so what brands do you avoid?

The only advice I can give is if you have the money to spend on "original issue" stuff, get original or darn near it. Most old re-issues I have got lately, have been junky. I got a re-issued AMT Peterbilt 359 a while ago, and the roof of the cab was just junk. There were supposed to be some little bump ins for the air-horns and the roof mounted AC ,and instead of the indents, there were holes and it was deformed a little. It wouldn't be so bad, but the holes were right in line with the molded in rivits. I was at a swap meet shortly after this, and found an original issued Pete cab,  and it was molded perfectly.....

SNOOPY wrote:

I am new at this automtive modeling but I have a quick question, what is meant by curbside kits?

Curbside = no engine, no opening hood and terrible chassis detail.  Alot of the time its a slammer = snap together or dang near one. AVOID these kinds of kits IMO

I prefer AMT and MPC over R/M, atleast when I open a AMT I know the kit will not missing any parts(R/M), warped beyond repair (R/M) and Never have I had a short shot molded AMT like Ive had 16 times with Revell/Monogram. The newer issued kits by AMT(not the reissues) detail far excedes anything Ive ever found in a R/M box.

DBFSS385 wrote:

Fujimi &Tamiya's biggest problem to me anyway is wrong scale ( 1/24) and too many imports and not enough domestic cars. And their interiors are poor as are the wheel options etc. They're 1/25 BMW Z3 came with the prototype wheels and the never corrected the kit. They also generally come with cheese non-discript tires... and too many RH Drive cars.. I dropped some nice coin on a Fujimi A/C Cobra and was surprised by the junk they were passing off as a Cobra for such a high price.. Last Fujimi kit I ever gambled on.. The Revell kit blows it away as does the 35 year old AMT small block Cobra. I build rods and muscle cars so Revell and AMT have to suffice. I guess it depends on your choice of subject as well as your skill level. I enjoy the many options available to most Revell and AMT kits for a more reasonable price.. For Motorcycles I like Ducatis & HD so I'm limited to Italeri and Otaka/Revell..

One reason most Tamiya cars are right hand drive is because they make kits of their domestic cars in Japan, and all cars in Japan are right hand drive. I can't comment on the tires, as I have never really paid that much attention to them. The reason there are so many imports is because they are from Japan and those are their Domestics. I know Revell does Honda and Acura and probably many others, but I have never seen Revell or AMT do a Nissan Skyline, to my knowledge. All the cars they do are manufactured here in the US or are imported. A lot of the cars Tamiya does are not even imported to America. As for Fujimi, I will say I have built two of their kits, and I won't be making that mistake again!!!

 Fujimi &Tamiya's biggest problem to me anyway is wrong scale ( 1/24) and too many imports and not enough domestic cars. And their interiors are poor as are the wheel options etc. They're 1/25 BMW Z3 came with the prototype wheels and the never corrected the kit. They also generally come with cheese non-discript tires... and too many RH Drive cars..

I dropped some nice coin on a Fujimi A/C Cobra and was surprised by the junk they were passing off as a Cobra for such a high price.. Last Fujimi kit I ever gambled on.. The Revell kit blows it away as does the 35 year old AMT small block Cobra.

I build rods and muscle cars so Revell and AMT have to suffice.

I guess it depends on your choice of subject as well as your skill level. I enjoy the many options available to most Revell and AMT kits for a more reasonable price..

For Motorcycles I like Ducatis & HD so I'm limited to Italeri and Otaka/Revell..

Good to hear that about the Datsun. i have had my eye on it for a while. I'll have to pick one up.

I don't avoid ANY brand. I buy and build per subject matter, and I really like hunting older kits. Especially mid-eighties on back.

And those that said all companies have good kits as well as stinkers hit the nail on the head.

Talk has it lately that AMT has a problem with the kit contents not matching the photos on the box. I guess I just haven't run into that yet, but most say I will. I have had a couple of Revell kits lately that had some really cheesy windows in them. I mean, it's 2005. 1-piece window "units" that install from inside the car should be a thing of the past, but unfortunately it's not.

I've seen REALLY good stuff from all the companies too though, such as Revell's 1999 Silverado which has the BEST glass I've seen in a model in quite some time.

AMT's Datsun 280ZX is a jewel I'd recomend to anybody anytime. Of course, this one's been kitbashed quite a bit with engine, and seats from MPC's '88 GTA, and wheels and tires from AMT's '50 Chevy stepside kit.

