I’m used to building plastic model armor kits made by Tamiya. I’ve seen some other companies appear on the market (Dragon, Italeri, etc.) and I’m curious who you feel is/are the best plastic model armor kit makers…is Tamiya still the best or is there another company that is the best?
Dragon gets my vote.
It can’t really be said which manufacturer is the “best”. It depends what your criteria are (accuracy, detail, buildability, etc.). All manufacturers have good and bad kits in their lines. It is better to pick a subject (M-4, Tiger, etc.), then inquire as to which kit will better suit your needs.
rule of thumb:
Dragon,more detailed,more parts=more complex build,but nice
Tamiya,less parts,great fit,not as detailed,but still nice
What Bronto says. If you say Tiger I, people will say DML. If you say Sherman tank, people will say Tasca. If you say Char B1Bis, people will say Tamiya. If you say Centurion, people will say AFV Club. Want an M113? Go Academy. Want a Archer SPG? Go Bronco.
What’s your flavor?
Ditto. Start with a subject, then look for who makes it.
Personally my favorite manufacturers are Dragon, Tasca and Bronco.
+1 to that
BTW you missed one
you want LAV and many varients go Trumpeter
PS who makes the best T-54/55?
Dragon is the best for German WW II. They generally offer the most for less. Best bang for the buck. I still like most Tamiya kits made after the 90’s. I love the ease of fit and lower part count, but they don’t always have the appropriate AM needed.
DITTO to the first sentence but i don’t agree to the second. Yes, you get more plastic for your money. But that plastic is often just thrown in a spares box and not used. Often they seem to add stuff for the sack of it. For example, i have a number of their 251 kits. They all come with the bits to go under the floor, which all adds money to the kit. I would rather they took this stuff out, made the kit cheaper and then offered it as an extra set.
Bish: but you’re mistaken. The “extras” are the less expensive way. Why take time to take sprues and cut off the unneeded parts when you can just cram them in. Once the mold is cut, the actual sprue only costs pennies. The time to carefully package what’s only needed would cost more, not less.
The best T-55 is generally agreed to as being from Tamiya.
Chosing model kits solely by manufacturer name is not the way to go in today’s environment. Several kits are boxed and reboxed by different manufacturers. For instance, if you decide to chose the Tamiya Staghound over the Italeri Staghound because of the brand name, you’d be in for a surprise when you opened your Tamiya box and found the Italeri kit inside. So in this instance, price should be your deciding factor, because the plastic inside is the same (plus the original Italeri kit comes with an optional metal barrel the Tamiya boxing doesn’t include). Now Tamiya has tossed in a sprue of their Universal Carrier figures with their Staghound boxing so that may be a plus.
The only true way to get the best is to ask or research about a particular subject. Whether you want to build the most up to date Abrams tank, Tiger, etc., each company’s kits have their various pluses and minuses.
I like Academy armor kits first then Dragon second Academy gives you an interior where as dragon does’nt Dragon has better details outside but I will sacrafice outer detail for an interior detail. I don’t like empty models if I can avoid it. ACESES5 [2cnts]
Only a handful of Academy kits include interiors - pretty much the same with all of the manufacturers, some kits do, some don’t.
Too bad Academy’s interiors are terribly inaccurate.
I find it will vary a lot and it does depend on what your goal is. For example, if you like historical / design accuracy, the Tamiya 1/35 Panzer IV Ausf D (which I recently completed) has quite a few errors. The large rivets on the cupola are missing (one which most builders reconcile with styrene or aftermarket rivets), the tracks aren’t correct, and the bracket on the muffler assembly is grossly wrong (it’s actually held on by thin air according to the kit, lol!). It’s hard to tell until you really open the kit, so it can be a crapshoot unless you find a detailed review or buildlog. I think a good rule of thumb is to be ready for anything, as any kit has its quirks. That might even be part of the fun, letting you employ some problem-solving, kit-bashing and scratch building skills. Or, you may just want to breeze through and let these things slide, for a simpler / “take a break” or experimentation build. One thing you can do if you don’t like a kit or it has errors is do a destroyed build of it. Crashed planes or burnt out tank hulls rotting in a field. Great practice for weathering and a pretty sneaky way to hide and avoid dealing with kit problems. “Poor fit? No, I’m pretty sure an artillery shell hit this at some point…” Haha. Have fun!
“It’s hard to tell until you really open the kit, so it can be a crapshoot unless you find a detailed review or buildlog.” But the wonderful internet has many tools… www.scalemates.com
It lists most kits, associated accessories and has links to online builds and reviews for each.
Dragon…
4 Year old zombie thread [:XX]
True, but I still read and I still appreciate the responses to it.