What nice kit for £60?

[Guest]

Got some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket that I am thinking about splashing on a nice kit of some sort. I generally (so far) have been doing aircraft in my very short (4 completed - plus 2 botched - models so far!) career so far to give you an idea.

So has anyone got any suggestions for a sublimely lovely and nice to build kit in the £60ish region that I simply must have? Preferably a nicer kit that the sod of a Spit I built recently ;-)

Cheers!

ps - it *can* be LESS than £60 of course - with paints and paraphernalia it'll all mount up I'm sure!

[Gern]

Hi Rob. Depends what you're looking for of course, but you could do worse than get one of the Trumpeter 1/32 Me 262s for £40 - £50. They're pretty good (Stona built a real smasher not so long ago) and I saw a review calling one of them the best Me 262 kit ever made.

Gern

[Ian M]

Modern? Jet? Propeller? Scale?

You generally do aircraft but are you open to suggestions?

There are a lot of nice kits out there. Some are nice to build, some are nice when they are done but not so easy to build.....I'm guessing you are after some thing in between; easier to build AND good when done.

The new Hobby Boss Spitfire has had good reviews and its a 1/32 spit for around £36.

The Revell 1/32 scale Alpha is also a good build, so I have read and at less than £20 its a snip. (shame about the red plastic though, sunglasses on when building that one is a good tip).

Talking of revell kits, all of the 1/32 scale stuff they do is pretty good and the prices are silly money in the good way.

If you are more into 1/48 Italeri have some good stuff. There Stuka is so good that Tamiya have done a rebox. (So if you see both buy the Italeri one it will be half the price for the same kit).

Others worth a look are Hobby Boss and Kinetic.

Happy hunting-

Ian M

[Guest]

Thanks both. I don't know why I thought this would be an easy question to answer :-)

Considering that my 1/72 Revell me262 is one of my "botched" attempts (although am thinking about stripping and having another go at it) owing to my inability to do mottling I may shy away from anything German...

I think 1/48 is tending to be my scale of choice, and don't have a pref for prop or jet but don't seem to have any desire to build anything pre WW2 (or probably more specifically anything with lots of wings and fiddly stringy things!).

I've done 1/72 and 1/48 Spits and despite the ICM kit being a bugger I do enjoy the subject matter so may think along those lines.

Thanks again! :-)

[Ian M]

If you like 1/48 and Spitfires, take a look at the newest offerings from Airfix. Good kits, easy to build and give a good result. They have also just released a new Seafire which is a nice kit. Can be built with folded or flying wings, The smart part is that there are two wing sets in the kit so no puzzle building five parts of wing to build one flying position. Airfix seem to have gotten their act together in the new toolings and are very much worth looking at. Their Stuka is also a good one. No mottle just splinter camo ;-) So if you can use masking tape you are as good as done!

Although I could easily fine one single kit to blow the £60 on, I think I would go for several smaller kits.

Have a look on the net and see what jumps out at you.

Ian M

[Guest]

People do seem to rate the new Airfixes don't they - I almost feel like if I am going to buy an "expensive" (by my standards) kit I'd want to be snobby and go for Tamiya or Hasegawa (they seem to be highly rated too don't they?).

May take a look at that Seafire, mind... Thanks for suggestions - hope I haven't opened a can of anti-Tamiya/Hase worms by my comments ;-)

[stona]

Hi Rob,no can of worms but it's important not to generalise! Hasegawa in common with many brands market some old kits,sometimes reboxings of kits originally molded by other manufacturers, some of which are definitely not great. Newer mold kits from Hasegawa,as well as most other manufacturers,tend to be much superior.

If you fancy a kit it is worth checking for a few reviews online but please remember that some can be less than impartial. You could also do a lot worse than asking here. There may well be someone who has already built your intended victim who will be able to give an honest opinion.

I know you don't fancy it but Graham mentioned that a review had said that the 1/32 Trumpeter Me262 was the best kit available for this aircraft. I've built a few Me262s and for once I absolutely agree with the reviewer! It would be in my all time top five. I've got another one in the cupboard....don't tell the missus.

Cheers

Steve

[Dave W]

Munkster.Have you got a 'Modelzone' shop near you?.If so have a look at their discounted kits.Last year i got a 1/48 Trumpeter Wellington for £29.99.Last week a friend bought the Academy 1/32 F18 Hornet for £50, discounted from £110!.so you might find a really good kit for your £60.

[Guest]

Steve I think one of my reservations about 1/32 scale (aside from anything that might require the dreaded mottling!) is that the finished product may not physically fit on my designated "model shelf" ;-)

Of course, I say designated, I didn't actually ask permission...

That said, a 1/32 Me262 may not be any bigger than my 1/48 F-15 Eagle that's currently (just about) perched up there so who knows!

Re: going into Modelzone that is an option although still coming to terms with admitting my new hobby in public, let alone a busy retail environment :-)

[Guest]

Fine Molds Slave I That's what I'd hit for £60 anyway, but that's just me

[John]

I've been wanting to do the Tamiya Avro Lancaster B since I got it but I don't think I would do it justice, I could make it fit your budget

[stona]

Now that is a seriously nice kit AND a seriously good offer.

Steve

[Guest]

It is that!

Although......."English Royal Air Force"?

[Guest]

Thanks for the offer John but you've obviously not met Mrs.Munkster. She would chuffing well kill me if I got a kit that (by my reckoning) wound up 45cm long or thereabouts!

Would *love* to have a go at the kit but think it might be a bridge too far...

[stona]

It is that!Although......."English Royal Air Force"?

I once had to explain to a perfectly intelligent and sober Dutch friend why an England v Scotland Rugby match was an international!

This is a man old enough to remember Archie Gemmill's wonder goal against his lot in nineteen seventy something. He knew Gemmill was Scottish!

Cheers

Steve