So far, my modeling has all been 1:72 and 1:48. I’m intrigued by the detail level on the 1:32 kits and the fact that they are almost “kits within kits” if you want them to be.
Instead of spending the next year building a row of small models, I’m considering getting a Tamiya 1:32. Any opinions?
Just got done building the 1:32 scale Tamiya F-16CJ, and it was an amazing experience. It can be built straight out of the box with no help from any PE or resin upgrades. I wanted to build mine with a few new toys added to it since the Tamiya model was released, so I scratch-built a BLOS antenna and JHMCS MTU. Added a LH mount resin HTS pod and a RH mount Sniper ATP, along with AIM-9X missiles and some 50 Year anniversary Wild Weasel decals. But everything else was straight out of the box.
Here’s a build thread I posted on it to show how detailed and complex the Tamiya 1:32 jets are. Have the F-15E too which is still in an early stage of construction.
http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/186959.aspx
I built the 1/32 Tamiya F-4 Phantom jet. Wonderfully engineered kit, great results. I highly recommend it!
I’ve built three of the F-15 kits over the last year and although they are very nice, they are not up to the gold standard of the new 1/32 Tamiya prop planes. A few fit issues, and ejector pin marks in unhappy places. They are from the 90’s originally and Tamiya has improved over the years. So look at the age of the kit design, the newer the better, but none of them are to avoid, in my opinion.
I can tell you that the 1/48 Tomcat and Viper are fantastic