The world of Hobby Craft

The Hobby Craft 1/32 P-40 and F4U are the Trumpeter kits in a Hobby Craft box. Same plastic diffrent decals and box.

I still don't understand the apparently incestuous relationships model companies have these days with each other.  What ever happened to competition?  It might be a good FAQ database to list all the models originally made by one company but sold by another.  I mean, if I can get a Trumpeter kit for half the normal price, I don't care who's name is on the box.

Another bit of information that seems to be well documented on-line is that Academy has bought or uses many of the Hobbycraft tools. Like with all model companies, they produce some very nice kits, in some cases are the only game in town, and every once in a while have a flop.

 

Hi viper.

I totally agree with you, but some seem to feel a bit intimidated about bragging on building a Hobby Craft kit here, which I tend to view as the present-day Aurora.

They are economically priced, and sometimes you are getting a "second class" kit, but for the price, and in many cases, for the otherwise unobtainable subject, who cares?

I mean, you have some modellers here that agree that for the price, you still can't beat some of the old re-releases form Revell or Revell-Monogram (and I agree with them), touting the philosophy that it takes more skill to work with a somewhat "kludgey" or innacurate kit, but they won't touch a Hobby Craft kit????????

I also like the Arii kits, inasmuch as for the price, I don't think you can beat them.

Oh well, that's my

  Tom T

I think a kit cross reference would be most helpful ! Does anyone know if the Hobbycraft Ar-232's in 1/48 from the same molds as the Hasegawa kits ?

I just finished my HobbyCraft B-25 Doolittle raider. I was impressed at the amount of detail in it. Some of the fit was kinda shabby but nothin my sander and putty could not fix. Sometimes the instructions were hard to follow but I did get it all figured out pretty easy. I would def buy another one of these kits.

Old Dog wrote:

I think a kit cross reference would be most helpful ! Does anyone know if the Hobbycraft Ar-232's in 1/48 from the same molds as the Hasegawa kits ?

No the Hobbycraft Ar 234 have nothing in common with the Hasegawa kit but the Pro Modeler kit is a variation of the Hasegawa kit.

I've seen a number of Hobby Craft kits.  Many of their older kits like the Ju-88, Do-17, and Ar-234 are painfully lacking in detail.  The cockpits look like a Lindberg kit from the 60s.  They have steadily improved and their newer molds are much better.  The 1/48 P-26 is a fine kit.  The P-35 and P-36 are also nice looking kits.  Then they have also been importing Trumpeter molds and adding them to their line too.  Their reputation was permanently trashed by the poor quality of their early kits.

Somebody mentioned Arii.  Those kits were originally issued by Otaki and they have passed through AMT and Airfix's hands too.  The orange box AMT kits are Otaki molds. 

There were a few small Japanese companies in the 70s that were ahead of their time.  Mania was one of them and Otaki was another.  I built a couple of those Otaki kits when I was a kid.  The figures were throw away, but the fit and detail were much better than most other kits available in 1/48 at the time.  These kits are a good, bargain alternative to the expensive kits from Hasegawa and Tamiya.  They usually go for $5 or so on Ebay.  Even with shipping that's 1/2 the price or less of a Tamigawa equivalent.

Mania got bought out by Hasegawa in 1977 and they still re-release the Mania molds in Hasegawa boxes.  I know the Nate is one of them.  Mania also had a 1/72 Kate, and a 1/48 George.  I believe Hasegawa has released the George.  I'm not familiar enough with 1/72 to know if the Kate is the old Mania kit.

I built the Nate as a teenager.  I didn't use any putty on it.  The fit was as good as a modern Tamiya kit.

Both Mania and Otaki were doing recessed panel lines before any of the major kit makers were doing it.

Bill

I personally am fond of Hobbycraft kits. They brought us a 1/144 B-36, a kit many of us have screamed for  for years. As another member said, their P-26's are very nice. I even like the Ju88, Do17,and Arado 234's, for even though they are lacking somewhat in detail, their fit is nice, and the shape is right. All in all, I think Hobbycraft has done a nice job. 

