Too good model kits?

No, we need 350 piece kits selling for $160, according to Tamiya, which their 1/32 Mustang is.  But I built it, and it is truly a work of art.  I am willing to pay for real quality.

I know what you mean, the old Hasegawa English electric lightning is without a cockpit! I have heard reviews giving it top notch standards. I don't own one yet, and I am glad you liked it so much.  

good input.

I just want kits that fit right and have enough detail to satisfy, but not so much they become a chore to build, OOB.  Priced from $20 - $40.  And a huge selection of aftermarket decals ...  But it takes all kinds, so we probably need everything we have, top to bottom, and more.

I agree. I think some of the newer armor models, especially Dragon kits, are over engineered. There also seems to be a trend of making tiny photo-etch parts that would have looked just as good in styrene. However, some of these new kits are triumphs of engineering, design, and molding; these kits are worth the $50+.

I`m an aircraft guy mostly and model in 1/48 and 1/72 most of the time. With the new "superkits" most of the detail is in the cockpit which is lost to sight once the fuselage is closed up. I have purchased a few  "top end" kits over the years but rarely these days, unless I can get them at a deep discount. It is fun for me to build these kits, I learn much about the aircraft in doing so but also get bummed out once I close up the fuse and all that work is hidden.Like someone said earlier,I like a kit with excellent fit but with more exterior detail because that`s what will be seen more readily than the `pit. Revell can make a good fitting kit (PV-1 Ventura) ,with good detail when they want to, and for under 30 bucks! Just wish they`d keep `em coming....

Sometimes the fun is in the challenge of making a bad kit like a Lindberg look good without replacing it with all aftermarket. Helps with improving your scratchbuilding skills. But sometimes it is nice to have everything correct from the get go.

I get hesitant to build the "nice" ones because I'm anxious about screwing it up. There's a couple of Tamiya race cars that I bought years ago that I still haven't got up the nerve to build.

Glenn

When I really like a Tamiya kit is after I have finished or am frustrated with and sidelining a very challenging build. Their kits are great for "recharging my model building batteries". One thing I have to give Tamiya credit for is engineering. They are not overengineered by any stretch of the imagination. Most of their kits have superb fit, and they dont go overboard on way too many parts for fine details. A "shake and bake" build is just the thing to get me rolling again.

just got the Dragon whermacht halftrack in 35th. Afv's stryker took me a year!

mississippivol

I get hesitant to build the "nice" ones because I'm anxious about screwing it up. There's a couple of Tamiya race cars that I bought years ago that I still haven't got up the nerve to build.

Glenn

You know, I've been modeling for around 40 years and still feel this way, but normally about kits outside of my comfort zone. I picked up a lot of pretty nice aircraft kits over the years, but don't start them for fear of messing them up. Same with many WW2 German armor kits, but I'll put glue to plastic on virtually any modern armor kit.

I will say that I agree with you.The most shipmodeling fun I had was building and correcting the REVELL-U,S.S. FORREST SHERMAN.Enough box parts to make it interesting AND even oop it was only $15.00. TAMIYA and HASEGAWAas well as the rest are too pricy to buy on S.S. checks.The repops from anyone are way to pricy for me now.     TANKER-builder

I can't believe Hans Von Hammer hasn't posted in this thread  yet.

Most of what I build is sci-fi, with a few military aircraft here and there.

The things I look for in a kit have to do with making what's likely to be seen look good.  That being the case, I'm not so picky about photoetched cockpit details and such, since they're not usually visible once it's closed up ( not saying anything bad about those who do put such attention into those details, just basically saying "I don't get it" ).

From there, the main things I expect out of a good kit are recessed panel lines, a reasonable amount of detail, and a decent fit.  The way I see it, $20 to $40 for a kit with those features is a good balance of something that could be built pretty quickly by someone like me and something that a more ambitious modeler could add to ( I suspect for about the same price as some of the suer-detailed-straight-from-the-box kits ) with aftermarket or scratchbuilt details.

dirkpitt77

I can't believe Hans Von Hammer hasn't posted in this thread  yet.

He has not been on much the past couple of weeks. I hope that he is doing ok.

professordeath

... They (DS) should go the same rout as Eduard and offer weekend editions. ...

I do planes, mostly, but yeah, more companies should follow Eduard's lead on the weekend edition kit versions.  Also, hats off to Eduard for keeping the prices of their top-end kits reasonable - you can get many of their profipack kits for under $30, and even under $20 (Sopwith Camel, for one).

professordeath

... I don't want to fight, sand, fill and drill. I want to "shake and bake" everything I build. I'm in it for the finishing; paint, weathering etc...

(aka "ditto")