why we build certain brand model being ship armor or anything

I'm kind of at the other end.  Novice builder, improving (I Think), but prefer a kit that is well engineered and not too fiddly.  I tend to shy away from anything that would require major alterations, or just build OOB and call it good.  Not that good at scratching or PE either.

Mostly I build for nostalgic reasons. I always wanted to build this model, or that model. Just so happens most of them are challenging lol.

Just one more overgrown man-child fulfilling boyhood dreams lol. 

I build what I have in my stash.  All "vintage" WWII aircraft and armor collected when I was much younger.  I have about 30 kits, and that will keep me busy for a while.  All models are challenging at my current skill level. 

The wallet will probably dictate what I will acquire in the future.  I got 2 Dragon armor kits recently due to a 50% off sale.  I am sure they will be plenty challenging when I get around to building them.

D

I'm with Goldhammer.  Since returning to the hobby earlier this year, I've tried to build kits that have a reputation of going together easily.  I've really challenged myself with learning new techniques that I never used as a kid (airbrushing, getting rid of seams, weathering... etc.) so I wanted to keep the actual construction process as easy as possible.  My current build will be my first NMF and is the first time I've used PE parts, so I'm grateful that the fit of the kit (Tamiya 1/48 P-47 Bubbletop) doesn't require a lot of extra work.  (Wish I could say the same for the resin wheels I purchased for it... hahaha)

I'm sure that as I improve my skill sets, I will proceed to more difficult kits.  In fact, I already have a couple of kits in my stash that I purchased knowing that they will be a huge challenge to build.  Probably won't be ready to tackle them until next year. 

Cheers, Mark

I read build logs and try to stay away from problem kits.I don't mind complex kits if they are well engineered,most Dragon kits I have done have been good,Tigers,Panthers,Stugs,III's are good,Meng are complex also but build up well.Tamiya are simpler and excellent.

I don't mind inexpensive well done kits either as long as they aren't junk.

I don't want to slog thru an ill concieved,over engineered,bad fitting kit,wasting my limited hobby time.

I like a mix. I enjoy kits that fall together, as well as ones that are a bit of a challenge. I enjoy building OOB, adding after market and scratchbuilding.

I don't agree that PE isn't a challenge. In fact adding PE can often be more challenging than building the kit.

As lng as a kit isn't going to fight me at every turn, i don't mind. And i find it nice after a challenging kit to do a nice simple OOB build that i can just relax with and enjoy.

MrStecks

I'm with Goldhammer.  Since returning to the hobby earlier this year, I've tried to build kits that have a reputation of going together easily.  I've really challenged myself with learning new techniques that I never used as a kid (airbrushing, getting rid of seams, weathering... etc.) so I wanted to keep the actual construction process as easy as possible.  My current build will be my first NMF and is the first time I've used PE parts, so I'm grateful that the fit of the kit (Tamiya 1/48 P-47 Bubbletop) doesn't require a lot of extra work.  (Wish I could say the same for the resin wheels I purchased for it... hahaha)

I'm sure that as I improve my skill sets, I will proceed to more difficult kits.  In fact, I already have a couple of kits in my stash that I purchased knowing that they will be a huge challenge to build.  Probably won't be ready to tackle them until next year. 

Cheers, Mark

 

There's nothing wrong with wanting your builds to assemble easily. They don't have to be difficult to give you any experience lol.

I enjoy the easy ones just as much as anyone else. The new Airfix and Tamiya kits have been a splendid treat lately.  :)

ManCityFan

I build what I have in my stash.  All "vintage" WWII aircraft and armor collected when I was much younger.  I have about 30 kits, and that will keep me busy for a while.  All models are challenging at my current skill level. 

The wallet will probably dictate what I will acquire in the future.  I got 2 Dragon armor kits recently due to a 50% off sale.  I am sure they will be plenty challenging when I get around to building them.

D

 

 

Those Dragon armor kits build up very nice and give you lots of extra pieces for other builds. You'll like those, but always double check the instructions as they like to get it wrong and swap parts numbers a lot. Always have a file of reference pictures to fall back on to avoid those pitfalls. They will save you some frustration in the end.

