SEARCH FINESCALE.COM

Enter keywords or a search phrase below:

Most aggravating kit you’ve ever built

13376 views
60 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    November 2005
Most aggravating kit you’ve ever built
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 2:00 AM

Title says it all, what kit that you have ever built just plain got on your nerves, bad fit, messed up the decals, losing a key part, krazy glued your hand to a wing?? Etc.

 
My most annoying kit was a Tamiya 1/35 Sherman, don’t get me wrong it was an excellent kit, but I lost one of the bogie halfs and had to get it replaced, cracked an open spoke wheel and had to use the die cast wheels which look just plain ugly, I had a REALLY annoying problem with my paint bubbling on the surface of the model, and finally I ripped a decal for the marking I wanted and had to use a different scheme.

For worst kit I would say a Lindberg USS Melvin, the hull and deck didnt fit together, at all. The prop shafters were different lengths, the motor included didnt work and finally the depth charge racks didnt fit at all either.

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: United Kingdom
Posted by scotty on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 6:19 AM

Most things with AIRFIX on the box.Banged Head [banghead]Banged Head [banghead]

Scott.

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan
Posted by bilbirk on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 6:38 AM
Anything AMT!Banged Head [banghead]
  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Southwest
Posted by Chatterer on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 7:06 AM

 bilbirk wrote:
Anything AMT!Banged Head [banghead]

 

Sign - Ditto [#ditto]

David
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 10:56 AM
 Rob J wrote:


My most annoying kit was a Tamiya 1/35 Sherman, don’t get me wrong it was an excellent kit, but I lost one of the bogie halfs and had to get it replaced, cracked an open spoke wheel and had to use the die cast wheels which look just plain ugly, I had a REALLY annoying problem with my paint bubbling on the surface of the model, and finally I ripped a decal for the marking I wanted and had to use a different scheme.

Well, that's not really an aggravating or annoying kit, then is it? That was an aggravating time building a kit, not due to any fault of the kit itself. Wink [;)]

To answer the question asked in the title, by far the most aggravating kit I've ever built was SKIF's 1/35 BMP-3. Incredibly bad fit compounded by atrocious engineering, poor molding, clunky or missing detail, and criminally misleading instructions. I spent more time cleaning up ugly parts and just getting those ugly parts to somewhat fit together than I do on most complete builds.
Having said all that, with tons of TLC and blood, sweat, and tears, it can be turned into a nice BMP-3.
I built this one for Armour Modelling magazine:


~Brian
  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: San Tan Valley,AZ
Posted by smokinguns3 on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 12:16 PM
You guys are gona hate me. I would say its the  Blohm & Voss BV 222 its just a vaery******poor enginerd kit. so bad that i got mad and smashed it in the trash can and i havent had a kit do that before.
Rob I think i can I think i can
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Pensacola, FL
Posted by Foster7155 on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 2:24 PM

This one's easy!

Encore Model's wz-34 Polish Armored Car

The kit contained only about 20 pieces and I use the term "pieces" intentionally. Many of these "pieces" were essentially blobs of styrene stuck on a sprue that you had to remove and then carve into parts. Horrendous fit, sloppy and soft details, and terrible instructions. The only parts worth a darn were the rubber tires...and they were only "passable".

Robert Foster

Pensacola Modeleers

  • Member since
    July 2013
Posted by DURR on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 4:13 PM

the one for me was  the mpm   reppu

i think i used ( in weight) twice as much filler than the model weighted

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 4:29 PM
Revell Monogram's P-40B(1/48)I dont think all kits were like mine,but mine had major fit problems,I opened the box and all the glass like pices were broken.
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Nashotah, WI
Posted by Glamdring on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 5:09 PM
I've said this before, Revel's P38 Lightning.  I know I'm not the only one with a bad impression of this kit.  The only redeeming quality of this kit was....well, nothing.

Robert 

"I can't get ahead no matter how hard I try, I'm gettin' really good at barely gettin' by"

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Melbourne, Victoria
Posted by harvs73 on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 5:38 PM
Anything from Classic Airframes. Good choices of subjects but a pain in the backside to make.

