The most difficult kit you've ever built

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.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Foster7155 It was a block of styrene that I had to carve into a model...or so it seemed!

LMAO...That's a great way to put it.

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,

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 fun
Cheers Jules.......

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

Definitely the AM Tech P-40L...look in my Tuskegee thread in Aircraft to see why

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

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??