Tojo72

I read build logs and try to stay away from problem kits.I don't mind complex kits if they are well engineered,most Dragon kits I have done have been good,Tigers,Panthers,Stugs,III's are good,Meng are complex also but build up well.Tamiya are simpler and excellent.

I don't mind inexpensive well done kits either as long as they aren't junk.

I don't want to slog thru an ill concieved,over engineered,bad fitting kit,wasting my limited hobby time.

 

Have you tried an AFV Club kit yet? Talk about over engineering! But they do turn out some beautifully detailed models. Their instructions are worse than Dragons though! Lol!

Bish

I like a mix. I enjoy kits that fall together, as well as ones that are a bit of a challenge. I enjoy building OOB, adding after market and scratchbuilding.

I don't agree that PE isn't a challenge. In fact adding PE can often be more challenging than building the kit.

As lng as a kit isn't going to fight me at every turn, i don't mind. And i find it nice after a challenging kit to do a nice simple OOB build that i can just relax with and enjoy.

 

I agree. A nice and easy follow up build is very nice after months spent on the same build. 1/72 Airfix FTW. Lol

Yes pe is a challenge I myself find scratch building like was done in the day before pe and aftermarket parts were around more of a challenge for me.

When I first got back into it ('09...and even going back before the "break"), I bought cheap kits to build the stash...mainly because that's all I could afford. I enjoyed the challenges presented with said kits. Having built, and built again, all those old Revellogram kits...I have zero desire to do any more of em. Every now and then, I'll challenge myself with some short run "dog" of a kit, and I enjoy it. I just don't want every single kit to be a "major project" anymore.

M. Brindos

 

 

Tojo72

I read build logs and try to stay away from problem kits.I don't mind complex kits if they are well engineered,most Dragon kits I have done have been good,Tigers,Panthers,Stugs,III's are good,Meng are complex also but build up well.Tamiya are simpler and excellent.

I don't mind inexpensive well done kits either as long as they aren't junk.

I don't want to slog thru an ill concieved,over engineered,bad fitting kit,wasting my limited hobby time.

 

 

 

 

Have you tried an AFV Club kit yet? Talk about over engineering! But they do turn out some beautifully detailed models. Their instructions are worse than Dragons though! Lol!

 

I did two,and no difficulties,maybe lucky.

T-34/85 with interior,not the clear hull

Stryker 1126

Both did okay

I guess I was the unlucky one. The instructions on the AFVC M-60A1 were aweful with misnumbered parts in every assembly stage.

But it has turned into a beautiful model. :)

I tend to choose a kit less by brand but more by what the end result I am trying to acomplish.  If I want to add pe and scratch build or make major modifications to the kit I tend to use cheaper less developed kits as one, they are cheaper and I don't feel bad tearing them up and two the lack of detail allows me to add in all the detail I want without having to alter or remove much of the detail already there.

If I am trying some new painting techiques I like to have any easy build so that I can get to painting faster and not deal with fit issues etc.  For these builds I usually go with a better brand that goes together well.

First and foremost, I choose a kit for subject matter. It has to be something that I want to build to fill a gap in my collection somewhere. Sometimes there is only one game in town for a particular subject in a particular scale. Sometimes there are multiple choices of the exact same subject. when there are multiple kits by various companies available, I'll look at affordability. I don't care how many bells and whistles a kit may or may not have, if it's out of my budget, that's that. Then once costs are considered, I'll look at the buildability and bells and whistles. Resin or PE inclusion in the kit is not a must have for me. But I much prefer an aircraft with full underwing stores to having the buy ordnance on my own to arm it up. Stowage and crew figures on an AFV are a plus for me. And yes I do prefer simplified fit and engineering over a hyper detailed kit. If I have a choice between a Tamiya or Dragon Panzer IV, and the costs are roughly equal, I'll take the Tamiya kit. It may no quite have the same finesse in detail, but it will be less of a headache to build, the instructions will not be ambiguous or flat out in error, and the lower parts count is a plus in my eyes.