 

Thanks for listening and have a great day!!!

ua0124 wrote:

I build within the budget.  For example today I stopped at the local hobby shop to pick up a  model.  The one car that I really liked was made by Tamiya and the cost was about $45.00 then I found the same car made by Revell and the cost was $16.00.  Granted the Tamiya kit was a whole lot better but the budget says otherwise.  I just make the most of the kits that I buy.  Whatever detail is lacking I'll certainly try and make that kit look as though it was from Tamiya.

Here is what I personnaly try to do, and it seems to work. If I want a kit made by Tamiya, and I want it to be something really nice, I will wait a couple months, put a little bit of cash aside, and if I still want it by then, I go get it. This also gives me time to build a couple more kits I already have so the stash doesn't get "to" out of hand! Something like that may not work for everybody, but it works for me.

I build within the budget.  For example today I stopped at the local hobby shop to pick up a  model.  The one car that I really liked was made by Tamiya and the cost was about $45.00 then I found the same car made by Revell and the cost was $16.00.  Granted the Tamiya kit was a whole lot better but the budget says otherwise.  I just make the most of the kits that I buy.  Whatever detail is lacking I'll certainly try and make that kit look as though it was from Tamiya.

When I got back into modelling, I immediately gravitated towards WRC & F1, & these kits would take up roughly 80% of my collection. I pretty much agree with most of the guys here in saying Tamiya are the way to go if you want to do competition vehicles. I haven't done enough road cars to know if the quality is comparable there. Hasegawa are ok, plastic is a little thin, detail is fairly basic & some parts are under-sized (especially roll cages), but they tackle subjects which Tamiya won't/don't touch. Why they don't match the quality & detail level of their plane kits, baffles me. Having said that, you do get PE in their kits, which Tamiya is only just catching up on. Revell is just an abomination for cars. If an F1 pulled out of the garage with it's body work fixed in such a way to mirror the panel lines on a Revell kit, the driver would've killed himself before he got out of 2nd gear. Again, they tackle the subjects......Heller/Italeri is ok too - detail is even more basic. Fujimi is just a kit maker I try to steer away from, unless I really need that particular car. At least, & certainly as far as racing cars are concerned, we can buy AM bits to enhance them & make them look more like the vehicle they're representing.

Hope that helps. That's my

Cheers

Shaun

Aaronw wrote:

I buy kits from whoever makes the subject I want, there usually isn't much choice unless you are building a common kit subject. All companies have their great kits and bad kits, I just happend to build the Revell 1965 Chevy truck and AMT's 1960 Chevy truck back to back, the AMT kit is a better kit, but I've also run across the reverse. What I think alot fuss about with the AMT kits is they re-issue alot of thier old kits and old MPC kits, older kits had things like metal axles going through the engine block. It's kind like the recent rash of snap kit, I'd prefer to have a kit of something I can make better than no kit of a subject at all and often that is exactly the case. Also look at what you paid most AMT and Revell kits are about $15 how are you going to compare that to a $30-50 Tamiya kit, and alot of those Tamiya kits are even curbsides, look how many Revell and AMT kits come with not just one but 2 engines and many build options. A bad kit that does not kill you makes you a stronger modeler

 

I agree. I do not do many car kits, I switched to sci fi about 20 years ago, and miltary about 2 years ago. however, i love my AMT 62 Pontiac Catalina. I only bought it because it was on sale in a multipack. Came w/t dual carbs with fuel lines. The ugly pink car on the box doesn't do it justice. I've painted the body on mine black and it will look mean when I'm done. However day before yesturday i picked up the AMT 65 mustang to kit bash and discovered metal axels all the way round but I will say it came with THREE sets of tires! Though only two sets of wheels that I could see...go figure. It also had a few other options like a roll cage and hood scoop. I think I got a good value for 12 bucks plus I had a 40% off coupon from hobby lobby so it was only $7.

 Oh and Firefox i agree with you on the knight rider kit. i have two of them I started on, one for K.I.T.T. and one for K.A.R.R. After sanding off all the emblems and painting the bodies i got tired and stashed them away. Even gathered the parts to make custom "turbine" engines. I have also printed out custom license plates for K.A.R.R. the other day. Oh well. I'll finish them one day...

[Had to correct a bunch of typos, sorry!lol]

 

First I want to praise Tamiya an Trumpeter. I have numerous kits from Tamiya and recently got a dream kit, Trumpeter Nova Convertible. Each manufacturer takes care in packing and producing a detailed kit. Now with the positives out of the way let me rank my least favorite kits for the money in order.

