Good manufacturers of 1/72 armour

I've built Revell, Italeri, Hasegawa, Fugimi (1/76), Airfix and Matchbox within the past few years, I like Revell the best, followed by Fugimi. Hasegawa and Italeri varied by kit, some were better than others but none were terrible, just some were clearly older kits with less detail. The Airfix and Matchbox kits were pretty basic but still worthwhile due to the wide range of vehicles available, not my first choice but they can be built into nice kits for wargaming etc. Depends what you want to do with them. I bought 4 Panzer 4's (H or J models) last year to try a side by side comparison and decide which company to watch for (Revell, Hasegawa, Fugimi and Italeri). Revell had the best overall kit but Fugimi had the most internal detail including the turret basket Hasegawa and Italeri were about equal as I recall. The Fugimi kits are 1/76 and while its not a huge differance, side by side it shows, particularly next to the Hasegawa and Italeri kits which I found a tad larger than Revell.

QUOTE: Originally posted by chris hall Dragon, based on die-cast toys, are embarrasing, and I can't think of anything they do which Revell don't.

How about the USMC AAV7A1 Amtrac, Elefant, Ferdinand, M1A2 Abrams, OIF M1A1 Abrams, M1A1 Abrams with mine plow, Panther Ausf. F schmallturm, Sturmtiger, Bergetiger, and Challenger II.

While I agree Dragon's Abrams series falls short of Revell's Abrams, their Abrams kits are more updated and allow you to build a current tank. Revell's Abrams is only current to a Desert Storm era tank.

As far as them being diecast toys, I have nine of Dragon's 1/72 scale kits. Only the AAV7A1, Sturmtiger and Panther/Jadgpanther kits have diecast hulls. The rest are all plastic and quite highly detailed. The Challenger II is very nice as is their Tiger I Ausf. E late with finely molded zimmerit on the hull and turret sides. This Tiger comes with etched brass exhaust guards and a real wire for the tow cables.

I don't see how someone could refer to these two kits especially as "die-cast toys" and "embarrasing". Also despite the upper hull of the Sturmtiger being diecast, the kit is a high quality model that also has etched brass exhaust guards.

It seems Revell AG is the way to go. I had one in my hand today, and decided to wait and ask here before buying. I think I'll one a try. Thanks for all the tips, guys. I appreciate it.

Revell Germany sets the standard. I've just bought the new set of two Hummers, and the level of detail has to be seen to be believed. Also, they've got a 1/72 FAMO, with link & length tracks, on the way! Bear in mind that some of their stuff is ex-Matchbox, but still OK by mid-1970s standards, and sometimes unique subjects.

Italeri come second. Nearly all their stuff is ex-ESCI, but that's usually no bad thing. for every turkey (Tiger II), there are two stars (Sherman, Valentine). However, there's a new mould DUKW on the way.

Mirage produce a number of astonishingly good early WW2, mostly Polish stuff, spoilt only by their rubber band tracks (though aftermarket PE tracks are available).

Eastern Express, Alan, Omega K and Roden produce an useful range of stuff from the Great Patriotic and Cold Wars and their approach to modelling the T-35/ 85 is an interesting contrast to the Revell Germany one.

JB Models produce an interesting, well-detailed and accurate range of British wheeled and softskin stuff, and a Vickers 6-ton tank.

Dragon, based on die-cast toys, are embarrasing, and I can't think of anything they do which Revell don't.

The Heller/ Airfix Deuce-and-a half is pretty good, but needs some work with details.

Most of the rest needs to be approached with caution, but often they are the only gane in town. There are a lot of useful reviews and other stuff here:

www.ontheway.us

Hope this helps,

Chris.

Italeri is currently distributing a Sherman in 1/72 that is an excellent kit. I've been told it's the ex-Esci mold, but I have no idea whether or not that's correct. It's got plastic or vinyl tracks, both of which looked pretty good to me. There's also a few extra pieces for different versions too (sorry my armour knowledge isn't much more sophisticated other than to say there's some thingys and whahoozits in there...)

Here's a couple of pics of my build. Nothing other than what's in the kit.

Murray

I don't really have any experience with 1/72, but some of the Revell stuff I've seen built up is absolutely amazing. I'm sure there are many more braile scale buffs here who can give you a better answer.

Right now, Revell is tops in 1/72 scale kits. Great selection and most are very nice, some older ones are stinkers like the Sherman and StuG IV. These kits come with link and length tracks.

The Italeri 1/72 scale kits are reissued Esci/Ertl kits from the 1980s. Good for their time, but 20 years old now. This doesn't mean they are necessarily bad though, just not as up-to-date as Revell kits. The Italeri kits come with link and length tracks.

Dragon has done a lot of very nice kits recently. Some have diecast metal hulls which is a big minus. Their Abrams series come from former 1/72 RC kits and are not as good as the Revell Abrams. The Challenger, Tiger, Bradley are very good kits. I had a bear of a time with the Dragon Elefant. These kits have nicely molded vinyl tracks.

Fujimi kits are old an 1/76 scale. Most of their tracks are unusable. Same with Hasegawa's 1/72 scale kits. Some are nice kits but all have poor tracks. Fujimi's Type 90 JGSDF MBT was pretty good though.

Trumpeter has issued a couple of 1/72 scale tanks. They use link and length tracks too.

The Italeri T-34 had some problems but nothing that couldn't be overcome...
The RevellAG kits look great in the box and as Abarne, I'll let you know after Sunday. Or just check in throughout the day, you'll get your fill on the subject I'm sure.
I have a bunch of the new Dragon 1/72s, but they're half die cast so I'm not sure how much I'm going to like them. I like altering the plastic a lot, can'tdo much with metal I imagine...

Here are my experiences.

I built a Hasagawa M-3 Grant. All in all, it is a pretty second rate kit, even allowing for the fact that it is 1/72. It fit together well enough, but the detail was lacking, and the accuracy horrible.

I have a 1/72 Italeri Sherman that I'm in the process of building, although I have kind of set it aside to focus on a 1/35 Sherman. Overall, it is not too bad as far as detail is concerned. It even has competant engine, although some scratch building is necessary because there a number of items not included. The accuracy of the kit is wanting in a couple of areas. It is a late model M4A1 but has a 75mm gun which a lot of sources claim is an impossible combination. I've never seen a photo of one. There are also some severe problems with the shape of the gun mount and front of the turret. Still, if one pretends that there were a few late hull M4A1's with a 75mm gun, I think this will turn into something reasonable.

I also have an Italeri Tiger II that I have been using as a zimmerit experimentation test bed. I've test fit most of it and all in all it is not bad. The detail seems OK fro 1/72. Assuming I can ever get an acceptable zimmerit coating on it, I think it will make a nice little model.

I have in the box a Dragon Tiger with molded zimmerit. After Mad Tiger Day this Sunday, I'll have a much better idea about the kit. As it sits in the box it looks like a pretty good kit. The molded zimmerit looks quite good, and the moldings themselves are crisp and flash free. Problay the biggest complaint I have at the moment, is that that it lacks the spare track sections that were often bolted to the turret and the front lower hull.

My conclusion, based on inherently flawed inductive reasoning, is that Dragon and and Italeri are worth a look, and Hasagawa less so.