"1/144 scale mini's" Topic

I'm wanting to game in this scale and I'm going for pre-painted mini's. I do NOT enjoy painting and my time is limited.

Other than Ebay, can anyone recommend other online retailer that offer this scale?

Thanks

Hobbylink Japan is always worth a look, but most 144 prepaints are limited run Japanese Gashopon offerings, so reliable supplies are, umm, unreliable….

That's what I was afraid of.

Are there any scales that have a decent run of pre-paints?

How big do you want to go? Do you like metal diecasts?

There are lots of diecast prepainted WWII fighters in production in 1/72, some very expensive, others less so. Aiken's Airplanes is a reliable supplier with a broad selection. Here is a random page in the catalog:

link

I think the 1/100 plastic Angels 20 prepaints are now OOP. Some people criticize their quality.

Actually, I have a collection of about a dozen 1/100 WWII planes that I'd like to dump. Email me, zippy at fuse dot net, if you want to discuss.

Are there any scales that have a decent run of pre-paints?

No, there's not really a sustainable business model for them – a big range of prepaints in constant production would mean a huge inventory cost, which sales couldn't cover.

Unless you go up to 1/72 scale diecast, where the collectors market and much higher prices make for a different business proposition, prepaints are pretty much definitionally limited run, grab them while they're out and wait for the next batch. That applies to both 1/144 and 1/100.

Thanks gents

Maybe I'll go 1/285 and find someone who paints for a fee

There's Panzer Depot. It's expensive, but the quality is really good.

panzerdepot.com

Panzer Depot doesn't do aircraft that I know of.

Two painters I have used for 1/285th, and who really great work, are Miscellaneous Minis (who posts here regularly as miscmini I think) and Chris Geisert from I-94. Their turnaround time was pretty good, communication in both cases excellent, and also in both cases the pricing was fantastic. And I think both will either paint planes you send them (as I did) or purchase whatever planes you want and then paint them. Here is some of Chris's work:

link

He can be reached via I-94 (his email is on the website).

I have a bunch, depending upon the period and theater you're looking for.

Shoot me an e-mail:

rkentjr AT Hotmail (d0t} c o m

All are brand new, still in their original packaging, and are prepainted. Some, require a little assembly, being snap-tite kits (I recommend adding a bit of glue too, to ensure they stay together during high-G maneuvers on the tabletop), but they have fewer parts than full-on kits to put together, e.g. fuselage halves are already glued together, as are the upper and lower wings too.

I also sell the Dogfight 3-D Flight Stands, which work well with them, and 1/300th scale aircraft, too.

Heh, sorry. I thought we were talking tanks. My bad.

There are a lot of choices on HLJ, but availability is sparse. I ended up going 1/300, 1/285 for WWII and 1/600 for moderns. I don't consider myself a great painter, but you can do a fairly decent job without a lot of work with most WWII aircraft.

I have also purchased from both I-94enterprises.com and miscmini.com, and I was perfectly happy with the results. As Darryl said, they were both very communicative and worked to my specifications. All of my planes have unique nose art, ID numbers, and cammo patterns.

Even better, either one will sell you the plane models too. In both cases, I just ordered what I wanted from the painter, specified the paint schemes and decal arrangements, and the painted planes arrived in my mailbox. Perfect.

By contrast, the mass-produced pre-painted 1/144 models are identical, down the size and placement of every stripe or blob of color, and even nose art and registration numbers are identical if they're painted on. My friends who collect the pre-painted models prefer the ones with decals so they can cut them up to give each plane a unique ID number (or configuration of stripes or chevrons, etc.).

- Ix

Another vote to check out miscmini.com. Excellent work.

Thanks all. Captaincold69, I work with 1/600 to 1/48 scale minis and models. I routinely deal with metal, resin, and plastic kits. I also work with 3D printed models. If interested, send me an e-mail and let me know your requirements and I'll send you a time and price quote. Kevin
orders@miscmini.com

It depends on how many planes and what kind you're planning on getting. Just the major fighters and maybe some common two- engine bombers, than 1/144 would work. Me-109's, FW190's, Zero's, Spit's, Hurricanes"s, P-51's, P-47's, P-40's, P-38's, Hellcats's, Wildcat's these are all out there in 1/144 as pre-paints. They might even be cheaper then 1/285 that you have to get painted.
Many common 1/144 fighters can be found for $10.00 USD or less. Most for under $15.00 USD.
If you tell us what planes your thinking of getting we can give you an estimate on the different in prices between 1/144 pre-paints and 1/285 planes you have to get painted.

I like the look of 1/144 and all mylocal Check Your Six players own that size. Though once we get to large number of 4-engine bombers that will change.

I really like the look of 1/144th scale fighters for dogfights, and they're even good for larger battles as well, if you have the space.

