Gotta love Japan

[strobez]

I just got back after a few days in Tokyo and I have to say what a joy it was combing through the random stacks of ancient kits at the Leonardo set of stores in Akihabara.  I found a couple of interesting kits (including a couple of iterations of the old Airfix 1/72 Fiat G.91R), but what made it so fantastic was digging through the "bits 'n pieces" boxes of random sprues.  What a whiffer's dream come true... partial fuselages, wing sets, and general odds n' ends goodness.

For someone who doesn't count rivets, it was amazing fun to grab some random airplane parts, simply on the "I bet I could use this for something interesting" factor, all for a few bucks.

I think we all have copious amounts of these sorts of things in our spares bins, but this was the first time I've felt like I could rifle through someone else's and pick out whatever I liked (as long as I paid for it of course!).

All in all it was fun, so I thought I'd share. 

[zenrat]

Random sprues selection sounds perfect for the likes of us.
What do they charge for them?

[PR19_Kit]

I can't think of any dealers in the UK who do that.

I wonder if they're missing a trick there, hmmmmmm....?

[strobez]

There was actually quite a selection of reasonably priced 2nd hand kits, ranging from just missing boxes, to missing some bits, to just plain bags of sprues, to a selection of fuselages/wings.

Here's my haul... I think paid a grand total of ¥300 (about $3).... including ¥50 for a random spare canopy.



Part of the fun was the search just to see what was in the various plastic bags.  Here's a video (not mine): https://youtu.be/lqRWk2svDSY

[strobez]

I should mention that other than the Hasegawa Corsair (2 fuselage halves, top/bottom wings and two stabilizers) I have no real idea which kits the rest of these came from.

[Old Wombat]

I can't think of any dealers in the UK who do that.

I wonder if they're missing a trick there, hmmmmmm....?

I seem to recall a Japanese modeller on the Starship Modeler site who said he could get excess & seconds sprues direct from several manufacturers in Japan for a very modest amount.

That was about 6 or 7 years ago, though.

[NARSES2]

Bit like Eduard selling off their oversprues (is that a word ?) at Telford. New Spitfire sprues boxed but no transfers or instructions. Really good price, picked up a couple

[kerick]

I can't think of any dealers in the UK who do that.

I wonder if they're missing a trick there, hmmmmmm....?

I seem to recall a Japanese modeller on the Starship Modeler site who said he could get excess & seconds sprues direct from several manufacturers in Japan for a very modest amount.

That was about 6 or 7 years ago, though.

I know who are talking about and he actually sent me a box of random stuff awhile back. A lot of it is sprues that are not quite right but who cares at pennies a sprue. Kind of like the model kit outlet mall.
His wife gets after him if he buys too much at a time.

[Rick Lowe]

Maybe some of the shops could sell off their damaged or incomplete kits/bits that way?
I don't know what they do with them, once they've gotten a credit from the agent - or if they even work that way - but if they have to go back to the warehouse, maybe the warehouse could do something similar?

Worth an ask maybe, if anyone has a contact in the industry?

[kerick]

I think many are industry rejects and they sell them in Japan for a few bucks to get a little money back on it.

[zenrat]

...Here's a video (not mine): https://youtu.be/lqRWk2svDSY

It's Whiffer heaven.  Want a new project?  just go down, have a rummage and grab wings, fuselage, engines, filler, sandpaper, more sandpaper, extra filler...

[Weaver]

I can't think of any dealers in the UK who do that.

I wonder if they're missing a trick there, hmmmmmm....?

There's somebody who breaks kits up and sells the bits on ebay for around £2.50 a sprue, which must be handy if you've got an faulty kit or you've screwed a part up beyond repair. The trouble is, he doesn't do it in a particularly logical fashion. For instance, I noticed the other day that he was selling the Airfix Sabre lower wings for £2.50, but that the upper wings would cost you another £2.50. It's very unlikely that a buyer wouldn't want both, but at £5 for half the kit, you might as well spend £7-10 for a whole kit and sell the spares yourself...

[kitnut617]

Before it closed because the owner died suddenly, the LMS I used to frequent used to have a couple of boxes of stuff on the floor like that. Many a time I rumaged through them and found ( and bought) interesting items from whole kits to sprues.

[Captain Canada]

Wow that would be fun ! Lots of useable bits there for dirt cheap....and to think of how many times a kit has been neutered for that one whiffy bit....this way is excellent !

Reminds me that I need to hit Dean's in MI again, have a dig

[Doug K]

Love Akihabera, been too long since my last trip