Kit quality (brands)

Hi Soul68,

I think 25 years can still be classified as a hiatus.

Ok, as for kits...now, this could be a can of worms, but will give you my thoughts - which will be different from the next person to respond.

Bear in mind, my response comes primarily from an airplane perspective.

My favourites are (in no particular order):

Tamiya;

Hasegawa;

Hobbyboss;

Trumpeter.

Now, as you've noted, there are still some duds within each brand, and, to that extent, i guess you just need to check reviews/ask around.

Hasegawa have a range of 1/72 scale modern jets, which are cheap, but the moldings reflect this.  So, you kind of get what you pay for.

The Hobbyboss 1/72 range is nice and cheap, with above average detail for the price, but i've found cockpits tend to be very lacking.

On the other hand, both seem to have really nice 1/48 ranges.

I haven't built a Revell, so can't comment on them.

Hope this gives you a bit of a starting point.

Revell Germany has been introducing some really nice kits lately.

The 1/72 B-17 from RG is going to be my first kit in 26 years. Probably will start it this week. Everywhere I read about it people say its a nice kit.

I'm in the same boat. Coming back to modeling after some 30 years away. I decided to go cheap just to get the hang of things and get my AB skills up to par. I bought a Revell P51 1/48 from Hobby Lobby and wow this thing is a POS. almost nothing fits correctly and there is a ton of flashing on parts. The instructions are so vague in some steps. Like an arrow just generally pointing in the area something should go. Anyway. I guess it falls into the category of you get what you pay for. 

I also bought a Tamiya Zero from a local hobby shop and that cost some $$$$. Haven't opened it yet still practicing on the cheapos :) 

It depends on subject manner. For Armor this is how I look at it:

1. Dragon
2. Tamiya
3. Tristar
4. AFV Club
5. Bronco

Ones to avoid: Eastern Euros like Maquette, Alan

I think these kind of polls are

A) very suspect from a noobie on the forum. Could a market survey be done for less money?

B) Come now, To opine, you'd need to have built them all, and of the same subject, from the same era, for about the same price. Fat chance of that.

Now, not to be a cranky pants, but if the qualitative definition of best is that fit is most important, in general I find Tamiya to rule. But I don't like Tamiya because except for their home audience product line, the subjects are very generic.

If accuracy is the definition, and it's aircraft, I have to go with Hasegawa.

And if it's flash, age of the molds etc. grab your panties you jackwagons and man up to steal your wives emery boards.

So you're saying I shouldn't be asking such questions because I'm new to the forum? Now THAT sounds like cranky pants to me.

I have about had it with Eastern European kits. These smaller manufacturers are interesting because they do subjects the major mfgs don't.  But the poor fit and poor detail in the casting has turned me off to the point I hesitate to buy one of those kits.

soul68

Hi all,

Just getting back into it after about a 25 year hiatus (can that really be called a hiatus??) and was wondering what brands people generally think are good nowadays. I know sometimes it varies from kit to kit but I'd be curious to know what people think are the best kit brands and which aren't as good.

When I was a kid, the best kits were the Tamiya and Revell. I built those almost exclusively.

I guess another way to  look at my question is, in the last 25 years which brands have gotten better, which worse, and are there any newer brands that have come along that people really like.

Step One, toss out any notion of brand name superiority out of the window. Whatever you do, do not blindly chose Brand A over Brand B without doing any research. There are many new unfamiliar brands with outstanding kits and there are many well known name brands out there who still have poor kits in their lines.

Step Two, google is your friend. Start typing the model subject name and the word "review" and someone somewhere has already done the work for you. They've reviewed the kit, compared it to others, listed corrections and made recommendations. For each kit, there are multiple reviews on multiple sites as well.

Step Three, remember Step One. In today's market it is commonplace to rebox other companies' kits in your own box. Even Tamiya does this. Want to pick a Tamiya Staghound over the cheaper Italeri Staghound because of the name on the box? Well, you just bought the same kit for more money but don't get the metal gun barrel Italeri includes. Aircraft model companies are even more intermixed than armor model companies.

Step Four, remember Step Two, google is your friend. Once you determine which kit made by (or packaged by) which manufacturer you want, use google to search for the best deal. Also remember to do a quick google check to make sure you are ordering from a reputable company. Even doing a forum search here will turn up vendors who have issues.

bondoman

I think these kind of polls are

A) very suspect from a noobie on the forum. Could a market survey be done for less money?

B) Come now, To opine, you'd need to have built them all, and of the same subject, from the same era, for about the same price. Fat chance of that.

Now, not to be a cranky pants, but if the qualitative definition of best is that fit is most important, in general I find Tamiya to rule. But I don't like Tamiya because except for their home audience product line, the subjects are very generic.

If accuracy is the definition, and it's aircraft, I have to go with Hasegawa.

And if it's flash, age of the molds etc. grab your panties you jackwagons and man up to steal your wives emery boards.

 

There's no reason to slam on new people coming onto the forums. Whether they're new to the hobby or coming back into the hobby after a long hiatus, it's helping to grow our hobby. He asked a legitimate question and he deserves a decent answer, not an insulting remark.

