1:48 radial aircraft engines?

[FramFramson]

Hey howdy hey.

I need a couple of 1:48 radial engines. Not a whole plane - just the engine and propeller. Does anyone know where I might get some? Or even if someone has some bits they could send my way.

EDIT: Cheap ones. It's okay if the detail is crappy. They just need to generally look like radial engines.

[WuZhuiQiu]

Two thoughts:

1. Buy cheap 1/48 scale model aircraft kits for their engines. The remainder of each kit might be used as aircraft that are under maintenance or which were cannibalized for their engines!

2. Find a good deal on 1/48 scale aftermarket resin engines.

[zizi666]

+1 on that

BTW : a quick google search took me to this Canadian seller :


I believe that's your neck of the woods ?

[FramFramson]

I actually bought a whole kit with the intention of smashing it up and realized "Man, this will be way more useful to me as an intact plane" - I just feel silly buying a whole plane for the one part and chucking the rest. Plus model kits for multi-engine planes tend to be $25-$40+ (plus tax) in the hobby shops here, so I'm hoping I can do better than that.

That ultracast link has some beautiful engines - unfortunately they're too beautiful for my wallet (and don't even include propellers). At least for this project: I'm building something which is only going to be used for one scenario ever (I do not foresee a lot of repeat use for a crashed airship wreck - I need the engines for the airship nacelles), so that really limits the amount of time and expense I'm willing to put in. So far I'm at $10 for dollar-store goods and I've got everything I need other than the engines.

If I could think of a good way to make them myself, I'd do that, but engines are a rather fiddly collection of parts. 

[Valerik]

That ultracast link has some beautiful engines - unfortunately they're too beautiful for my wallet (and don't even include propellers). At least for this project: I'm building something which is only going to be used for one scenario ever (I do not foresee a lot of repeat use for a crashed airship wreck - I need the engines for the airship nacelles), so that really limits the amount of time and expense I'm willing to put in. So far I'm at $10 for dollar-store goods and I've got everything I need other than the engines.
If I could think of a good way to make them myself, I'd do that, but engines are a rather fiddly collection of parts. 

Ultracast's stuff is brilliant!! Crisp, clean, easy to assemble things that are hard to find elsewher, & their 1/35 figures so fulla character.

This chap's aero-bits are also very nice:

http://www.lonestarmodels.com/conversions-1-48.html

If this will truly be a one-off, single-use only project think about selling it on afterwards.
I know a nearby shady shyster who's just tickled to snag stuff like this for his own nefarious ends.

Valerik
Professor of Preposterous Physics
Adjunct Accredited Aerodynamatician
Dayton Institute of Applied Aeronautical Absurdity

[FramFramson]

I suppose I might sell it after. I do get attached to my own scratchbuilt models though!

One idea might be to not make the gondola too wrecked (i.e. make all the damaged bits removable), such that I could potentially re-use it later in an intact airship model.

[Andym]

It is possible to make them Fram.  We built one for our Zeppelin project a while ago. We were using a hole punch for c
elsewhere on the airship and we kept getting a LOT of 5mm discs as waste. That's mainly what this is made of...



the rest is just wee bits of plastic rod and card, mate.

[Mitch K]

Fram,

after-market aero engines will be expensive because they are designed to be breathtakingly accurate and perfect in every detail so that even the most hardened rivet counter can't fault them.

Maybe an off the wall suggestion, but is it worth registering at somewhere like Britmodeller.com, and see if anyone is who is replacing kit engines with after-market equivalents will flog you the kit originals?

[FramFramson]

Andy those engines are lovely. I'm hoping I can spare myself the need to make them bit-by-bit like that though!

Fram,

after-market aero engines will be expensive because they are designed to be breathtakingly accurate and perfect in every detail so that even the most hardened rivet counter can't fault them.

Maybe an off the wall suggestion, but is it worth registering at somewhere like Britmodeller.com, and see if anyone is who is replacing kit engines with after-market equivalents will flog you the kit originals?

This is a solid idea.

[Constable Bertrand]

Totally in a similar boat Fram, I'm thinking about scratching a 1/56 junkers tri.. thought about getting a leg up on the little details.

Andy...  I thought the Zepp was amazing, it just gets better!

[Mitch K]

Andy those engines are lovely. I'm hoping I can spare myself the need to make them bit-by-bit like that though!

This is a solid idea.

Well it has to be worth a punt. I mean, all those spare engines have to be somewhere

[FramFramson]

Exactly!