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Where do you buy your 1/16 and 1/35 model figures from online?

Discussion in 'Just starting...' started by Lissorles, Dec 5, 2020.

  1. Lissorles Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Currently looking at 1/35 Master Box Models kits (anyone have experience with these?) on Amazon, and before that the 1/16 Tamiya kits on Plaza Japan (is this vendor reputable?), however I'd like to know if there are other online retailers out there that sell a wider variety of kits (preferably WWII).


    Thank you,

    Lissorles


    Edit: Between the two scales, which is easier to start with?
    Chris Oldfield likes this.
  2. Chris Oldfield A Fixture

    Country:
    England
    HobbyEasy.com in Hong Kong. Cheap, fast airmail shipping & a huge inventory of what you're looking for.
    I'd start with 1/35 if I was you, plenty of kits available in that scale in the WW2 era.
    I've never tried Plaza Japan, so can't comment on them. I used to buy a lot from HobbyLink Japan, but found their lead-in times for preorders were getting longer & longer, & every parcel I ordered was generating a customs charge for me on arrival, so I haven't ordered from HLJ for over 3 years now.

    Happy Modelling!
    Chris.
    Lissorles likes this.
  3. Lissorles Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Thank you, Chris. You were right when you said there is a huge inventory of what I'm looking for! Hundreds of kits in the 1/35 scale, dozens of manufacturers (many of which I am unfamiliar with), and to be completely honest with you, it's a little overwhelming trying to choose. What I like about ordering from Amazon is that their prices are upfront, for the most part. But, when it comes to miniatures, their selection is very limited. Thanks again!
    Chris Oldfield likes this.
  4. Chris Oldfield A Fixture

    Country:
    England
    No problem at all, you’re very welcome. Amazon are ok for some kits, you can find the odd bargain on there, but nothing as extensive as can be found on HobbyEasy.
    I’m also a fan of eBay (both buying & selling!) as just about anything out of production can be found on that platform.
    EBay is also useful for buying modelling tools & paint etc, as is Amazon - I buy the majority of my Vallejo & Tamiya paints from eBay sellers, many of whom also sell on Amazon.
    As for reference books & magazines, which you might also be interested in, I buy most of mine (most books I look for are out of print, or second hand) from either Amazon or AbeBooks.com - many bargains can be found in the second hand areas of both platforms.

    Hope this helps, & best of luck!
    housecarl and Lissorles like this.
  5. Jed Active Member

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Apart from my Tommyswar figures I use eBay
    Lissorles and Chris Oldfield like this.
  6. Lissorles Member

    Country:
    Canada

    Had a chance to visit HobbyEasy tonight, and I have to say, their prices are better than PlazaJapan's, undercutting them by about 5% on the model itself and about 20% on the shipping, and certainly better than Amazon's (many of their models are delivered from the UK and Ukraine, hence their inflated prices). HobbyEasy's selection, however, insofar as Tamiya 1/35 kits are concerned, does seem to be a little lacking. Can you please recommend any 1/35 scale manufacturers besides Tamiya? I found some decent Tamiya kits from the 70s and 80s (the Panzer II and that ubiquitous German APC, the name eludes me right now) that are inexpensive and beginner-friendly, however neither of them are for sale on HobbyEasy.

    Thank you very much,

    Lissorles

    PS. Have you tried to ship without tracking? Without tracking, the prices are insanely cheap (even cheaper than locally, but I can't order anything because it's all out of stock). I might try shipping without tracking one time, and if that does not work out, I won't do it again. I figure if I make about 10 orders without tracking and lose 1 parcel, that low-cost, no-tracking shipping will have paid for itself.
    Chris Oldfield likes this.
  7. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Lissories

    Good answer from others there are many figures available but you can also pick up a bargain in PF's own Marketplace ...well worth a look at

    When you reach 50 + posts on PF you can also use it to see if anyone has figures by using the "wanting to buy" dropdown ....but try and be specific whst your looking for

    Happy benchtime

    Nap
    Lissorles likes this.
  8. Chris Oldfield A Fixture

    Country:
    England
    Hi Lissorles,

    HobbyEasy do have a reasonable stock of the older Tamiya kits as well, try either searching using the title of what you're looking for, eg. "Panzer II" or "Sd.Kfz.251 halftrack" & their site will bring up all kits of that type from all different manufacturers plus accessories like decals, photoetch, turned gun barrels etc.
    You might also want to try searching a few different 1/35 AFV kit manufacturers, like Dragon/DML, Italeri, Revell Germany, Das Werk, Academy, Amusing Hobby, Trumpeter etc. - they're all on there. HobbyEasy do get regular restocks from all the major manufacturers, so if you're prepared to wait a while for a particular kit then it might be worth searching regularly. Another HK company you might want to consider is LuckyModel, but be aware that if you select Free Shipping on an order it usually means the parcel will be shipped Surface Mail so it might take 3 months to arrive!

    For the same reason I've never ordered from HobbyEasy without tracking, I've seen some very valuable items either get damaged in transit or not arrive at all.

    HTH,
    Chris.
    Lissorles likes this.
  9. Lissorles Member

    Country:
    Canada

    The only model manufacturers I was familiar with, were Tamiya, Airfix and Italeri, none of the other ones you mentioned, so thank you very much for sharing them with me. After finding a model that I like, what I like to do is search the kit(s) on Amazon (they integrated the Amazon global reviews in seamlessly now, allowing you to read reviews and see pictures on the same page without having to migrate over to Amazon US, UK, etc.).

    Can you please tell me how to select free shipping on my order? I would prefer that over having to pay half for the model and half for shipping, even if it means having to order a $ minimum. I have heard that 3% of the total deliveries go missing every year, which doesn't seem that bad when I think about it, but I would hate to wait several months for an order, only to have it never be delivered and never know because of no tracking.

    Thanks a bunch!

    Lissorles
  10. Chris Oldfield A Fixture

    Country:
    England
    Lissorles,

    I've never selected free shipping on an order, for the reasons I've outlined above. But if you still want to try it, both HobbyEasy & LuckyModel clearly identify the kits they do ship for free on their homepages. Just pick what you want, & follow the instructions on the listing.
    Lissorles likes this.
  11. Lissorles Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Oh, sorry, I misread what you wrote, and inferred you were talking about hobbyeasy, not luckymodel, when you were referring to free shipping. I just got a little confused because of all the different names. Thanks for the clarification! (y)
    Chris Oldfield likes this.
  12. Mirofsoft A Fixture

    Country:
    Belgium

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