I want to build 5 Jugs (2 Razorbacks, 3 bubbletops) and when I was window shopping I noticed that the Tamiya kits are 1/3rd more expensive compared to the Hasegawa ones.
Everyone I’ve spoken to has said that the Tamiya Jug is a better kit because of fit and detail, however none of them had built the Hase kit so I was wondering if any of you here had built both kits and if you had, would you care to share your observations of the two? i.e.-Is the Tamiya kit worth the extra cash?
I haven’t built the Tamiya kit but I have built several of the Hasegawa kits and I can tell you they build up fine decent detail and no fit problems. If you plan on building several why not get on of each and see which you like better. Here’s my Hasegawa razorback built out of the box.
I gave my Hasegawa P-47s away when Tamiya released theirs. I’ve had fit problems with their 48th scale A-4 Skyhawk and P-38F/G/H. For such recent releases from Hasegawa, naturally I was quite disappointed. It’s sort of a hit-or-miss situation with them. That said, their F-4 Phantom and F-104 lines almost fell together by just dropping the ubiquitous tube of glue and shaking the box theory.
I’ve had nothing but pleasant experiences with Tamiya: their 48th scale F4U-1D Corsair, Skyraider, 32nd scale F-4 Phantom, and even dabbled in 24th scale automotive, Mercedes CLK-GTR, Nissan Skyline Nismo GT-R. One caveat was their F-14 Tomcat. It came close to meeting my basement wall head-on, but stayed the course only because it was a commission build. My client was very pleased, but I wouldn’t do another Tamiya Tomcat if they paid me - well, I can be bought…
Anyway, given the choice of the same model/scale of the same subject between Hasegawa and Tamiya, I’d always choose Tamiya. Just my 2¢.
I’ve built both the Tamiya kits…absolutely superb. I also have a Hase. Thunderbolt, and I had to buy a resin pit and wheel wells just to get close to the Tamiya product. Throw in some AM decals and you’re way over what the Tamy kits cost. You be the judge.
mkhoot,
your razorback looks great! I think the best thing to do will be to follow your advice and buy one of each and see for myself. Thanks for the pic and your advice,
Jerry,
thanks for answering, your point was one of the things that I was worried about, I want to have as much detail as I can before going to AM products, I think I’ll have to go back to the model shop and ask the owner if I can open both boxes and see for myself, if I can do that before I buy, then I won’t have to buy one of each.
I guess if the tamiya kit does’nt need AM stuff(I’m buying AM decals for all 5 anyway) then that’ll be the one to buy. I’ll let you know how I get on at the model shop.
If your going to do a series and want to spend your time and energy on the paint and finish rather than fiddling and sanding, Tamiya’s the way to go. You’ll know where the extra bucks went. The Hase kit is great, but the Tamiya kit is just a Cadillac.
Thanks for your thoughts thehannaman, it looks like the general opinion is in favour of the Tamiya kit. Looks like I’ll have to save up my pennies a little longer! I’ll still have a look at both kits in the shop next time I visit there, just to see for myself.
I’ve built several of each kit & the Tamiya is the winner for an OOTB build. That said, the Hasegawa kits are still very good & build up into great models. The Hasegawa kit has a shape issue with the fuselage belly in that it’s too rotund. If you try & fit the center drop tank it will likely scrape the ground. It also has a tendency to give you a step at the upper wings to fuselage joins unless you are very careful. My biggest gripe with the Tamiya kit is that it is designed to be built with the center drop tank & if you don’t want one on the model you’re forced to do a lot of filling & sanding to eiminate the cavernous hole in the fuselage bottom. Fitting the canopy & windscreen on the razorback version is also kinda tricky. Both kits will benefit from AM detail sets, especially in the pits, but the Tamiya has better detail OOTB.
def save up- Tango. It’s a beautiful kit and though it is not cheap I am working on my third. Like the others have said and I will echo- It almost goes together by itself. it’s that good.
I’ll go out on a limb and say buy an Academy Jug. The Academy jug builds up nearly as nice as the Tamiya one, but way less. The Academy one also has all possible armnament including a loadout chart. It also shows the guns.
Thanks for your opinions guys, its very helpful to me to know what experiences you’ve had with these kits. I’ve built an Academy Jug before, but I was’nt happy with its landing gear, to my mind, it just does’nt “sit” right. Hence why I’m looking at the other two brands.
Thanks Steve, I bought two Razorbacks today, one of each brand. I got the Tamiya one half price too!
I’ll order the decals I want tonight and make these my next two projects. Thanks to everybody for their help, I’ll share the builds with you in the future, when they are started.
