Good (affordable) beginner kit?

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

I’ve been modeling for 4-5 months now and I’m itching to do an armor kit. I’ve been doing aircraft, almost exclusively WW2 fighters, and now I want to tackle something a little different to shuffle things up. So I was wondering what are considered good kits to tackle early in an armor career? I’d like to do a tank, not an APC or truck, and I don’t mind doing any era really. I don’t want to spend much more than $40 if I can since chances are I’ll be screwing up.

My skills are on the novice side of moderate if that helps.

2

I built a handful of armor kits growing up, haven’t touched one in 17 years, and I’m planning to dive back in with a 1/35 Tamiya Sherman. Specifically the M4 Early Production.

My reasons:

1 - Got it pretty cheap. Around $20.

2 - Tamiya kits have great fit and good casting detail. Think I built their M4A3 when I was a kid, and loved it.

3 - Olive Drab. Way easier to tackle than the crazy German camo schemes.

4 - Rubber band tracks actually work for the Sherman since it doesn’t have saggy links.

5 - FSM’s been running a series of articles on building up, painting and weathering a Tamiya Sherman.

3

Agreed with DoogsATX yet I have my own idea for a ‘first armor’ kit:

Trumpeter T-34 or KV I or II

The kits are 20$ (US funds) Include NO extra parts, no interior to speak of and are well fitting builds.

Looking further into Soviet armor they were produced in harsh conditions by overworked labor with very relaxed quality control. It you decide to add sloppy welds these are the tanks to experiment on. The camouflage is a coat of Russian green of many shades. Testor’s Dark green is close enough for me. Some did include dark brown and of course a whitewash is a lot of fun to apply, I want to try the ground up chalk technique described in the latest FSM special issue.

In fact you can model a T-34 without paint! One produced during the battle of Stalingrad rolled out of production from the Tractor factory without paint firing directly into the German lines!

These tanks had very simple construction, basic shapes and are a ideal ‘first armor’ kit.

*Just please do not add yellow to the green for dry brushing. Paint fades to white, NOT yellow.

4

You can get the M41 Walker Bulldog at Hobby Lobby this week. With their 40% off coupon, it’s only about $9. It’s a decent starter kit.

5

If you have a Hobby Lobby nearby and bring a coupon like Iraqiwildman said, go and get one of those Tamiya kits released after 2000 or something like that. I built Tamiya StuG III Ausf. B and it was one of nicest and fun kits so far. And best part you can paint it Panzer Gray!

6

No particular order, but these are my recommendations:

From Tamiya:

M-41 Walker Bulldog

T-62A

Panther A

These are all readily available, and if you have a nearby Hobby Lobby, will likely be in stock.

All 3 can had for less than 25.00 each, and like what was pointed out, start at about nine bucks (M-41) with the HL 40% off coupon…

If I had to pick a favorite of teh three, it’s the M-41… It has everything a budding clanker needs to get aquainted with like, return rollers (no need to worry about the “dreaded track-sag”, separate-molded grab-handles, bore evacuator, muzzle brake, “motorization” and sponson holes that need to be filled, periscopes that need either “glass” installed or drilled out and glass installed, and a good commander figure to po the figure-painting cherry… Also, a rattle-can of Olive Drab will take care of the painting rather than having to worry about a complex camouflage scheme (although the others can done with one color as well)…

It’s quite well-detailed for its age, and can also stand a little scratchbuilt detail on the tool boxes (X-shaped stiffeners) that’s not difficult at all to do. A few pieces of stretched sprue will finish them out, and also be used for radio antennas…

But anything from Tamiya will do for a first kit, as long as you can get it for under 25.00 (w/Hobby Lobby coupon)… Spending more money than that on your first one is rather risky, IMHO… You really don’t wanna drop 40-50 bucks on a first-time armored vehicle… For some, Armor is an “aquired taste” after coming from aircraft… No point in dropping a bunch of money on something you may not like, or even finish…

Stay away from the 1/48th scale stuff in Armor too, for your first few builds… They’re no bargain just because they’re smaller… Although, there’s a few wheeled vehicles in that scale that work great with aircraft dioramas, if that’s your thing… They build out great though… It’s just that they IMHO, don’t really give the “feel” of armor-building, and are better as diorama supporting vehicles/accessories…

7

The exception is Hobby Boss’s T-34 range in 1/48th, which can be had very cheaply and have full interior detail (including the engine bay). Not for the novice though, 400+ parts in a tank little bigger than a couple of packs of cards.

For 1/35th, I’ll add Tamiya’s Panzer III Ausf.L to the list. Nicely moulded, nicely detailed and still relatively simple to build

8

But is it under 25-30.00…[H]

9

Should be, if you can get it with one of those 40% off vouchers [:D] It’s an older kit circa. 1997. (MSRP=$42.00, drop about $7 for avg street price)

The revised Ausf.N kit is considerably more $$$ though.

10

Grinding out Tamiya’s A-10A right now, but I might have to scope out some kits for this weekend. Thanks guys.

11

If you use eBay, you can often find the $40 kits for $10-20, sometimes delivered. Same with the buy/trade forums on may sites like Armorama, Missing Lynx, HyperScale, etc.

