Which one is easier for a begginer?
Personally, I would go for a simpler kit in a 1/48 aircraft. Tanks tend to have a lot more frustrating tiny parts. But that is just me, and I tend to be more of air guy than armor.
It all depends on what your main interests are, and how deep you want to delve for your first few kits.
I build both and i really would not say one is easier than the other. I do find seems on aircraft more of an issue, on armour you don’t get the curves like an aircraft fuselage.
Aircraft are a little harder to hide flaws that you might have as beginner,more seams to clen up as opposed to armor.But really,its whatever you will have more fun with.
Neither is easier than the other, in and of itself. You can find simple kits in either genre.
If you’d like to build a simple aircraft, I recommend the 1/48 kits from Monogram, which were also lated sold under the Revell-Monogram merged label. Kits like the P-51D, the F4U, the SBD, or the P-40B, date back to the late 50s and early 60s. By today’s standards, they are simple kits, but that makes them good kits for learning on. I still build old Monogram kits for fun, too, because I enjoy them.
As for armor, I will recommend Monogram again (also sold today under the Revell-Monogram label). Again, the kits are simpler than today’s kits from Dragon or Trumpeter, among others, with parts counts approaching four figures. Monogram’s armor kits are relatively simple, with low parts counts, but they build into nice-looking models, and they are good practice for someone starting out.
And to show how good a model can be made from either a Monogram airplane or armor kit, have a look here:
http://sheperdpaine.atspace.com/
Hope that helps!
Best regards,
Brad
What, no fully rigged sailing ships???
When I restarted the hobby, I built a lot of Tamiya tank models. They are fun, and go together well. There are much more complicated armor models, but sticking together a Tamiya T-34 or Tiger is a pleasure.
Thanks everyone all try both!
http://sheperdpaine.atspace.com/
Wow! Didn’t know that anyone had made a website showing shep Paines models and diorama’s!
In my view, tamiya makes some good older tank models, if your not worried about accuracy and there not too expensive either.
Look around, check reviews, and build what you like.
Good review sites:
I lean towards aircraft and would reccomend the 1/48 tamiya spitfire mk1. Paintjob is a bit challenging but the kit is really nice and not too much $$. Parts count is low and the fit and engineering are fantastic = low frustration.
Hi,
As others have noted, it may really come down to a matter of personal preference. However, if you are just starting out I would note that;
- some modern kits can look really nice, but may have an excessively high number of parts and/or include things like photo-etched parts and complex track components (for armor subjects) etc. For a beginner modelere, or someone just getting back into the hobby, I might hold off on those for awhile until I get a bit more experience.
- some modern kits from smaller manufacturers can have parts that are a bit crudely cast and require a bit of work to clean up and assemble (although they can still be built into really nice builds)
- some really old kits can also be crude and have molds that haven’t aged well
As such, I would suggest finding a particular vehicle or plane that you are interested in, and doing a google search on models of that particular item. A lot of manufacturers and resellers will post images of the kit contents (and there are also many kit inbiox or build reviews that provided similar images and information) that may help you decide if the number of parts and any special features of their kits (such as photo-etch parts or complex track mechanisms) look like something you feel comfortable with attempting.
Regards
PF
Tamiya P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, Monogram Patton tank, Revell Spitfire, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Bf-109, are all good beginner kits. Check out your local Hobby Lobby. With a 40% coupon, you can find some easy beginner kits and save a bit of money in the process.
Simpler low parts count kits of either genre. Older Tamiya 1/35 armor kits are easy and great to learn with. Hobbyboss makes a new series of “easy build” 1/48 aircraft that are ideal. Pegasus makes some very nice snap together 1/48 aircraft kits that can also be glued and are super for learning. As stated above, some of the old Monogram 1/32 armor kits now issued under the Revell label are fine for the beginner. I built those as a young boy long ago, and they are fine for the novice adult.
Stay away from any of the new über kits from Dragon, Meng, Takom, Zvezda, Hasgawa, Bronco, etc. Those are not for the novice builder.
As others have said, Tamiya 1/48 single engine aircraft or older 1/35 tanks. Each genre has its challenges. Aircraft have to be built neater and painting can be daunting (like Luftwaffe camo). Armor has a lot of small parts and painting can also be complex, again German WW II tanks in the many variations of tricolor camo.
I recently walked two friends through their first aircraft and armor builds. They both found armor to be overly complex, but one of them really liked 1/72 Tamiya WW II aircraft, despite the small size.
I’m surprised so many people are suggesting aircraft are easier than armour. The seams And painting painting the canopy alone I think make aircraft more difficult.
But, if aircraft is your true interest you might as well start with an easy aircraft kit.
Actually, automobile kits are much easier than aircraft, armor, and ships.
Armor kits tend to have a lot of fiddley bits compared to aircraft kits. That’s why folks say aircrafts are easier.
It all depends upon the kit. Older simpler kits across the board in most every genre have low parts count and simple assembly. The older boxing’s that you can get secondhand usually have better fit than newer issues of old molds.
But let’s also include Gundam and Sci fi.
Gundams have a moderate parts count, but are engineered for simple assembly. My son was building those from age 10 or so. Bandai’s Star Wars kits range from simple to complex. Pegasus makes some real Sci Fi beauties too…
Yeah, Maschinen Krieger kits, particularly the newer Wave kits, are relatively simple builds. The SAFS and Raptor kits, for example, are pretty simple, well-engineered and with low parts counts. They’re designed more for relatively quick build, so you can spend more time on painting and weathering them.
I haven’t seen anyone say that airplanes models are easier to build than armor kits. Many of the replies use one or the other as a suggestion. But I don’t think anyone has said that one genre is inherently easier to build than the other.
Rather, a common theme running through the thread is to look for older kits, or to look for specific kits with a low parts count.