Reddit mentions: The best hobby pre-built & diecast models

Whoops, I meant that the room is 10’x11.5’.

Update! I posted a few months ago, back when this room was also an office. My BIL has since convinced my husband that he needed to move his desk out, which I was not so secretly happy about! We were able to move the large desk into the bedroom after lots of furniture gymnastics, and we added a glider recliner, side table, and some Star Wars decor. I wish there were more feminine/neutral Star Wars nursery decor, but a lot of it is made for boy rooms, and I really wanted to decorate a girly nursery just once 🤷🏻‍♀️. The room feels a lot more cohesive now, and my husband is also surprisingly happy with his new neutral, more masculine work space.

DaVinci Piper glider recliner
Was a gift from my mom, but I chose it for its compact size (34” wide instead of the usual 40”). I love this chair! Gliders are stupid expensive, but the recliner feature, lack of ottoman, and clean look were important to me. It also matches our living room upholstery for future use.
Note: The cream has more of a greyish taupe tone, which is what I was going for. The reviews say the grey has a bluish tone.


IKEA Hemnes nightstand
Needed a compact nightstand next to the glider that had a drawer and a surface to put the sound machine. I also stuck a basket below it to keep electronics and baby stuff out of sight.


The Force is Strong With This One and Moon wall art from Etsy. Cheap and downloadable, printed at Costco. The frames were from Amazon.


My weakness was Pottery Barn, but luckily a lot of them were gifts.

BB8 lamp Definitely a splurge, but it’s my favorite thing in the nursery!

May the Force be with You pillow

Changing table runner for those of us without table space for changing station items. There are another 3 pockets on the other side. Our hands just barely fit in that narrow crevice!

Constellation art

Metallic star crib sheets


Star Trek Voyager model This was a gift from my husband’s friend to go with our star theme! Another favorite item.


Davinci Colby crib and dresser set

Chose this set for the Greengard certification, and because the dresser is small to fit the space (seeing a pattern here?😆). Happy with the crib, but we had a lot of trouble with customer service shipping us the wrong dresser parts repeatedly. Otherwise the dresser is good for small nurseries; just purchase DaVinci products from another retailer like Target, instead of directly from the site.

If you're talking about the World of Tanks line of 1:35 model tanks, it's an iffy decision, unless you've got some model building under your belt. The kits are pretty old italeri molds which mean that they're not as accurate as some newer kits, but they're good enough. The worst part of the World of Tanks model kits are the tracks. They are god awful and will break when you try to put them on your tank, leaving you with a disappointing result. Yeah, you get some gold and some nice in game bonuses, but in my opinion, unless you have some spare tracks lying around that are better than the in-box italeri tracks, I'd probably buy a good old Tamiya kit. Easy to build, good tracks, little to no fuss, your just have to buy some Tamiya extra thin cement.

I just finished my AMX-30B from MENG, and while the tracks and suspension on the kit actually function, it's for advanced modellers and has a really hefty price tag. The tracks were the most painful part as you had to assemble each link (made of multiple parts) by hand 160 times.


Some really easy and cheap and good looking 1/35 builds from Tamiya are:

Panzer II , Walker bulldog ($12-15)

M4 Sherman ($30)

T-34 , Panzer Iv ($20)

Prices are estimates.

PM me if you'd like to chat, and come by /r/modelmakers if you're interested!

Airfix and Revell Germany both make starter sets.

1. https://www.amazon.com/Airfix-Curtiss-Tomahawk-Starter-Gift/dp/B0055ANS18/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1511843278&sr=8-4&keywords=airfix+starter+set
   
   
2. https://www.amazon.com/Airfix-A55214-Grumman-Wildcat-Plastic/dp/B00TQOL1VI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1511843278&sr=8-2&keywords=airfix+starter+set
   
   
3. (two in one box) https://www.amazon.com/Airfix-Dogfight-Double-Curtiss-Mitsubishi/dp/B0055ANWKA/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1511843341&sr=1-1&keywords=dogfight+doubles
   
   This set of larger planes might also be a good choice if the idea is to go for a "bigger" present.
   
   
4. https://www.amazon.com/Airfix-Supermarine-Spitfire-Messerschmitt-Bf109E/dp/B00IJZIECE/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1511843360&sr=1-1&keywords=airfix+1%2F48
   
   These packages include paint, glue, and a paintbrush. Honestly, the paint isn't great. But as a first time lark, (1) he's likely going to build an imperfect model, (2) he'll probably still have fun doing it.
   
   For further information as to basic toolkits and commonly asked questions, see the FAQ and stickied posts.
   
   https://www.reddit.com/r/modelmakers/wiki/index
   
   Short version: craft knife like an X-acto knife, glue, paintbrush, maybe a sanding stick or two (manicure boards of various grits would work for this), tweezers.
   
