Need advice on next kit purchase....

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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Hey everyone

So I started on my first warbird build and I am a little disappointed on the level of detail with the kit. It’s a Revell 1/48th spitfire. I was hoping to do some fun engine detailing. Well as most of you probably know, this kit does not even include an engine. Just a tailpipe glued directly to the fuse. I was planning on detailing the pit but decided to just build this kit straight from the box and do a little better research on my next purchase. I guess my first clue should of been the price, the ole saying applies here " you get what you pay for ". I’ve been building off and on for most of my adult life but have never built a single plane, mostly sailing ships. I’m used to spending a couple of years on a single ship kit.

So my question is, can you guys maybe recommend a decent kit in eather 1/32 or 1/48 scale that has some good detailing for an intermediate builder. I’m thinking of either another Spitfire or maybe a BF109. I don’t mind spending some money for a good plane. I’ve been doing some research and the number of different kits out there is staggering. Hopefully you guys can help me narrow things down a bit.

Ives

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I am not familiar with 48th kits and only have a few 32nd in the stash, not built any yet. For 109’s in 32, Dragon has a new one out that looks excellent, a 109E. And eduard also have a few out. I think all these include engines. For a later 109, there are a couple of Hasegawa kits, i have just ordered there 109G-6. Not sure if this has an engine though. But of course, these kits do cost .

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Look at some ICM kits if you want engines and cockpit detail. They are certainly more challenging and not as costly as a Tamigawa kit. ICM makes 109s, Mustangs, Spits, Yaks, Laggs, and a Mig-3 in 1/48. Or try a “weekend edition” Eduard FW-190… lots to see there…

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Well, I guess you really need to decide whether you want to do a 1:48 or a 1:32 scale kit. In 48 a good starting point could be the Tamiya P-47 series. The air-cooled engines offer a little bit of detailing should you go that route and there is a very nice interior to go along with it. Another kit to look for is any of the early FW-190 kits from Eduard. I believe the A series kits have detailed engines and bays as well as gun bays that can be left open for all to see, I’m not sure what the Doras have though. They can be as sparse or as detailed as you like.

For 32 scale, the Tamiya Spitfires seem to be the new fad, until their Mustang comes out. From what I’ve seen, there are plenty of options on that as well. The only other 32 scale kit I can comment on is the Eduard 109 which seems to have a very nice amount of detail as well.

I’m sure that someone will come along and correct me and/or add to what I’ve already said. Whatever you choose though, have fun and enjoy it. That’s what we’re all here for, right?

Mike

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Dragon’s new release of the 109 in 32nd has some nice detail as well as a good looking engine. I picked one up and am quite impressed with it. I haven’t started building it yet though. The price is decent…not like a tamiya spit but not as cheap as a revell either.

Whatever you end up choosing, enjoy it and put some pics up for us!

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In 1/48, if you want to be guaranteed an engine with the kit, go for a radial engined A/C. The only in-line engined plane kit to include a good engine, as far as I know, is Zvezda’s 109 (There’s got to be others though!) There’s always the aftermarket too. Quickboost makes some really nice stuff!

Most 1/32 seem to have at least a starting point for an engine.

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[dto:] Stik beat me to it - I’ve got an ICM Spitfire (1/48) in the stash, great engine detail, mine included 6-7 ground crew. The decals don’t look as good as some others out of the box, but I had an AM set ready for this one already. Good value for the money. [Y]

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If you want to do a Spit or 109 in 1:48, ICM (for the Spit) or Zvezda (109F-2) are basically the only games in town to include engines. Aires probably makes engine sets for some of the other offerings, but that’s resin and kit surgery, and intermediate IMO is probably straddling that line.

Personally, I would recommend against Zvezda’s 109 until you get a few more aircraft under your belt. It’s a beautiful kit, but tons of pieces for such a small plane.

In 1/32, Tamiya’s Spitfires are something to behold. Gorgeous things. But pricey. I’m willing to pay for the obvious degree of passion that went into the kit’s engineering, but that’s a neverending debate on the forum.

As for 109s, I’ve built Eduard’s 109E-7 Trop, and I have two Cyber-Hobby 109E-4s in the stash. The Cyber-Hobby is cheaper than the Eduard Profi-pack editions, the cockpit detail is loads better, and in my opinion, the way they handle the engine is better. You build everything up to the firewall, then on goes the engine and (if you wish) the cowl pieces.

