Ever buy a whole kit for a tiny bit?

[sandiego89]

Gondors post looking a Victor part (and he did the correct thing and bought another kit!)  got me thinking of the kits I have bought for just a tiny bit:
Entire new F-117 for a canopy lost to the carpet monster.
F-8 for the fuselage cannon fairings/door.
U-2 for the wings (before Kit S. took on a sizable portion of the free worlds reserve)
.....

Confession time.....your secrets are safe here......

-Dave

[Weaver]

Italeri Jaguar T.2 because it's the only Jaguar kit with separate gun muzzles, which I want to nick for something else.

[AeroplaneDriver]

Not too extreme but I bought a Kinetic F-16A European boxing just because it was the most readily available source of Penguin missiles for my RNZAF AMX. Also recently bought a Revellogram Blackbird just for the intake shock cones for a Sci-Fi build underway. 

[scooter]

Bought a 1/48 Hawkeye kit for the nacelles that I eventually never used.

[philp]

Hmm, guess this is something I have never done but if you want to look at extremes look at the guys and gals who are trying to replicate the studio scale models in the original Star Wars films.  Some of those kits are extremely pricey.

I once traded a guy in England a couple of L'eggs Pantyhose eggs (knew I saved them for a reason) for a then new ARC-170 kit that wasn't available on this side of the pond yet.
He was doing the Y-Wing and needed them for the engine fronts.

[Dizzyfugu]

Recently a Matchbox F-101 Voodoo primarily for the RF-101B camera fairing.
Twice the Italeri Ju 188 because of the optional extra engines (so that a complete kit is still left over).
A Heller Bf 109K for the engine - grafted onto a Fw 190D; the leftover 109 later received a different engine (from a MiG-3), and the latter now waits in the donor bank...

[Mossie]

Bought a Heller Transall for the Tyne engines, gave the rest away.

[Doug K]

Mainly Matchbox or similar old kits, there are 2 Beaufighters donating engines to Defiants, a Tempest that did the same. A Brengun Spit floatplane donated floats to the same series of builds - I have enough Spit bits to keep me going for quite a while!

[PR19_Kit]

U-2 for the wings (before Kit S. took on a sizable portion of the free worlds reserve)

Who? Me? Would I do something as underhand as that?

You BET I would! 

I just did the 'buy a whole kit for one piece' business when I got the SH Prone Pilot Meteor just for the prone canopy bit for my PP Hunter.

[63cpe]

Oh, yes definitely!

Recently needed a 1/48 F4-F maingear. So bought an 1/48 F4-F4 S ( floatversion) as it had the parts I need, without totalling the kit to useless plastic. So, I can sell the kit with some discount as I don't build 1/48.

Anyone looking for an 1/48 F4-F4 S?

Cheers,
David aka 63CPE

[McColm]

Ebay has the spares or repairs section  where you can usually find parts that you need for a reasonable price.
My local charity shop hasn't got a clue to what the prices should be on their plastic model kits. Although limited for choice it's a fiver.
When I visit my mum down in Falmouth Cornwall I usually check out the car boot sales as well.

[zenrat]

1/48 Monogram Me 262 just for the engines (for a 1/24 hover car).  It was however dirt cheap as that kit is an ill fitting turd (which I knew as it was, and still is the only1/48 aircraft I have ever built).
I've also bought more than a few car kits just for the wheels or the engine or in a couple of cases to replace buggered clear parts.

[Pellson]

My ongoing Shackleton build is obviously heavily dependent on the engines and stabilisators furnished via the 1/96 ex-Frog Britannia in bought specifically for this purpose.
Usually, I have to admit I'm not entirely comfortable doing this as I prefer to build something from everything. But sometimes, you have to do what you have to do..

[NARSES2]

But sometimes, you have to do what you have to do..

That applies to an awful lot of other things in life 

[Pellson]

But sometimes, you have to do what you have to do..

That applies to an awful lot of other things in life 

It certainly does, and in my defence in this case, I have to say that Ericr's constant flow of amazing chimaeras is extremely inspiring and really makes it easier to repurpose leftover parts. Kudos major to him!