OPINION: More expensive Kits "worth it"?

Sprue-ce Goose

 

mustang1989

 

 

Sprue-ce Goose

 

 

 

 

Blasting and ridiculing in yet another opinion based thread. I know better than to post in these things. Believe me ....it's a mistake I won't make again I'll tell ya that.

 

 

 

Actually , my was meant to be a replacement for my earlier hyperlink post.

I'd posted about the inability to activate the hyperlink to the 1/24 Huey thread but found I can still activate hyperlinks eleswhere in the forum.

As I do not know why the difference between Plasticjunkie's inactive link and being able to create an active hyperlink in other threads, I removed my comment.

 

As for more expensive kits being worth it,

I'm now thinking: "Yes and No".

 

Cat Daddy, I built my version more than 20 years ago now.  My skills were somewhat limited then (hey, that hasn't changed either; they still are!).  Here's a pic, taken at the airport:

Texgunner

Cat Daddy, I built my version more than 20 years ago now.  My skills were somewhat limited then (hey, that hasn't changed either; they still are!).  Here's a pic, taken at the airport:

 

Nice ! 

Really too many variables to give a definiative yes or no.

For one thing the more expensive Tamiya and Hasegawa kits are not always better. Like Revell, Monogram, Airfix and others they have been making kits for decades and quality has varied. Some of the old Tamiya armor kits still show their original battery operated origin. I've built some older Hasgawa kits that had really poor fit issues.

Monogram aircraft kits from the late 60s and 70s were the standard to aim for at that time and many are still hard to beat, some are still your only option (not many 1/48 heavy bombers out there).

The recent kits from Airfix are really hard to top when it comes to quality and value. Several of their recent kits are being compared favorably to Tamiya and Fine Molds, perhaps falling just a bit short in quality but being offered at half the price.

Next is subject, for common subjects you have a lot of choice, but for many you have to take what you can get. Sometimes that means paying a ton of money for a difficult kit. Sometimes that means buying an ancient kit (probably cheap at least) and doing a ton of detail work. Sometimes you get lucky and pay and average price for a wonderful kit.

Some of the East European companies are really starting to give the best mainstream companies a good run, with affordable high quality kits, Zvezda and Eduard in particular.

Also were you are has a big impact, in Japan Tamiya and Hasegawa are cheaper than Airfix and Revell. 

Texgunner

Cat Daddy, I built my version more than 20 years ago now.  My skills were somewhat limited then (hey, that hasn't changed either; they still are!).  Here's a pic, taken at the airport:

 

If my build looks half as good as that one, I'll be content.

Cat Daddy

 

 

Texgunner

Cat Daddy, I built my version more than 20 years ago now.  My skills were somewhat limited then (hey, that hasn't changed either; they still are!).  Here's a pic, taken at the airport:

 

 

 

 

If my build looks half as good as that one, I'll be content.

 

Thank you Cat Daddy.  It won't be too tough for you to out-do that old bird, it's a great kit for some extra detail.  Good luck, and of course we'll expect some pics when you're done!

Here's an example of what can be done by a gifted modeler:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/162912.aspx?page=1

Sprue-ce Goose

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice ! 

 

Thanks a lot!

Guess I'm on the extreme side... currently building a 1/200 HMS Nelson with Pontos detail set and it all cost me around 500 bucks.

But consider that's probably a year's worth of modeling that will run into the hundreds of hours... turns out to be pretty dang cheap entertainment in long run (provided I can stop adding to the stash in the interim!) and I'll end up with something really impressive to stick in the display cabinet.

So yea, expensive model kits are (usually) worth it provided you have the patience and tenacity to work on a singe subject for a long time. 

I'm not particularly excited about buying any high dollar kits at this point in time.   I just went over 70 last month, have somewhere between 650 & 700 kits in the stash, am semi-retired and last week bought a 1 to 1 J3 Cub which needs a fair amount of work to get airworthy again.  So my time and money will probably be spent on the Cub.  Having said that I will probably buy two kits in the near future - a 1/35 Gamma Goat (herded one of them around for several years back when I was a Green Grunt) and a 1/72 C-54 (helped maintain several of them converted to tankers on  Forestry Service Tanker bases)

as others have mentioned it depends on the kit. i have heard the Trumpeter K-5 RR gun is much better than the dragon one. (i am building the Trumpeter one and have not seen the Dragon one). i will get the Trumpeter HEMMT and PATRIOT system. as they are 2 kits but includ a radar unit it will be roughly %60 more than the Dragon Black Label, which has had some difficulties. i started an old Zvezda BA-6 and the HobbyBoss one is definitely worth the extra money but i don't necessarily think the HobbyBoss BdW BOXER is that much better than the Revell.

i have a pair of DML SCUDs i got for $15USD each. i have heard there are some fit issues but the Trumpeter one is $140 so..... However i have seen shots of the MENG one and, depensing on the price, may get that. the cabs pivot forward to see the engine which is cool. this is based on how much fun i am having with the Toxso 1/72 (OTS) one.

Another problem I have with high price kits is when I see someone (Revell) re-releasing a kit that I first built in jr hi and are now asking 12 to 20 bucks and I paid 69 cents for origionally.  And I haven't bought a new Hasagawa kit for msrp in years because of their habit of releasing a kit, recalling  the kit 6 months later and then releasing it 4 months later w/new decals, instructions, box and raising the price 3 to 5 bucks (and doing this several times over the years). I do have 3 or 4 newer Hasagawa releases but I got those on sale for 50 to 70 percent off. (got one of their 1/72 B-25s (unopened) at a yards sale a couple of years ago for $1.50)