With the Eduard, you have to install the engine during the build process, since the “chin” of the cowl is part of the fuselage halves. Also, the fit of the cowl piece on the Eduard kit is pretty awful. It’s a solid kit overall, but the way they handled the engine and cowl left me disappointed, especially after looking at the Cyber-Hobby.

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“Getting what you pay for” is relative… I’d rather have a 12.00 kit that I have to scratch-build details for than a 50-70.00 kit that includes all that stuff… I tend to be in the minority in that respect though, lol…

Also, aircraft kit build-times, except for the guys that scratch-build about 90% of the model (like the cut-away gang), are generally measured in hours, not months or years… 25-30 hours seems to be the average for most 1/48 builds… Never takes me that long though, it’s closer to 10-15, unless I’m getting bogged-down in super-detailing… Then it can run 40-50 hours, although once the model’s at about 90%, the diorama work starts… Then I can rack up some hours, lol…

I don’t keep models very long though… Once they get built and photographed, they usually are torn down and salvaged for parts after a few months or a maybe year or so, with the exception of certain dioramas…

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the hobby boss 1/48 hellcat has a great engine detail. to bad the cowling hides it.

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I can’t help notice how many expensive after-market parts are available and meant to replace the expensive kit parts.

Just sayin’…[^o)]

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I reckon that 1/32 scale is the new 1/48! Let me quantify that in MOHO.

1/32 is bigger than 1/48 but the parts in the kit are just as detailed and easier to see, paint and assemble. In the past couple of years 1/32 aircraft kits have taken off in leaps and bounds in the relms of detail and choice.

Now, depending on scale and choice (1/32 for me) I will recommend kits for your level that will also give you value for money, but a challenge and fun build as well as an interesting one.

Depending on your depth of pocket There are the Tamiya spitfires VIII, IX &XVIe. Shortly (july I Think) to be joined by a P51D. These are highly detailed and EXPENSIVE kits but build up superbly with a wealth of options. Some of the paint callouts have to be looked at carefully and researched on the internet, but this tends to be the piping round the engine. The other faults are the decals (very brittle) and no cannon or MG details. Apart from that, These are really must haves in your stash or case.

Now Revell recently have come out with some crackers in 1/32. Forget the other stuff in the revell stable the ones you need are the following

JU88

Arado 196

Heinkel 111 (Available June in Europe and August in the USA)

These are quite cheap kits, but packed with detail and build up to be stunning looking kits IF YOU HAVE THE ROOM. They are not small kits but really worth their money in build time etc. The smallest is the Arado and is a cracking build of an unusual subject. Several builders on here are having a bash at that one.

Dragon are slowly moving into 1/32 and their kits of note are the BF110 series. They do build up to be stuning kits but you have to pay attention and work slowly. They are not cheap either, but in the end worth their money with research on the net and a good paint job. Be warned - check their build plans carefully there are wrongly labelled parts and missed ones completely. An internet search will sort that out for you.

Also their recent 109 kits are good and well researched and designed. Again watch out for the instructions.

Trumpeter:

A prolific producer of 1/32 aircraft kits and some stunning ones in their range (as well as some misses).

Their two Swordfish kits build up well and with care produce a stunning result as do their 3 ME262 kits. They are bringing out a range of ME 109’s with the Emil version (in my stash) being (IMHO) a particulaly good model with lots of detail. Let me put here what I reckon builds up well from trumpeter. Their prices do vary with the size of the kit, but generally worth their money

Fairey Swordfish Mk. I### Fairey Swordfish Mk. II### Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3### Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4### Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4### Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6(Early)### Messerchmitt Me 262 A-1a### Messerchmitt Me 262 A-1a(with R4M Rocket) (Same kit, extra armament!)### Messerchmitt Me 262 A-2a### Messerschmitt Me 262 B-1a/U1### U.S.NAVY SBD-5/A-24B“Dauntless”

Well, There’s lots more, but you have a huge choice depending on space and depth of pocket. My pick, would be Revell’s Arado 196, A superb kit of and unusual subject at a low price with lots of detail and options. Looks superb in any cabinet!

