I a earlier post i asked what kit a newbee should go for in regard to part fit,no filler.
The advice was several Tamiya kits,P-51,F4F-4 and P-47.
My LHS had none off these but plenty of other TAM 1/48.Am i safe getting any kit or are there ones to avoid at the newbee stage.
The SKYRAIDER and ME-262 took my eye but they also had spitfires,109s,190s and zero.
As the advised 3 are not in stock can anyone advise if i should avoid any off the above.
They are all good to excellent kits. The Zero is one of their older kits & not up to current standards detail wise, but still a good kit. The Skyraider & Me-262 are excellent kits.
Regards, Rick
I just bought another 262 yesty. It IS the best 262 money can buy. But generally, you cant go wrong with Tamiya stuff and theres aftermarket stuff for most of it.
…Guy
Although the Zero is a good kit, the canopy is a bear to mask. I just finished up the Spitfire Mk.V Trop and it was a very nice kit-minimal filler on the engine cowling-nothing else. I built the 262 awhile back-a little more complex-I had problems with the closed gun cowling fit.
Keep us posted!
Are you interested in post WW2 jets? Hasegawa and Revell also have many excellent offers. You want the newer kits using modern molding technique to meet your good fit, no filler requirements. You also want to look for kits with engraved (recessed) panel lines. For example, the Revell F-15E kit is a world of difference from their older F-15C kit. I am very fond of the newer Revell offers because of their outstanding quality and low price. I will recommend the Revell F-15E (strike eagle) and F-86D (sabre dog) for newbees.
Yes, the Tamiya kits, P-51,F4F-4 and P-47, are excellent choices too. I saw them regularly on the Hobby Lobby Store shelf. If you have a HL store nearby, they are excellent value with the 40% coupon.
Having built both the 190 and the 262 from Tamiya, they both get my vote as two of the most accurate and pleasurable kits I have ever built, along with their Spitfire Mk1.
Watch out for Tamiya re-boxes of Italieri kits. That’s not say Italieri kits are bad, they are just not as easy to build as the average Tamiya.
Karl
The Skyraider kits are really nice kits with lots of detail. I don’t think you could go wrong with either version of this kit.
I am currently building the Tamiya FW-190D and while I’m at it, I can’t help but think that Tamiya is still the one to beat in terms of fit and quality of models. They are not as agressive as Dragon and the others but the moment thay come out with a model you can be sure of a well engineered product, good fit and ease of construction. I’m sure no one can contest that.
Tamiya 1/48 kits are generally easy to build, and are widely seen as the safe option, but by no means all of them are the bee’s knees. Their Sea Harrier, Lancaster and A-10, while not bad by mid-late 1970s standards, are crude by today’s. Their Spitfire I and Vb have a number of shape errors, especially the wing planform. In this respect, though not in most other areas, the Airfix kits are actually better.
Although the shape of the FW.190s is good, their detail, especially in the u/c wells is not as good as the Dragon kits, let alone the Eduard. Although the Me.262s are well-detailed and easy builds, the Dragon kits have more, and better, detail, and in the Revell Germany and Italeri boxings, are very much cheaper. The engine and cockpit detail in their Beaufighters is crude and inaccurate.
For many modellers, the ease of assembly and crisp fit which Tamiya invariably provides outweighs these issues, but where alternatives to Tamiya exist, they should not automatically be dismissed out of hand.
That said, their Mosquitos, Bf.109Es, P-51s, P-47s, Corsairs, Skyraiders, Skyray, F-84G, Do.335s, Swordfish, He.219, Meteor F.3, Dinah, Gekko, Betty, Serian, Dewoitine D.520, MiG 15 bis, and F-16C[zzz] are very nice indeed.
Cheers,
Chris.
I beg to differ Sir, Having built both varients recently, the level of detail is very similar, with the Tamiya having the edge in the gun compartment (Dodgy fitting gun cover though) The main letdown for the Dragon kit is the soft plastic they use. Tamiya always seems to have very clean molds and hard plastic.
…Guy
I built the Italieri re-pop of the Dragon 262 when I first came back to the hobby, and was wowed by the detail, but definitely not by the fit!
I tried Dragon’s Fw 190D, and it ended up as a paint hack, just too many fit issues for a newbie, as I was at the time, to cope with.
Tamiya’s Nakajima Gekko is a stunning kit, all it needs to make it perfect are Eduard PE belts, and their masking set.
Karl
I’ll happily concede that Dragon aircraft kits tend to have fit issues, and may well not be best choice for a newbie. For them, Tamiya, especially the P-51s, Bf.109s and Mosquitos, is the way to get some experience under the belt, and some enjoyable, and confidence-building, modelling experience.
I’m simply pointing out that Tamiya are not the only manufacturers of quality kits in 1/48, and also that by no means all their kits are perfect, especially when price is taken into consideration.
Cheers,
Chris.
Chris, I fully agree with you.
Karl
For consistently good kits Tamiya is very hard to beat. On any given kit there might be a better, more detailed kit out there but Tamiya’s engineering and attention to detail is tops in the industry in my opinion. It seems like whenever there is a complaint about accuracy with a Tamiya kit it usually has more to do with them picking an early or prototype version as the basis for the kit. For someone just getting back into the hobby you owe to yourself to try the best and see how the hobby has progressed.
Talking as someone (probably one of many) who has built both the Tamiya and the Dragon 262, the edge in overall fit and surface detail must go to the Tamiya kit, while I give a decidable edge in wheel well, engine, and cockpit/canopy detail to the Dragon kit. It’s worth the effort.
Eduards weekend kits are pretty nice as well. Ive just started on thier Yak 3 and its a cracker. If you build it out of the box its a good kit but theres unlimited scope to improve as your skills do. Dirt cheap as well.
…Guy