Sidney Schwartz Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 These seem to be the most common distributors being sold. Any comments on one versus the other? Looks? Ease of installation? Refreshing flavor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobdude Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 (edited) www.madmodeling.com Here is another option. Just look under distributors. Edited May 13, 2015 by Bobdude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snacktruck67 Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Bob is most correct. MAD distributors are great. I have been buying MAD products for many years. Some of the very best items available, and the price is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kit Basher Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 (edited) I've used the DM distributor in your left picture. They're pretty easy to use, and I like that the wires are spread out around the top, instead of being in a clump in the middle. It's also nice that you get 4,6,8 cylinders and the wire looms and other PE parts. I like the size of the wire. The downside is that it doesn't look like a real distributor cap, since there are no ribs on the side, and once you get nine boots on top there is no space between them. Crazy as it sounds, I've gone back to drilling out kit distributors, I think it just looks better. Edited May 13, 2015 by Kit Basher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I prefer the M.A.D ones over all I have used. Easy to use and look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I also use the M.A.D. distributors and magnetos. I used to use Preston's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I still use the Preston's. Probably not the best looking one on the market, but their easily available from where I buy most of my other supplies. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toner283 Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland ones are really nice. Pre drilled caps with seperate base and IIRC an option for a vaccuum advance cannister as well. I know he offers 6 and 8 cylinder ones and also the later ford flathead "crab" style ones. Not sure about 4 cylinder ones though. Sold in packs of three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fseva Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I still use the Preston's. Probably not the best looking one on the market, but their easily available from where I buy most of my other supplies. I've used Preston's but prefer the ones by Parks, because they include a metal ignition coil (although most decent kits include a plastic coil). The ones by MAD are good, but they are resin and you need to assemble the cap and post with superglue... not a big deal, but different. I like that you can get a 6 cylinder version for those projects that have a six engine (like the soon-to-be-released 47 Chevys by Galaxie Ltd). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Brian Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I like the Detail Master one the best but it's not correct for every situation. It looks aftermarket so for stock builds I usually just drill out the kit part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 The downside is that it doesn't look like a real distributor cap, since there are no ribs on the side, and once you get nine boots on top there is no space between them. Crazy as it sounds, I've gone back to drilling out kit distributors, I think it just looks better. The Replicas & Miniatures ones do have the side ribs. This is one in the photo on this page. You do have to add wires, but so easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jantrix Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 These seem to be the most common distributors being sold. Any comments on one versus the other? Looks? Ease of installation? Refreshing flavor? To actually answer your question. I have used both. The left item is definitely more accurate, but I've had difficulty gluing the top to the bottom and not accidentally glue up a hole for the wires . And are hard to paint for the same reason. The right one is very simple, and in a car where the dizzy might not be all that visible due to large air cleaners or the like, they are ideal. I have made my own versions of it from scrap styrene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 Lots of great info! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 (edited) Most of the time it depends on what I'm building. I've used the Detail Master setup for some of my late '60 / early '70s kits because it looks like the Mallory Unilite distributors I used to run back then. I thought the P/E retainer clips lent a touch of authenticity that other mfrs' kits didn't always have, and the 4/6/8 plug wire option made this a great add-on for those modelers doing plug wiring on 4 & 6 cylinder engines. I think my only complaint was the lack of a vacuum advance unit. OTOH, it's hard to beat M.A.D.'s HEI distributors for applications that require that setup. IIRC, M.A.D. offers 8 cap colors and 8 plug wire colors, so most stock or aftermarket setups could easily be duplicated. Unfortunately, like its DM counterpart, it also lacks a vacuum advance unit, but I believe some enterprising resin caster offers them. I haven't used them, but the guys at M.A.D. also have 4 & 6 cylinder distributors & a couple other specialized units (Ford & Hemi distributors). Edited May 13, 2015 by Monty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Ahhh. . I though I had some photos of the Replicas & Miniatures distributors with the Vacuum Advance. These are the most accurate to the distributors I've had in various cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 Very helpful pics. I've never worked with resin parts. Do they require a special kind of paint, or can I use whatever I've been using for polystyrene? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatz4u Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 (edited) I use "Fatkidd Hobby Products" distributor, great price, nice overall Edited May 14, 2015 by thatz4u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Thanks, Mr DeRagon! I knew I'd seen those vacuum advance units somewhere. The distributors look sharp, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fseva Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Very helpful pics. I've never worked with resin parts. Do they require a special kind of paint, or can I use whatever I've been using for polystyrene? If you buy MAD distributors, the only thing you'll need to paint is the post. I have been using Testors acrylic black, and it seems to be working without problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toner283 Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Very helpful pics. I've never worked with resin parts. Do they require a special kind of paint, or can I use whatever I've been using for polystyrene? For the replicas and miniatures of Maryland ones, I usually scrub the small parts with an old toothbrush and some Comet cleanser. this cleans off the mold release and gives the paint a "tooth" to bite on to. I use Tamiya paints on them and have not had any issues. For the cap I have used black ones and just left them in black resin color. To me they look like the black plastic caps that most of the cars had. When using resin you have to attach the parts with super glue or 5 min epoxy. Regular hobby glues will not work on resin. working with smaller parts like this will get you an introduction to working with resin and leave you ready to step up to some bigger parts and pieces. be warned, resin is addictive because of the wide variety of stuff available that either was never in a kit or has been out of production for so long as to be impossible to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 I use "Fatkidd Model Products" distributor, great price, nice overall Those look nice but I was not able to find a way to order them. Does the guy have a web site or just the Facebook page? Chris, thanks for the info on working with resin. I already mostly use superglue since I like to paint parts before attaching them. The local hobby store carries the Parts by Parks distributors, so I got one of those. I'll be ordering one or two of the other kinds as well so I can compare them myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 Just saw this one also on eBay. Choice of 5 wire colors and 6 cap colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragstk Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I bought several distributors from Arrowhead. (they had a deal on a 5 pack) They are really great looking distributors, but their customer service and delivery times are really bad. I wouldn't buy from them again. Just my 2 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Morgan Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I prefer the M.A.D. distributors myself. Six cap colors, eight wire colors. 4,6 and 8 cylinders, GM HEI, Dual Plug Hemi, Ford/AMC Duraspark. They also have two styles of Vertex magnetos. Oh, and just added clear cap 8 cylinder distributors to the site. They will also be adding Schiefer style magnetos in 4, 6 and 8 cylinder versions. www.madmodeling.com Just sayin They pretty much got ya covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatz4u Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Those look nice but I was not able to find a way to order them. Does the guy have a web site or just the Facebook page? Chris, thanks for the info on working with resin. I already mostly use superglue since I like to paint parts before attaching them. The local hobby store carries the Parts by Parks distributors, so I got one of those. I'll be ordering one or two of the other kinds as well so I can compare them myself. Fatkidd is a member here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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