Hence, just for information (for those not already aware of course) I thought I would post some pics of them here along with a comparison with the Schumo 1:16 wingnuts I have for anyone who is similarly vexed by the thought of 'winging it' otherwise.
Although both are 1:16 scale the Schumo are a little larger that the Aber (different sizes I guess, which is useful of course). More importantly the Schumo are a molded one-piece construction whereas the Aber come as two-part sets of cast nut and turned threaded shaft. The threaded shaft on the Aber is not a matched by a threaded nut so it just slips to the position you want (and needs to be fixed in the desired position).
The Schumo offers a set of six molded nuts on threaded rods that place the nut at varying heights (a nice touch, unless you want two at equal height - in which case you will need to buy more than one set). The Schumo is also a full threaded rod whereas the Aber rod is threaded only at the top of the shaft. Lastly, Aber are made from brass and Schumo from some kind of alu alloy (I think).
Price wise the Aber set is about £12 for a set of 12 and the Schumo are around 6.50 Euro for 6 so, roughly around a £/Eu each. Where the Aber excels, however (and for an equivalent price) is in terms of overall finish and the addition of a turned threaded rod that included an eye at one end, which is needed for so many different applications. The Schumo one piece wingnut is just not so flexible in this respect, although the fully threaded shaft will be more desirable for certain applications. Overall, each will be more useful depending on where it is used (i.e. where an eye on the rod is needed, or a full thread). However, I think the shape of the Aber is more realistic, though this is a matter of opinion I guess.
I purchased the Aber wingnuts from Forgebear (not in stock at this time of posting), and they are also presently available from Welsh Dragon Models. The Schumo wingnuts I got from Axel's Modellbau Shop and he presently has them in stock.
