Hey cretins. Today I want to talk about the various types of monster models out there and the differences between them. I am not talking werewolves vs mummies, though. Instead, I want to cover the basics of styrene, vinyl, and resin kits.
Styrene
Styrene kits (AKA plastic models) are what most people think of when they hear you are building a model. These injection-molded bits of joy have been around for decades. Almost everyone has built a few of these when they were kids. Popularized in the 50s with model car kits, companies soon began producing boats, planes etc. Then came the monster model craze of the 60s, bringing us the classics Aurora line among others. Although they don’t have the greatest detail, the affordability and ease of build of the kits make them perennial favorites and almost everyone’s first introduction to model building.
Vinyl
Vinyl kits are usually the next step up in price from styrene. Cast in a soft vinyl, these models are great for organic forms like people, monsters, and such, but they don’t hold straight lines, sharp corners, or fine detail very well. Vinyl kits first started becoming popular in the 80s when companies like Japan’s Billiken started offering models of obscure movie monsters and kaiju that weren’t available in styrene. Vinyl kits require quite a bit more work and a wider skill set than classic styrene kits, but you can produce very striking models for not much money.
Resin
Resin kits are the cream of the crop. More expensive than other model kits, resin kits are prized for both their amazing detail and (usually) straight forward assembly. These are also the easiest for the home weirdo to cast in his garage, leading to the garage kit community where licensing is less important than just making something cool.
All right, nerds. That about covers it. So, what are you waiting on? Go buy a kit and pound something out!