I’m feeling a bit bad for asking this as a first question, but as a matter of fact, I’ve completed all my available kits except for one ( a Tamiya Mosquito ), and now I’m looking for a new kit.
I’d prefer to reserve the mosquito for whenever I am either a bit more experienced, and/or have at least more room to work. It is kind of special to me so I’d rather try and do it justice.
I do not have a big list of requirements, to be honest. As a big noob, I need something that could be build with minimal putty work. I’m mainly looking at older aircrafts, I’m not too much into modern aircrafts, armors, ships or bikes, 1/48 is my scale of choice. I could take cars, too, though I’m a bit afraid of the whole glossy smooth business ! I think one thing A thing I’d REALLY rather avoid are raised panel lines, big frustrations with my last kit
Also, I’m not in a hurry to do another Corsair or Spitfire.
Just to give a few starting points : I’ve been thinking about one of the Revell 2CV ; Heller DS19 ; the Tamiya BF109, P51, A6M2 ( or the Eduard A6M2); the Academy A10 ; the hasegawa Maschinen Krieger Falke could be a fun experimentation at some point …
Those are mostly from scavenging through 10 to 5years old discussion here and there, so who knows what exciting new stuff may have been released since ?
So, yeah, I’m just a bit overwhelmed here, I guess !
Any suggestions for a novice with an airbrush ? Thanks !
Dear DrKoin. You’re asking the same profound question that every modeler asks and that is “what do I build Next?” Talk about opening a can of worms. However, as a “noob”, I salute you because your Mosquito is the beginnings of a ‘stash’. I recall the first model in my stash, a Matchbox 1/72 scale Supermarine Stranraer. Believe it or not, I still have it and that was 50 years ago! To answer your question, I think I’d go with the Eduard Zero. No special reason, I just like Zero’s.
When I find myself unsure what to tackle next I watch movies or read books where potential modelling subjects are central to the story and get put into context. Doing this always get my juices flowing for a particular subject. Here are just a few examples related to aircraft:
633 Squadron (movie): You’ll be dying to build a Mosquito after seeing this.
Samurai! (book) is the personal memoir of Saburo Sakai. I found this ignited my interest to build a Zero.
Flight of the Intruder (movie): I had a strong urge to build a Skyraider or an A6 after watching this one.
The Sergeant George Yeoman WW2 book series: These books will get your interest peaked to build all manner of British and German fighter subjects.
Hehe, I was reluctant to ask because I knew it could open a can of worm, especially since my question is more about kit quality than the actual subject, as in, finding something that shouldn’t be impossibly hard to tackle at my level either because it’s too technical, or because it’s a very bad one.
A cool nice chill kit. The holy Grail.
I definitely want to build a Zero, too, at some point. Love those elegant birds. Eduard or Tamiya, I’m unsure. Pretty sure I’d want to go with a6m2, first. I could just get one and decide. Worst case, it will go to the stash, as you said.
A10 is a another one I’d like to do, but I fear it will be too large for my desk.
Oh I know that feeling! Each time I see a documentary, or a movie, I want to build the bird. If I had my way, I’d be swimming in kits and my wallet and banker would be very, very angry at me.
Those that capture my imagination the most are wooden ships, though. I still have a second, fumbled fishing boat, at my parent’s. I’ll grab it when I go there in a few weeks and bring it back. Full planks on frame build, not planks on bulkhead. No idea how I pulled the first one off in my teens. Motivation, I guess. Definitely my absolute end goal to do a galleon, frigate or man-o-war ( dream big, dream big ) at some point. 17th/18th century ships, you’re expensive, but I WILL have you. Someday.
As far as airplanes go, some I’d like to buld are the Mosquito, Zero, B17, Lancaster, or the german equivalent whose name eludes me right now. Wildcat and A10 would be fun.
Right now though, my priority is finding some novice friendly, well engineered, frustration-free kits to train, train, and train again, every aspects of the hobby. Scribing, filling, riveting, painting, weathering, varnishing. Everything, in summary
If you’re interested in armor as well, I would suggest looking at any of Tamiya’s 1/48 armor line. Those kits are a true pleasure to build, with excellent engineering and ease of assembly. They have a fairly decent line of WWII vehicles, some of which naturally pose well with aircraft, plus a few modern vehicles as well.
I’m currently working on a build of the Falke myself . It goes together nicely. I haven’t felt the need to use putty at all and you can paint it however you like. Bonus, no raised panel lines.
Good luck on your quest for the next kit to build!
A quick update, just ordered myself the Tamiya Messerschmitt BF 109G-6 with a bunch of relevant paints. Wonder if there are some interesting aftermarkets to grab. The belts seem to just be decals but maybe I’m skipping steps !
Also, I will grab a Eduard Sopwith F.1 Camel when I come back from my holidays. I’d love to do the Academy A-10c but it’s a bit pricey and a big boy as well : I fear I might lack room to build it comfortably. I’ve also been eyeing the Heller Canadair, a wildcat, a P38, the 2cv and DS-19 buuuuuut that will be in the VIRTUAL stash for now, alongside the Falke and the Zero
The goal here is to get a feel for the brands, and I’ll go from there.
I second your opinion on the Tamyia 1/48 armor. I am returning to the Hobby after a 40 year break and really enjoyed building their T34. After my struggles with a poorly engineered F117, the T-34 was a relaxing build. It also was my first attempt at weathering, and I am quite proud of how it turned out. Armor is very forgiving with weathering and airbrushing. The only problem with the kit was keeping the tiny handles on my work bench.