James

13

I recommend a six-pack of Sam Adams Boston Lager with a bag of Cheetoes. They’re an easy build in 1:1 scale, the kit is easily available (no waiting list necessary), few if any AM parts are needed, and when complete the feeling of satisfaction is wonderful.

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Wow

Thanks everyone, Some great replies. I’m not afraid to drop a little dough on my next kit purchase. I’m not rich by any means but am willing to pay for quality and detail. I figure a higher end kit should keep me out of the wifes hair for quite awhile.

So i found a local LHS that I didn’t even know existed and took a look around. Had a great selection too choose from in 1/48th but a little lacking in the 32’s. Almost dropped greenbacks on a Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire for $129.00 but wanted to research if the price was fair first.

Also, not too highjack my own thread but speaking of this LHS, they had the worst customer service i’ve ever seen. I walked in the door and went pass 3 obvious employee’s and not one person acknowledged my existence. I spent about 20 minutes looking around, was focusing on some pretty pricey kits and then walked out the door. Again , not a single employee said even one word too me. They just let me leave without even a " have a nice day ". It would of been one thing if they were super busy but I was the only customer in the store. Oh well, times are different I guess.

Thanks again everyone for the great kit suggestions, i’m going to go with a 1/32nd kit just need to narrow it down a little more…

Ives

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So swap out the Boston Lager for some Hops Rising ( local micro ) and the cheetos for some peanuts and you’ve described a kit i’ve been working on since time began…[t$t]

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Guess I wasn’t very serious, but it just came to me. I like your kit too. [B][:D]

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For 1/32 109’s, I’d go with either the CyberHobby E-4 or Trumpeter’s F-4 or new G-6. The Trumpy’s build up a little easier than the CyberHobby (there’s some fun in fitting the engine and multi-part cowling into place…).

1/32 Hasegawa 109’s are very easy to build up, but are noticeably lacking in the details that CyberHobby or Trumpeter offer… decals are a little less than optimal as well, but it’s a small thing.

Dragon’s 1/32 Bf110’s are true works of art, but as Snapdragonxxx mentioned, you aren’t going to knock one out in a weekend.

Trumpeter is making some fine 1/32 A/C, some of which is relatively inexpensive. Their MiG 3 looks to be well molded and doesn’t go overboard on the parts count… I can’t wait to get into it.

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Just hoping you keep in mind that without solid basic-modeling skills, it doesn’t matter what a kit costs… It’s only gonna be as good as the modeler is… I’ve seen a lot of folks madder’n a Bernie Maddoff investor at a high-dollar kit, when the problem was their not beng able to fix a warped part, fabricate a replacement part, or a big ol’ finger-print in a freshly-painted wing panel… Hope you don’t get a “Monday Kit” when you shell out the big bucks, too… It DOES happen, lol… (“Monday Kits” are what I call good kits, but YOUR copy was made on Monday when nobody on the line gave a damn or was hung-over from the weekend, and has missing/broken parts, short-shots, decals sheets that got printed off-register, etc). I’d hate to lay out 70-80.00 bucks for a kit that I couldn’t build, instead of dropping 12.00 on one I know I can fix if it’s ate-up…

Being an experienced ship modeler, you should be able to use most of the modeling skills you’ve developed over the years, but nothing beats experience with the genre as well… Aircraft are a different than ships, which are different than tanks, etc… Guys that built hundreds of armor kits sometimes have trouble with their first few aircraft, and vice-versa… Just build in sub-assemblies, and let that paint CURE before you handle certain parts… Sanding off fingerprints in the paint will, for instance, damage or even destroy all that delicate detail you paid so much for…

I generally shy away from advising anyone who’s new to the hobby or the genre to buy high-end kits, untill they get pretty good at the cheaper ones… The guys that do the opposite are generally quite experienced with the genre and have built dozens, if not hundreds of the “old” ones… I know that if I ever desired to switch over into the model ship arena, I’d be buying a lot of cheap kits to build up familiarity with what generally goes where first, before I ever laid out 40.00 or 50.00 bucks for a high-end one… (Yeah, that’s high-end" for me… Anything over 35.00-40.00 bucks MSRP is a NO-GO for me. And if it’s THAT high, it’d have to have a coupon or clearance tag to get it under the 30.00 mark, with VERY few exceptions)

The most I ever paid for a kit was 42.00, and that was an exception… It was a 1/35 M109A3 interior hull detail set and I got suckered into a bidding war on Ebay… But I needed it, since I was building six M109A3s for a diorama that a gal had commisioned, and didn’t wanna scratch-build six interiors… I used the one “store bought” kit to cast five more resin copys.

