Decal and Aftermarket Products
After building models "straight from the box" for a while, many modellers want to do something to make their model stand out from the crowd. This is easy to do with aftermarket decals, photoetch, and resin products.
The cheapest and easiest "conversion" is normally just new markings, courtesy of a new set of decals. Most of them have the major markings for several different aircraft, though you may need to use kit insignia and stencilling if you do more than one or two.
The next step up is photoetched detail. This is fine, etched metal, normally on a "fret." You need a good blade or photoetch nippers to cut the parts out. These can be anything from small details to spruce up a kit (or correct it) such as rudder pedals, a seat (which must be bent to shape,) or dropped flaps, to full cockpits and conversions. The most commonly used photoetched parts are doors, instrument panels (normally with a film "backing" for the instruments,) rudder pedals and seat belts. They have the advantage of being more "to scale," thickness-wise, for things like flaps and doors, but they take more work getting parts assembled.
Next comes resin. You'll normally see cockpits and engines redone with this material. It's also good for more complex conversions (new wings, fuselage sections, and the like) but it is heavy, expensive, and care must be taken while working with it (use a mask while sanding parts, as the dust can be harmful.) Resin (and other forms, such as combination kits, white metal, and vacform) are the most expensive but with practice, they can make for outstanding one of a kind models.
