What is the best overall brand for kits and paints?

[AFC]

As a newbie in this word I am know trying to understand what's the best option in teh market for kits (detais, models, etc) and paints...

I tend to buy Revell as this is the most well known for me (before I start reading about scale modelling of course LOL)

Now I understand other brands can be better...

your thoughts? Best overall brand?

Cheers

[Guest]

Someone in the motor tuning world once said.

'Speed is a question of money, how fast can you afford to go'

The same principal applies here, you can get model kits with detail that's simply beyond stunning, but at a great cost.

What you should be asking is what you want from the hobby and then base your decisions on this.

Whats your preferred model type?

What are your budgetary and time constraints?

Do you want to brush or airbrush?

Are you painting indoors in a commonly shared space or have you a dedicated work area?

It's no good for example, someone saying, i think Dragon tank kits are excellent and Vallejo matte paints just great with Mig weathering products, then you saying

'OK, that's all well and good but I prefer making formula 1 car models'

Immediately and initially, your model choice will decrease your choice of kit manufacturers and likewise with paints, if you want gloss, generally lacquer / celulose, (like Tamiya TS cans), enamel, (like Humbrol and others) give the best gloss, for matte, most acrylics offer great results but much faster drying and curing times.

If you can expand a bit on the above then there'll be plenty of folks with ideas and suggestions

[stona]

I'd agree with M1ks. It does make a difference what your area of interest is. It is also important to remember that most kit suppliers may season their otherwise excellent kits with a few of their own old dogs,or even reboxes of kits previously released by someone else.

Paints are a very personal thing. I use mainly acrylic paints nowadays but the brand that works for me (Xtracrylix) may not for someone else. For example I know that Sprayman (Ray) is no fan of Xtracrylix. One look at his models will show you that he is a superb painter,the brand just doesn't work for him.

As M1ks said,if you narrow the question down to a genre or specific subject you'll get plenty of,hopefully helpful,advice and opinion from the members here.

Cheers

Steve

[AFC]

Thanks for the comments...

So far I've been buying kits that I like (who hasn’t LOL!)... let me explain.

As I am still learning all the techniques and ways of doing models I am not trying to be an expert in just one type.

For an example, I love the Motorbikes world and so I tend to buy some of these but I also like classic cars kits and so some are planned for the future (like an old beetle). Likewise, I like the way a tank and other military vehicles look like once assembled so I am finishing the SLT 50-3 Elefant/SaAnh.52t (1/72 is not an easy scale for a beginner but looks quite nice so far eheh) and plan to buy some tanks in a near future. On my desk is the Apollo Eagle and Columbia ready to be started (once the Elefant one is done) which is completely different than the others mentioned above (this will be my first diorama LOL!)….

You see now the reason of my question to be so generic… my mind is floating all around this (new) world of scale modelling :-) The quest now is try and see what suits me the best.

I understand that a newer model although more expensive should have better detail quality as it uses new technologies in its production…and that for experimenting new techniques an older model is better cause it's cheaper. And that some people like acrylic paints better than they like enamel.

So I guess I have to give all this a try (within the limited budget of course!)

As far the models are concerned I’ll try different brands and see which one(s) I like the best. For painting, I’m quite curious with Vallejo as I read so good reviews about them. Revell work ok but not sure if they're that good when compared with others. For the battle water-based paint vs Enamel not sure yet where to go…like enamel quality but would rather use water to clean my painting stuff instead of white spirits…

Well… long post now…are you still reading it?

If you are, the question now is… what do you look for when buying a new model? And when buying new paints? :-)

Cheers,

PS - one thing I am sure is about the best scale model forum ;-)

[stona]

As far as models go I really only do WWII aircraft. I tend to model any subject within that that takes my fancy. I'll generally try and find a few reviews of a kit if I'm unfamiliar with it. Getting an unbiased opinion can be tricky. Some reviewers are more or less sponsored by the manufacturer and some will always find fatal flaws in perfectly acceptable kits. Finding someone on a forum like this who has already built it is a good way to get an unbiased opinion. You are correct that newer kits,designed with computer assistance with modern molds will usually be more detailed and a better fit. There is still a lot of fun to be had beating an old kit into shape,but a new mold kit,be it Tamiya,Hasegawa,Airfix or whoever is always going to be a simpler build.

As far as paints go you really need to try a few. Vallejo,Xtracrylix,Tamiya and Lifecolor to name just four all have their adherents among acrylic painters. Good old Humbrol is still popular with enamel painters,despite recent quality issues. I like White Ensign Colourcoats which are a range of enamels covering most nationalities and eras of military equipment. All the above are readily available in the UK.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

hi AFC

Although I'm a newbie modeller too, maybe some of my thoughts may help you.

Firstly, there's no doubt this forum is a great place for help and information, the guys here are very helpful and knowledgeable. Have a look at their galleries and you'll see they know how to make good models.

Like you, when I started, I wanted to know as much as I could straight away. Not a lot wrong with that but I did discover that just getting on with it and trying different paints/kits, and making the mistakes along the way, was (is) also very helpful (of course, you say ). Like Steve says, guys get to prefer certain brands, and these may not suit another proficient modeller, who will have his own preferences. One thing about getting on with it, I did find myself spending too much time browsing forums and the like, and not enough time doing my practical learning.