Speaking of casting copies, that’s what I do for many of the common details I can use from one aircraft to the next… For instance, I’ve several kits that call for 1/48th P&W R-2800 radials (two B-26s, three P-61s, two P-47s, and a pair of Bearcats). But rather than buy 12 after-market resin engines, I took the one complete engine from the P-61 kit and cost a couple dozen copies… Did the same thing with Allison, RR Merlin, and DB 601 engines, as well as AFV stuff lke transmissions, engines and main gun breech- blocks… I also cast copies of figures, both ground and flight crew, as well as tires with tread patterns I need… Just something to keep in mind if you decide that aircraft are something you’d get really serious about… I vacuform my own canopies too…

Anyway, good luck with your selections… I recommend buying lower-end kits in whatever scale you decide is best for you, and there’s nothing wrong with the Oldies… You just gotta put more work into them than you do the Shake & Bakes… But that shouldn’t be a problem for a guy that spends a couple years building a ship, lol… (Yeah, that’s a hint, lol)… Ya just gotta have a good parts box, and a fair selection of styrene sheet, strip, and rod ('course, you can make rod outta stretched sprue. That’s free, lol)…

I became a “serious” Gizmoligist and Scratch-detailer in the late-70s (what I built then is what I build now, more often than not), and no hobby shops were within walking/bicycle distance, and after-market parts were cottage industries (and VERY expensive), so I set about making everything I needed to super-detail kits… Luckily, I had received a Mattel Vac-U-Form set as a kid in the 60s… That was the single-most special tool I ever had, and I used it a LOT. (Still do… After going without one for about 10 years, I finally found another one on Ebay, and there’s even a guy that sells the plastic for it! there! Greatest canopy-making machine ever invented!)

It bothers me sometimes that times have changed so much though… People used to say, “Wow, he spent a lot of TIME on that kit.” to, “Wow, he spent a lot of MONEY on that kit.” So I’ll always try to steer a guy towards the Classics… Nobody ever lost a contest because he built an “old” kit versus a high-end kit, he lost because he didn’t build it WELL… (Unless you’re Von Manstein that is… He managed to “leave a seam” on an aluminum gun-tube… Somebody had it in for him that day…)

But I’m really just a tightwad…[;)] At least I think that’s the basic, underlying issue, lol…

Again, G’Luck…

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If you are gonna go into 1/32 ( a fun scale to work with) don’t turn your nose up at some of Hasegawa’s older offerings such as the Bf-109E and P-51D. Both have good fit, detail and engineering. Also both have engines that are a goos starting point for some detail work of your own. either can be had for about 1/3 the price of the Tamiya Spits. Not to knock those, I know they are fantastic kits, but quite pricey as well.

Let me guess about that LHS… it was part of a ‘national chain’ and also carries (if not specializes in) R/C models? I have never had bad service at a ‘mom and pop’ scale model (even including railroad stuff) hobby shop anywhere…

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Ditto… The only thing about Doug (The “Pop” of my recently-demised Mom & Pop LHS) giving one some assistance was getting him up from his desk behind the register, because he usually was building a model… That’s the best of both worlds, IMNSHO…

Whenever I’m at Hobby Lobby, I usually wind up talking with someone who’s in the kit aisle for the first time and the kid, Brian, who “manages” that department, just lets me take over, lol… I usually hand 'em a 40%-Off coupon too (I NEVER go in with just one), as soon as Brian’s outta sight… I managed to “tame” the store manager several years ago, so he kinda lets me “run” things back there… Managed to talk him into a display case for showcasing models bought there and built by customers, but so far I’m the only one who has added anything to it…

Meanwhile, in the window of the now-closed Mom & Pop store, three of my dioramas still sit… Can’t find Doug, and never even learned his last name, lol… Ended up just sliding my name and number under the door in case he ever walks back in… I’d kinda like them back, lol…

About 15 years ago, I stored the trailer for a LHS owner in my back yard… That was a decent arrangement… He paid me a storage fee in kits, paint, and tools… I left behind about a hundred or so Model Master rattle-cans when I PCS’d outta there…