Snap-Kits / Are they a good value?

General Discussion General Modeling Discussion
1

Here’s one I bet you never thought of.

Snap - Kits or Snappers or Pre-Built Snap Kits or even Pre Painted Snap-Kits. Yeah, those. What good are they? That is a question I get asked a lot. Well, here’s some thing to chew on. Has the builder EVER Painted anything, Glued anything or Assembled then painted anything.

No? Well, they do have this extremely good value. Why? Think about it for a moment. the person or persons in question either because of age or experience may not have the Manual dexterity required. This comes over time.

I have seen Children as young as six put one together without a problem. Then on the other side of the coin , I have seen an adult break the body of a snap-fit car by pressing to hard. These models give the neophyte a chance to develop good Hand/Eye co-ordination and also a feel for the material.

Also they, when finished look good and re-inforce the idea that anyone can build a good looking, model even if it only has say six pieces. Or One hundred. It makes no difference. The Value is in the idea of progressing to more difficult projects till they are ready in their own mind to try a glue and paint model.

They build confidence and skill in the process. My Son built a Ford Snap Kit years ago. It was the Revell Stepside Ford P/U. Well, when he went to put the hood on it snapped in half( Withought much pressure) from front to back.

He put the model down and walked away, then came back and asked me if I could help him fix it. We glued the two halves back together.only to have them fall apart the next time we picked it up. The glue, for some reason did Not join the parts together.( A flaw in the plastic formula?) Anyway, I showed him how to scratch build a new hood. He was absolutely fascinated and proud that he did that!

Then I was able to show him how to use a rattle-can of black paint. He was tickled! When he got up and walked away he was taking after me. When I get frustrated I do the same. Then come back and fix whatever the problem is. Then I paint to finish the project. Yes, the Snapper category is almost full of oversimplified models. But the confidence it builds is something money cannot buy!

I noticed that the Dasboard in the Snapper Ford Raptor was better molded than the one in my glue together version. So I bought one for the parts. It was even a slightly different version of the same Truck so there you go. A wellspring of upgrade of different model vehicle parts!

2

I think my first series of snap kits were Aurora prehistoric scenes “dinosaur” kits. My first one was the saber toothed tiger and the Allosaurus. They were pictured together so, it was natural to get those to fight one another.

Right now Bandai does Star Wars models that are snap together and are some of the highest quality Star Wars models I have ever built.

3

I myself have bought a number of these snap together or almost finished kits. I purchased a ready painted charger at Hobby lobby the paint job on it was way better than my skills could produce. Im not really a fan of snap together models Dont really know why. Just never liked them

4

They’re great ‘starter’ kits for those being introduced to the hobby…but I think their value to ‘real’ (i.e. experienced) modelers is often underrated.

Having coincidentally built a string of different snap-fit kits over the past few years, I’ve been delighted to see that their quality is often way better than I might have expected.

Civilian vehicle kits [like Revell’s] are obviously ‘curbside’ and usually have simplified interiors…but the moldings are often well-detailed and can be painted up to a very sharp appearance. Aircraft like Hobbyboss’s usually just have a ‘molded hole’ for a cockpit, but the Zvezda Stuka I built not long ago had an interior comparable to the ‘regular build’ Airfix or Revell kits during their best efforts from the late '70s onward.

There are times when I just want to do something like a ‘decal’ project – something to slap a neat livery or color-scheme on – rather than a super-detail build…and frankly, the lower price of the average snap-fit kit is welcome as well. As long as the basic fit, moldings, and things like part-thickness are acceptable, the ‘simplified detail’ can always be spruced up with some p-e, resin, or scratchbuilt parts to whatever level the modeler desires.

I don’t sneer at snap-fits simply because they’re not ‘Tamigawa’ level of detail…but that’s just me. Having learned the hobby building the low-detail and sometimes horrid-quality kits that were the staple in the 1960s, the idea of having to upgrade interiors and add selective detail seems entirely natural…and is all part of the fun of building.

5

Greag bale has a piont I probably have the misguided beliefe that if it says" snap together" it is somehow inferior

6

All snap kits.

7

Some Bandai Gundam snap kits:

1/100 Zaku I Ramba Ral Custom

1/144 Acguy

[1/144 Magella Attack

1/1700 Musai

And their Star Wars kits are even better. Snap fit has come a long way since the 1960s-1970s. Armor kits have too many teeny details to be practical to be snap fit IMHO, but there are a few aicraft models now that are very good.

8

I bought them based on the subject I wanted wasn’t available as a glue kit. But a lot of snap together kits are very high quality. If you run across Revell’s New Beetle or PT Cruiser, these car kits are quite outstanding. They’re just curb side as opposed to full kits.

Newer Star Wars kits are very reasonable and light years ahead of the old MPC and AMT/Ertl kits from the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Fine Molds did an awesome series of glue kits but were rather pricey and harder to obtain.

Revell did both types from the later sequels and movies, some good and some are just OK.

9

The Monogram 1/72 Snap-Tite B-26 is a perfect example of a push-together model that is actually better than a regular glue model. It still is the only accurate short wing B-26 compared with the fat and too long Valom series of short wing B-26’s.

10

I have built several snap-tight or other starter kits because they were the only kits of that subject available. With some extra detailing they turned out great. I will buy one again if that situation arises.

11

The Pegasus snap aircraft kits in 1/48 are quite good. These are how I got back into building. While interior detail is a little lacking as compared to glue kits, they are of good quality with nice exterior details and panel lines. Also, they are relatively inexpensive compared to other kits. I’ve built their BF-109, Spitfire, and 51B-all great kits.

12

Agreed. I built their Me262, and aside from a slight overthickness in the main gear struts and the gear doors, it came out looking as good as one of the Tamigawa kits.

(Plus, it came with a precisely-shaped nose weight that fit in the cannon compartment. A very nice touch.)

13

Got this one for my wife - built it in an hour. The prop has a motor and spins - so cool

14

I WOULD LOOOVE TO HAVE THAT SNOOPY KIT!!!

Logging out to go to Ebay lol

15

I build mostly on subject, so the type of kit is not as critical. I’ll build snap, even diecast kits. hell even pre-built diecasts can be modified.