My preferred model topic is aircraft, and I decided to buy non-expensive Academy and Revell kits. The Academy kits entail a bit of research on colours, which is fun in itself, and Revell make it easy if you use their colours. Both provide good quality kits for the price, with Academy the better of the two in my opinion. I avoid Airfix unless I see a good review about the kit (because I did buy a couple of kits in a bricks-and-mortar shop one day on an impulse and was hugely disappointed when I got them home and opened the boxes!).

I am trying hand-painting as well as airbrush, although focussing on hand-painting at the moment and my preferred scale is 1:72. I am trying different paints and so far, am pleased with the results from Vallejo Model Color(Acrylic), Revell Aqua(Acrylic), Xtracrylix, and Humbrol (both acrylics & enamels). All these give a good finish without brush marks. Good quality brushes are essential ( I use Javis sable brushes and Tamiya flat brushes). I am currently trying Revell enamels, which so far, seem ok, but not as good as Humbrol enamels. I intend to try Model Master enamels soon as well. What I am quickly discovering, is that ONE paint manufacturer will not satisfy all occasions, and I will use a mix of types where appropriate(to me).

I have only scratched the surface of materials/kits available, and look forward to trying more and no doubt incurring a few mishaps along the way.

Going back to this forum, and the help herein, I have definitely saved myself some frustrations by discovering tips whilst browsing, but I do try to get back to my practical lessons The forum is so interesting, it's hard to get away and do something so I browse whilst paint is drying or something

happy modelling

Mark

[Guest]

I actually think you have answered your own question there AFC as the main criteria for selecting a model is whether it takes your fancy rather than who has manufactured it. We all know that Tamiya kits are very detailed and fit beautifully but are expensive but amongst all the other manufacturers there are new and old kits alike in thier catalogues. Both Airfix and Revell currently have both new mouldings and very old mouldings for sale so you really have to pick out a model that you want to build. Tamiya are more of a guarrante of quality but there are such a wide range of kits out there to enjoy from other manufacturers. Bottom line buy what you like but be aware of the quality of what you are buying. As a beginner I would avoid Photo etch and resin and definately vac formed kits until you feel a bit more confident then you can include those in your kits as well.

As for paints it has been said over and over again, enamels and acrylics all have thier own properties that make them more suitable for different applications. Don't limit yourself to one type, use both. You will also find that some paints work better on particular applications as well as your own preference will dictate which paint you use.

I'm afraid there is never going to be an easy answer to which manufacturer and which paint. You are going to have to experiment yourself and find out what you enjoy building most. That's what modelling is all about, learning yourself how to make things better next time around and if there was a magic formula out there to make it easy for us there wouldn't be much point in doing it.

[Ian M]

To try and give a short reply I would say as far a paint goes, Humbrol are good for both spraying and brushing. Although when spraying your partner might not agree, the thinners do rather pong and are not exactly healthy. I like Vallejo for spraying. Give a good finish and are all but odourless. Water based so no need for smelly thinners, just distilled water. BUT as every one else has said up to now. Paints are a personal matter.

Kits are as different maker to maker as chips are chippy from chippy!!! (sorry, I'm hungry). For me its find a subject I like then hit the inter-web and find the choice of kits for that subject, then find any review I can and see what they have to say on the subject.

Modelingmadness.com is a good place to find reviews. Then having gone through that I make my choice.

Often its a case of taking what you can get. Don't forget that often a kit that is basicly good but lacks detail are often backed up by a sea of after-market parts. This enables you to beef up the detail or correct errors with out being a scratch building expert.

Price is not always a true indicator of a kits 'greatness'. I have found cheap kits that are every bit as good as expensive ones. Once completed!

Happy hunting.

Ian M

[Guest]

All good advice AFC , like you I have a interest in bikes race cars all things military be it land sea or air oh dioramas and figures , build whatever takes your fancy at the time but all the stuff I mentioned needs a different approach and everyone does things different , you will find a way to model that suits you but it does take time , as for kits in my opinion whatever subject you choose you cant go wrong with a tamiya and they cover all the bases with what your interested in , nice and easy to make with great instructions easy paint guide if you use tamiya paints , big choice and pretty good price wise I would recommend tamiya kits to anyone starting out in this great hobby , as for the choice of paints go with what your happy with , when starting out this can dent your wallet big time and we all can vouch for that , getting the paints for a kit can sometimes cost more than the kit itself but it does get easier and cheaper as you build your paint kit up , I like using acrylics vallejo and tamiya on military stuff but for my bikes and cars I use acrylics for some bits but for bodywork and chassis`s I go for zero paints ( from hiroboy )and alclads which are solvent based.

On this forum their is no such thing as a silly question , anything your unsure off just ask .

all the best

Richy

[Guest]

Dragon + Vallejo

[AFC]

Thank you all.

By reading this I got some good ideas and so I will try different options/choices.

I one thing I fully agree with you all is that I want to know as much as I can straight away...I guess the discovering and trial/error part of modelling can be also a great deal of fun... :-)

Cheers