Opinions on brands

I agree. I look for a subject and then consider the manufacturer. Trumpeter does a lot of JGSDF, modern Russian and 1/35 RR. HobbyBoss does PLA and pre/early WW2 Soviet armor. Tiger Models does all the French AMX-10 armored cars. Meng and Takom are good, some modern South African warwheels. ICM has a bunch of WW1 stuff. I have all the Revel modern BdW trucks. As you can see, for me, it is the subject first.

I've always thought of this as one of the more useless questions unless more specific information is asked. If someone gives you a well thought out answer of their favorite company, if that company does not make the scale or subject you are interested in, then they just wasted their time.

For instance, if you like to build modern armor, knowing that Fine Molds makes some of the best WW2 Japanese armor kits does you no good.

If your interest is 1/72 scale armor, knowing that Tamiya makes high quality 1/35 armor doesn't help either.

I like Cold War armor of vehicles I crewed in my youth. So I prefer the AFV Club M60A3, RFM M1A1/A2 and Meng Bradley. The Dragon M48A5 is another favorite, so my "favorite" company depends on who makes what I want.

I also enjoy Star Wars models so the Fine Molds and Bandai kits are of interest to me.

midnightprowler

I've found over the years that every kitmaker has excellent kits and they also have turds.

 

Yup, with all the mold swapping between companies nowadays, you can be coming home with a high end label expensive kit, open it up, and...

Hi;

        I gravitate to Tamiya where I can afford them.Trumpeter is my second favorite. All the rest I enjoy too. Some might require more work, but what the heck. There is a brand I don't remember right now that has 1/400 Nice freighter kits.

      A lot of it for me is who makes a better selection of Civilian ships. The only warships I build are ones I have histories and research on, plus the ones I served on as a Sailor or Marine. The main push anymore is the different types or the world's tankers, in 1/87 or 1/160 ( railroad scales )

I've found over the years that every kitmaker has excellent kits and they also have turds.

I have tunnel vision. I want to model a subject, then I find out what I need to do.

Because I scratchbuild a lot, anything in an original kit that works is what I start with.

Do you have favorite subjects that you intend to build? What scale do you like? Is cost a primary concern, or accuracy, or fit of the kit (i.e. ease of build)?

The more you can define the questions, the better answers you will get. Most manufacturers produce both diamonds and stones, so kit and build reviews are very helpful, as are the opinions and suggestions of Forum members based on their experiences.

Speaking personally, I returned to scale modeling as a "serious" hobby about ten years ago and have enjoyed the quality of the kits and aftermarket details which are now available, the incredible reference info online, and the enthusiasm and support here at FSM.

Welcome!   

I've been more subject driven in my builds. My local military aviation builds utilized four Revell Of Germany kits, one Minicraft with a Golden Dragon resin conversion kit, two Sword kits, and a Toko kit. It was a really mixed bag fit and detail wise, but I'm happy to have them. The seventeen Phantoms I built over the years came from eight different manufacturers. Forty-six stock cars used only two! I wish Accurate Miniatures had been able to get their NASCAR racer to market before they folded, that would have been "DaBomb"!

Agree with above.  Tamiya, Hasegawa Eduard are for the most part great.  Newer revelle and airfix are very nice as well.  

I love to build Dragon German Armor,Tiger I,KingTiger,Pz III,Pz IV family,Panther + JP family.Excellent kits,great detail.

Tamiya planes are nice,as are Hasegawa and Eduard.

Best to consider a kit that interests you and search build reviews to get a idea of what people think of them