I sit on the fence on this one because I want both types of kits honestly. I didn’t used to be that way though. I think dean27 and spiral city are both right. When I have to put some elbow grease into a kit by filling and sanding I take a lot of pride when I get those hideous gaps and steps cleaned up and that makes me really happy to see the completed model and know the effort I put into it. However, after a couple of those kinds of builds I can really appreciate building a kit that falls together a d doesn’t need that kind of work. Otherwise I’d get burned out.
Used to I wanted the best fitting shake and bake option of a subject I could get. Now knowing that I can actually build a less “perfect” molding I won’t shy from buying one. I really wanted a Super Hornet, my choices were wait until I could spend $80+ on a Hasegawa or grab the Revell fromMichaels for $11. I’ll likely be more satisfied with having built it.
Now the question of details and accuracy is something altogether different. If the kit looks the part to me that’s all that matters. Sure the Revell Hornet lacks position able flaps and all that, but that isn’t worth $70 to me.
I actually heard that now I cannot confirm but the new Revell kit is apparently a Hasegawa re-box. The twin seat F-18F I know Revell have done this on their releases so I wouldn’t be surprised. Might wanna check it out Professor death. I too like to sometimes literally throw a kit together though sometimes an easy build is preferable.
That’s intersecting. I know it’s been done before. I’m actually talking about the F-18E myself though. It does have the classic Revell copyright stamp molded under the wing though.
I saw that article when researching. I had planned to get a Hase at some point but $10 for the Revell was a no brainer. I’ll probably go with Hase for a F in Diamondback colors.
I’m currently working on a Trumpy f-14 and the Tamiya a-1, While I haven’t had any problems with the f-14 the tamiya a-1 fits so good it’s practically putting itself together.
The F very well may be. I can tell you that the E I have is very nicely detailed. The plastic is crisp too. I like the looks of it. I’ve seen a couple of build reviews and it does require some TLC in spots, but nothing that isn’t overcome with basic modeling prowess.
FWIW, I started Trumpeter’s 1/32 MiG-29M last night and it is one sweet kit. Everything’s falling together with no issues yet and the nacelles look like they’ll fit on with no major gaps to fill.
True to form, I am replacing the kit cockpit with an Avionix resin set.
It may be a largish model, but it certainly isn’t beyond anyone’s skills to build it.
I made the Mig 29K excellent kit, massive scope for extra detail. But the Revell 1/32 Mig 29UB seems to actually hAve a little more detail, but the cockpit is rubbish in the Revell kit.
Trumpie has it’s own drummer. It’s a little bit like Academy, although I think they do more of their own models. Some of Trumpie’s armor is very good: I did their KV-2 and it was a splendid kit. The ships seem to be all over the map in terms of quality - I’ve heard decent news about their San Francisco, and hope it’s true because I have one.
OK: this may be considered heresy, but I would say that a good Tamiya airplane is as good as you’re going to find in that genre. The oldies, raised lines and all, are well shaped and cheap. But anything done in the last twenty years is a worthwhile kit. And their new stuff is simply terrific. I’ve got a A6M3 and an IL-2 and each looks like a jewel. Their US fighters are very well thought of. Their armor lacks the complexity of Dragon but you can fix that with super-detailing. The fit etc is good and you’ll get a perfectly good model with anything done in the last tweny years. But I don’t think they’ve done much recently so DML (and Trumpie for that matter) makes better tanks. So it may be that Tamiya has gotten a lot of mileage out of some pioneering kits of years ago, but that should not blind us to the fact that in the aircraft world they’re the best.
I built the 1/24 Bf109 K4 kit and overall I was happy with the built and it turned out better than what I wanted. I did have alot of issues with ejector pin marks and some fit issues. It seemed like the ejector pin marks were everywhere! Places where you don’t want them. Aside from that if I had the space I would build another 1/24 scale Trumpy kit. If your prepared for the additional work they aint bad.
Hi. I’ve been reading FSM Forums for awhile but have never replied. I’ve built the Trumpeter 1/32 TBM-3 Avenger, P-40B/C Tomahawk and the F8F-1 Bearcat. They are all excelent kits and just loved the Avenger kit. I also purchased the Trumpeter F6F-3 Hellcat kit and must say this kit is a huge disappointment. So much so, that I’m not sure if I’ll build it. The body shape is all wrong from the cockpit back to the tail. The engine cowling shape also seems out of wack. I am also finishing up the Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire Mk.IXc. This is fun kit to build with great fit for all parts. Not sure if their engine panels held by magnets works in practice. Some of my engine panels are bulging and not wanting to stay put.
Anyway, that’s my two-cents. BTW, I just got the Z-M 1/32 A1H Skyraider and their fit and engineering seem to be top notch!