I am less about brand and more about subject matter. 99% of my builds are WWII kits. I do not do doubles i.e 5 P51Ds or 4 Sherman tanks. My collection is at the point of doing more "eclectic" WWII items. After I am finished with some GBs this fall I will finally start on my ICM T 35 and a Italeri LTV. Not rare but you just don't seem to see the interest in them like a Tiger or Sherman.....

As far as preferance goes I kinda break it down like this.

AUTOMOTIVE: Almost 99% of the time I choose AMT. somtimes Monogram or monogram/Revell. Mpc  on ocassion.

PLANES: Monogram/Revell

SHIPS: This is where I get a mixed bag. Subs are exclusivly RoG. All my other ships are a hodgepodge of old Pyro, Lindburg, Amt/ Matchbox, Or Revell.

ARMOR: Dragon, Tamya. Academy.

When it comes right down to it I buy whatever catches my eye so there are a few kits in my stash that I cant remember the manufacturer.

M. Brindos

 

Bish

I like a mix. I enjoy kits that fall together, as well as ones that are a bit of a challenge. I enjoy building OOB, adding after market and scratchbuilding.

I don't agree that PE isn't a challenge. In fact adding PE can often be more challenging than building the kit.

As lng as a kit isn't going to fight me at every turn, i don't mind. And i find it nice after a challenging kit to do a nice simple OOB build that i can just relax with and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

I agree. A nice and easy follow up build is very nice after months spent on the same build. 1/72 Airfix FTW. Lol

 

I'm sure i've got one of those some where

Nice little easy builds with a nice amount of details. :) good stuff!

I also have a nice little 1/72 Airfix Hs 123 bagged kit that looks like a nice build as well. Old kit, but looks like a fun one.

Usually I go-

Subject

Quality

Cost

Then for subjects-

Aircraft; Beyond the usual suspects, there are one or maybe two choices per subject.

Armor; There are multiple choices for a lot of subjects. Quality becomes a useful variable.

Ships: Beyond a small number of subjects, you'll praise the styrene gods if a model even exists.

M. Brindos

 

Have you tried an AFV Club kit yet? Talk about over engineering! But they do turn out some beautifully detailed models. Their instructions are worse than Dragons though! Lol!

 

I so agree. I'm so frustrated with my Pak-40

I started way back in the late 1950s with what I could buy as a pre teen kid.  Airfix, 1/72 Revell, Monogram ,AMT and others.  Then in 1969, Tamiya started for me.  We had a great hobby shop in Iowa City (where I lived), and Cedar Rapids.  I found that Panthers and Tigers and other WW2 stuff was what I liked to build.  Did those until 1980 then started 1/48 aircraft because I had built almost all the armored kits.   For a long period no new models were done, and some kits were discontinued.  The Tamiya T34 was impossible to find in the 1980s.  Things are very different now.  I used to do a lot of conversions and Verliden kits back then.  No need now.  It's a new Golden Age of plastic kits.

I can remember when there was no 1/48 Me 109 E's except for a hard to find Monogram kit.

The one subject that I was always available was 1/700 ships, (my father was on a cruiser in the Pacific).   So those were all built as well.

Modelers have it so nice now.  

Doug

This is just my humble opinion and my personal preference. 

Lately, I've been enjoying 1/32 kits, kits with 300 or more parts are of interest to me.  And most recently I've been buying Big Ed sets for my kits.  I don't care too much about brand but I do like Tamiya and most of the Korean/Chinese brands.  I'd love to build more Zoukei Mura and the new (I think it's a GWH) 1/32 B-17.   

These type of kits are expensive so unlike the Toshi of the past, I now take my time in building my kits.  I used to build 2-3 kits in a week or so.  But those were the Revell/Monogram 1/48 kits of which I learned so much from. And especially from FSM Forum Members!  You're all the best people in the world!  On some occasions, Mrs. Toshi will just pick up a kit and present it to me.  One example is my Revell 1/48 F-15 Eagle.  She has a good eye for things.  

These type of kits with their PE counter parts just excites me.  Currently I'm building a Kitty Hawk 1/32 Kingfisher which is very difficult and I also add on the Big Ed PE to it.  Thank you for allowing me to share my comments and thoughts with all FSM Members.  It was a pleasure.

