Do you have a favorite kit manufacturer?

Tamiya makes great kits and so does hasegawa. I've had some issues with HobbyBoss parts not being in the right scale and all but for the most part also good kits. My personal favorite is Dragon kits tons of extras and good scale sizes right out of the box.. not saying there all perfect but in general... If you want to talk about Revell and the like just head over to the monogram mafia they can sure tell you how great they are lol

I have a soft spot for Accurate Miniatures.  Their Avenger got me back into modeling.  Eduard's hit home on their new stuff too.

Right now Revell is my favorite, because I can find them for a good price and I can find the models I want.  Eventually I will shell out the money for a Tamiya, but right now the budget can't even handle the Revells.  The Revell takes a little more to get them to look good, but that is just sharpening my skills.

Just depends on what you want. Do you want lots of decal options?, PE, masks, a good fitting kit, or a tough fitting kit, but with lots of detail? Are you talking about aircraft kits here? Or anything?

Most companies are hit and miss with their kits, so it would depend on what specifically you are looking for. I have found that Trumpeter and Tamiya are the best overall brands, but are a bit pricey. Academy has become my favorite because most of their kits are very good and a very good price.

My favorite, and IMO the absolute best kits out there are made by Wingnut Wings. Beautifully engineered by the talented guys on Sir Peter Jackson's staff, they exhibit great fit, amazing detail, crisply molded parts, PE extras, instruction booklets that rival some reference materials, the best (bar none) OOB decals (better even than most aftermarket sets), free shipping, interesting subjects, and prices in the $60 - $90 range ( the Gotha being the exception). All these factors have set a very high standard for other manufacturers to follow. I've built kits done by many companies, but Wingnut Wings has them all beat.

Personally, if I dumped off 80% of my current stash in favor of having at least two of each of their releases sitting on my shelves waiting to be built, I'd be one very happy modeler.

I am fond of Fine Molds. Their Star Wars line is superb. They also make an extensive line of Imperial Japanese tanks and tankettes from WW2. These are really nice 1/35 scale armor kits, many which are the size of 1/72 scale armor kits; they're so small!

For subject matter and just overall fun for me it's Dragon.  Great fit, great details and just out of the box good looking.  Tamiya is good engineering and instructions, but now not as many interesting releases.  Bronco has some nice unique subjects now, but somewhat over done for small parts, but still outstanding kits.  I do have many by most manufactures, and enjoy them all when I'm building them.

I build mostly 1/35 armor and 1/48 aircraft.  I do love Tamiya aircraft kits.

Doug

I can only go by my love for armor and that is a toss up of newer Tamiya and Dragon kits. I love the Dragon subjects and so far their kits have been easy builds, have great detail and are generally great fits. They are the best bang for the bucks. I still like the Newer Tamiya builds for simplicity of construction, but still high on detail, but often after-market parts are needed. That is the downer, plus the price. These are the reasons that Dragon is a better overall deal.

there are only 4 manufacturers that do the bulk of the aircraft types I need for my collection,,,,,,all 4 are modern, "shake-n-bake" companies

of those 4, most of my kits are Hasegawa, but, my favorites are all Fujimi kits

as much as I like building the Tamiya kits, they only make 3 kits that fit my collection

I do have a lot of the "cheaper companies" kits,,,,,,but, I only have the expensive or rare kits from them,,,,,OOP Matchbox, old MPC, etc

the only time I can get lower priced kits is when I am at a show and see the old Frog, Airfix or Revell kits in the $5 or less stacks

For best kit for price I like Revell of Germany. I have built some really nice models from them, and they are all reasonably priced.  Tamiya and Trumpeter offer great kits, but you sure do pay for that greatness.

 Brand really doesn't even come in to play for me. Unfortunately some of us aren't as well off, so price is the major deciding factor for me. I'll look at that and judge it against reviews of any given kit. Usually either Ebay or Hobby Lobby's 40% Off coupon gets the most attention from me. I'm not gunning for trophies though. It's a hobby and I build what makes me happy and what I can afford.

Lindberg! Nuf' said.

dirkpitt77

 Brand really doesn't even come in to play for me. Unfortunately some of us aren't as well off, so price is the major deciding factor for me. I'll look at that and judge it against reviews of any given kit. Usually either Ebay or Hobby Lobby's 40% Off coupon gets the most attention from me. I'm not gunning for trophies though. It's a hobby and I build what makes me happy and what I can afford.

Even those of us who are well off use price as a factor. I am always looking for bargins and usually end up getting decent kits off of guys who "had to have it" then don't build it before the next "have to have it" arrives.

I'm savvy enough to know where to look for information about the lineage of kits so I'll know that the "new" Revell of Germany kit is a 40 year old Matchbox kit molded in one color vs. three.

Even if something catches my eye at the store, I use my smart phone to quickly see if the kit is a bargin or if it is something to be avoided.

I only mentioned a manufacturer that occupies a niche in the modeling world (Star Wars & IJA tanks) and has earned my fondness because of the subjects and the quality of the kits.

