Do others here have trouble finding that “sweet spot” in a kit, a kit that is challenging but not overwhelming, and a kit that is either too simple, or too much a PIA to be fun?
I have a limited amount of money to spend on kits, so I need to keep to kits that are not too expensive, or not build anything while I am waiting to get enough cash to buy something, which is not a very good alternative as I like to always have something to build. So that limits me to buying a Tamiya kit here and there from an online source and keeping the price to $30-35, or heading over to Michaels or Hobby Lobby with a coupon and picking up a Revel kit for $15-20.
I just picked up a Tamiya kit, and it looks to be a very simple kit, as pretty much all their less expensive kits that I have bought have been. That is not a bad thing, but after forking out $35, it does not keep me busy for long. On the other hand, I picked up Revel’s F-5 at Hobby Lobby for cheap with a coupon, and it was a really crude kit. Molding was poor, fit was poor, sometimes only a guess where parts were supposed to fit, and I found myself losing patience with it. I picked up a Dragon kit used at the only modeling show I have been able to attend, and have sworn to myself that I will never buy another. I know people really love them, but it was too much for me. Finicky fit and tiny parts that I could not handle.
Ah well, I guess I am just too picky. But I did build my first AFV Club kit, the Dodge Command car, which was a pretty nice balance for me (and only $25). Almost too challenging to get the fit to look good, but overall a fun kit for my level of skill.
Maybe I need to build fewer kits and spend more, but I also know that more money spent does not always mean a better model.
I generally read the reviews about a kit before I buy,that usually keeps me from getting an unmanagable kit.And i know my limitations and how much of a challenge to take on…
As far as the Dragon kit you build,the newer ones are easier to manage,detailed but well engineered,so don’t swear of all Dragon kits.
To be honest, I don’t have much trouble at all finding a sweet spot kit - I seem to find WAY too many of them, according to my wife!
Have to ask - what Tamiya kit did you drop $35 on? If it’s 1/48 aircraft, I can only think of a few single-engines that I’d pay that for - the Storch, Il-2, and MAYBE the P-47M. You can snag their P-47D kits for around $30, and they are certainly more involved than the two-sprue wonders that Hobby Lobby stocks (those are great kits, but yeah, not much to them).
In terms of sweet spots…for aircraft check out Revell’s PV-1, Zvezda’s La-5 or La-5FN, Eduard’s Hellcats (I got the Mk I/II Dual Combo Profipack awhile back for $35…that’s two full kits + PE + masks + awesome decals). And definitely Tamiya’s Thunderbolts - in my opinion just some of the flat-out best kits ever put out in 1/48.
Armor is harder to keep at $30-35. The Dragon T-34 kits are pretty good and detailed without going overboard. I’m also a huge fan of their Panzer III and IV Smart Kits, and the Cyber-Hobby Orange Box value sets impart all that awesomeness usually at a slightly cheaper price. Honestly I don’t know why everyone dogs on Dragon so much. There are some fiddly bits, sure, but they all fit well and I’ve found most of their kits to be much less PITA-worthy than the AFV Club Achilles I built. If you keep an eye on Dragon USA’s online shop, they also run crazy specials all the time, and you should be able to find some amazing armor kits (and a few aircraft) for often 40-50% off. Heck, right now they’re selling a JSU-152 for $15 and I’m trying very hard to not buy it!
After building (and winning) Model Craft’s 1/48 F-82 (which can be had for low $20s…GET SQUADRON VAC-CANOPIES for it!!!)…EVERYTHING hits the sweet spot…it’s just a matter of subject, to determine what I build…kit manufacturer matters not!
PS, not saying that I’m recommending the F-82, just saying I learned A LOT, about making things fit, filling major gaps, aligning misaligned parts and fixing just about everything else that could possibly go wrong…the kit is rough! I also learned to truley appreciate everything that Revellogram ever put out!
