Looking for recommendations

I'll second the remark about the Tamiya Panther "A". It really is a dog of a kit and probably the worst one Tamiya produced. I've been slowly working on mine for years and it still is not ready as far as I'm concerned.

However I've heard nothing bad at all about the newer Panther "D" and it is supposedly a much better kit.

Thanks all for the input. My interest in building a Sherman at this point is small, but my interest in a Panzer III or IV from the Afrika Corps is very high (because Rommel, natch) so I was pleased to see that suggested.

Yesterday I had to take a short jaunt out of town for work and before heading home stopped at a local Hobbytown USA. I found the Tamiya Type 97 Japanese medium tank which was well-reviewed and seemed to be exactly what I was looking for so it is now in the stash. That may be my next armor project. I'm thinking of ordering the Tamiya Merkava and a Panzer III or IV from my LCA which should keep me busy for quite a while.

And to answer a previous question, I'm in Sacramento, CA where we have two great LCSes. (Not to brag or anything.)

Throwing my hat in the ring for the Tamiya Shermans. Their M4(105) actually has a very good turret, but the kit comes without the ranging poles. Other than that, it has no assembly traps.

Agree with most posts about Tamiya.  But no matter what, avoid this dog: Tamiya Panther Ausf A.  It's readily available at Hobby Lobby and such.  inexpensive, beautiful box art.

Crap of a kit.  I'd say one of the worst 1/35 kits still being produced.

What about the Tamiya M-113, one of my personal favorites, maybe the M.P. Motorcycle kit, or a few of the earlier German tanks.

Where are you located?

Tamiya kits are great bargains on eBay or at shows. I lived their newer Pz III and Jagdpanther. The early Sherman was a snap to build. Dragons JS II was inexpensive as well as the Night-Fighting Panther G.

I will aslo recommend Tamiya kits. You can hardly go wrong with them and they do build and paint up nicely. They may be a bit on the pricey side, but you will get a good model. Academy has a few that are Tamiya clones (M-60 series) and there are others out there that don't overload your brain with tiny details and obscure directions (I.E. Dragon, AFV Club for every little tiny detail under the sun!)

Tamiya won't steer you wrong and if you decide you want to branch out into more details then there are literally hundreds of aftermarket parts to make any one of a hundred different versions of almost everything.

Tamiya is definately good for a beginner. They have a large range of models to choose from and although their 1/48 scale line is just as costly they build into beautifully detailed kits if you are so inclined to try one for yourself. I haven't heard a bad thing about that line yet. I built the Porsche turret King Tiger and it's a lovely little kit.

So yeah, there ya go. Have fun and come back if you have any questions. :)

I would stick with Tamiya for now. Buildability is always spot on, with very little to deal with as far as fit issues. The instructions are easy to follow and the level of detail is pretty good on older kits, and even better on newer kits.

I just built the old Tamiya Panzer IV Ausf D and it turned out really nice for an old kit.