New to model building and looking for a place to start. -Gonna build'em all! (Paint too.. probably)

[Falanca]

Hello, i am quite new to model building and looking for some online retail stores with good prices where i can buy some starter kits. I only found lots of models and mega hobby but dont know if any of them are good. Lots of models looks cheaper overall though. Does any one have exprience with any of them?? Thanks

 

[fubar57]

Welcome to the site. What are your interests and what size of model would you prefer? If it's 1:48 may I suggest a Tamiya P-51D, pretty much vice free. If you're in the U.S. $25.00 will get you one...Tamiya Models North American P-51D Mustang Model Kit | eBay

 

[fubar57]

This is from the site you listed, a very good price but I don't know what the shipping is Tamiya 1:48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop Plastic Aircraft Model Kit #61035U

 

[Falanca]

Yeah probably 1:72 or 1:48. Want to start small and see how im doing. But im from Turkey so its hard to find a good site with international shipping. A would prefer amazon or ebay if i was in USA. I will look for the one that you suggested, thank you my man.

 

[fubar57]

You'll get lots of help from this site so don't be afraid to ask

 

[Donivanp]

Not sure your location. I'm in the states so I use the below. And EBAY is probably my biggest source. Scale Hobbyist is the best prices all around but I can save on ebay more often than not.
https://www.scalehobbyist.com/
Military plastic model kits, accessories, tools and supplies

 

[Falanca]

Not sure your location. I'm in the states so I use the below. And EBAY is probably my biggest source. Scale Hobbyist is the best prices all around but I can save on ebay more often than not.
https://www.scalehobbyist.com/
Military plastic model kits, accessories, tools and supplies

hehe well its where europe meets asia and to be a bit more specific its near bulgaria or greece

 

[fubar57]

How are paint supplies in Turkey? Those can be a pain to get shipped sometimes

 

[Airframes]

Not sure how shipping from the USA to Turkey compares to shipping from England or Europe, but these two well respected companies ship worldwide :-
Hannant's, Lowestoft, England (minimum order around £8, and I don't think they ship paints outside of the UK).
Aviation Megastore, Schipol, Netherlands.

 

[Donivanp]

Yeah well I caught that a little later. Ebay Would be my best guess but you can still look at the other two also check out https://www.squadron.com

 

[Donivanp]

BNA Model World | Plastic Model Kits, Paints, Hobby Tools
Also check out LuckyModel.com - Finest Plastic Model Kits and Accessories

 

[Crimea_River]

You can also buy direct from Eduard who ship from the Czech Republic. You'll pay new kit prices but they are very nice kits. No paints though unfortunately.

 

[mozit]

Not sure about postage prices in other parts of the world - I'm in Australia. Also not sure how reliable postage to Turkey is ..... Having said that, from my experience -
Having bought a lot of kits from all over the world, I have found the best sources to be Model Hobbies in the UK (10% cheaper than Hannants) and PlazaJapan in .... Japan. Both offer very good prices and very reasonable postage, take paypal and are reliable. Plaza's range is somewhat limited, but if you want Hasegawa, Fujimi or Tamiya that's the place.
Try to buy kits from their origins - that is, don't buy a Japanese-made kit from China, or a Chinese-made kit from Japan.
The US stores are pretty much out of the picture because of high postage costs, at least to me Down Under anyway.
Lucky model are very hit and miss with stocks, and you can wait a LOOOOONG time for something you ordered to come in, and you have to pay for it WHEN YOU ORDER IT so they've got your money. No Paypal either, last time I bought from them. Occasionally they have $2 surface shipping sales for orders over a certain amount, and that may be worthwhile for you. For a Chinese seller, Hobbyeasy are much better. I don't think they stock stuff, but rather provide a seamless link to suppliers who have what you want in stock.
HobbyLinkJapan have a great range and allow you to order stuff and they store it for up to 60 days so you can add to the order later and minimise postage per item. Not as good since they went over to their new website and payment system a year ago (or is it 2? ), but still worth a look.
Also, try to build up a list and buy multiple items from the same source at the same time, and you'll save heaps on postage.
Good luck, and happy buying.

 

[Airframes]

Model Hobbies are good, reliable, and with very reasonable shipping rates. However, they have stopped shipping to some countries (Italy, for example) due to parcels going missing. Check with them about shipping first.

 

[Donivanp]

And I might add, It can take a while so be patient! I don't want to speak ill but in my experience RM shipping is not the speedest. Thought they may just not like Americans

 

[Airframes]

Don, I think you'll find that Royal Mail will have the package into the USA / Canada, within 2 to 3 days, depending on postage rate - the delays are at the other end !
Posting by RM within the UK and Europe takes, on average, 1 to 2 days from sender to recipient.

 

[Crimea_River]

With Terry. The mail over on this end sucks.

 

[Donivanp]

Could be, but I always get two to three weeks from RM and can and do get things much faster from other countries. So I have to wonder !

 

[mozit]

I agree with Airframes. US postage sucks. It used to be good a few years ago, but now it can take 6 weeks for a package to get to me in Australia.
Model Hobbies have always sent my packages using NL - Dutch mail, I think. I didn't check the carrier for my last shipment from them last week. Usually around 2 weeks to my door. Australia Post can be slow too.

 

[Airframes]

I received a package from Jeff, in Canada, a couple of weeks before Christmas. It arrived five days after being posted, and landed in the UK the day before I received it.