As for your answer, it just depends on the kti. The best way to find out is what was stated previously. Check out reviews and ask people that have built the kits. There's very few kits out there that don't have some kinda issue. It really depends on what you're willing to invest in time and money. Some of the cheapest kits can be made into great looking models. Just ask Hans here.

Welcome back to the hobby and feel free to ask any questions you have (regardless of the way some people act here).

soul68

... and are there any newer brands that have come along that people really like.

I love the new releases from Wingnut Wings. Amazing fit, detail, accuracy, and reasonably priced (for me) considering what comes in the box.

soul68

I guess another way to  look at my question is, in the last 25 years which brands have gotten better, which worse, and are there any newer brands that have come along that people really like.

Okay, my attempt to answer your actual questions before the thread gets Revellotaged...

Which brands have gotten better?

All of them, except for the ones that don't exist anymore. Just like your average car of 2012 is better than your average car of the mid to late 80s, same goes for model kits. The newest kits from Tamiya (really anything in the last ten years, but especially the last few - the Fi 156 Storch, 1/32 Spitfires, 1/32 P-51) are absolute marvels. They can get spendy, but geez, they're amazing.

Revell seems to have gone on a breather from new kits...placing themselves largely in stasis by re-popping old kits with new decals (current efforts in this vein include the P-47 Razorback, OS2U Kingfisher, B-24J Lib, etc). These kits were state of the art in their day, but that day was often as not 30-40 years ago. They can still be made well, and they are cheap. Newer kits - Revell Germany's Ju-88 and Ar 196, Revell's new PV-1 Ventura - are superb kits at great prices. 

Which have gotten worse?

Again, none, really. But beware some dated kits. Lindberg, especially, just doesn't hold up to even where the 40-year old Revell kits stand. 

Also watch out for repops...Revell's not the only brand that does this, and Eduard and Italeri can be pretty egregious. Hasegawa, too, shows no qualms at re-releasing 70s-era molds and charging not too far off what they charge for their newer molds. Reviews are your friend in cases like this.

Newer brands that people really like...

I've got a ton that I've discovered since coming back almost two years ago:

- Wingnut Wings. 1/32 WWI kits from New Zealand. Started by Peter Jackson. Great fit, great detail, the best decals I've ever used, period. Amazing instruction manuals. Buy direct from their site with free shipping worldwide.

- Eduard. From the Czech Republic. Their older kits are generally solid-if-not-great, but their newer offerings, particularly their 1:48 Hellcat and MIG-21, look phenomenal. They've got an interesting setup where they'll offer a kit in three levels - a bare plastic "weekend" option, a "profi-pack" with canopy masks, photo-etch, and really amazing decals, and either a Royal Class or Dual Combo that includes two kits, more decal options, etc. I've got their Hellcat Mk.I/II dual combo...two full Hellcats with masks, color PE, and excellent Fleet Air Arm markings. Snagged it for like $35.

- Great Wall Hobby. Relatively new on the scene, and they seem to have their sights aimed at kits Monogram made once upon a time. Their new TBD Devastator is really something. But they're pricey.

- Cyber-Hobby/Dragon. I know Dragon's been around, but their new mold aircraft these past few years have been phenomenal (and German). Bf 110s in 1/48 and 1/32, excellent new 1/32 109, etc.

- Trumpeter/Hobby Boss. Chinese kits. They tend to be bipolar, so read reviews first. But their good kits are great. And they make a ton of interesting subjects others have too long neglected.

- Zvezda. Russian. They made crap for a long time. Past few years, that's changing. Check out their 1/48 Bf 109F-2, Lavochkin La-5 and La-5FN, as well as their 1/350 HMS Dreadnought.

- Pacific Coast Models. Limited-run mishmash kits. Plastic from Sword. Color photo-etch from Eduard. Resin cockpits, tires, gear bays, exhausts, etc. Cartograf-printed decals. They've kitted several ignored subjects, almost exclusively in 1/32. Their focus has traditionally been Italian (Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55, etc) but they've been getting more into RAF territory lately, expanding from their Spitfire IX to two Hurricanes and the Griffon-engined/five-blade Spit XIV.

soul68

So you're saying I shouldn't be asking such questions because I'm new to the forum? Now THAT sounds like cranky pants to me.

Rob put it much better.

Thanks for the replies. This definitely gives me some food thought and points me in the right direction, which is what I was hoping for.

And now i'm very eager to find out about these Wingnut Wings since a couple of you mentioned them specificially.

Thanks again.

Soul68

soul68

Thanks for the replies. This definitely gives me some food thought and points me in the right direction, which is what I was hoping for.

 

And now i'm very eager to find out about these Wingnut Wings since a couple of you mentioned them specificially.

 

Thanks again.

 

Soul68

http://wingnutwings.com/ww/

New to the scene, specializing in WW1 aircraft, backed by the guy who gave us the Lord of the Rings movies. Nice stuff to say the least.

http://www.hyperscale.com/2010/features/wwinterviewdw_1.htm