Tanks or Aircraft For Begginer.

JohnnyK

How about a WWII Jeep? That would be a simple build without a lot of parts. No airplane fuselage seams and no tank tracks.

Especially the old Monogram Jeep kit.  That would be a good kit to practice on.

How about a WWII Jeep? That would be a simple build without a lot of parts. No airplane fuselage seams and no tank tracks.

Don Stauffer

The one thing I would stay away from as a beginner is a ship.  Not even talking about a sailing ship- even a modern warship is a more complex and lengthy build than an aircraft or tank.

 

I 100% disagree. When I first started modelling, I took on a ship kit and didn't have trouble building one. You name it, I built them - destroyers, cruisers, battleships, carriers and sailing ships. Who to say a begginer has to do rigging? Most rigging from the Mayflower I did were plastic pieces.

I remember now, that the other Waterline series company was Aoshima.

Don Stauffer

...The one thing I would stay away from as a beginner is a ship.  Not even talking about a sailing ship- even a modern warship is a more complex and lengthy build than an aircraft or tank.

I disagree that ships are categorically more complicated, and I refer again to older kits.  As was mentioned, Revell's old ship kits, especially the 1/720 kits, but also the Missouri kit in its various incarnations, can be built without much effort, out of the box.  Along the way, they provide good practice.  Same goes for the Waterline series of kits from Tamiya, Hasegawa, Fujimi, and was there one other company?  Relatively simple kits, that can be turned into attractive models, without resort to the aftermarket pieces that today's modelers consider baseline to a build.

And you can find simple kits from newer makers, too.  Hobby Boss' Arizona in 1/700, for example, is very simple, as I found when I bought it.  It takes a lot of effort to make it accurate by contest standards, but again, it can be built quickly, providing good practice, and look OK.

Hi,

I think I agree.  Alot of the old Airfix, Revell and Mongram ship kits can build up ok.  If you want to go into photo-etch and stuff they can get really complex, but as just base kits they don't seem too bad.  And I still really like the old Revell USS Arizona and USS Olympia myself, while the USS Eastwind also looks nice (though I haven't tried building it yet).

Though since the OP asked about planes or tanks, I would echo other peoples thoughts here that you can find some reasonable good, simple stuff in either category.

PF

I don't know about that Don,the Tamiya 1/350 Fletcher Class built out of box is a really simple kit as is their I-400.If he was talking ships I would definitely recommend them.

There are some pretty simple aircraft kits too.  The one thing I would stay away from as a beginner is a ship.  Not even talking about a sailing ship- even a modern warship is a more complex and lengthy build than an aircraft or tank.

LoneWolf13

Which one is easier for a begginer?

 

Tamiya has some really nice 1/48 scale armor kits that are relatively inexpensive and a lower parts count that are great for beginners. They sell the M1A2 Abrams at Hobby Lobby and with a 40% off coupon, it is quite reasonably priced.

It's basically a weekend kit that can be painted all sand and is quite detailed as Tamiya tends to do.

Tanks are an inherently easier build than many aircraft kits. Most seams on a tank are where actual metal plates or parts meet. Rough cast texture, welds or areas where the metal has been grinded are common. Damaged parts can be attributed to maneuver or combat damage and missing parts like fenders or headlights are not unheard of.

There is a Meng 1/48 scale P-51 Mustang kit that’s suppose to be good even it’s a snap kit.

https://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagories/Model_Aircraft/north-american-p-51d-mustang-fighter-snap-tite/MGK000LS006/product.php?s=0&t=0&u=0&micr=162&pg=1&ppp=48&sb=stocknumber&so=a&era=0,6&man=MGK

the Baron

 

 

Nuckss

I’m surprised so many people are suggesting aircraft are easier than armour. The seams And painting painting the canopy alone I think make aircraft more difficult. 

But, if aircraft is your true interest you might as well start with an easy aircraft kit. 

 

 

 

I haven't seen anyone say that airplanes models are easier to build than armor kits.  Many of the replies use one or the other as a suggestion.  But I don't think anyone has said that one genre is inherently easier to build than the other.

Rather, a common theme running through the thread is to look for older kits, or to look for specific kits with a low parts count.

 

Yeah, I suppose it was only the first reply that came down on the side of aircraft.

Nuckss

I’m surprised so many people are suggesting aircraft are easier than armour. The seams And painting painting the canopy alone I think make aircraft more difficult. 

But, if aircraft is your true interest you might as well start with an easy aircraft kit. 

I haven't seen anyone say that airplanes models are easier to build than armor kits.  Many of the replies use one or the other as a suggestion.  But I don't think anyone has said that one genre is inherently easier to build than the other.

Rather, a common theme running through the thread is to look for older kits, or to look for specific kits with a low parts count.

GMorrison

But let's also include Gundam and Sci fi.

Yeah, Maschinen Krieger kits, particularly the newer Wave kits, are relatively simple builds.  The SAFS and Raptor kits, for example, are pretty simple, well-engineered and with low parts counts.  They're designed more for relatively quick build, so you can spend more time on painting and weathering them.

GMorrison

But let's also include Gundam and Sci fi. 