1. Fujimi: I have a Honda Civic Type R kit now thinking it would be the same or similar quality as Tamiya. I opened the kit to take in the details of the kit and found it to be thin and flimsy plastic. The casing has little flash and a few seams that need to be dealt with. The kit was brand new. Some items on the body are yellowed or discolored which is really odd. It just did not impress me for the money like my Tamiya or my Trumpeter.

2. AMT / Ertl: While I like the kits for improving my skills and their low cost the molded in details and simplified interiors are a bummer. I do like the bodies as the are solid and can deal with handling and not break.

3. Revelll: The brand that is second in quantity in my collection. I have had issues with recent kits like a 1/25 scale Race Car trailer and accessories kit, my 69 Ford Talledega, my Corvette C5-R. The trailer kit has so many items with little or no mounting points and items cast (roller box) in too many separate pieces it is a pain to get aligned and together. The C5-R kit makes me laugh. It has a one piece body but has complete engine detail, what sense does this make. I ended up cutting the hood off to reveal the engine after reading an article in Scale Auto and looking at pics of the real car. The Ford Talledega just had poor all around fit.  Let me say though that if the new C6 Corvette is a sign of what direction Revell Monogram is going now, they gain many points in my book. Wow, now that is a kit that earns RM some points in my book.

In my area the Revell Monogram and AMT kits are the least expensive and are good practice kits. My overall ranking from favorite to least favorite.

1. Tamiya
2. Trumpter
3. Revell Monogram
4. AMT/Ertl
5. Fujimi

If I were a military builder DRAGON would be in my top three. A friend bought a tank kit to our club meeting last night and I was thoroughly impressed with the casting quality, photo etch, metal and Smart Trax, and accessories that were included in this kit.

  You are correct, however, I think you are a little off on the under framework. Some kits may not have this, but most I have built that are curbside, still show the lower half of the engine molded into the undertray, and have a good bit of detail on the undercarriege. That has just been my experiance with curbsides (mostly Tamiya) other kits may have less detail underneath?

SNOOPY wrote:

I am new at this automtive modeling but I have a quick question, what is meant by curbside kits?

Hi Snoopy..Curbside means body work only, no display of engine, or under frame work.."I think!!" Thats what I've always thought it ment...Someone else please come in and tell me if I'm right! Thanks in advance if I'm am or am not..LOL..."RC"

under some advice from another site, I bought the Olds 442 from AMT and used the subframe and suspention from it.

 

 

2t2 crash wrote:

Ive had that problem and also the detail sucks horribly. the front end suspension setup is noexistant... you send a plastic axle through the inside of the engine bay and that holds the wheel/tire on. ITs going to be fun making the suspension and engine mounts. this will be a gift to someone and i need it to look good.

I agree with what your saying and I think you should chuck the kit and go buy another one to build for your friend, your never going to be happy with it now!!...Keep it for spare parts...."RC"

I haven't tried any new AMT kits, because their olds one scared me away from them. Maybe I should try one now, so are they truely getting better? I used to hate buying AMT's, just because I felt like I was wasting my money since I would never finish it or it would just end up looking disgursting? Ok, I'll try a new one before I talk anymore smack about them.

eizzle wrote:

QUOTE: Originally posted by Aaronw I buy kits from whoever makes the subject I want, there usually isn't much choice unless you are building a common kit subject. All companies have their great kits and bad kits, I just happend to build the Revell 1965 Chevy truck and AMT's 1960 Chevy truck back to back, the AMT kit is a better kit, but I've also run across the reverse. Also look at what you paid most AMT and Revell kits are about $15 how are you going to compare that to a $30-50 Tamiya kit, and alot of those Tamiya kits are even curbsides, look how many Revell and AMT kits come with not just one but 2 engines and many build options. A bad kit that does not kill you makes you a stronger modeler I paid $22 for a Tamiya Supra with a full engine, now i agree, most are curbside, but even at that, they have some great detail. I have 2 1/25 scale Mustangs right now that I am building for my sister, and even though they are the same years but diffrent models, (fastback, shelby) they are completely diffrent sizes. I know being diffrent models can affect that, but the interior pans are diffrent sizes and not just by a hair, I am talking a lot, that suprised me. I can't say I am happy with the AMT kits, but for scratchbuilding they are ok. You are completely right, Aaron, if i don't kill it, it will make me stronger

 

I have built the Tamiya Supra as well. And while I agree that the engine, undercarriage, and exterior detail is top-notch, I must say that the interior detail is pathetic, especially the door panels. I've built a couple other Tamiya kits that lacked alot of interior detail, so ALL kit manufacturers have their weak points, even the almighty Tamiya! 