Dave Harvey

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by matthew9 on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 7:31 PM
Monogram's 1/48 B-1. Too big for me! I under estimated the size, seems, someplace to put it, etc. I had to prop it on my shoulder to sand the seems.
Matt
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Indiana
Posted by overkillphil on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 9:40 PM
The Testor's 1/48 RF-4 kit.  What a dog!
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
    October 2003
  • From: Clovis, Calif
Posted by rebelreenactor on Thursday, January 5, 2006 12:56 AM
Italeri sdkfz 10/4 with flak 30. But I have a feeling the RPM polish tankett I have is going to be worse.
John
  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Utereg
Posted by Borg R3-MC0 on Thursday, January 5, 2006 3:14 AM

It's probably the Hit-Kit MiG-3 that I am currently building.

It is like this kit is fighting back!

Beeing a vacform kit, a lot of the problems (bad fit etc) are probably my own fault. But every time I think I am making progress, a setback comes a long. Just last week I punctured trough a wing when I was reengraving it!

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Upper left side of the lower Penninsula of Mich
Posted by dkmacin on Thursday, January 5, 2006 5:49 AM
Any MPM kit.
Parts do not attach to the trees, they are a part of the trees!
And I love when they call for PE that isn't in the box, or for you to supply wire, clear plastic, or the like.

Don

I know it's only rock and roll, but I like it.
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Canada / Czech Republic
Posted by upnorth on Thursday, January 5, 2006 7:49 AM

The absolute worst for me was a kit called the "Visible Woman". I bought her when Revell still had the moulds and I thought the anatomical nature of the kit would be a nice change of pace from my usual aircraft modeling. As I understand, an outfit called Skillcraft currently holds her moulds.

According to the instructions and a nifty little pamphlet in the box, the kit was designed with the help of surgeons and other medical experts.

None of the internal body parts fit together worth anything and the clear exterior "body" components wouldn't close around the internal stuff whe it was all together. I was doing the non-pregnant version so I dare not even think what the complications would be if I had tried it.

The only way I could get the "body" to fit around the insides was to cut sections out of it, superglue it together and then paint the "body" to hide the crazing.

Well, she was a total failure when I built her as Revell. When I saw her a few years later as Skillcraft I thought maybe my skill were up to her, guess again!

I've heard Revell got the moulds from some other outfit who went belly up years back.

If there's any justice, those surgeons and medical experts who helped design the kit got their lisences revoked.

I like the idea of an anatomical kit, I just wish someone would do it with today's medical imaging gear. You know, MRI their insides and laser map their outsides and make sure the same individual was used for both sections of the model so the insides went in really nice like they should.

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Greencastle, IN
Posted by eizzle on Thursday, January 5, 2006 8:42 AM
I think the one that really got me ticked off was the Academy F-16 C "Flying RazorBacks" That thing had fit problems everywhere! The seat didn't want to fit into the cockpit, and since I attatched the pilot to the seat, I had to surgiclly remove his legs, arms, and accidently his head (poor guy!) When I got the seat in, it didn't sit low enough to clear the canopy, and the wing roots look horrible! I did finish it, but its more of a test dummy for my many bad ideas Big Smile [:D] One plus about it is that it comes with a metric butt load of A/A and A/G missles and bombs, so those all went in the spares boxThumbs Up [tup]

Colin

 Homer Simpson for president!!!

  • Member since
    July 2013
Posted by DURR on Thursday, January 5, 2006 1:21 PM
Laugh [(-D]
 upnorth wrote:

The absolute worst for me was a kit called the "Visible Woman". I bought her when Revell still had the moulds and I thought the anatomical nature of the kit would be a nice change of pace from my usual aircraft modeling. As I understand, an outfit called Skillcraft currently holds her moulds.

According to the instructions and a nifty little pamphlet in the box, the kit was designed with the help of surgeons and other medical experts.

None of the internal body parts fit together worth anything and the clear exterior "body" components wouldn't close around the internal stuff whe it was all together. I was doing the non-pregnant version so I dare not even think what the complications would be if I had tried it.

The only way I could get the "body" to fit around the insides was to cut sections out of it, superglue it together and then paint the "body" to hide the crazing.

Well, she was a total failure when I built her as Revell. When I saw her a few years later as Skillcraft I thought maybe my skill were up to her, guess again!

I've heard Revell got the moulds from some other outfit who went belly up years back.

If there's any justice, those surgeons and medical experts who helped design the kit got their lisences revoked.

