Hi everyone.
I’m new here and am looking for a little advice. after a 10 year recess I have decided to get back into building models. When I built models in the past It was a very casual activitiy, now i’m looking to really dedicate myself to honing my skills.
Can someone give me a quick run down of the various model manufacturers… Are some better than others, more detailed? better fit? etc…
My passion is warbirds… and i’m leaning towards 1/48th scale… I think. [:)]
I hate to label any particular manufacturer’s product over another but I have built some of the Tamiya models namely the Corsair and Wildcat. Both went together easily, fit well and needed no filler anywhere.
Accurate Miniatures produce some really good kits and I’m working on an Avenger at the moment. Great fit, lots of detail no filler required either.
Hasegawa has a good review from folks but they may have more information to help you out.
Hi, welcome back!!! The best advice I can give is build what you want with the money you want to spend. The Tamiya, Hasegawa brands are the best, but pricey. Try Revell, Italeri or Trumpeter for value. If you are really daring, try stuff from Eastern Europe. They are real surprises, you dont know what you are going to get!!![}:)][}:)][}:)]
Accurate Miniatures
Tamiya
Hasegawa
Testors/Italrei
There are a lot of good manufactures out there these days and many new guys putting their hat in the ring like AM Tech and Trumpeter has moved into aircraft in a big way. Most are pretty good and there are a few stinkers like some of the FM kits (not all, just some) and Starfix which you should be paid for to even look at (POS). Accurate MIniatures is under new management and has added some new stuff to their line in addition to many of the previous items. I would suggest taking a look at my website ( http://www.SwannysModels.com ) and reading some of the kit reviews as well as kit reviews from http://www.hyperscale.com or http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com or http://www.modelingmadness.com
If there is a specific kit you are interested in building first ask about that one because there is a good chance it will be manufactured by more than one company with different pros and cons not to mention there tends to be a lot of aftermartket stuff that will help drain your wallet.
Anyway, welcome back to the hobby and welcome to the forum. There are lots of good people here with lots of useful information so never be hesitant to ask questions.
Fellas,
Thanks for the advice and feedback. I’ve been involved in many forums in my life but nothing like this 
Here’s the understatement of the day… I’m darn glad I found this site!
Have a great day fellas.
Hi there Fifa (love the tag by the way), I’ll throw in my two cents worth on this issue. Oh yeah, welcome back.
I would second what Swanny and the others have said and add that while there are lots of great manufacturers out there as have already been mentioned you need to check reviews before you buy a kit. Kit manufacturers have a nasty habit of re-issuing very old kits with a new set of decals and parading these around as if they were new. All of the well known manufactures do this, so if you are interested in a particular kit check the web for a review or post a question here. I guarantee that you will get more info than you need.
Happy modeling
Try to find reviews of the particular model you are interested in. Every manufacturer has great models and lemons - only their ratio varies. To make it even more interesting, most of the major manufacturers rebox other manufacturers’ models.
sasu
[#ditto]
Yeah, what he said.
I think what most people are trying to express are that Accurate Miniatures, Tamiya and Hasegawa have the best “ratios”, but don’t let that scare you away from another brand. Read the reviews and comments from people who have built them.
If you like Customer service, most will agree that Accurate Miniatures is tops, but that’s not taking away from the other fine manufacturers out there.
Oh, and make sure to POST PICTURES of what you’re working on. There is so much I learn from pictures that words cannot describe.