   Also, I would recommend this as glue:
   https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-87038-Extra-Thin-Cement/dp/B000BMYWYC
   
   It's designed to flow into the joints of plastic parts and essentially weld them together. It works much better than the tube glues that will be included in those sets.
   
   As for the kinds of results one might be able to expect if one takes time and is careful:
   https://www.reddit.com/r/modelmakers/comments/6uqtiv/english_electric_lightning_172_airfix_starter_set/
   
   Speak with u/pukit about it as well, that's his model using nothing more than what's included in the box of one of the starter kits I linked.
   
   It's a good first dip.
   
   Hope that helps.
   

I love Star Trek and honestly didn't even know the anniversary was coming up. While there will always be a special place in my heart for Kirk and the original crew I'm 27 so Next Generation will always be my personal favorite.

I remember running across the family room in my one piece pajamas with my arms out making whooshing noices to the opening. I still get goosebumps when I hear Patrick Stewart say "Space the final frontier".

So in honor of the 50th anniversary I spent the big bucks and got me one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Next-Generation-Enterprise/dp/B0016NAA32

I'll just reply to my original post with this additional info. Someone in /r/DIY asked how I made the ship. While I don't have any pictures of the process, here's roughly what I did

Mostly, it was just me spending a few hours here and there kitbashing it together...here's a general overview though. I kind of just put together what I thought looked best at the time

Hull: I picked up a cheap, appropriately sized ship as the base. I knew I was going to be heavily modifying it, so it just needed to have the right shape, I could remove and add pieces as I went. Here's where I started http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005F0N6CE/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Artillery/Weapons: Someone in the /r/steampunk sub-reddit correctly guessed the weapons on the ship. I went to Hobby Lobby and sitting on the clearance rack was a model of the U.S.S. Maine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_(BB-10)). I took various pieces of it's artillery, mounting them as I saw fit. As it stands, there are 5 weapons on board. The 2 you can see that are on a swivel, one on the very front of the ship (visible in this picture) and then two that are mounted on the left-side, one being barely visible in this picture

Propeller/lower copper assembly: A few items I got mostly locally from hardware stores and hobby shops

1. Copper toilet float bulb - unused
   
2. PEX Manifold - 4 port, unused :)
   
3. Copper acorn nuts
   
4. R/C Airplane Propeller
   
   Balloon/Envelope:
   
5. I found the copper-ish looking ends at a thrift shop, originally they were joined with 4 other sections to make some crazy sort of lamp/ash-tray. I ran a threaded rod between them and put nuts on the inside, with acorn nuts on the outside (visible) ends.
   
   
6. "wood" strips: Thin balsa wood from a local hobby shop. I got them a bit wet and clamped them down against a curve. Once dry, I trimmed them to length and secured to the copper ends with brass bolts + some nuts on the inside
   
   
7. Balloon fabric: I got some thin burlap-like material from a hobby shop or sewing store. I cut the fabric into 4 rectangles (with a slight convex curve to the long edge) and hot-glued them onto the backside of the wood. In hindsight, I could have mounted them much better, but it worked ok
   
   Engine (mounted on deck) / Pump: Converted the existing ship's captains quarters into the engine with a few pieces from the USS Maine above. Bought some thin copper tubing (doing a bad job of bending it) and attached it from the engine to the envelope.
   
   Lines: Simple hemp twine. I used the original eyelets for the ship's mast, relocating them on the ship's hull and epoxying them in place. I tied very secure knots in all of the lines and reinforced each knot with super glue. This thing is going to be hanging from the ceiling after all. While not directly located over our son's crib, I went overboard on this part.
   
   Paint and Weathering: Rub n buff I used mainly this stuff, in the Grecian gold and Antique gold colors, to apply much of the coloring you see, especially on the ship hull. I did use some copper/brass spray paint on the artillery however. Rub n buff is great to work with if you are looking for a copper/brass/gold sort of finish, and a little goes a long, long, long way. I've used it several times and have barely made a dent in the tiny tubes
   
   Any particular parts of the ship I didn't touch on, let me know and I'll be happy to answer!

I've been working on this Airfix one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055ANRZ0

Details are quite nice for a 1/72, but there are definitely some fit issues. For example:
- I had to file away the soles of the pilot's feet and also the rudder pedals in order for him to fit into the cockpit
- the upper surfaces of the wings needed a lot of material removed at the wing root in order to line up correctly

The supplied paints are ok, but limited in number. eg, pilot uniform should be blue, his face flesh-toned, Mae West and propellor tips yellow, cockpit interior pale green. But I kind of welcomed these issues. I mixed my own colors where I could, bought some additional (Vallejo) paints where I felt they be useful on future models, learned how to file & sand, use putty, etc. It's been worthwhile.

