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The most difficult kit you've ever built

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  • Member since
    November 2005
The most difficult kit you've ever built
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, January 2, 2005 10:47 AM
Just curious as to what you would consider the most difficult, tedious or frustrating kit you ever tackled? did you finish it? go back to it 100 times? What made it so bad?

I would have to say mine would be that big ol' USS Constitution kit by Revell, after several months I put it on the shelf, it's not 100% complete but all the main rigging is done, I think I still had some lifeboats to hang and little stuff like that, would say it's at least 90%, may still get back to it someday. All the small parts and tons of rigging really took a toll on my patience, funny that I put it on hold after the worst part was over.
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Sunday, January 2, 2005 12:12 PM
By far the most difficult kit I've ever built was the 1/35 Skif BMP-3 you can see down in my signature.
Terrible fit, massive sink holes, ejector pin marks, mold separation lines, partially molded parts, thick or no details in many places, and an extremely misleading instruction sheet (I usually refer to it as a "pack of lies") were just SOME of the problems with this kit. I spent most of the build just cleaning and repairing parts!

As I was commissioned to build this kit and write an article about it for Armour Modelling magazine (March 2004 issue, vol. 53), I didn't have the luxury of putting it aside to compose myself. Had to meet that deadline!

All grousing aside, as tough a build as it was, the overall shapes are right, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

However, I haven't built a single model since then!
Perhaps the struggle was too much for me??Wink [;)]
~Brian
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Belgium
Posted by DanCooper on Sunday, January 2, 2005 12:30 PM
The most difficult kit I made once (when I was still a youngster, many, many years ago) was a revell kit of the launchtower for the Mercury-missions.

I wonder when they will re-release that one, I would love to tackle it again with some more experience in my hands now Big Smile [:D]

On the bench : Revell's 1/125 RV Calypso

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Saratoga Springs, NY
Posted by Jeeves on Sunday, January 2, 2005 5:05 PM
Definitely the AM Tech P-40L...look in my Tuskegee thread in Aircraft to see why Wink [;)]
Mike
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Hayward, CA
Posted by MikeV on Sunday, January 2, 2005 5:09 PM
I would say the Monogram 1/48 Hi-Tech F-14 Tomcat I built years ago and never completed. The fit of the engine nacelles was absolutely terrible.

Mike

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, January 2, 2005 5:37 PM
Well i havn't even started it yet but the most difficult kit i will be building is Roden's 1/72 Felixstowe F2-A WW1 flying boat, what with 36 parts to each engine and the most complex rigging i've ever seen i'm sure i'll have some serious funThumbs Up [tup]
Cheers Jules.......
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: NSW, Australia
Posted by pingtang on Sunday, January 2, 2005 6:04 PM
Probably my Accurate Miniatures A-36 Apache. I've heard a few people say that the fit of this kit is great, but my one had lots of fit problems. I ended up using half a tube of Tamiya putty on the thing.
-Daniel
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Canada / Czech Republic
Posted by upnorth on Monday, January 3, 2005 1:51 AM
Its a toss up between two, and their both Revell kits:

1/144 Space Shuttle with boosters and launch pad. The shuttle was no problem, it was just their stock 1/144 shuttle kit. The booster rockets and launch pad were a different beast entirely. With no launch tower, you had to ballance the shuttle and booster assembly on the pad and it didn't ballance well, the pad also didn't bear the weight of the shuttle and boosters well.

There was also a 1/72 P-38 Lightning by Revell that just about put me in a mental hospital before I was 12. It was molded in some light blue plastic and could be built as a recon version or as a fighter. Gave up before finishing her.
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Indiana
Posted by overkillphil on Monday, January 3, 2005 2:15 PM
Probably the one I'm on right now. Even though it is a pretty simple little Italeri kit, it is the first time I've really decided to do something with it. Before this kit I had never: A. used an Airbrush, B. filled ejection marks or extraneous panel lines, C. used washes, D. used future. etc etc.
my favorite headache/current project: 1/48 Panda F-35 "I love the fact that dumb people don't know who they are. I hope I'm not one of them" -Scott Adams
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Pensacola, FL
Posted by Foster7155 on Monday, January 3, 2005 2:37 PM
Encore Models Wz-34 Polish Amored Car.

It was a block of styrene that I had to carve into a model...or so it seemed!

Robert Foster

Pensacola Modeleers

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Harrisburg, PA
Posted by Lufbery on Monday, January 3, 2005 3:09 PM
The most difficult kit I've built is the one I'm working on now: the Glencoe 1/74 scale Martin MB-2.

Pretty much every part has needed cleaned and/or modified. The fit is okay, but not great, and there are tons of ejector pin marks.

I make a distinction between a kit that's difficult to build and trying new (and potentially difficult) techniques on a model. My previous model was a 1/72 scale Monogram F-4J Phantom. It had a few small fit problems, but nothing major. On the other hand, I tried a whole bunch of new (to me anyway) techniques on it that extended the building time, but produced a nice-looking model.

In the case of the MB-2 I'm working on, not only does it have fit problems, I'm also trying some new techniques.

My motivation wanes a bit from time to time, but I try to take things one step at a time, and work on sub assemblies. That way I feel like I've accomplished something every time I finish a modeling session.

Regards,

-Drew

Build what you like; like what you build.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 3, 2005 3:49 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Foster7155



It was a block of styrene that I had to carve into a model...or so it seemed!


Laugh [(-D] LMAO...That's a great way to put it.
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Racing capital of the world- Indy
Posted by kaleu on Monday, January 3, 2005 4:35 PM
Like J-Hulk my most difficult kit was also produced by Skif but instead of the BMP-3, I built the 2s1. The lower hull was in 3 pieces but no guide marks to put it together. I took it apart a few times because it wasn't straight. The kit was missing a lot detail, had a lot of flash and sinkmarks in the worst places and the instructions were on the flimsiest paper that I have ever seen. I had to tape them together because the pages fell apart. To make this kit look good I had to spend a lot of money on metal tracks, a barrel and photo etch. On the bright side, I do have a 2s1 on my shelf in Syrian markings.
Erik "Don't fruit the beer." Newest model buys: More than I care to think about. It's time for a support group.
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