You are probably thinking that a garage kit is a kit of a garage. Well not quite. It's actually a kit that has been produced in a garage. Ok, so not many really are produced in garages these days, but the term is still used to indicate the humble beginnings of the hobby. A bit like a "cottage industry" really - most of those aren't run from cottages either!
Unlike commercially mass produced injection-plastic model kits, Garage kits are made from either polyurethane or polyester resins, soft polyvinyls or low melt "white" metals - or a combination of these. Injection moulding requires precision steel molds that can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to manufacture. Thus an equally high number of kits must be produced for it to become economically feasible The casting of resins and vinyl requires much simpler and cheaper molds, which means a production run may be in the low hundreds or even tens in some cases. This in turn means that the diversity of subject matter is vastly superior to the mainstream business.
A basic introduction to using LEDs to light your kits.
How to fill those annoying pinholed resin parts with acrylic paste.
A quick guide to realistic hair and eyes.
| Builders & Collectors | |
|---|---|
| Bill Jones | USA |
| Buc Wheat | USA |
| Budgie Murray | UK |
| Cody's Coop | Japan |
| Cult TV Man | USA |
| Glues Brothers | Germany |
| Glutrain Manefesto | Germany |
| Jerry Buchanan | USA |
| KaijuKits.com | USA |
| Kathy Dowler | UK |
| Matt Clemons | USA |
| Neal DeConte | USA |
| Nic Tagnuma | USA |
| The Star Wars Model Kit Gallery | USA |
| Tom Grossman | USA |
| WTH Studios | USA |
| Reference | |
|---|---|
| Amazing Figure Modeler | USA |
| Gremlins in the Garage | USA |
| IPMS UK | UK |
| Kitbuilder's Magazine | USA |
| Modeler's Resource | USA |
| Starship Modeler | USA |
| Steve Wang | USA |
| UK Sci-Fi | UK |
| Materials & Supplies | |
|---|---|
| Alec Tiranti | UK |
| Balsa Foam | USA |
| FX Warehouse Inc | USA |
| Magic Sculpt | USA |
| Milliput Epoxy Putty | UK |
| Smooth On Resins | USA |
| Manufacturers | |
|---|---|
| 3rd Eye Design | USA |
| Airfix | UK |
| Andrea Miniatures | Spain |
| Azimuth Design | USA |
| Comet Miniatures | UK |
| Dragonfire Studios | USA |
| Fewture Models | Japan |
| Formation Designs | USA |
| G-Zero | USA |
| GEOmetric Design | USA |
| Hardy Cole (mail) | USA |
| Hourglass Studios | USA |
| Jimmy Flintstone Studios | USA |
| Jiver | Belgium |
| JJ Models | Italy |
| Kaiyodo | Japan |
| Killer Kits | UK |
| Menagerie Productions | USA |
| Model Giants | USA |
| Monsters in Motion | USA |
| Mooncrest Models | UK |
| MouldArt | UK |
| MUFF Models (mail) | UK |
| Mysteria Models | UK |
| N and T Productions | UK |
| Nagleworks | USA |
| Needful Things | USA |
| Neil Sims | UK |
| PinkertonFX | USA |
| PSI (mail) | USA |
| Skyhook Models | USA |
| Solarwind Productions | USA |
| Twin Flame Hobbies | USA |
| Yedharo Models | Spain |
| Retailers | |
|---|---|
| Amok Time | USA |
| Doll and Hobby Shoppe | USA |
| Frontier Models | UK |
| Hobby Link Japan | Japan |
| Monsters Direct | USA |
| Rainbow Ten | Japan |
| Sassy's Satellite | USA |
| Village Comics | USA |
| X-O Facto | USA |