They're even good with 2 and 4-engine bombers.

I've got Spits, Me-109Es, Me-262As, Zeroes, Flying Tigers P-40s, probably some FW-190As, etc., etc., available for sale.

In the pics below, you can see my Dogfight Flight Stands in use with 1/144th scale aircraft as well:

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[URL=http://media.photobucket.com/user/Top_Gun_Ace/media/Topgun%20Marketing%20Flight%20Stands/Viggen.jpg.html]

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The Star Wars fighters are the larger, Titanium diecast metal models that are twice the size of the X-Wing fighters.

All of the other aircraft are 1/144th scale, or close to that, for the modern, Furuta jets.

Thank you all very much.

I do like the size and look of 1/144, but now I'm wondering if I'll have enough table space for them? I won't be using bombers, this is strictly dog fighting, but the idea of having 10+ planes on the table sounds intriguing.

Not sure if I should go 1/300, but they seem so….small!

I did stumble onto AIM's website and those 1/200 scale might be the perfect size AND it looks like there is a nice range of planes.

Anyone know how well those paint up?

Thanks again folks

I highly recommend the Armaments in Miniature models. They are well cast and have a good amount of detail. They paint up nicely too. Wash them in warm water with a dish detergent to remove the mold release, spray them with a primer, and start painting. AIM has some decals, Some of the larger 1/300 scale decals from I-94 and Dom's will work and there are a couple of other vendors that make decals that will fit.

Kevin miscmini.com

Some samples of painted 1/200 scale AIM models:

Wow Kevin….that's some mad skills there.

Those planes look AMAZING. Are you hand painting those?

1/200 are nice. 1/285 are nice. I use many 1/144 fighters, but will often 'go down a scale' and use 1/180 or 1/200 heavy bombers with the fighters. 4 engine bombers in 1/144 are huge.

Just to confuse you more, Mako isn't the only gamer-friendly source for OOP 1/144 pre-paint, many gamers trade or sell excess inventory from our collections, sometimes someone sells a whole collection. Make your needs known, you will get responses.

I've just re-posted my own current sale stock over on TMP Marketplace:

TMP link

Thanks Zippy

That's quite a nice list you have there and those prices are great.

I think 1/144th is just to big for me, but those kits are amazing looking.

I think 1/300 is just to small, so I'm going to try the 1/200 scale AND try my hand at painting them.

For sure I'll use the Marketplace board for future inquires. Thanks for the heads up.

Yes, brush, except for the Dornier, that was airbrushed.

What size table are you planning on using. Ten Fighters in Check your Six doesn't take a lot of room in 1/144 with 3 inch hexes. Fights tend to turn into furballs.
1/200 planes are nice but not if you really don't like painting.

A Ping-Pong table, or folding tables are usually large enough for many scenarios, regardless of scale.

I usually run games at the local club, or convention, where I can pretty much get whatever table size I need. 6' x 12' is preferred.

1/200 planes are nice but not if you really don't like painting.

Don't like painting? Aren't all miniatures gamers modellers at heart? I was building and painting model airplanes for fun long before I discovered wargaming. My reaction to that discovery was, "Wow! A structured way to play with my toys? I've been waiting my whole life for this!"

There's a line of prepainted 1/200 WWII aircraft currently in production for the Wings of Glory WWII rules. Not a bad start to a collection.

Im like Zippy – modeling and wargaming are synergistic hobbies for me. Either alone wasn't enough to distract me, but together they make a very rewarding pasttime.

I also really like the AIM 1/200 models. They're detailed, well proportioned, affordable, and light (which is critical when gaming with telescoping rods). The range also has most of what I want to game with. I think only 1/285 and 1/72 scales are more complete.

- Ix

Speaking of flight stands……

Where do you guys get yours?

Thanks again for all the help!

I make mine, e.g. the ones shown above, the Topgun Dogfight Flight Stands.

They're for sale, too. ;-)

I've never seen better than Mako's for 1/200 models.

There is a proprietary style of stand designed for the CY6 rules, but it's sized for 1/285 models, I don't think it would work well for 1/200.

For 1/144, I use the stands that come with the models or make my own, but these are fixed stands, they don't adjust altitude or aircraft attitude, I have to imagine that in my mind's eye.

Zippyfusenet, Captaincold69 stated at the beginning that he didn't enjoy painting. Thats something I can relate to, if I could afford to I'd never paint another figure again. I know people who love painting and don't enjoy gaming that much or at all.
Captaincold69, if the 1/200 Wings of Glory Prepaint has most or all the planes you want and the price is right then go with them. After checking the prices, I'd say they are in many ways more expensive then most Prepaint 1/144 WW2 fighters. Check out e-bay, amazon and here for prices on both scales and make up your mind.