PE and Extras...To have or not to have?...That is the question.

[Guest]

Ive only ever used extra PE seat belts, which I have like a 100 spare ones. Other than this the only PE i have used is part of a kit.
I currently dont like to use extras, and prefer to build OOB. Maybe later in my modeling ventures I might dwell into the world of extras. For now I believe that mastering the basics is very important, and I feel building all my kits OOB is the most cost effective way to achieve this outcome.

[Tom Rigg]

Some kits absolutely have to have PE.
Anyone ever tried scratching 1/350 (or 1/700) railings and radar equipment on a ship?
But, to be fair, it can get a little OTT and expensive. £30-40 quid on AM bits? That equates to another model for me to build.
Tom

[BarryW]

Speaking of aftermarket more generally, not just p.e. but including resin, brass and soft metal parts as well, there is a place for this but it can be very much over-the-top. You see a lot of people on-line detailing with aftermarket parts that will never be seen. In many cases I cannot see the difference between a kit with p.e. and one built out of the box....

I will use aftermarket for the following:
Seatbelts, even when included in a kit they are usually pretty poor compared to the aftermarket options.
Decals/masks - increasingly I prefer to paint markings onto aircraft wherever possible using masks as it looks so much better. There are often much better scheme options via aftermarket sets. Canopy masks as well.
To strengthen undercarriage using metal part replacements.
Resin wheels sometimes to replace vinyl ones
To improve the appearance of a highly visible part where really needed, or to correct a shape
To convert a to a different mark of the subject
To provide 'store options' not available with the kit
Replace broken or lost parts where a/m is available.

What I will not purchase sets for are to add detail to interiors as it can rarely been seen. Neither will I buy these exterior sets as only too often you cannot really see any significant difference, if any at all, after the model has been painted.

With my next build, a Spitfire VIII I am using more aftermarket than I have ever used on a kit before. As this is my third Tammy Spit build I wanted to vary the build a little. Even so I have been selective:

• Seatbelts - I have two aftermarket options a fabric set purchased a while back plus a Eduard Steel set. I will try the fabric first.....
  
• Resin tyres - the vinyl kit ones are poor but also I wanted treaded tyres for a Far East aircraft
• Brass cannon - I just wanted to see what difference these would make, it was an impulse buy and I am not sure that they will be worth it.
• Resin 'pit door - This is highly visible and the kit part is a weakness here. I used one on my Mk IX
• Metal u/c legs - These were recommended as worthwhile in a magazine. I am not sure but got them nevertheless
• Resin seat, another magazine recommendation and this one looks worthwhile, we shall see.
  
• A/M decals for 'Pauline' a Mk VIII based in India. I decided to paint the roundels so I also purchased a set of masks which includes canopy masks.

All in all there is a place for aftermarket parts but it is best to be selective. Sometimes you can just be 'guilding the lily' without a visible reward at the end.

[Guest]

Extras for our models. Do we need them, and are the models built O.O.B. regarded as somehow inferior by those who do buy extras?

Do we need them - No, otherwise clearly a kit would be 'incomplete' when purchased new.

and are the models built O.O.B. regarded as somehow inferior by those who do buy extras - Possibly, more importantly, do I care when I can make my kit look very nice OOB and take pride in replicating a finish that someone who might sneer at it achieved by replacing the kit plastic with an 'upgrade kit' that cost as much or more than the original kit? Naaah.

[spanner570]

Do we need them - No, otherwise clearly a kit would be 'incomplete' when purchased new.

Oops! Sorry, my bad Grammar - Obviously, I meant 'Do we want them'.........

[Guest]

Oops! Sorry, my bad Grammar - Obviously, I meant 'Do we want them'.........

That's then entirely subjective, often I WANT some extra but can't or won't justify the expense. To some they hold more value than others and if you can see the value then it's a worthwhile expenditure.

[spanner570]

Quite right, but I'm only a thick old retired joiner, and sometimes my grammar, and what I'm trying to convey via the keyboard, gets hopelessly confusing - usually resulting in a ball's up of mammoth proportions....

[Guest]

To be fair it's just as likely that often too literal and picky
I've often had people say, 'I didn't mean it literally' (typically my first thought is what other way did you mean it then?) Other than obvious sarcastic which of course is nigh on imposible to convey via text.

[Guest]

I'd say it depends on the kit. I recently built the Tamiya Nashorn 1/35 scale and you couldn't find a need for any PE, or aftermarket, parts on that kit even if you tried (apart from perhaps a metal barrel?), but I've built a couple of kits that could really need some PE parts to better represent thinner, and more detailed, parts. I'm not building tiny scale kits so I can't comment on those, but I think it's up to each and every modeller what the kit means to him/her and how far he/she wants to take the build?

I've seen pretty wonky kits being painted, and weathered, to look absolutely stunning without aftermarket parts so it can be done, but some things are just easier with PE parts in my humble opinion, like grilles e.g.

I'm learning to make my own PE parts and I've got the process worked out with brass sheets. The design part is what takes a lot of time though... Many hours of CAD work and then making sure it fits...
Not for everyone but a simple process for us who regularly etch PCB's at home.