You Tube Video Reviews -Do They Influence You?

 Reviews of any sort have never influenced whether or not I make a purchase. I don't even look for reviews before buying a kit, I kinda like the surprise when I open the box for the first time. And part of the fun is hitting a problem area and figuring out your own way around it.

Frankly, I think the entire concept of a video review of a model kit is silly...   Moreover, the few I've viewed are just too hard to watch... No or poor scripting, dialogue rife with "Ahh's" & "Umms", Bad to no lighting, poor contrast, akward camera angles, lousy back-drops, bad sound, sloppy, jump-cut editing,  off-camera noise, etc., etc., etc....

I can safely say that I've NEVER purchased a kit based on a video, written, or any other kind of review... What influences me is, in order:

1. Subject

2. Scale

3. Price

If the subject doesn't interest me, it stops there. If the subject is one I want to build, but not in a scale that I like, then it's a pass also.  Then, if the subject and scale are enough to hold me, then the price of the kit is the deciding factor.

For instance, if I just HAVE to have a 1/48 scale P-51D, and there's two kits in the shop, one being the latest release from Tamigawa or Trumpedupeter, which received glowing reviews and the other is the old Monogram P-51D, the Monogram kit is gonna win.  Why? Simple... $12.00 vs $39.99...

I don't even look for reviews before buying a kit, I kinda like the surprise when I open the box for the first time.  And part of the fun is hitting a problem area and figuring out your own way around it.

Double-ditto...

Hans and Fermis,

I agree with you in that I have not been swayed as of yet by a video review.

Hans, yes I have seen some very poorly done video reviews of more than just kits for the same reasons you have mentioned.

Of the kit reviews, perhaps the best I've seen so far have been the Hyperscale reviews.

Whoever does the review,

I need to know if the kit is accurate and I can obtain that in normal web posts.

Scale  accuracy and cost are my primary concerns.

Re: Mustang kits, I notice the Monogram P-51 B/C in 1/48 th has been re-issued and intend to pick up a copy.

IMHO  Monogram/Revell re-isues are probably the best curent value for accuarcy vs.cost.

--Manny: when do you post your own video kit reviews?  I want to see how you do one with wax lips and no teeth. 

reviews 2 me  are helpfull    that said    the only part / type of the review i look for is bad ones

i don't mind some work  but  when the review says   nothing fits  or you need 2 pounds of filler  etc...    those are the ones i  stay away from                    IMO          the positive reviews  are pretty useless 

DURR

 the review says   nothing fits  or you need 2 pounds of filler  etc...

sounds like too many of  the kits available until about 1990....

Sprue-ce Goose

DURR:

 the review says   nothing fits  or you need 2 pounds of filler  etc...

 

sounds like too many of  the kits available until about 1990....

Maybe they need to title those "Shake & Bake" Reviews, heh...

I have my own YouTube show, where I do reviews on kits. Mainly in-box reviews, to show people what they get.. I have gotten quite some good comments!

Myself, I generally look up a kit before ordering - but not always!

-Lasse

It would be HELPFUL to have captions added to the video clips... you know why.   Some of them were helpful if I can follow it all right without the sounds.

My kit purchases are influenced by subject, fit and finish, and accuracy. Price factors into it, but not as much as for some others.

I've had some surprises when opening up a kit, too...some nasty ones! Ejection-pin marks all over the place, enough flash to make a whole other sub-assembly, and car kits with pencil-sized holes for the metal axle to pass through the engine. Anymore, if I'm considering building a kit whose fit and finish might be questionable, I'll ask so I might avoid those nasty surprises.

And I've never watched a YouTube kit review.

Never watched a video kit review.  I like scratch building so I'll get any kit that strikes my fancy.  Some times I'll throw parts from 5 or 6 kits together if that's what it takes to get an accurate representation, the unused parts go in the detail bin for later builds.  For the bigger stuff like engines and gun barrels if there is no AM, the lathe and milling machine get some use.  I'll also get any necessary PE.  I only build 1 or 2 models a year due to the time investment so I'm not realy spending that much more than the guy who puts together a lot of them.

I've never watched a video review of a kit; I've only read them, typically in the magazine or Hyperscale.

For me I get a kit based on the subject, the scale (I'm not really tied to any one scale, as I've built in 144, 72, 48, & 32, with eyes toward a 24th scale build as well, but I do tend to build in 48 as that scale is well-sized and typically will fit within my display requirements), and in a distant third, the price.

I probably get more influence in what kits I want by way of ads in FSM than by any reviews.  I kept seeing the ad of the new Tamiya Spitfire in 32nd scale, and one day decided that it would look really good next to my 32nd scale Tamiya Zero ... so I bought it after searching for the lowest price.  Ditto for the recent Italeri release of the Ar 196A3, purchased simply after seeing an ad in the magazine.

Video reviews?!

Really? They're doing THAT on video now?! My mother would blush!

Nope. I tend to stay off of Youtube if I can help it. Nothing wastes time and brain cells like immersing yourself in video. Anything I can read will influence and stay with me far more than video.

Scientists have found that the brain processes information much less effectively with video. It's partly responsible for all the "ADD" kids today, being raised on TV and video screens. It shortens attention time and doesn't "sink in" to the brain the way that reading does. I try to stay away from too much video input. I know how weird that sounds, but I'll snuggle right up to text--a book, newspaper, or magazine--like a passionate lover any day.

Nothing wastes time and brain cells like immersing yourself in video. Anything I can read will influence and stay with me far more than video.

Overall, I tend to agree, but YouTube IS a great source for WW2 propaganda and training  films...  Being able to take screenshots of some areas of aircraft and vehicles helps me immensely with research, as many of the shots I take aren't found in any books... 

I also love the so-called "banned" cartoons from WW2 and the era..

Agree with all.  Reviews only help me see what is in the box.  Seems to me every review I've read the past 10 years concludes with: "Highly Recommended"....I always chuckled at that.  I purchased some kits that were "Highly Recommended" and I would not make a similar recommendation.  I get better gouge on this forum.