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21st Century Kits-Opinions/Reviews Please

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  • Member since
    May 2015
21st Century Kits-Opinions/Reviews Please
Posted by IEDDTEK on Wednesday, December 23, 2015 10:36 AM

I would like your opinions if you've built a 1/32 21st Century a/c kit.

I have read some good things...I'm just a little suspicious as to why they're so much cheaper than other makes. I.E: A Stuka from this company is approx. $21. whereas, from (newer) Revell to Trumpeter they can range anywhere from $60.-$90.

Is there a quality/fit issue w/this company? Is this a case of..."you get what you pay for."?

Thanks.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Central USA
Posted by qmiester on Thursday, December 24, 2015 11:00 AM

As far as I am concerned, they weren't that bad especially for the price (not in the Tamigawa class). The decals were nothing short of fantastic (I knew guys who would buy a kit for the decals alone  for their Tamigawa and then part out or junk the kit).  Ilve got six in the stash and the biggest problem on most of them is the dihedral (or lack thereof).  It's too bad that 21s century went out of business several years ago.

Quincy
  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Illinois: Hive of Scum and Villany
Posted by Sprue-ce Goose on Thursday, December 24, 2015 11:09 AM

I agree.

Decals are fantastic !Big Smile

Kits are worth buying just for the decals and build into decent representations- especially compared to kits costing 3x the price.

I have the STUKA, Macchi 202 and Bf-109 kits.

Wish I had purchased more of 'em.

The new FSM forum software now permits looking up the 21st century kit builds posted on this website.

Check 'em out.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Central USA
Posted by qmiester on Thursday, December 24, 2015 9:03 PM

I have the Stuka, the FW 190A, 2 BF109Fs, a BF109G and a BF109K

Quincy
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: 37deg 40.13' N 95deg 29.10'W
Posted by scottrc on Friday, December 25, 2015 9:24 AM

Are these even still available.  At what they were selling these kits for, I thought for sure that they would have gone out of business.

I got the Corsair and Zero a few years ago when Walmart had them.  I could not believe what I got for $10.  The Corsair was fantastic except for the landing gear.  I had to replace the struts with aftermarket.  The Zero was a pleasure to build except my decals fell apart into millions of pieces so I had to print a new set myself.  Again for $10, I was really impressed.  

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Illinois: Hive of Scum and Villany
Posted by Sprue-ce Goose on Friday, December 25, 2015 4:08 PM

qmiester

I have the Stuka, the FW 190A, 2 BF109Fs, a BF109G and a BF109K

 

I bought a pre-built Fw-190A on close out sale at WalMart; dunno if a kit version was ever issued.
I did see a pre-built P-51B / C but did not buy as I was not certain if it was more accurate than the old Revell kit.
Model builders in my area must have scoured the Walmarts for 21st Century kits as it was rare when I did find the kits on the shelves.Sad
 
So far as I know, 21st Century is out of business.
Dunno if anyone has the molds.
 
Here is a collection of reviews about the kits:
  • Member since
    January 2009
Posted by F-8fanatic on Saturday, December 26, 2015 3:10 PM

I have a couple of these, the BF-109F2/F4 and a Macchi 202, I think the other one is.

 

These are kinda more like toys than models.  The surface detail is not the best, obviously.  Even the texture of the surface on my 109 is uneven.  Some areas are smooth, but random others are kind of grainy.  This one uses three small screws to help hold the fuselage halves together, three more screws to hold the lower wing section on, and then you have little plastic plugs that go over the screw holes.  

 

I remember reading a build article on the Stuka, and the most glaring error was that the shape of the canopies was way off, in particular the rear gunner's section.  i bought these for $9 a piece some time ago, and at that price you cannot go wrong.  If nothing else, they make excellent models to test new ideas out on, without wasting $$$ on a more expensive kit.

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