The 1701 refit:

• At about $20, you've got the Hot Wheels version, which looks like it's got slightly less detailing than these toys and is at the same price point...might be larger than the ones in the monthly magazine.
  
• For about $50, there's the Diamond Select toy, which, although more expensive, is a VERY pretty, nicely-detailed and well-put-together display model (also does secret double-duty as a toy)
  
• At varying price points, there's the Furuta kit which is pretty small, but I've seen them sell for cheap on eBay.
  
  The NX-01:
  
  

• For around $10-$15 on eBay, another small kit, the F-toys (I think this is the Furuta?) kit offers a pretty nicely detailed NX-01.
  
  
• Between $15-$30 on eBay, the Hallmark ornament - you could probably snag one for cheap on there.
  
  
• I won't link the Bandai or Art Asylum toys/kits because they've ballooned in price to what I would call "unreasonable" (i.e, $100+)
  
  
• There's also this Johnny Lightning one, but it seems subpar...
  
  The 1701-D:
  
  
• For around $50-$70, there's the Diamond Select toy, which is big and beautiful.
  
  
• For around $15-$20, another small Furuta kit
  
  
• For $40 - I've never seen this before, but it looks amazing. You won't find that Aztec detailing on most of the toy ships.
  
  
• For $15-$30, you'll find lots of the Hot Wheels ones floating around on eBay
  
  
• For around $20-$25, heck, you'll often find the original Playmates toy floating around on eBay. And don't pay a cent more for it...there are so many of them that sell for no more than $25 on eBay that paying more for that original toy is a sin to your wallet...

Honestly, I would start with some kits until you find what you like. A lot of hobbies regarding making stuff require tools (which can be expensive) and space. Easier to start with some kits until you find something that like, they usually come with everything you need and you can do it at the dining room table.

This kit got me curious about clockmaking. I bought it and am now saving up money for actual classes and tools: https://smile.amazon.com/ROKR-Self-Assembly-Model-Wooden-Educational-Engineering/dp/B079KVT51L/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=clock+making+kit&qid=1565247325&s=gateway&sr=8-2

​

Also, here's a ship in a bottle kit. Since you named that specifically, I'm assuming it has some passing interest to you.: https://smile.amazon.com/Hampton-Nautical-Blackbeards-Revenge-Bottle/dp/B07JPKYY4R/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=make+a+ship+in+a+bottle&qid=1565247582&s=gateway&sr=8-9

I have not tried Vallejo for a panzer grey application yet, but I would probably start with something like 70.995 German Grey. As I said, there is some contention as to what it actually looked like.

Also, I don't mean to discourage you from that MiniArt kit. If it was me I would pick it up as well as a cheap Tamiya kit like this to practice on first. You can also use it to test various finishing techniques before moving on to the MiniArt.

Try searching 'Airfix starter set plane' into Amazon (as lower down you mentioned he might want a plane). Here's a couple links to some kits and a website.



https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0055ANRZ0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505592825&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=airfix+starter+set+plane&dpPl=1&dpID=51tgEb5xyiL&ref=plSrch



https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0071LF3NA/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505592825&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=airfix+starter+set+plane&dpPl=1&dpID=514HTpYqDML&ref=plSrch



https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00LA09ULE/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1505592939&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=airfix+starter+set&dpPl=1&dpID=6167fSO3yZL&ref=plSrch



https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/themes/starter-sets-and-gift-sets.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpJW7jcOq1gIVApPtCh1yFgILEAAYASAAEgI-jvD_BwE


Sorry for the super long links, but I hope they're useful ( and I'm not too late to the party)

https://www.amazon.com/AMT-0954-2500-Star-Enterprise/dp/B06Y62WM3J

This would be pretty good for a gold set of Enterprises. You wouldn't have to worry about putting the tedious amount of decals on them, and could just build them and spray them gold.

They'd also all be in scale, which is awesome.

The main FAQ is a good resource but if you are lazy (like me) this is what you need for a start.

To assemble:
Hobby knife,
Cement

To paint:
Small Paintbrush,
White, Black, or Grey Primer spray paint
Water

I personally recommend the Airfix starter kits for a newbie. They come with the paints and paintbrush you need, they aren't extreme high quality, but they are great for a beginner, and they are cheap.

This is one of their more popular beginner sets. There are cheaper ones aswell. Its kind of a fact that you ruin the first few models you build in one way or another, so don't beat yourself up about it. Try it out and when you finish be sure to post pics!