I like the idea of an anatomical kit, I just wish someone would do it with today's medical imaging gear. You know, MRI their insides and laser map their outsides and make sure the same individual was used for both sections of the model so the insides went in really nice like they should.

dr frankenstien  you are notLaugh [(-D] Laugh [(-D]

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: ...Ask the other guy, he's got me zeroed-in...
Posted by gringe88 on Friday, January 6, 2006 4:14 PM
worst was the revell titanic.  I couldve made a better kit pouring raw melted styrene straight into the box it came in.  the thing was nasty.  and I actually tried using PE on it!  i made it for somebody, and they actually liked it a lot (so they say).  in any case, i just dont talk about that one anymore, its too aggravating.  its like that one car accident you got into and just cant speak about with anyone....
====================================== -Matt
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: 37deg 40.13' N 95deg 29.10'W
Posted by scottrc on Saturday, January 7, 2006 7:29 AM
A kit that I am aggrivated with but determined to finish is my MiniHobby 1/350 Bismark.  So many mismolded parts and poor fit that is has more bondo and filler than a 1978 Pinto I once had.

I'm not too impressed with my Trumpeter 1/350 Essex either, it has many of the same problems as the Bismark.

Scott

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Upper left side of the lower Penninsula of Mich
Posted by dkmacin on Saturday, January 7, 2006 7:42 AM
Wow! That much?
(I had a 74 Pinto.)

Don

I know it's only rock and roll, but I like it.
  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Bellevue KY
Posted by fantasycorsair on Saturday, January 7, 2006 10:53 PM
My most annoying kit is any kit with Testors on it ! 
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Stockton,Ca
Posted by Hippy-Ed on Sunday, January 8, 2006 3:18 PM
it's a toss up between the 1/25 AMT '57 Ford Victoria(dash too small & fit probs) and the Fujimi 1/72 A-6A Intruder I'm currently on. Poor fit problem gaps in fuselage, the CL panel is mishapen... what's next!?!?!
If you lose your sense of humor, you've lost everything
  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Greencastle, IN
Posted by eizzle on Sunday, January 8, 2006 4:34 PM

 Hippy-Ed wrote:
it's a toss up between the 1/25 AMT '57 Ford Victoria(dash too small & fit probs) and the Fujimi 1/72 A-6A Intruder I'm currently on. Poor fit problem gaps in fuselage, the CL panel is mishapen... what's next!?!?!

You will probably glue it to your hand Laugh [(-D] Need to borrow some debonder Tongue [:P]

Colin

 Homer Simpson for president!!!

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, January 8, 2006 4:38 PM
definitly Revell Germany A-10
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Stockton,Ca
Posted by Hippy-Ed on Monday, January 9, 2006 11:54 AM
 eizzle wrote:

 Hippy-Ed wrote:
it's a toss up between the 1/25 AMT '57 Ford Victoria(dash too small & fit probs) and the Fujimi 1/72 A-6A Intruder I'm currently on. Poor fit problem gaps in fuselage, the CL panel is mishapen... what's next!?!?!

You will probably glue it to your hand Laugh [(-D] Need to borrow some debonder Tongue [:P]



I've got Acetone fer thatBig Smile [:D]
If you lose your sense of humor, you've lost everything
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Monday, January 9, 2006 2:04 PM

Testors' 1/72 B-2 Stealth. With only six main parts to the fuselage, you'd think fit wouldn't be a problem. I had to buy a package of wood filler since any plastic specifice filer would have mented the kit trying to fill a 1/8 inch gap along the entire forward mating area. I also had to add a tremendous amount of filler to one of the upper wing joints that just wouldn't mate. Finally, the long wing walk decals just collapsed and could not be coaxed into positon.

The only other kit that rivals this is the Halcyon Alien Warrior with egg. Built without filler, you can see complely through him. The skull is supposed to be a long smooth surface, but the seam required hours of filling and sanding and more filling and sanding to get smooth. Getting filler into the exoskeltal surfaces then sanding them was a Herculean task.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • From: UK er the 3rd world
Posted by seanrgb4 on Monday, January 9, 2006 4:30 PM
A choice of 2 with me
no1 1/32 Revell RF4E Aweful kit
No2 1/32 Revell F15E
But i did build the F15 Came out ok in the end
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 9, 2006 6:17 PM

My most aggrivating kits have been;

AMT XB-70 (more metal, putty and scrap plastic than kit!)

Testors RF-4 and F-4G (Just bad)

Revell 1/32 P-38 (Nothing fit right and massive warpage on 2 kits!)

There have been some others but these realy stand out.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

SEARCH FORUMS
FREE NEWSLETTER
By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy.