TxAg94 Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 It seems to me that Aires is the go-to manufacturer for aftermarket aircraft detail sets. I have been interested in several over the last couple of years but have not been able to actually find any to buy. I am impatient, I admit it. I have yet to find a kit that I want in stock at any retailer I have found. Where is everyone getting these sets? I know they're out there because almost no model is posted on ARC without an Aires cockpit (I'm not sure why model companies even include cockpits at all anymore!!). Anyone know a good, consistent, comprehensive, and reliable source? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 What set are you looking for? Lucky Model, Sprue Brothers, Great Models, Hannants, all carry Aires stuff, and I'm sure there are others too. Newer sets come in and out of stock as they get sold out and restocked, but some of the very old sets may be harder to find. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kei Lau Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I found most of my difficult to find AM parts, Aires included, at Roll Models. I used their online searchable catalog. Their price is not the cheapest, shipping is not cheap and they ship slowly. But they gave me the best choice in AM parts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Horrido Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Kei Lau, Who is the least expensive you have found, and do they have the equivalent selection as Roll Models? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a4s4eva Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Lucky Models first off, failing that, and if money isn't an object Hannants Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kei Lau Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Kei Lau,Who is the least expensive you have found, and do they have the equivalent selection as Roll Models? No, I have not found anyone else who has the equivalent selection as Roll Models. But I usually do not start my AM parts search with Roll. Their shipping is $9 minumum. It works out ok only if I order a few parts together. Lucky Model in Hong Kong is my starting point. They have good selection of freshly released parts. Most of the time, AM parts are shipping free. If so, their price are the best. But it takes a bit longer to ship from HK, usually 7-10 days. They usually do not restock once the parts are gone. And their stock goes fast. Sprue Brothers is my second search. Their shipping is cheap and they ship fast. Overall, very good price and selection. I am in the US. I buy from manufacturers when they offer free or low shipping. These include Gold Medal Models, Tom's Model Works and Scale Aircraft Conversion. Whenever possible, I order from my LHS, but the brands that they carry are very limited. Eduard is one of the few. Squardron has AM parts on sale every month. But it usually does not work out due to shipping making the total too high. I am interested in hearing other's experiences too, good or bad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Here is the link for HANNANTS...jut put in what you need/reuwire in the serch engine and I am sure you will find what you are looking for... http://www.hannants.co.uk/ I put in AIRES and it came up with all manner of parts.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neo Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I go Ebay and luckyModels depending on availability and price. Lucky Models is hard to beat with free shipping in US and Canada For all AM stuff I mean its crazy enouph i bout 2 small shop tools Made in the USA and if i want to buy the For the manufacturer i get 30$+ shipping each to canada but from lucky i get the exact same price with free shipping!! Go figure that one out Hope this help Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 It seems to me that Aires is the go-to manufacturer for aftermarket aircraft detail sets. I'm not sure I'd say that. Aires stuff is positively gorgeous, but many of their sets are, in my experience, worthless, since it's impossible to get them to fit into the kit they're supposedly designed to fit. It's more often the case than not that you need to sand/file/scrape the plastic down to the point you can pass water through it, then sand the resin down to at least the same point, before you stand a prayer of getting the stuff in there. I've ruined kits trying to get Aires stuff to fit into them. Other sets fit like a glove, but in my experience, those are pretty rare for Aires sets. All of them are beautiful to look at though. J Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lucas C. Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 (edited) I use Lucky Model and Hannants for Aires stuff. Lucky Model has free shipping on Aires products, but Hannants has lower prices. If you buy a bunch of items from Hannants, it will be cheaper overall, even with the shipping charge (if you choose surface mail). For example, 1/72 F-4B exhausts are $17.59 at LM, but only $12.27 at Hannants. Edited to add prices. Edited March 26, 2011 by Lucas C. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KenM Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 I'm not sure I'd say that. Aires stuff is positively gorgeous, but many of their sets are, in my experience, worthless, since it's impossible to get them to fit into the kit they're supposedly designed to fit. It's more often the case than not that you need to sand/file/scrape the plastic down to the point you can pass water through it, then sand the resin down to at least the same point, before you stand a prayer of getting the stuff in there. I've ruined kits trying to get Aires stuff to fit into them.Other sets fit like a glove, but in my experience, those are pretty rare for Aires sets. All of them are beautiful to look at though. J I'll second that opinion I've got a number of kits like that, $ 40 kit + $20 Aires set = $60 hole in pocket Ken Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Derek Moss Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 I'll second that opinion I've got a number of kits like that, $ 40 kit + $20 Aires set = $60 hole in pocket Ken Iwould agree with that too!!! I had an almost impossible time with their MiG 29 cockpit but a much better fit with NeOmega (BEA Hawk), Legend (Sabre), and CMK. Aires have a wide range so you may not always find what you want amngst the others. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a4s4eva Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 One for the alternative view. I've used the FGR-2 and F-15C Cockpits recently. Both fit wthout any real problems. In the F-15's case it was a perfect fit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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