Many of last year’s $50 “hot” kits get surpassed by this year’s $50 “hot” kit. This is normally due to the newer new kit being more accurate, sexier variant, etc. The bargins are from guys who have to have the latest and greatest and are now dumping last year’s kit at rock bottom prices.

If you’re not an accuracy fanatic, take a look at the new kits that get panned by reviewers. Normally well engineered, but there was some level of major inaccuracy that caused the experts to decide the kit not worthy. The Academy Sheridan and M3 Lee jump to mind. The price of these kits drop sharply afterwards, especially if another company produces a better kit of the same subject. The Academy M7 Priest’s price dropped when the Dragon M7 Priest was released.

Here are a few links from each of the sites I mentioned to guys selling good kits rather inexpensively. Lots of great deals online if you know where to look.

http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=165437&page=1

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47214/thread/1288579991/FS-+WWII+1-35th+HUGE+lot%2C+must+sell!

http://www.network54.com/Forum/409173/thread/1288378340/Kits+FS

12

If it’s any help and not too late, my first tank was Tamiya’s M4A3. I love that kit and I’m not sure why I havent’ built another. It goes together well and has sufficient detail for a first armor kit. I built the 150mm gun version, which comes with some stowage and a couple of figures.

13

I had a good time with Tamiya’s Bren Carrier and there Japanese type 97 Chi Ha tank kits cost less than $20 each at JAC HOBBIES. ACESES5 [2cnts]

14

Hey buddy - welcome to armour!

I only started building last year in May so am still a relative newbie but am really improving all the time now. I started off with a pack of Humbrol brushes, some Humbrol Enamel Paint Tinlets and a Tamiya 1/48 Tiger 1 kit! My current WIP is the very same Tiger I kit - it was so good I wanted to build it ‘properly’ now that I have an airbrush, endless paints and weathering items and a knowledge of aftermarket items (I had to buy some aftermarket tracks for it as the kit tracks aren’t great -imo at least).

Mr Hans Von Hammer is correct in saying that 1/48 isn’t ideal for a first build, it’s fiddly and, for a total armour novice, possibly pretty difficult so I’d also say stick to 1/35 kits (for now at least).

Looking back I know what a total armour novice needs…

  • A simple paint scheme, monotone preferably but you do have aircraft experience so your call!
  • No link and length tracks. They are fiddly, annoying and basically a royal PITA! I hate them. I usually use Friul aftermarket tracks now which build up like real tracks do and each link is made from lead so they look VERY realistic when modelled correctly. I’d go for a kit that has vinyl one piece tracks
  • A simple kit that won’t blow your mind and one with potential for retro fit changes - a tank that has a lot of easy to access research is good and some pictures from WWII will really help ie what was put where, where were guns stowed, where was foliage added…

With all this in mind and looking at builds that I’ve completed and are in my stash I’d have to recommend a Tamiya kit due to their excellent quality and nigh on faultless instructions. I’d look at the…

  • Tamiya 1/35 German Hetzer
  • Tamiya 1/35 British Cromwell
  • Tamiya 1/35 US Pershing

I think all of these would fall within your budget? I have built the Pershing and Cromwell, the Cromwell inparticular is great. I’ve got the Hetzer in my stash and cannot wait to get stuck into that one! All three of these builds come with one piece tracks btw [Y]

Finally, remember that in Tamiya instructions (for example) the painting guide at the back is not cut and dry - it doesn’t have to be like that at all. If all that is shown is a fancy tri-colour cammo scheme you don’t have to use it. You can use the decals as normal but do some research, look at WWII photos and see what other examples are open to you. For a first armour build should you choose WWII German then a single colour DunkelGelb (Dark Yelllow) or Panzer Grey would be ideal.

Obviously this is all imo and others may disagree with what I’ve said but this is what I personally wish I’d done when I started building. I know you have experience (how much I dont know) so you probably have a big head start on me when I started out!

Best of luck and let us know on what you decide!

ATVB

Ben [:D]

15

Anything with a Christie based suspension will reduce grey hair formation, this includes most Soviet armor and many WW2 British tanks. The Christie suspension just has a number of large road wheels so is almost like an armored car with tracks added around the wheels. This makes it much easier to work with than most other designs that have a mass of small wheels to deal with. The one downside is you may have to model some track sag, as that was a common feature of this suspension.

Off the top of my head common tanks with a Christie suspension would include the Soviet BT series, and T-34. I don’t believe the KV’s actually have a Christie set up but they still follow the handful of large road wheels idea, as do most Soviet tanks. The British used Christie Suspensions on their cruiser tanks, Cruiser, Crusader, Cromwell, and Comet. Another advantage to Soviet and British tanks is they have fairly simple painting schemes (green), although the Brtisish desert schemes can be somewhat tricky.

For German tanks the Pz38t and Panzer 2 have simple suspensions.

Italeri’s older armor kits are not bad and can usually be found pretty cheap. They have several versions of the Crusader and I believe a Pz38t. I built their Italian M13/40 and Semovente 75/18 several years ago and they went together without any major problems, the Semovente even includes a decent interior.

16

Maybe I won’t grab a kit this weekend, I have much comparing to do.

This A-10 is also proving to be a real bastard in spots.

Thanks again guys, this forum has once again proved invaluable.