I'm probably the most frequent user on this forum that tells members not to buy or discount a model kit based on the brand name. Too many kits are reboxes and many of the long time modeling companies have just as many poor kits in their lines as they do great kits.

For instance, Dragon has many of the best WW2 German armor models around, but if you want a modern Soviet T-72 or T-80, look for another brand because theirs aren't the best. And then you have too look closely because those kits were reboxed by some of the European companies. New decals, a different color plastic and a higher price won't make that old Dragon kit any better.

For 1/72 aircraft, the market is too much of a wide-open candy store to have a favorite brand, but the newest Airfix stuff is fun.

1/35 armor depends on subject, but most of that stash is Dragon.

1/32 aircraft is a pretty even tie between Trumpeter and Tamiya for the subjects, although PCM deserves a nod for their catalog and their in-the-box awesomeness.

my favorites are Dragon,Tamiya,and Hasegawa

I've been building Monogram kits since the late 50's and always thought they represented a great value in terms of price and accuracy.

I still enjoy building some of their classic 1:48 aircraft kits.  They look good out of the box and also offer a great basis for scratchbuilding and adding additional detail.

Mark

RedCorvette

I've been building Monogram kits since the late 50's and always thought they represented a great value in terms of price and accuracy.

I still enjoy building some of their classic 1:48 aircraft kits.  They look good out of the box and also offer a great basis for scratchbuilding and adding additional detail.

Mark

+1

If it's cars then I prefer Jo-Han or AMT. The newer releases from Revell Germany are good too.  Yes I know Jo-Han has been OOP for sometime but I will still wrestle one away from grandma at the fleamarket .... unless she has mace!

No. In fact, my penchant is for old out of production models. I'm currently building the Battleship potemkin, which is super old molds but what a subject and when I'm done it'll be unique.

Rob,

How do out find out that a kit is a release of an old mold.

Thanks,

Steve 

I'm currently building an Eduard kit and although it is a trying kit for me in the fact that it is gotta be the most precision fit model I have ever built, its gotta be the most rewarding in the detail department. Put together a 1/24 scale Bf109 Trumpeter kit last year, threw every bell and whistle I could get at it and it doesn't come close to the results I'm getting out of the Eduard Fw190 and it's a 1/48 scale bird!

Steve58

Rob,

How do out find out that a kit is a release of an old mold.

Thanks,

Steve 

Google is your friend. Often times other websites have already reviewed the kits in question. When I actively wrote reviews, I'd often get sent sample kits to write reviews. A lot of times, the "new" kit wasn't a new release, it was a reissue. I know a few of the Revell of Germany "1/72" scale armor kits were really old 1/76 scale Matchbox kits from the 1970s as was at least one of the RoG 1/72 scale aircraft kits (British Lightning). I still had old Matchbox kits to compare to these models.

Basically, if there's a kit out there and there wasn't a lot of buzz about it being a new tool, it's most likely an old mold repopped.

sometimes the price will give away the fact that it is a re-issue of an old tooling, even if it is the first time for the company you are looking at

Tamiya lists 1/72 F-4S, A-6, A-4, F-4G/E, etc,,,,,,,those are all Italeri toolings

It is tricky, though, sometimes a new release of an old tooling costs the same or more than the original cost,,,,,,,,the Italeri F-8 cost more than if the Esci boxings were still being sold (adjusted for time difference)

Tamiya

Best brand for the money?

That's honestly a tough one, because so many brands will continuously re-release old molds, slap some new decals in the box, and sell it priced like its new. If you pay full MSRP for a re-popped Revellogram B-24, dear god why?

Just to keep things apples to apples, I'll stick to newer releases.

In terms of armor, Dragon is the best for the money, hands down. Tamiya's armor kits are overpriced. Tascas kits are excellent, but pricey (same with Bronco). Hobby Boss and Trumpeter armor is cheaper, but not as sharp as Dragon's modern kits. Add to that frequent sales that kick $60 armor kits down to $30, and Dragon is a solid value.

In terms of aircraft, new mold Revell kits are an absolute steal. The PV-1 Ventura for ~$30? The 1/32 Ju 88 for $50? Zvezda does some amazing work at good prices, too. Their catalog is limited - in 1/48 you're only going to find a Lavochkin La-5, La-5FN, Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2 and F-4, and Yakovlev Yak-3, but they're each about $23, beautifully tooled and craftily engineered. I'm a huge fan of Tamiya, too, but their new releases are definitely on a "get what you pay for" scale. 

Rob Gronovius

Steve58

Rob,

How do out find out that a kit is a release of an old mold.

Thanks,

Steve 

Google is your friend. Often times other websites have already reviewed the kits in question. When I actively wrote reviews, I'd often get sent sample kits to write reviews. A lot of times, the "new" kit wasn't a new release, it was a reissue. I know a few of the Revell of Germany "1/72" scale armor kits were really old 1/76 scale Matchbox kits from the 1970s as was at least one of the RoG 1/72 scale aircraft kits (British Lightning). I still had old Matchbox kits to compare to these models.

Basically, if there's a kit out there and there wasn't a lot of buzz about it being a new tool, it's most likely an old mold repopped.

Thanks Rob,

Steve