 

 

Gundams have a moderate parts count, but are engineered for simple assembly. My son was building those from age 10 or so. Bandai’s Star Wars kits range from simple to complex. Pegasus makes some real Sci Fi beauties too...

But let's also include Gundam and Sci fi. 

It all depends upon the kit. Older simpler kits across the board in most every genre have low parts count and simple assembly. The older boxing’s that you can get secondhand usually have better fit than newer issues of old molds.

Nuckss

I’m surprised so many people are suggesting aircraft are easier than armour. The seams And painting painting the canopy alone I think make aircraft more difficult. 

But, if aircraft is your true interest you might as well start with an easy aircraft kit. 

 

Actually, automobile kits are much easier than aircraft, armor, and ships.

Armor kits tend to have a lot of fiddley bits compared to aircraft kits. That’s why folks say aircrafts are easier.

I’m surprised so many people are suggesting aircraft are easier than armour. The seams And painting painting the canopy alone I think make aircraft more difficult. 

But, if aircraft is your true interest you might as well start with an easy aircraft kit. 

As others have said, Tamiya 1/48 single engine aircraft or older 1/35 tanks.  Each genre has its challenges.  Aircraft have to be built neater and painting can be daunting (like Luftwaffe camo).  Armor has a lot of small parts and painting can also be complex, again German WW II tanks in the many variations of tricolor camo.

I recently walked two friends through their first aircraft and armor builds.  They both found armor to be overly complex, but one of them really liked 1/72 Tamiya WW II aircraft, despite the small size.

Simpler low parts count kits of either genre. Older Tamiya 1/35 armor kits are easy and great to learn with. Hobbyboss makes a new series of “easy build” 1/48 aircraft that are ideal. Pegasus makes some very nice snap together 1/48 aircraft kits that can also be glued and are super for learning. As stated above, some of the old Monogram 1/32 armor kits now issued under the Revell label are fine for the beginner. I built those as a young boy long ago, and they are fine for the novice adult. 

Stay away from any of the new über kits from Dragon, Meng, Takom, Zvezda, Hasgawa, Bronco, etc. Those are not for the novice builder.

Tamiya P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, Monogram Patton tank, Revell Spitfire, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Bf-109, are all good beginner kits. Check out your local Hobby Lobby. With a 40% coupon, you can find some easy beginner kits and save a bit of money in the process.

Hi,

As others have noted, it may really come down to a matter of personal preference.  However, if you are just starting out I would note that;

• some modern kits can look really nice, but may have an excessively high number of parts and/or include things like photo-etched parts and complex track components (for armor subjects) etc.  For a beginner modelere, or someone just getting back into the hobby, I might hold off on those for awhile until I get a bit more experience.
• some modern kits from smaller manufacturers can have parts that are a bit crudely cast and require a bit of work to clean up and assemble (although they can still be built into really nice builds)
• some really old kits can also be crude and have molds that haven't aged well

As such, I would suggest finding a particular vehicle or plane that you are interested in, and doing a google search on models of that particular item.  A lot of manufacturers and resellers will post images of the kit contents (and there are also many kit inbiox or build reviews that provided similar images and information) that may help you decide if the number of parts and any special features of their kits (such as photo-etch parts or complex track mechanisms) look like something you feel comfortable with attempting.  

Regards

PF

I lean towards aircraft and would reccomend the 1/48 tamiya spitfire mk1.  Paintjob is a bit challenging but the kit is really nice and not too much $$.  Parts count is low and the fit and engineering are fantastic = low frustration.

http://sheperdpaine.atspace.com/

Wow! Didn't know that anyone had made a website showing shep Paines models and diorama's!

In my view, tamiya makes some good older tank models, if your not worried about accuracy and there not too expensive either.

Look around, check reviews, and build what you like.

Good review sites:

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com

https://www.scalemates.com/

http://www.themodellingnews.com/

What, no fully rigged sailing ships???

When I restarted the hobby, I built a lot of Tamiya tank models. They are fun, and go together well. There are much more complicated armor models, but sticking together a Tamiya T-34 or Tiger is a pleasure.

Neither is easier than the other, in and of itself.  You can find simple kits in either genre.

If you'd like to build a simple aircraft, I recommend the 1/48 kits from Monogram, which were also lated sold under the Revell-Monogram merged label.  Kits like the P-51D, the F4U, the SBD, or the P-40B, date back to the late 50s and early 60s.  By today's standards, they are simple kits, but that makes them good kits for learning on.  I still build old Monogram kits for fun, too, because I enjoy them.

As for armor, I will recommend Monogram again (also sold today under the Revell-Monogram label).  Again, the kits are simpler than today's kits from Dragon or Trumpeter, among others, with parts counts approaching four figures.  Monogram's armor kits are relatively simple, with low parts counts, but they build into nice-looking models, and they are good practice for someone starting out.

And to show how good a model can be made from either a Monogram airplane or armor kit, have a look here:

http://sheperdpaine.atspace.com/

Hope that helps!

Best regards,

Brad

I build both and i really would not say one is easier than the other. I do find seems on aircraft more of an issue, on armour you don't get the curves like an aircraft fuselage.