Hey Everyone,
I am an armor head but would like to build a few WW2 kits. I am looking for a couple easy builds to get my feet wet. I would prefer to start on the axis side but am flexable. Can anyone suggest some easier build kits? Thanks guys!
the acadamy 1/72 hawker typhoon is a sweet build. beware the landing gear though, the strut-instalation hole closest to the cocpit is not right. put the struts in withOUT glue first, and you will see what i mean. acadamy’s 1/72 corsair as pretty hot. i havn’t finished mine yet though. glad to help, and have fun![C):-)]
There is a huge number of WWII Axis kits to choose from, but if you specified a scale it would help narrow it down.
Regards, Rick
Any scale is fine I do not know which is best 1/48, 1/72? Or? Sorry to be vague.
Each scale has it’s positive side…more detail generally in 1/48, but more on display per square inch of shelf space with 1/72 (if we’re talking axis fighters in both cases). Hasegawa makes some fine 109E, F & G variants in 1/48, while Tamiya also does a 109E in both 1/72 and 1/48 as well as 190A’s & D’s in both scales and some nice 262’s. The Tamiya kits have more than adequate detail to produce a fine model right out of the box, whereas Eduard’s new 190A’s give you a much more detailed series of 190A versions in 1/48. There’s are also plenty of axis fighters in 1/32 (closer to armor scale), but I am unfamiliar with them, as I usually restrict my building to 1/48 and 1/72 (except for the Trumpeter Me262A and a few others). I’m sure someone will be by to give you info regarding those.
What is the best scale is a loaded question! The two most popular scales are 1:72 and 1:48. I personally like the 1:48 scale as my eyes and fingers don’t like dealing with the teeny tiny bits. Hasegawa and Tamiya both make numerous excellent kits in both scales. The gem in Tamiya’s crown has to be the 1:48 P-47 Tbolt bubbletop, but their Dornier 335 is also quite excellent and is an unusual aircraft to boot.
Or you could use Hasegawa’s excellent 1:32 Ju87G Stuka Kanonenvogel and hang it above your targets. The scale isn’t too far off the 1:35 scale most treadheads prefer, and it’s rather fitting to build a tank buster!
The Tamiya and Hasegawa kits are probably the best to start with as they’re usually fairly easy to assemble and require minimal clean up etc. Luftwaffe camo schemes can be a bit tough to do as they’re complex, require lot’s of masking for the upper suface patterns and some freehand airbrushing for the mottling work. If you’re comfortable with that take a look at Tamiya’s 1/48 FW190A-8 or even their Bf109E-4/7.
Otherwise I’d suggest going with a Tamiya P-47 or F4F-4 Wildcat.
Unless you are real comfortable with an airbrush I wouldn’t start out with German or Italian aircraft since they have pretty complicated camo. US, Soviet and Japanse aircraft typically have the easiest camo, solid color top (some type of brown, green or blue), solid color under (generally some type of grey). Late war US can be a problem since most were a natural metal finish which is a difficult technique to master.
I would recommend the Hasegawa or Tamiya kits to start with. If you are dead set on an axis aircraft, try one of the zero’s or 109’s with a simple colour scheme. You could start with a German fighter in winter camo for example.
If you want to have a crack at an allied fighter, try Tamiya’s Spitfire or Thunderbolt in 1/72 or 1/48 they are great kits.
Let us know what you choose!