New to non gaming modeling

  “Kinetic military action is heck” — William T. Sherman

Welcome aboard. 72nd scale does have a wider range, though if course it does lose some detail, and some people find it to small for the eyes. But i know there are some nice figure sets in that scale for US military. And i think Dragon has produced some armour figures that would suit your needs.

Thanks for the quick response.

As to my assisting anyone here...I will do anything that I can to help out.  I have been game modeling for just about 22 years.  I have been painting for all that time as well.  My friends tell me that I am much better than I give myself credit for, but I think they smoke stuff.

As to the models I am looking for.  I want to start with an M1a2 Abrams.  This tank holds a special place for me.  My dad was in US Army armor for 22 years.  He retired an E-9 stationed at TRADOC in Fort Monroe Va.  His work was partly responsible for the M1 finally replacing the M60 (his baby.  Went thru 'Nam and 2 boarder tours in Korea in M60's).  I actually got to ride in ALOT of tanks growing up, but when I rode in an M1, it just felt right.  It sounds more like a jet than a tank.

After that I want to do an Apache Longbow and a Chinook, Blackhawk and Little Bird from the 160th SOAR.  I have a couple of guys that flew, one in the 160th, the other in a Longbow, that are close friends.

After these are out of the way, who knows.  I am not certain myself to be honest.

Again, thanks for any help with all of this.

It's funny, I never thought much about the gaming side until I went to a class given by a local guy who does it. Turns out you guys can teach us a lot about getting a decent paint job!

As for your questions, your best bet is either 1/48 or 1/72. Those are both pretty standard for aircraft/helicopters, and I know you can find at least some (maybe not a lot) of armor/vehicles in those scales. Standard scale for armor is 1/35, but I don't think any aircraft are made in that scale.

And remember, the smaller the scale, the more detail you can put on it (ie: 1/48 is bigger than 1/72.)

For brands, Tamiya is usually considered the best all around. Excellent detail, easy to build, lots of subjects. Their prices are just slightly higher than mid-range. Trumpeter has very excellent details, but tends to be pricey. Academy and Revell are middle of the road priced, and some of their kits are very good, others are sort of bleh. Best idea is if you have a particular subject you want (such as an Abrams tank) just ask around for people's opinions on different kits.

But welcome to the forums! With your experiences on the other side of the hobby, hopefully you can teach us a few things!

-Budd