After reading Iwannasmashthings post (/forums/751133/ShowPost.aspx) it got me to thinking about other newbies, like me, that want to get into aircraft modeling. I recently started a 1/48 R/M A-10 and so far it’s been an enjoyable build. But what about other kits? I’m looking for kits that build fairly easily OOB. WWII, modern, prop, jet, whatever. They’re all intersesting to me, at least. As for scale, one person in the referenced thread recommended 1/48 and personally I agree with that as my eyes couldn’t deal with anything smaller.
For me, I have been building armor for a few years so I think I have the basics covered. But these winged thingies are a completely different animal. Panel lines that have to be rescribed, seams that have to be sanded flush, rivets that have to be added after sanding, weight in the nose so it displays correctly, etc… Most of these things can be hidden on armor with a little mud or accessories, but no way on aircraft.
I’m building the RM 1/48 P-61 Black Widow–my third build after returning to the hobby after several years.
I find it pretty straight forward as a build (goes together w/o major problems, so far), but I’d warn anyone that the directions are awfully confusing. I’ve had to re-read some text boxes several times before really getting at what is needed. I am, however, worried that some of the interior painting instructions seem at odds with the reference photos I’m finding online, but I’m not worrying about that level of detail just yet.
If all you want is a kit that you can open, assemble with a minimum of putty and sanding, then the 1:48 Tamiya P-47 Razorback OR Bubbletop kits are hard to beat.
Any Tamiya, Accurate Miniatures, or Hasegawa kit will be great. The parts on these kits fit together so well, I wonder why I bother using glue at times.
The tamiya Wildcat comes to mind. The Hasegawa or Tamiya Corsairs are pretty good too. Sticking to single engine airplanes in 1/48 scale is a good plan until your confidence is up.
I can’t argue with the choice of Tamiya P-47 it’s a fantastic kit, I won’t use the term “it builds itself” but with very little effort you can tern out a very fine looking model.
I would also recommend either the Tamiya Spitfire, P-51 or Bf 109. It really doesn’t matter which mark you choose they are all excellent kits that are beautifully engineered.
Thanks guys. I see no modern aircraft listed and even one post that recomends that single engine plane are the best place to start. Is there a reason for this?
Many of the modern jets are complex shapes that result in difficult to assemble fuselages in particular. Multiengine airplanes have lot of parts. More parts in a kit means more problems… Just my opinion, but it is from experience.
A simple jet would be the Tamiya F-84G, or the Hasegawa A-4 series.