Which Model Kit Is The Best To Buy?

[Guest]

In the 60's and 70's I was an Airfix boy reason being there was no other choice!

Having just started back modelling 37 years later there seems to be a number of different manufactures and producers.

I have just started a 1:24 Spitfire from Airfix but I'm wondering whether they are the best to buy now?

I do enjoy doing the larger models (fat thumbs and failing eyesight the main reason now) so any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Gareth

[yak face]

Hi gareth welcome to the forum. Its a big question , there are lots of different makers , there isnt really a best as such , just different. That said , a lot of people will say Tamiya are the best , and they are exceptionally good , but at a price. Whereby a company such as Trumpeter are still very good but come quite bit cheaper so its horses for courses really . If youre wanting to do larger scale stuff (1/32 , 1/24 )then Trumpeter have a vast range and most of them are reasonably priced , and you can still pick up some of the old Revell 1/32 even cheaper than that , cheers tony

[flyjoe180]

Good old Airfix are also slowly coming out with new tool kits in the larger scales. Their new tool sets are not to be dismissed easily.

[stona]

Welcome Gareth. There are a lot of us returning at a more.......experienced age

1/24 really is large scale and to be honest there are very few kits in that scale. The old Airfix 1/24s are not bad but things have moved on.

The most rapidly expanding scale in terms of choice is 1/32 and the most popular is probably 1/48. There is a lot in 1/72 but that's on the small side, though it's also cheap

As a general rule newer mold kits will be easier to build than old kits. This is simply because the technology has moved on, both in terms of drawing and cutting the molds. It is a bit of a minefield because old kits are often re-issued, sometimes under different brands, re-boxing as it is known.

It's not really possible to single out a particular manufacturer as good or bad. All have some dogs and most have some very good kits too. Airfix are still going strong and some of their new kits are very good indeed. The older ones are sometimes more of a test of your technique!

All the mainstream manufacturers do some good kits. Revell of Germany (RoG) are usually good value for money. Tamiya and Hasegawa make some good stuff and more recently the Chinese in the shape of Trumpeter and Hobbyboss have produced some good stuff. There are others of course.

Before investing in a kit it's always worth checking online for reviews, though bear in mind they are not always unbiased. You could also do worse than asking here. You may well find that someone has already taken a swing at it and can give a genuine modeller to modeller opinion.

I would advise against attempting more specialist, limited production kits until you've got your eye in again. These can sometimes require a bit of fettling (to put it politely)

Don't forget that if you've got any questions you'll find a friendly answer here.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Hi and welcome, Gareth. For my two pennith, I go for what interests me, and something at a reasonable price ( that well known auction site does have it's uses....).

If the kit works out to be an easy build, great. If not, you'll learn a lot more from it, and if it does all go Pete Tong, you won't have lost out too much. There's no such thing as a bad build, it's all practice !

I'm still faffing around in 1/72, but that's mainly down to space constraints. I got bought the 1/24 Spit for Xmas - I have no idea where I'm going to put it if/when it gets done !! But I suspect I'll have a crack at something in the larger scales soon-ish....

Cheers, Neil

[Guest]

Thank you all for your feedback - what a great forum! Only joined today and already a load of questions I had have been addressed and answered.

I really appreciate you all taking the time for making me feel so welcome and giving such constructive suggestions!

Hope I can return the kindness someday when I have a little more knowledge under my (ample) belt!

Many thanks

Gareth

[tanktrack]

welcome Gareth good luck with the renewed interest in models as the guys have states there are a lot of us in the over 40,s and we are all keen to share and learn

[ojays]

You have joined the best forum on the net for friendly, informative members.

Most of us seem to be returning plastic bashers, so were all in the same boat!

Gregg

[Dave W]

Welcome to the forum Gareth.

[Guest]

Hi Gareth and welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy your time here and get some useful information regarding your modelling requirements and guidance. There are quite a high number of us here who have returned to modelling after a number of years away so there is plenty of understanding of your situation. I also grew up on Airfix kits, which I still think of very fondly, despite a lot of them now showing thier age and still have a number of 1/24th aircraft stashed in the loft. One day!!

I can't add much to what has already been said as regards selecting a kit apart from adding what, to me, is the most important aspect. That is the kit has to inspire you. You have to look at it and feel excited about what it is going to look like when you have finished it and how you are going to feel proud of it, when it is displayed. You need that thought to carry you through the difficulties you encounter during the build, such as the gaps, poor fit, split transfers, poor detail etc..etc.. If you have that initial excitement you can build anything and enjoy it!

[Alan 45]

Welcome to the forum Gareth as most have said thre are many producers of kits that are good today but I thought I'd tell you about the large kits I've made that were of great quality

Revell 1/32 Arado 196 is very detailed and you get the option to build either the flight ready or stored version

Revell 1/32 lynx HAS3 helicopter another detailed kit even down to the overhead leavers in the cockpit

Revell 1/48 apache longbow great detail and you get the option to build the British variant

Tamiya 1/48 de Havilland mosquito bit of a simple kit but looks great when finished

If you fancy armour then I go for tamiya but I have heard great things about acadomy kits

[BarryW]

Welcome to the Forum Gareth.

I too like big-scale kits, in my case I prefer 1/32 scale WW2 aircraft subjects.

That does not rule out other scales and subject of course, a change is always as good as a rest.

My advice is to 'Google' kit reviews before buying a particular subject. There are a couple of good review sites, two links below.

http://modelingmadness.com/

http://www.hyperscale.com/reviewskits_1.htm

In 1/32 scale, as others have said Tamiya WW2 subjects - their Spitfires, Zeros, Mustangs and Corsair are sublime - great fit, excellent accuracy and superb detail. they look pricy but what you get in the box is well worth it and you do get a good £/build-hour rate too....

Trumpeter are a bit more varied in quality. Their Dauntless and Avenger are outstanding in most respects, as is their Me262 and a few others, while some other kits are quite poor.

Hasegawa make some very competent models too though they do lack the detail of the best Tammy and Trumpy, but there is nothing wrong with their simpler build style that make room for aftermarket enhancement if you want to.

There are other good 1/32 scale manufacturers, Dragon do a good Bf110 (see my build) and bf109 but I would not recommend their Mustang. New manufacturers are coming out with some excellent 1/32 kits like Zuki Mura and HK Models - indeed HK Models have brought out a 1/32 B17 Flying Fortress with a Lancaster and Meteor due to be released soon.

I am not a fan of Revell as I think they focus on cheap at the expense of quality, I would rather pay more for a better engineered kit. That said their AR196 is excellent in 1/32 and there are good reports of their Bf109G. I would not recommend their 1/32 JU88 as I did not enjoy that build at all, it fought me all the way. I am likely to get their new tool Mk2 Spitfire when they release it later this year.

Airfix, yes good old Airfix, they have certainly got their act together under the Hornby banner. Sadly they do not do 1/32 but in June they are releasing a 1/24 scale Hawker Typhoon, I have seen a mock-up at the Telford show and it looks superb.

Be careful of old kits - some can be real 'dogs' but new tool are of an amazing quality.

Anyway - whatever you do have fun, we are in a golden age of scale modelling with the quality and range of new kits and materials we have so you have a lot mof scope.

[Guest]

wlcm to the forum gareth as you might have seen there is a lot of info to chew on,i prefer 1/48 to 1/24,jets in 1/48 are good as they are quite big and fat fingers and gripping probs are not a a problem. lol,so good luck old bean and enjoy modelling