OK, I’m new to AFV building and have some questions. First, I am familiar with Tamiya kits(planes, F-1 cars) and I did buy a Panzer II F/G that looks real nice but what other kit manufacturers should I look at? Second; I noticed that 1/35 is the most popular scale but these tanks have no interiors. What kit manufacturers have interior detail in the larger scales?
Thanks,
Kurt
Definately give Dragon, AFV, Academy, and Italeri a look also. I know that Academy makes some tanks with interior details.
Not awhole lot of manufacturers do interiors with their kits and acadamy does a tiger1 with interior and I believe one for a sherman variant,other than than you will need to get after market kits from verlindin , edurard.And dragon will have the widest selection of kits but for the most part tamiya is the better way to go untill you get a few of these under your belt. trust me I am working on dragons Jagdtiger and the photo etched is a bear that comes with it… have fun and good luck and [#welcome] to the forum
Kurt;
Welcome to the forum!
Academy also a couple of M3 Stuarts with interiors. I think there might be a couple of others they have with interiors, too. But their interiors have a tendency to be inaccurate. Still, they build up to look pretty darn good, and they aren’t real expensive for what you get. As a beginner, I wouldn’t worry about the inaccuracies. Build them up, have fun with the building and painting, and enjoy the models.
Eric (Tigerman) pretty much hit the high points for manufacturers. Tamiya definately builds up the easiest of all of them and has about the best instructions going (stick with their newer kits). They are about the most expensive, though. Dragon has some great kits, but you have to put up with individual link tracks. Not recommended for the beginner (their allied tracks are particularly difficult). AFV Club has some fantastic stuff.
Good luck with whatever you decide upon.
btw; the picture below is of my Tamiya Pz II F/G. It’s pretty heavily modified, but was a MAJOR fun build!
I just picked up Trumpeter’s new 1/16 T-34/76 1942 Mod, and it’s got an amazing interior! Everything! From bow to stern, it’s packed.
Thanks for the answers. I will try a Dragon kit since my LHS carries it. I think they also have some Italieri kits. They do carry the Tamiya line. I will start out with no interior detail kits in the 1/35 scale first before I try some bigger kits and more detail. My son is building a Tamiya 1/35 SU-85 right now and I will start with the Panzer II F/G.
I like the Panzer tanks at the moment (II, III & IV) but was interested to see somewhere that somebody is coming out with a Panzer I kit? That would be nice, since I would like to have a kit of each type.
I will look into the Verlinden interior kits and see whats available. I’m amazed at all the aftermarket stuff you can get to detail these tank models. What on-line hobby shop is a good place to look for supplies?
Aso, Did I read somewhere that Trumpeter is going to release a large scale, full interior model kit of the Tiger I?
Thanks,
Kurt
Kurt;
I don’t know about the Trumpeter Tiger, sorry.
For online shops, here are some you can try (there are MANY more):
internethobbies.com
squadron.com
greatmodels.com
missionmodels.com
I’ve ordered from all of them and had very good luck with all. The people I’ve talked to, when ordering by phone, have all been exceptional to work with. Shipping has always been pretty fast.
It is Dragon that is coming out with the new Pz I B.
You can’t go wrong with the advice you just received, I can only add…Welcome.
Welcmoe to the forum. A few of the kits that I have done with interiors are from academy. The M3 Stuart had alot that it could have used. The M113 that I am building right now seems to pretty decent. Lots of extras ,even a couple of coke bottles.
[#welcome]
Oh no! His gun will cut your pzII into pieces. You should sneak a tiger on his flank and see what he thinks about that!!!
Welcome Trukmo [#welcome] It’s a good idea to start out simple and get the feel for it before getting complicated. the verlinden intieriers? are pretty nice but they do take some time and patience. good luck on your projects.
[#ditto] Start with the basic tanks and work you way up to the more detailed interiors and photo etch kits… Most of all have fun though!
Welcome to the forum.
Another thing that I would suggest is not to completely discount many of the smaller companies when buying armor models. Eastern Express, Heller, ICM, Mirage, and AER (amoung others) all produce some very interesting, and in some cases, unique subjects. Although these kits can be more difficult to build because of quality issues or poor instructions, many of the smaller manufacturer’s kits can be picked up quite a bit less than the larger manufacturer’s kits.
Welcome to the dark side and enjoy yourself.
Robert