First Post - I'm Boris and I like tanks

Welcome to the Forums!

Haven't seen Moose and Squirrel for a few years.

Welcome Boris,

Don't knock the older kits from Monogram and Revell, they give you a chance to work on the basics like filling seams, sanding without destroying too much detail etc. I don't build much armor, but Dragon, Takom, Hobby Boss, Trumpeter, Ryefield?, and of course Tamiya are all reputable.  Haven't seen Natasha either. You guys break up?

Welcome to the forums. We have a great bunch of folks and you can find lots of experience and help here.

Last I heard, Natasha was with Chekov, still looking for nuclear wessels .  .  . I think Moose and Squirrel retired to a nature preserve in the 'UP'.

Welcome aboard.

Welcome to the Forums! Glad to have you with us.

Jim 

Stay Safe.

Welcome!

Hello Boris!

I'd normally say "welcome!" but don't feel I should speak for a community I just joined yesterday! :)

I'm guessing quite a few folks here have a 20-30 year model building gap in common. I quit in my late twenties and didn't pick it up again till my late 40s.  I just joined the forum yesterday though I've been aware of it for quite a few years.

As to your questions of who's good and bad these days, unfortunately my opinion is that it depends. Like you, from my youth, I remember Tamaya being consistently up there in both quality and price. Most of the Japanese model producers seemed better (on average) than then the rest of the crowd. And while I still think they are great, some of the old dogs have learned new tricks. Revell comes to mind. Some of there newer models like the 1/350 Bismarck are just amazing (I'd bet that they have some new tanks that are awesome too). But many of their old kits (and other manufactures too) are still being produced and if you don't know it's a 60s kit you may be disappointed.

You're in the right place though - I'm guessing you can search on most any kit and find someone here who's built it, if not getting an opinion is likely just a post away.

BorisBaddenov

Who makes kits I should avoid?   I didnt like the Monogram kit I mention above.  That mold is from 1966 and the parts do not fit together well at all.  I will be very hesitant to purchase another Monogram kit.

Who makes kits I can count on to be good?   I had not heard of Lindberg kits, and I was pretty pleased with the T55's assembly.  Right now I'm not too worried about how historically accurate kits are, I just like to glue stuff :)

You grabbed three kits well past their prime at Hobby Lobby. But the Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog is one of the best starter tank kits still available. It's inexpensive, easy to assemble, and looks like a stereotypical US Army tank when done.

Lindberg is an old school model company not very well regarded. They sort of had their deathroll during the early 1990s with that T-55 being one of the last three armor kits they released (T-55, T-80 and BMP-1). Unfortunately for them, the Berlin Wall came down, actual Soviet tanks were available for inspection and Dragon and Esci put out better versions of those same model kits.

They did go into movie related kits like Jurassic Park (dinosaurs and a Ford Explorer) and ID4 (Alien, spaceship and a couple airplanes) before vanishing for over a decade.

Monogram merged with Revell about 20 years ago and recently went into reorganization. So there are some very decent modern kits intermixed with some 60+ year old kits in their inventory.

There are many Chinese model companies that make both high end, super detailed kits and some make very much cheaper, but still good quality kits. Meng, Panda, Rye Field Models, Amusing, Trumpeter, Dragon are among the names to look for.

BUT, the thing to remember is not so much the brand name, but the actual kit.

One company may make the best Jeep, but another might make the best Sherman. Another company makes the best M60 tank and another makes the best Abrams, Tiger, etc.

So bottom line is to ask about a specific kit as opposed to just the best brand. Virtually every model subject is made in kit form by more than one manufacturer. The Abrams tank is available by around ten different companies. It's been in use for nearly 40 years and different companies make the "best" version depending on which era you want to depict.