I too have built my share of Hobby Craft kits and I too like them, and a few are lacking in detail but still they have some kits that no one has even thought of producing, like their F-94's, F7U's, CF-100's, CF-105's, DO-17's, P-26's, P-35's, Early BF-109's, and they even are importing Academy & Trumpeteer for 1/2 the orignal manufactures price, and they also have recessed panel lines, and some other types of mod's that'll make them a nice conversation piece, and some body was talking about Otaki/Arii kits I've built about all of them and I'll build them again when some one comes out with resin cockpit sets for the Imperial Japanese aircraft, let's face it the old Otaki/Arii kits cockpits are more toyish then detailed, so if anyone out there is working for a AM company please make some cockpit sets for the old Otaki/Arii kits, the reason being is that I've built the Otaki/Arii P-40E using True Details P-40E-N cockpit set with a spare AMT P-40 instrument panel and the planes cockpit looks fantastic the TD set only needed a little bit of trimming on the cockpit floor board but the rest slipped in like it was made for that kit, and for about the same price of the old AMT/Ertl P-40 kit, also we forgot about Minicraft after Academy split off from them, they too have some nice kits that are not so gouging on the pocket book, and have some minor detail faults but are very workable, so for those out there here are some "sleeper" model companies for you to check into cheap kits with loads of posabilities!

Otaki/Arii, Hobby Craft, Academy/Minicraft & Minicraft after the split, Revellogram, and the ones one could find on EBay for cheap of now defunct companies are AMT, ESCI,

72cuda wrote:

I too have built my share of Hobby Craft kits and I too like them, and a few are lacking in detail but still they have some kits that no one has even thought of producing, like their F-94's, F7U's, CF-100's, CF-105's, DO-17's, P-26's, P-35's, Early BF-109's, and they even are importing Academy & Trumpeteer for 1/2 the orignal manufactures price, and they also have recessed panel lines, and some other types of mod's that'll make them a nice conversation piece, and some body was talking about Otaki/Arii kits I've built about all of them and I'll build them again when some one comes out with resin cockpit sets for the Imperial Japanese aircraft, let's face it the old Otaki/Arii kits cockpits are more toyish then detailed, so if anyone out there is working for a AM company please make some cockpit sets for the old Otaki/Arii kits, the reason being is that I've built the Otaki/Arii P-40E using True Details P-40E-N cockpit set with a spare AMT P-40 instrument panel and the planes cockpit looks fantastic the TD set only needed a little bit of trimming on the cockpit floor board but the rest slipped in like it was made for that kit, and for about the same price of the old AMT/Ertl P-40 kit, also we forgot about Minicraft after Academy split off from them, they too have some nice kits that are not so gouging on the pocket book, and have some minor detail faults but are very workable, so for those out there here are some "sleeper" model companies for you to check into cheap kits with loads of posabilities! Otaki/Arii, Hobby Craft, Academy/Minicraft & Minicraft after the split, Revellogram, and the ones one could find on EBay for cheap of now defunct companies are AMT, ESCI,

There have been several people who have praised Otaki/Arii, and I agree; they were nice kits.

I agree that Otaki kits were at least as good as Tamiya offerings at the time.I built the Otaki 1/48 scale F4U Corsair and it was a pretty good kit.As for Hobbycraft,I built both of their JU-88 and Ar-234 kits and say thay are pretty good but are somewhat lacking in detail.Still their shapes are accurate and they are valued editions to my scale aircraft fleet.

I got a Hobby Craft F-105D Thunderchief 1/32 for Christmas. I noticed the Trumpeter name on the inside of most of the pieces. How's that for sharing?

I do agree that trumpeter produces great models, Tamaya is another as well. The only company that I have had my major disapointments with is Academy, I have purchased and put together the F14 , F-15, P51 and UH huey and I have had nothing but major fit problems with them all or missing pieces. the only one of them all that i finished was the Huey and even with the missing pieces I had to Construct my own Armermant Arms.  The Only Academy model I have left is the CH 46E, which I am afraid of building it because of dissapointment. After all I am a retired Marine.

Hobby craft kits will make you a better modeler.Mostly everything on those kits are balled.Scratchbuilding is a dream come true.W/good reference materials you can turn these kits into contest winning modele for 1/2 the price.I wiped out a 1/32scale Tamiya F4u cosair w/my Hobby craft F4u.I am now turning my 1/32 scale Seafury into a masterpiece.Take it to the next level.