Returning to the hobby after a long break (since I was a kid!!) I look at all the kits by the different manufacturers and I was wondering if there is a consensus amongst the more experienced modellers that certain manufacturers produce better quality kits and certain ones give trouble? I know most of the names, but I don’t know just by the name on the box which ones will go together better and produce a good model with the minmum of cussing!
I see the big producers - Tamiya, Hasegawa etc and I know from experience that their kits are usually pretty good. Are their others ones that are of a similar standard? Are their betters ones and worse ones? Which ones would you recommend for someone looking for straightforward builds and which should I steer clear of?
I appreciate that some kits from the same manufacturer may be better than others. I am after a general trend. Thanks for your help. [:)]
THere are so many different variables, such as age of molds, subject matter available by each manufacturer, price, scale, etc. If you have a specific airplane in mind, your best bet is to check out the vast on-line reviews such as Hyperscale and modellingmadness and aircraft resourece center. You will find that Tamiya, Hasegawa and Accurate miniatures are typically considered “good models”, but the other companies make some equally attractivce builds.
Good luck and make sur eto post pics of your progress!
Price wise I would have to say that hasegawa is my choice hands down due to the vast amount of aircraft they have to choose from. Some of the newer revellogram is pretty good, and tamiya will always be in the top 5. Accurate Miniatures has some really great kits for a young company for WWII builds such as the early variant of the mustang and the B-25.
It’s hard to generalize because all manufacturers have some great kits & some stinkers. But Tamiya, Hasegawa, Accurate Miniatures & Eduard are fairly consistent in quality. Academy, Revell/Monogram, Italeri, Trumpeter, etal make some great kits, but are less consistent overall. It’s really best to decide which Aircraft you wish to model & then ask for opinions on who makes the best kit for that Aircraft.
As said before, it really depends on the individual mold.
Tamiya and Hasgawa often have good kits, but new kits from Academy/italeri/Revell etc. can be good as well.
well i was going to say airfi… well never mind. I think the guys are right., price to product i think academy and hasegawa are good value, tamiya in my eyes are a bit expensive, however they do deliver some really nice kits.
Cheers,
Alan
my experience:
revel-germany = best quality vs price in general
academy reasonably priced, mostly pretty good, however mostly ****** decals.
Fujimi expensive, but very good quality, especialy if interested in their mig21’s, tomcats, a6-intruder etc.
Tamiya, expensive, but top quality!
Some of italeri kits quite ok, in general cheap.
Hasegawa too expensive and not always price matching their quality, most of their new molds are state of the art, some of their older kits are very ordinary. (1/72 a-7 corsair, a37, worse than any other kit of same aircraft out there)
I now know what I should be looking at. When I was a kid it was go and buy an Airfix, or nothing at all. These days there is a lot more choice - I have more pocket money too!!! [:D] It also helps me when I browse through EBay.
Tamiya and Hasagawa are generally good, but there are exceptions. The fit and finish on Tamiya’s 1/48 ME-109E was superb. I think I literally only a pinhead’s woth of putty on the entire thing. Tamiya’s 1/48 Spitfire Mk V, was very good, although there were some issues with it’s wingtips. Tamiya’s 1/48 Zero/type 21, is proving to be decent but clearly not up to the standards of the 109 or Spitfire. The kit is inexpensive, dating from 1973, and does show its age. Tamiya’s 1/72 Spitfire Mk I was rather disapoointing by Tamiya standards, with a variety of gap and fit issues. It took a lot more effort to build acceptably than it should have. Hasagawa’s 1/72 Spitfire Mk9 and 1/72 FW190A are both excellent, with no significant fit or finish problems.
Bottom line is that there are no guarantees. Try to read reviews before buying a kit, try to buy newer kits, and when in doubt buy Tamiya and Hasagawa.
I recently built 2 F/A-18 Hornet’s in 1/72 scale , one was a Hasegawa kit the other a Italeri kit . they were both about the same price , but I much preffered Hasegawa’s kit because of the way it fitted together. On the other hand I’ve built 2 A-6E intruder’s in 1/72 scale , one by Hasegawa and the other by Italeri . The Italeri kit was much better , not because it came with an optional wing-fold , but the canopy was a better arrangement . So like everone else has said there are lot’s of Aircraft model web sites you can look up for reviews on certain aircraft kit’s and FSM’s Forum page’s are packed with helpful tips and advice on ever aspect of Model aircraft building .
My favorite manufacture is Revell Germany, especially if you can find a new mold and like large 1/72 German aircraft. They do tend to rebox things alot, so keep an eye out for that. Run it by Forum members or do a quick internet search when in doubt.
If you do find a new mold, the kit is usually well-molded, fit is awesome, and detail is well-represented. And cheap, too! (relatively)