barrels, stowage, emplacements, etc., http://build-a-rama.com/ is still the best place. Some members here - namely Pickelhaube and grunt1 - have crafted excellent aftermarket "add-on" kits for vehicles and some aircraft as well as individual armor and aircraft models.

But again, at times we often have to get a bit creative to make those little parts we need...

[Jnewboy]

Welcome Rob, check the customs forum. There was a thread awhile back on a guys 1/18 FW-190D that he put some serious time into making scratch parts for. Just take your time and make what you want. You could try 1/24 seatbelts from race cars.

[snake]

Welcome Rob, and great build on that Sabre.

As has been mentioned, there are a few things available from members here who customize, but not much. For most of the stuff you have mentioned, probably need to use your ingenuity. A number of guys here have done some pretty cool custom parts on their own, so it is possible.

Vexillarius used to do decals for various 1/18 aircraft but his "decal printer" is on its last legs and don't think he has done any for a while now.

Good luck.