Dragon Vs Tamiya Vs Trumpeter

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There's no simple answer to your question.  Virtually all model companies produce some kits that are better than others.  Most get better over time (though there have been some conspicuous exceptions).  Frequently they borrow molds from other manufacturers.  As a result, you really need to look at a specific kit (or some reviews of it) to figure out how good it is.

Tamiya is one of the best, longest-established Japanese firms, and has been making warship kits for at least thirty years.  It's generally safe to assume that a Tamiya kit is among the higher quality products of its time - but bear in mind what that time is.  Some of the old Tamiya warships from the seventies are still on the market; they were great for their day, but aren't up to the standards of 2006.  The very latest, the 1/700 Yamato- and Iowa-class battleships, can stand comparison with any kits on the market.  Add a set of photo-etched parts to one of those kits and you have the makings of a masterpiece.

Many of the Dragon kits are repackaged ones that originated with Skywave, another excellent Japanese company that's been around for a long time.  Skywave kits in general are excellent.  In some cases (the recently released Independence-class light carrier, for instance) Dragon has added new parts that make those kits even better.

In the past couple of years Dragon has started producing its own warship kits, which demonstrate some really original approaches.  One of those is the use of flexible plastic; lots of modelers have reservations about that.  The new batch of Essex-class carriers, though, really represents the current state of the art.  They come with hangar deck detail, photo-etched parts, an incredible number of plastic parts, aircraft cast in clear plastic (paint everything but the canopy) with separate props and landing gear, and optional transparent flight decks for those who want to show off the hangar decks.

I've never bought any of the Trumpeter warships, but according to the reviewers they're kind of variable.  The company has only been making ships for a few years, and seems to be having some growing pains.  Its 1/350 battleships get better-than-average reviews, though each of them seems to have at least on characteristic that some reviewer finds objectionable.  The 1/350 carriers fare better.  The Trumpeter 1/700 kits don't seem to get much coverage, for some reason.  I'm particularly interested to see how its Hornet (CV-8) looks.  That one's in direct competition with the one from Tamiya, which is about thirty years old and suffers from an impossibly skinny island.

The bottom line is that no manufacturer's label is in itself a guarantee of quality.  If at all possible, sneak a peak inside the box, or find a reliable review, before you lay down the cash. 

ZzZGuy wrote:

wow, thanks for the detailed response.

there is really not much to be added, just a remark towards the upcoming Hornet. Most of the newer 1/700 kits are copied-down versions of previous 1/350 kits, although with minor alterations like one-piece flight decks etc. If Trumpeter  base their 1/700 kit on the previous big scale kit without major modifications, it will be awful. The 1/350 Hornet hull is far too bulky and has nothing to do with the actual ship, in fact the hull lines make it appear like a  Liberty ship but there is not the slightest hint of the elegant lines of this class. Everything above the flight deck looks spot-on and very detailed, so the best way to get an accurate Hornet might be to use the Tamiya hull and the other parts from the trumpeter kit.

I have the feeling that Trumpeter tries very hard to make their kits LOOK like they are on par or superior to Tamiya kits but they obviously feel that fine details and lots of parts do the job. Thorough research and the use of correct plans do not seem to rank very high on their priority list - obviously because these things are time-consuming, and require a lot more skill than just pantographing and altering other manufacturers products. If they dont change that, they will almost always end up with major inaccuracies. IMO they need to get down to the basics first - even if their kits look excellent at first sight they are far away from the quality of the 30years-old Tamiya kits.