Something that no one seems to mention is the skill of the builder/reviewer. What might seem an easy kit for one might not be for another. I remember back in the day when folks were complaining about the early Dragon/DML armor kits, yet, I never experienced any trouble with them. Same with Trumpeter stuff. Other kits that no one complained about, like the Panda Arleigh Burkes, I found to be just plain bad.
In box reviews serve their purpose. Usually, the reviewer is capable of spotting a problem with the accuracy of the kit, while a build-up review provides insight to the design and engineering of the kit, ie., buildability.
Fortunately, there’s usually at least two reviews to be found somewhere on the web, especially in ships, you’ll find reviews on Steelnavy and Modelwarships. Unless they’re done by the same person, you can develop a pretty good picture by reading the two reviews and comparing the differences.
In a recent review I labelled the Hasegawa Mikasa as one of the nicest kits I’ve ever done, and that wasn’t fluff…it was a great kit that I really enjoyed building. I’ve received a few emails from modelers asking me what I was thinking when I wrote it, because they were fighting with it from start to finish. I never had any problems other than the tiny parts, and that’s because of my big fat fingers, not the kit.
No one should ever take reviews of any kind at face value. We each have different pain thresholds when it comes to models, and we each enjoy certain aspects of the process, building, painting, etc, more than others. We also place different priorities on the kit itself. Some prefer an accurate kit at any cost, others want something that’s well-engineered in lieu of accuracy. Some (ok, most of us) want both.
I’ve always held a strong opinion about accuracy versus engineering. Unless it looks wrong, I’m not going to worry too much about the technical accuracy of the kit. My reasoning is simple…
When I finish it, it’s going into a glass case with hundreds of other models. so why should I spend money on resin updates when I’ll be the only one who knows the difference?
In my opinion, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, then it’s a duck. As long as I had fun building it, that’s what’s important to me.
I’m rambling again…
Jeff