The kit I just picked up is Tamiya’s British L.R.D.G. Command Car. It is a kit I stumbled upon at my favorite online store, and have been eagerly awaiting its re-release. It is one of those subjects that when you see it you know you want to build it. It cost something like $31, + $6 to get it shipped. I would dearly love to build a P-47, but it must be a bubble-top, and I have not seen one under $30, until you pointed me towards Dragon Online. They have a P-47D bubble top from Tamiya that I have never seen before, at sub- $30. www.dragonusaonline.com/item_detail.aspx
‘course they say “market place” suppliers may not actually have the kit, and I don’t know how often that is an issue.
While I still stand by my comment on the Revel F-5, I can also say sometimes I go into a kit with expectations, and then get annoyed when those expectations are not met. That is a fault of mine, not Revel,s (though I did not know I was getting a kit quite so rough as that one is).
I really do appreciate suggestions on kits people have built (thanks DoogsATX). So I cruise over to the Dragon site, and the next thing I know I have a $70 order! Hey, you want to get the most you can out of your shipping charges right? I didn’t hit the order button, but I didn’t clear my cart either [:D]
My sweet spot holds a narrow range, being “something I like” and “$5 or less”. Haven’t bought a kit since my club auction a few months ago, where I picked up a couple for $1 each. shrug
I find Trumpeter kits to be a fairly good balance between price and buildability. They do sometimes cut corners with detail, but that’s sometimes what makes them more buildable than more complex kits. Occassionally they do an absolute howler eg. P-40 cockpit but price wise, I find them much easier on the wallet than Dragon or Tamiya.
I quite enjoyed building the Trumpeter Abrams, which was the 5 in 1 kit which gave quite a few options. Compared to a Tamiya Abrams it was almost half the price. While it did have a few inaccuracies about it, the leading edge of the turret being the main offender, but I only picked it out because I saw it on another site. For the average layperson, It’s an Abrams.
One reason I like ship models, and used to do quite a bit of model railroading. I love the challenge of making my own detail parts to go along with a basic kit and a little extra stuff. I find that I can just keep adding detail to a model until I feel like stopping.
The ultimate “sweet spot” for me is Tamiya Thunderbolt Razorback…from start to finish. Actually its more like bliss. I got one off E-bay for $25.00 so it can be found cheap with persistence and a littl luck.
About 10 years ago, I picked up a Tamiya Steyr Kommandeur wagon (basically a giant 4-door staff car) from the clearance bin at a local hobby shop for around $10-12 (less than the new Willys Jeep cost). There was also a small Tamiya PE set for it for another $4.
It’s not my usual fare, but I was pleasantly pleased with the build. I painted it in German gray from a Tamiya rattle can so I didn’t have to mess with the more exotic German camouflage schemes.
So for around $15, I build a nice, well-engineered kit that looks like an over-sized Jeep.
Stick with the Dragon Smart Kits if you can. I have a few in the stash. They are the modern molds, with limited PE, but still contains great detail. Dragon kits generally build up well. They supplanted Tamiya years ago when they released their Super Kits. They have a ton of parts, but are more detailed and come with everything you need. Spruebrothers and ebay are my places of choice to save money on them.
Revell smart kits is a good place to start if you’re a novice. There are also many nice Air Fix kits without too many parts. Sadly what they lack in parts, they also lack in details. Dragon is good and offers many parts. I have however noticed that some parts can be made of vinyl. Some come with PEs as well. Tamiya kits specially armour are quite manaegable, Specially the tracks. They are usually made of nice and stretchy rubber. Easy to fit. Look up on reviews for pointers to secure a good purchase. Sometimes going to a flee market can be that place where you find those hidden treasures.
My sweet spot build was the tamiya n1k1. The kit was great, great fit, great detail, great decals etc etc. This allowed me to concentrate on the finish and weathering. Really a great kit and can be found quite cheap.
Mine was without doubt the Trumpeter 1/700 kit of the Jean Bart. It had really good seams. The mouldings fitted nicely. hardly no need to use the putty to tweak. Beautiful details, loads of spare parts (about 359). Less 23 £. Such a beauty! Highly recommended to all model builders.
I’d say any of the Hasegawa 1/32 Bf-109’s are the sweet spot- small parts count, decent details and they’re practically idiot-proof. And there were enough different schemes and personal markings to make each one unique.