Anyone who says AMT kits suck, probably hasn't built any of the newer toolings, like the '70 1/2 Camaro, '70 Monte Carlo, Edsel, '57 Chevy, '62 (?) T-Bird, '57 Chrysler 300, etc.. All those kits are excellent IMO. And why anyone would avoid the new Trumpeter kits is beyond me, especially the Nova. But what do I know?

QUOTE: Originally posted by SNOOPY I am new at this automtive modeling but I have a quick question, what is meant by curbside kits?

snoop dog it means there is no engine. Usually the engine detail is just molded to the bottom of the under carriage, and most of the time the hoods are molded in one piece with the body. Most Tamiya kits are like this, though there are a few street cars that have full engines and a lot of the race cars have full engine detail.

I am new at this automtive modeling but I have a quick question, what is meant by curbside kits?

I have been building model trucks for over 20 years and in recent times I have found to my dislike Italeri's new trucks are coming out with no engines. All of my trucks have engines in them. I can't imagine buying a Mustang or a Corvette with out an engine.

In regards to AMT I have a 1958 Chev Impala and I thought the kiset was great, no flashing easy to build and tons of detail.

I do agree that every manufacturer has their good and bad kits, though I would say that if there is one manufacturer I tend to avoid, and that's Lindberg, though I will admit they've put out a couple of nice kits int he past. I am interested in some of their newer products like their 1953 Ford, but I also remember some really bad experiences with them inthe past. Have they improved any lately, and is the '53 Ford any good?

AMT, Revell, and trumpeter.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Aaronw I buy kits from whoever makes the subject I want, there usually isn't much choice unless you are building a common kit subject. All companies have their great kits and bad kits, I just happend to build the Revell 1965 Chevy truck and AMT's 1960 Chevy truck back to back, the AMT kit is a better kit, but I've also run across the reverse. Also look at what you paid most AMT and Revell kits are about $15 how are you going to compare that to a $30-50 Tamiya kit, and alot of those Tamiya kits are even curbsides, look how many Revell and AMT kits come with not just one but 2 engines and many build options. A bad kit that does not kill you makes you a stronger modeler

I paid $22 for a Tamiya Supra with a full engine, now i agree, most are curbside, but even at that, they have some great detail. I have 2 1/25 scale Mustangs right now that I am building for my sister, and even though they are the same years but diffrent models, (fastback, shelby) they are completely diffrent sizes. I know being diffrent models can affect that, but the interior pans are diffrent sizes and not just by a hair, I am talking a lot, that suprised me. I can't say I am happy with the AMT kits, but for scratchbuilding they are ok. You are completely right, Aaron, if i don't kill it, it will make me stronger

I have to say that LeMans Miniatures is one brand I will try and avoid. However sometimes you have no choice as the company maybe the only one producing a kit of the model you want. I am building the '67 Mirage and absolutely hate it, however I will probably purchase another one as I would like to have the Bentley 8. Rene'

Recently just bought a fujimi Lancia stratos, after open up the box and closely inspect each part, now I don't feel like building it. No more fujimi for me. Nothing come close to Tamiya when comes to cars or bikes.

I buy kits from whoever makes the subject I want, there usually isn't much choice unless you are building a common kit subject.

All companies have their great kits and bad kits, I just happend to build the Revell 1965 Chevy truck and AMT's 1960 Chevy truck back to back, the AMT kit is a better kit, but I've also run across the reverse.

What I think alot fuss about with the AMT kits is they re-issue alot of thier old kits and old MPC kits, older kits had things like metal axles going through the engine block. It's kind like the recent rash of snap kit, I'd prefer to have a kit of something I can make better than no kit of a subject at all and often that is exactly the case.

Also look at what you paid most AMT and Revell kits are about $15 how are you going to compare that to a $30-50 Tamiya kit, and alot of those Tamiya kits are even curbsides, look how many Revell and AMT kits come with not just one but 2 engines and many build options.

A bad kit that does not kill you makes you a stronger modeler

I don't normally do nonmilitary stuff but for a change of pace I just started a 1/6th Honda racing bike from Italeri. I think it will be the only one I attempt. I glued the engine halves together and I think about 1% of the seam actually lined up properly. Has anyone else had experiance with these kits?

I sometimes think they all have good ones and bad ones ... just my ...

AMT is pretty terrible unless your scratchbuilding your parts, and i built 2 fujimi kits and i was not impressed with the fit or the detail. Granted they are curbside models, but all the engine detail it had was a oil pan molded into the bottom subframe, and the exhuast on both of them just glued to the bottom of the pan with no look of realism what so ever. At least they got the exhaust coming off the front of the motor like it should. This was the evo 8 just in case you were wondering