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: these


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

I just ended up buying a couple of diecast cars and a helicopter off of amazon. The cars: Pull Back Diecast Police Cars - 4 High Speed Vehicle Set Toy For Kids – By Kidsco https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHPSYWR?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
The helicopter: Sky Pilot UH-60 Black Hawk Diecast Helicopter Replica 1:60 Scale https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004R6PXHS?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
The helicopter is a little big but I think is fine. The cars are the perfect size.

The Diamond Select figures are super sweet. I was quite impressed with the Savage Hulk figure I saw the other day. We sold the Marvel ones at the comic book store where I used to work, but they never ordered much of anything Star Trek other than the Diamond Select 1701-B that was just kind of...meh.

The diamond select ships are amazing quality for the price (which is originally in the ballpark of about $50). As noted, the D comes with two stands, and it separates. Quality products

The D is quite a detailed ship. It looks great as a model, but the TOS ship is my favourite Diamondselect because it's so plain that the model really is amazingly realistic.

Edit: It seems that the "D" is listed on their site with a list price of $99.99. I don't recall paying that much for it though.

Edit2: The Future "D" that diamondselect also lists as $99.99 is available on amazon.ca for $90 CAD (which is less in USD).

I'm not sure if the original "D" is still in production which is one reason it may be more expensive to find now.

Mini GT 1/64 Liberty Walk Works Sora Nissan GT-R R35 Type I Zero Matte Grey Diecast Model Car MGT00003 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MGCB32R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yCfGDbDTC0QQA

I would highly recommend buying a couple of the diecast car display cases. You can buy them on Amazon for like $20. I'll try to grab a link for you. I have my Mystery Machine in the bigger case because it's a bit taller, but I'm guessing both the ecto and the delorean would fit in the smaller cases.

Smaller case: http://www.amazon.com/AMT-Plastic-Display-Case-11/dp/B001AN7LRG

Bigger case: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00KLEZ0K0/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1457118884&sr=8-3&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=car+display+case

Just got a liberator less than a month ago from amazon. Came in a nice box, but wobbles a bit on the stand. link for anyone curious: http://www.amazon.com/Daron-Postage-Liberator-Hunter-Vehicle/dp/B00SARH8MS/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1452543089&sr=8-20&keywords=b-24

where did you get the b-52?

This[]() the Amazon photo looks pretty bad for some reason, but if you want a better look at it look for customer taken ones.

Bburago's SF15-T costs ~$60.

I'd also recommend Minichamps, there are some good ones there, for example, this 2014 Red Bull for $80, and early-2000s cars for about $50-60.

Tamiya Panzer II. One of their older 1/35 tanks, goes together pretty well, doesn't cost too much. And, if it's your fancy, it comes with figures- [link] (https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-35-Panzer-Kampfwagen-Ausf/dp/B000WN6OK0)

Well, you can get one of those right now if you like.


https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Select-Toys-Star-Trek/dp/B002ARM4I2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WN6OK0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1:35, but since its a itty bity tank, works out, besides we all know GWs scale aint to scale. I just added the GW bits like shovels and gas cans and threw out the 1/35 scale stuff...like shovels and gas cans, and it works out.

Two options:

There's a special edition of the DST Enterprise-D with the AGT parts.
https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Select-Toys-Star-Trek/dp/B002ARM4I2

You can build the AGT Enterprise with add-on parts plus the AMT kit:
http://www.federationmodels.com/model_kits/starcraft_models/default.htm

Looks like this one: Star Trek: The Next Generation Enterprise D Ship https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016NAA32/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.ga2xb7JK1455

https://www.amazon.co.uk/German-Panzer-Kampfwagen-II-Military/dp/B000WN6OK0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484070796&sr=8-2&keywords=1+35+panzer

There's the link for this one, you can pick them up on amazon or ebay.

Currently $11 off.

From the NX-01 to the 1701-E:

https://www.amazon.com/Round-LLC-0954-2500-Enterprise/dp/B06Y62WM3J

I originally got it at the air and space museum in D.C. about 8 years ago, but as far as i can tell this is the same one http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-UH-60-Diecast-Helicopter-Replica/dp/B004R6PXHS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421689242&sr=8-3&keywords=1%2F60+sikorsky+uh-60

as for a closer image
http://imgur.com/C8wWXSk

Go bigger: http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Select-Toys-Star-Trek/dp/B002ARM4I2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1368029482&sr=8-4&keywords=enterprise+d

This one is 3.4 pounds:

Star Trek: The Next Generation Enterprise D Ship https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016NAA32/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_EKxnybGDXZXA0

I actually have one of these suspended from my ceiling via fishing line.