Are Hasegawa’s 1/48 F-14 kits worthy of the price? Thanks in advance. Dean
That’s a loaded question…
Mr.H’s 48th F-14s are second to none. Whether or not they’re worth the $60+ retail… that’s relative and a matter of personal opinion. I for one would gladly pay $60 for a 48th Hasegagme F-14, especially considering the alternatives, which are:
Academy - A waaaaaay distant second to Hasegagme. Decent kit, although it inherits the fit problems of the Monogram kit from which it indirectly sprang.
Monogram (Revell these days) - Old and somewhat outta date by today’s standards. Still fairly decent, but just plain old. Fit problems are many, but the detail on this kit is still pretty good.
Italeri - I think they should go into the toy business…
Revell - Another OLD kit… not worth the time to a builder, unless you like a challenge…
Fujimi - No comment…
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Steve, I’m interested in fit and accuracy rather than what Revell ever offered. So shall I assume Hasegawa’s fit is as good as most of their other offerings? Dean
I think I summed it up when I said that Mr.H’s 48th F-14s are second to none. Berny noted that the kit is “not easy to put together”. I suppose that’s relative and depends upon the builder. I had absolutely no problem in assembly with the Hasegawa kit… finishing was another matter, but that’s for another thread.
The bottom line is that Hasegawa’s F-14 kits are above and beyond any of the other kits available… on all levels. And that includes fit and accuracy.
Referring to the Revell kit:
Testors marketed the Fujimi kit, but I wasn’t aware that Revell had done so as well. Unless maybe it was Revell of Germany? In any event, Revell (USA) had their own 48th F-14 kit, and that’s what I’m referring to. I think it’s a toss up as to which was the uglier kit… Revell or Fujimi.
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I would say you will get a good accurate kit with it. Fit is pretty good, although there are places that seem to be harder to deal with than they should. Its a bit over engineered, IMHO, but as was stated before, its still the best one out there!
Here are a couple previews/reviews you can check out
http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/has/kit_has_tomcat.shtml
http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/has/kit_has_f-14b.shtml
All the kits are basiclly the same, with a few extra parts and diffrent decal sheets. I bought an A model for my first aircraft kit in years, and it was a bit to much, but I got it to look like a Tomcat. I think with a little work and some patience, it will be a great build, in fact, I have 3 more waiting on me to build!
You guys are the best! This is the kind of info I was looking for. Don’t stop now. Dean
I would second that the Hasegawa kit is the best in 1/48th out of the box. I’ve seen some people make excellent work of the Monogram-Revel kit, but it takes a lot of extras.
Yes the kit is probably over-engineered, but that resutls in a very accurate kit and a family of kits that covers about every conceivable possiblily and option.
Go with it, you won’t be dissapointed.
The Monogram and Revell F-14A kits are identical. I have the current Revell F-14A in my stash and it’s identical to Monograms in every detail. I agree there are some fit flaws with the Revell & Monogram F-14A kits, I have built both and with patience and skill you can make it look as good as any Hasagawa F-14 kit. I like a challenge and for price Revell/Monogram kits are not bad at all.
Air Master
I tore into a Hasegawa F-14 a few years back assuming she’d click together like their Phantom kits. Big mistake. There about 300 pieces invloved in one of those Tomcats. Fit them carefully.
The Hasegawa kit can be finicky, but with some patience and a bit of guidance, you can get through it. There are fit issues, but the Hasegawa kit is by far the best one available.
David Aungst did a series on his build of a Has-Cat…part 3 is specifically the construction of the kit.
http://www.kitparade.com/features01/f14constructiondwa_3.htm
Hope this helps.
Mitch
LOL Yes, the kit currently boxed by Revell is the Monogram kit… as I noted. No news flash there. But whatever the name on the box it’s still the Monogram kit… and I refer to it as such. Kinda like the FA/-18 will always be the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 in my eyes…
Yeah, and with patience and skill one can make an Aurora P-40 look like Hasegawa’s… [:P]
I’d say the only real reason not to go for the Hasegawa kit is if you just plain can’t afford it. Putting that issue aside, and having built all of the above kits except Italeri’s, it would be a waste of time for me to build anything but the Hasegawa kit. However, that’s just my preference…
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Thanks again for all the useful info. I think I’ll get one of the Hasegawa kits. Thanks again. Dean