Tamiya vs ? degree of dificulty

HI If I were you I would try a 2 and if it's to easy then move on to a 3. I personally just build what I like whether it a snap together or a harder kit say a 3.

Mckay

Just had a quick look at my R10. It is rated as a 3. (The only other Revell I have at this stage is rated 5 - the 12th F2002.) And it (the R10) looks pretty much like a Tamiya with engine detail. Don't expect the fit, etc to be of the same - heard there are apparently issues with the engine cover. But it's got an engine and looks easy enough to assemble - pretty much like a Tamiya F1.

Also depends on which Tamiya's you've built - some of the 24th cars (WRC, as example ) don't have engine. But still, I'd say if you're comfortable assembling a car, you can go for a 3.Personally don't care much for ratings - I go for the subject I like...

Which kit is it you're looking at, btw? I can maybe see if somebody else has had an opinion on it.

Look carefully at the scale for the "Revell" kit you are building.  Revell of Germany uses a 1 to 5 scale, that is fairly meaningful, while Revell USA uses a 1 to 3 scale where 1 is Snap, and 2 and 3 are frequently based on the difficulty of the paint scheme or decal scheme as seen on the box art.  The same set of parts could be boxed as a 2 or a 3, depending on the paint sceme on the instructions.

The Revell of Germany rating scale appears to be based on parts count - 1/ Snap; 2/ up to 30 parts; 3/ up to 100 parts; 4/ up to 150 parts, 5/ over 150 parts.  But they also work in a "fudge factor", assessing the difficulty of the kit and the experience required of the modeler.

Rick 

I don't really pay any atention to the ratings. If I like the subject then I'll buy it and work on it. If you feel that a 2 might be too easy then try and do different things with than just put it together. Like maybe make it a rust bucket or really make it stand out with an awesome paint job. I wouldn't really sell yourself short and say a 2 is too easy and not bother with it by looking for a three. Even a snap type can be made into a nice model.

I don't think brand to brand really translates that well. Many of the Japanese car kits are curbsides (no engine), most US kits are full detail kits (with engines). The other thing to consider is when the kit first came out, the US kits from the 60-70's tend to have a lot less detail than the kits mastered in the 90's or later

I haven't built a lot of Tamiya kits, but I am finishing up an Alpine 1600 and I'd say the detail is quite similar to the better AMT & Revell kits. I've heard the later Lindbergh kits are nice builds too, but I haven't built one yet (only the 1934 Ford PU which is an old AMT kit).

I think where you will find the biggest difference is the fit of parts, rather than # of parts. Quality varies between kits even within the same company so the best thing to get a good feel for a kit is read reviews and ask around to see if anyone has built it. Few kits match the fit of the better Tamiya kits, so expect to do some fiddling, sanding and filling to get a good tight fit on many kits. 

I don't really look at the skill levels of kits, I build what I want to build, skill level and brand are secondary to that. If the only kit available of a subject is a snap kit, I'll build a snap kit.

Thanks so much for the info guys. I was so hung up on skill number, now I can enjoy many other models. thanks guys

I can agree with every one else, just build what you want to. The rateings like has been said is a basic thing. Look on the side of Dragon armor kits, they say 10 and up. I think a kit with 1500 parts would not be to good for a 10 year old. I'd say with most auto kits you are going to be pretty safe if you have the basic skills down. And the couple of Tamiya kits I have done have been rather nice anyway since they pretty much fell together by themselves, far cry from some AMT kits I have done that had an easy rateing.

Besides, if you're like most of us, by the time you're done with it you will have turned a 1 into at least a 3 or a 3 into a 10...

Tony

I think the best use of the ratings is for the single mom going to the model counter with her kid who wants to start with his first model (yeah, I know, sexist stereotypes - but reality is reality).  How many moms are going to be able to work with the son, based on memories of skills they used when they built models as a teenager?  The ratings give them an idea of where to start.

 For people who are tuned in to this kind of forum, and to Fine Scale Modeler magazine in general, ratings are insignificant.

Rick