Hi
In your opinion, what is the best model kit brand?
I say Tamiya
Thank you
hmmm… Tamiya is a good kit, but there are many factors at play here. I like Academy for the decent kit and a great value. I also like companies that put out product no other company offers, such as Czech. The kits are not a great fit, but they offer some cool stuf. With a little elbow grease you can make them very nice.
Eduards makes some great stuff but usually at a price point I dont want to pay, HobbyBoss also offers a decent kit, but some are over-priced.
Quality, value, and rarity.
Tamiya and Academy probaly are my top two go to brands, but I also buy a lot of old kits on ebay, such as Revell, ARII, and such.
It all depends upon the subject. Some subjects are made only by certain companies. And other older Tamiya kits have been eclipsed by newer kits of the same subject from other companies. Not all that glitters Tamiya is gold.
There is no best brand. There are some better than others, but in my opinion subject comes first, then quality of the molds.
GM
you hit it right on the nail head . subject is the selling point for me .price secound …and quality last
5-high
To me, quality over price anyday. I’m not concerned with price, only because I will buy a said subject when its on sale, or its being sold at a model show or eBay. I never pay retail.
I agree that there is no absolute best brand,some are better at some things then others,for example it’s hard to beat Dragon in WWII German Armor.But overall you need to research the kit your interested in because all brands have some winners and loosers.Many will say the kit don’t matter,that s true modeler could correct and build anything.
[dto:]
Best bang for the buck? Monogram! Well, somebody had to say it, and you might guess it would be me…[:D]
I just wish Tamiya, Hasegawa, Academy, Trumpy/HobbyBoss would outsource their decals. Major points docked for those things.
An Eduard Weekend Edition costs about half a Tamiya, and takes 2-3 times as long to build.
Tamiya is great, and I enjoy building them. But, alas, the joy is over too soon.
I second the plan of choosing the subject and finding the best brand for the subject.
There are so many companies that produce kits, the major variables are molding quality, fit and cost. I have some of the very expensive kits, not all of them offer fine details and superior fit. Some of my very affordable kits, offer every feature I appreciate.
Of late I have come to really enjoy the Revell Germany kits, and the 1:72 Pro Modeler B-17G kit is among the best I have ever purchased. I found zero flaws and positively superior fit, a real pleasure to build.
Tamiya, while quite expensive and unfortunately out of reach for some modelers, offers a dependably good product. Hasegawa has provided me with some good items over the years, but again, can be a bit pricey.
Overall, Revell offers me the best quality at the best price point, when the two factors are mutually considered.
Patrick
Very True, with Airfix a close second. Their new tooled kits are both fabulously detailed and quite affordable.
Revell
Good value and selection.
Oh, Corgi by far! Take a look at the “larger image” on this link.
They come assembled, painted, and in large scale. Recessed panel lines and nice detailing.
If price is no object, and you want easy to assemble kits then this is for you! [:D]
(Yeah, joking… sort of).
Gary
.
There just isn’t any answer to the original question.
With a few exceptions (e.g., Trumpeter, Dragon, and Merit), the model companies doing business today have been around for many years. During that time their products have generally gotten better - with some notable exceptions. In the late 1970s, for instance, the hobby went through a major period of decline. For a while Monogram was operating as a subsidiary of Matell Toys, and its products were pretty crude by comparison with what it had been producing a few years earlier. Revell went through a period when it was putting photos of Tamiya and Hasegawa models on its boxes - which contained decidedly inferior kits. (I believe that one wound up in the courts.)
Today, unfortunately, many of the old, primitive kits are still being sold - and it’s difficult to spot them. The Revell Germany website, for instance, shows the company’s excellent 1/350 and 1/700 Bismarck kits alongside the 1/535 USS Missouri, which was first released in 1954 (and was the very first kit for which Revell itself cut the molds). By comparison with either of the Bismarck kits, it’s a nondescript blob.
Revell’s recent 1/72 B-17F has far more parts, and far better detail, than the same company’s 1/48 B-17F - which was pirated almost entirely from the Monogram B-17G that was released in the '70s.
Another problem: companies release kits that originally were made by other companies, a long time ago. Buy a Revell Germany 1/72 B-17 and you get new, state-of-the-art tooling. Buy a Revell Germany Avro Shackleton and you get a Frog kit from the early 1970s in a nice new box.
Revell isn’t the only firm that does things like that. I’m a big fan of Airfix; its recent kits are real beauties (and reasonably priced as well). But its current catalog includes two Spifire Mk.I’s in 1/72 scale. One is a newly tooled kit; the other dates (I think) from the seventies. Both are packaged in nice boxes with nice, recent, computer-rendered box art. Some of the other current Airfix offerings date from the sixties.
Let the buyer beware. If you base your overall opinion of a manufacturer on one or two kits, you’re liable to get snockered by the next one you buy.
There are those of us who consider these tactics fraudulent and unethical. But so far as I know, nothing can be done about them.
The web can be a big help; just key in the name of the kit you’re thinking about buying, followed by the word “review.” You’ll probably get sent to several knowledgable reviews of the kit - but no promises.
Thisis like asking “Who’s the best guitarist” or the most beautiful woman.
Un-answerable.
Each company has its good points, bad points, there is no “best”.