There are a ton of models out there and they range in price from free to… well, more than some cars. I find my sweet spot in the $40 to $60 range. I’m curious what your favorite model under $60 is. This could be a $59.99 model straight up or a $29.99 model with $30 worth of aftermarket parts. If you have links of where you saw it, even better.
2 Likes
Whenever I see any models that are about $50 or under range, it’s mostly (but not always) smaller scale models (1/72, 1/144, 1/700, etc.) that I don’t like as it doesn’t interest me or I can’t build it because I’ve got bad eyesight (Smaller models = smaller parts).
The last time I got a really good deal on a model was over a year ago in the vendor area at a contest. I paid $40 for a 1/350 scale TAMIYA WWII USS Missouri battleship kit. Everything was still in the box and the parts bags were still sealed too.
4 Likes
Currently, my favorite kit under $60 would be either the new tool AMT 57 Chevy Bel Air or the AMT Double Dragster kit.
2 Likes
1/48 Tamiya P-51B, P-51D
1/48 Tamiya P-47, P-47 Razorback
1/12 Tamiya Kawasaki Ninja
1/24 Revell Land Rover Series III 109
1/24 Revell Revell Bronco
I can go on and on… 
5 Likes
Yes,that is a pretty broad question for sure.
2 Likes
It was intended to be. I love @keavdog answer. It shows several options for us to check out.
2 Likes
The Revell 1/48 Stearman is pretty awesome for the money.
3 Likes
What genre? I’m really enjoying this Hasegswa F-86 1/48th that was in that range. Fairly simple build, no gotchas, minimal gaps except the standard center seam. My decals were miss colored where the blue stripes were black which was a bummer, but could have just been my copy. I found a nice set of aftermarket decals that I liked so it was okay, that adds to the total price.
I think I got it for $20 brand new, still in the wrapper, which left room for a small PE set and the decals and still kept it around your price range.
2 Likes
Any genre! My intent with this discussion is to help new modellers have great experiences while growing their skills. I’m sure you’ve experienced the frustration of working on a model with high hopes of a great finished build only to be thwarted by the poor design, instructions, or quality control of the manufacturer. Or perhaps you saved up to buy an expensive model only to find yourself in way over your head.
2 Likes
The model kits I’ve bought the most in my life I guess - far under 60 bucks, but the Tamiya PZ2 Luchs and their Hanomag 251/1. The only kits I don’t get frustrated with as not being worth their price tag are usually the ones under $20 
2 Likes
I’ve been buying and building kits for a bit over 55 years now. Accumulating a stash since the early 90’s… although it really didn’t take off until eBay came along with the fantastic deals one used to be able to find there. I have a hard time paying $60 or more for most any kit, unless it is something really big like a 1/350 large ship. And then only if I have the extra cash available at the time. Nowdays most of my kit scores are purchased secondhand from model contest vendors, or at model club meetings.
Building primarily 1/35 military vehicles or 1/48 military aircraft, my comfort range is in the $20-$40 range per item. Finances over the course of my life have been feast or famine, depending upon the time period. Nowadays, being on a retirement pension, I look for online sales from favorite shops for bargains of sought after kits to stay within that range, or occasionally reach the $50 mark. So in all honesty, my favorite model under $60 is nearly all of those that I have purchased to date.
2 Likes
An interesting question you pose there! And one that makes me think deeply. 
No kit came to mind right away. But if I think (there’s that word again) really hard, my favorite kit under $60 (it was 3800 Yen) would probably be the Bandai Master Grade Zaku II ver.2.0. The reason is that when it came out, Bandai was on a really hot innovative streak, churning out new Master Grade Gunpla kits month after month, each one featuring something new to push the boundaries of the line to new heights. I think the Zaku ver.2.0 represents the pinnacle of that era. It looked great, had astonishing flexibility, the eye movement mechanism was pure genius (and worked flawlessly unlike the ver.1.0), and the overall package just oozed quality in every direction. Plus, Bandai was quick to replace all their old ver.1.0 Zaku variants with this new kit, the exception being the Zaku I.
Shockingly, I have no photos of the kit. Sorry guys.
This is the only ver.2.0 Zaku photo I have. It is a cannon-armed variant.
as you can see, I have Gunpla on my mind.
3 Likes
For sure, my monogram Harrier is cheep but if you want something approaching reality, it requires a lot of Bondo sculpting in the intakes and the decal instructions are wrong which I hadn’t caught until I had already set them.
@Samphoto what I hear you saying is that you don’t recommend the monogram harrier, right?
1 Like
Pretty sure you are trying to be funny here but just in case…
Well, in the end, except for the decals going on wrong which really bugged me, but I should have double checked it was okay. There is a new uma Harrier that is amazing, though expensive at about $80,
So if on a budget, it is the right shape and size and goes together okay but I’d save my pennies and the the Uma kit and avoid the hassles that present with the monogram.