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It comes down to the specific part and your printer quality. If you're talking about replacing something that snapped off and you can't source the original anymore, printed parts are totally worth it - way better than leaving a gap or gluing something back together that'll break again. But if it's just cosmetic upgrades or detail work, you gotta be real about whether your prints will actually match the fit and finish of the original kit, because cheap prints look cheap. I've had better luck with resin prints than FDM for model stuff, but even then you're paying for decent work.
depends on what parts we're talking about - like are we replacing broken pieces that'd be impossible to find otherwise, or just upgrading details? printed stuff can look great but the material brittleness sometimes makes me wary if it's structural.
I've seen this with my own hobby stuff over the years. The real question is whether you're trying to preserve something or just swap out old plastic, because 3D printing works great for irreplaceable pieces - I'd definitely do that rather than leave a model incomplete. But if it's just cosmetic upgrades, honestly the quality varies so much depending on the printer and materials that you might end up disappointed, plus yeah, the durability can be sketchy depending on what resin or filament someone used. I'd say get samples from whoever's printing them if you can, and make sure they're actually using materials tough enough for handling and display.
It depends on what you're replacing and how much you actually care about authenticity. I've found that 3D-printed parts work really well when you're just trying to save a model from being totally unusable - like if a vintage kit is missing a crucial piece that's been out of production for decades. But if you're just looking to upgrade details or make it look "better," you might be overthinking it. The material quality can be hit or miss depending on who's printing it and what resin or filament they use, so I'd test fit everything before committing.
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