Toshi

tankboy51

I started way back in the late 1950s with what I could buy as a pre teen kid.  Airfix, 1/72 Revell, Monogram ,AMT and others.  Then in 1969, Tamiya started for me.  We had a great hobby shop in Iowa City (where I lived), and Cedar Rapids.  I found that Panthers and Tigers and other WW2 stuff was what I liked to build.  Did those until 1980 then started 1/48 aircraft because I had built almost all the armored kits.   For a long period no new models were done, and some kits were discontinued.  The Tamiya T34 was impossible to find in the 1980s.  Things are very different now.  I used to do a lot of conversions and Verliden kits back then.  No need now.  It's a new Golden Age of plastic kits.

I can remember when there was no 1/48 Me 109 E's except for a hard to find Monogram kit.

The one subject that I was always available was 1/700 ships, (my father was on a cruiser in the Pacific).   So those were all built as well.

Modelers have it so nice now.  

Doug

 

Having started my collection "back in the day", and seeing the options available now, I agree that it is a new Golden Age for plastic kits.  The hobby has changed so much, and the options are kind of overwhelming.  The new products for weathering, the advent of PE, high detail kits, not so high detail kits, huge parts counts or fall together kits.  It is all out there.  I can remember trying to find a subject that I wanted in my kit collection, and not being able to find any examples.  Now there will be several kits by different manufacturers in various scales and levels of difficulty.  And you don't have to settle for a crappy kit by the one company that makes it.

And....with Amazon and Ebay, you can often find "classic kits" at a reasonable price.

Right now, the Mrs. will not be happy if I add to the stash, but if a good deal shows up....  When I get low on kits, and it comes time to get some more, subject will be of primary importance.  I have huge gaps in my kit collection.  No German halftracks, no F4F, no Corsair, no M10, no Italian anything, and on and on.  I build as an extension of my fascination with WWII aircraft and armor from the numerous books I have devoured over my lifetime.

My dad was a belly turret gunner in a B17, so as a tribute to him, I need to build a good version of that aircraft.  I really wish I had returned to building before he passed away.  He loved talking about his time in England when he got older, and would have really enjoyed walking me through that build.  "Dad, is this the right color for (insert plane part here)?"

We also have the extreme luxury of seeing WIPs on the forum.   The best kit review anyone could have.

This is a great thread!!

Happy modelling!

D

Subect matter!  If the biggies don't release a kit of the subject I want, but I can find a Lindberg or Glenco or something like that, I buy it!  Who else would offer a Curtiss Condor airliner, other than Glenco?

I've always advocated not not buying a kit because of the brand. I've always said this when folks ask which "brand" is the best to buy. Look for the subject/scale and then search for the best kit that fits your skill level.

Today, many kits are reboxed by other companies. Italeri kits can be found in Tamiya boxes. Many of Italeri kits began life as other companies' kits, etc.

Currently, I've been going through my extensive stash and trying to get rid of decent and lesser kits that I know I will never get to. I'm keeping many of the higher quality kits if the subject still appeals to me and I think I'll actually build it.

Hmmm;

  I will admit that certain kits are prefferred .Especially in Autos  . Armor not so much ( Nostalgia builds Monogram etc. ). Now planes , Only certain types and any Brand gets it . Ships , well that's a tossup too .Trumpeter , HobbyBoss , Dragon , Revell and Airfix and just about anything in 1/300 up to 1/72 .

    If I can't find a ship , I buy it in Paper and use the paper kit for patterns and build it out of plastic . A monster goody box helps here . If it isn't in paper or plastic I get the plans and build it out of Evergreen Plastic .Yes , With P.E !

    The best example of a Bad kit brought up to snuff is the old Revellogram M - 48A -1 . When I started doing stuff to it I ran across areas so thick that I went through two Dremel sanding drums !

 I just had to do it  ,as the first Dio I ever tried with Shep Paine's guidance concerned one of those . Since then they have gone on to be " Moon Rovers " Star Wonder " Battle units etc . T.B.