Hey! I’m not a super big armor modeler (I’ve only built aircraft & Gundam), but I’ve always loved armor). I’m really hoping to start and was interested in building an M109 as it’s my favorite AFV.
Does anyone know a good kit that’s pretty easy for beginners? I saw Revell had a 1:72, but it’s pretty expensive. Is there one that has a pretty good fit, relatively easy for a beginner, for not too crazy of a price?
I appreciate y’alls help in advance!
Hello!
I’ve built this:
(1:35, kitbash with Kinetic chassis and Italeri gun house)
and this:
(1:72 Revell)
I also have AFV Club model in stash so Iknow some of them…
I don’t know for how much did you see the small Revell listed, but here in Europe it can be had under 15$ and I don’t think you can find anything cheaper. This kit also has nice detail and good fit, so I recommend you get it.
Should you decide to go 1:35, you have the old Italeri - shouldn’t be too expensive, but the detail and fit are mediocre - not the worst, but the newer kits are better. Italeri was reissued by Tamiya - same plastic but more expenisve. There are older kits out there, but those are museum pieces - technology from the sixties. The Kinetic kit is OK, but pales in comparison to the AFV Club offering - superb detail, but many parts and thus can be tricky to build.
So if you want a simple message, I’d say go for the small Revell!
Good luck with your projects and have a nice day
Paweł
What price range are you looking at Harry?
Harry, you might be interested in this. 1/48th scale Atlantis models, price range between $14-$20. It has good reviews.
The Atlantis kit seems to fit the bill. Atlantis puts out new boxings of old kits. This one began life as an Aurora kit, probably back in the 1960s. I built their re-releases of the old Monogram Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel and the Red Baron’s Fokker, which were seriously fun simple kits with a strong nostalgia factor. I also have a couple of their figure kits that originated with Aurora, a sabre toothed tiger and a cave bear.
I don’t know anything about smaller scales, but in 1/35, the AFV Club M109 kits are the best. Don’t waste your time on the old Italeri or Kinetic kits. The Italeri are old and lack lots of details. The Kinetic is soft on details and has some dimensional errors. AFV Clubs M109s are awesome. Very accurate with plenty of details and they look great once done. I have done a couple of the AFV Club M109s and a bunch of the Italeri ones over the years. The AFV Club ones are light years ahead of the others.
Let’s not forget that this is one of the OP’s criteria…
I couldn’t agree with you more. I don’t do that much armor. I was interested in doing an Israeli M109 myself. The kit was amazing.
aggieman, I’m with you about the joy of building some of these Atlantis kits. They’re simple and basic for a novice builder but for the price and for smiles associated with building a “nostalgic” kit they serve a purpose in this hobby.
On a college budget, below 35 would be the best haha
O nice, I’ll have to check this one out!
Those are some nice looking builds! I saw the Revell one for about 38 USD. 
I’ll have to check some other sites, but that was just with a quick google haha. Thanks for the info!
I didn’t see that Atlantis 109. That looks like a safe bet…especially with good reviews.
