discussion What's your opinion on Academy kits?

[Thorbrand]

Hi guys

I recently purchased a F6F Hellcat which is made by Academy, it was only a tenner from Amazon and since it's my fathers favourite aircraft of WW2 I'm going to build it and surprise him with it as a gift.

I'm a bit dissappointed with the quality of the kit to be honest, i've never bought Academy before but the plastic seems to be inferior to other kits i've built, plus there is quite a lot of flashing on the parts too.

Additionally to that, there is visible detail such as panel lines on the kit but they are so finely marked i fear once i put the second coat of paint on, most of it will be lost, so i'm going to have to spend the first few hours of the build manually scoring out the panel lines!

Has anyone built the Revell offering of the Hellcat, I imagine that might be my next option if the Academy one turns out as poor as I think it will

 

[PaulTRose]

cant vouch for aircraft but i have never had any problems with military vehicles.......just finished a Bradly and it went together like a dream

 

[Guest]

I've only built a few Academy aircraft kits & they were ok. But then no manufacturer is faultless.

 

[Thorbrand]

For my budget, i think Tamiya are up there with the best when it comes to quality, and the Airfix new tooled kits are very good

 

[Guest]

The new Academy kits are great I think, but their old kits can be a gamble sometimes. Might want to check online for reviews and opinions beforehand.

 

[flyjoe180]

As Leo said, the newer kits tend to be better quality with great decals. The older kits can be real hit-and-miss. I've built a few aircraft, including the 1/72 scale Hellcat. It was a good little build, the only let down being the poor quality of the decals and my ham-fisted construction methods.

 

[Guest]

hit and miss. However, their 1/48 F4 Phantom Kits are really really good, 5 stars from me, and great value too

 

[Guest]

if you want a really good F6F hellcat in 1/48, go for the Eduard Version, great value, and the best hellcat out there

 

[Guest]

I've made three of their 1/72 offerings - P-38J, P-47D and Stuka G-1. All kits went together well, and I really liked the delicate panel lines. With an airbrush, they're just right under a few coats of paint/varnish. P47 had 0.5 inch guns which were more like 40mm canon in scale, but they were easily replaced. Decals on the P47 and P38 were a nightmare - thick, brittle, and wouldn't conform to contours. Those for the Stuka were fine. So a bit hit and miss but overall good.
I don't know their Hellcat, but like John I'd put in a word for the Eduard version, which is great in 1/72 too.

 

[colin m]

I've built a couple of aircraft kits and liked them all.

 

[peterairfix]

I've not built any of their planes but I know the titanic kits are superb

 

[john i am]

I have a few in my stash and the detail imho is very good. The ones I have built went together very well. So in my personal experiences I can't say a bad word about them.I would have no hesitation in buying another.
Cheers John