I was just reading another thread where someone asks about a certain kit and of course that stirs up the predictable discussion where half of the folks say it’s a good kit and the other half say is a load of dog poo in plastic. So what makes a kit “a good kit” to you? Obviously this is opinion. There are no wrong answers. 
When it builds itself and does the dishes…
“I love this airplane kit so much that if it could cook, I’d marry it.” (to paraphrase LT. Eugene Valencia)
I just want good fit. Really that’s all I ask for. I hate gaps and seams and misalignment. Don’t care about raised/recessed panels or sparse detail. Fit. I want it to fit right.
A price-tag of under 20-25.00 for a 1/48th single-engined aircraft… Under 15.00 would be best… It can have 20 parts or 200, I don’t care… I can take care of what’s lacking m’self…
After this frackin’ P-82 build, I feel I can do anything with nothing…
Quality of mold, ie: No flash.
I can make anything fit but curing copius amounts of flash is a real bear, especially on small parts where it typically forms.
For me the #1 thing is fit and engineering.I do not want to spend good money on a kit that has serious fit issues,with a lot of filling,and sanding.I want shake + bake.
Subject and price, that’s it.
I love the challenge of ill fitting kits, so long as I get em cheap. If I spent $30 on a kit (HA, yeah right!), it should be just about perfect! I am kinda itchin to do a couple more F-82s.
I’m going to have to agree with the “good fit” crowd. I understand the challenge of taming a beast of a kit, but 1) my skills are nowhere near that good and 2) filling and sanding seams is far and away my least favorite part of the hobby. If I could skip it, I would.
That said, I’m not brand or “new kit” snob. I’m having a blast with Tamiya’s P-47 Bubbletop, but I also had a great time with Monogram’s old kit (until the decals…).
Price, fit and did I have fun building it. All the rest does not matter if I did not have fun building it.
Thats what she said…
Sorry I had to! I just couldn’t help my self.[:$]
I agree 100% with you. I understand gaps/misalignments happen but for some kits its just too much to handle. Those kits become spare parts pretty quick.
I want good fit and have the kit accurately represent the real thing.
Mike
I want it to fit right. I hate gap filling and sanding so I would rather not do a lot of it. Also, I like to actually finish kits, so I am not going to do a lot of enhancements to a kit that is going to take 3 weeks of grinding on seams.
[dto:] And the availability to get aftermarket stuff for it if it needs it.
Why would a good kit need “aftermarket” stuff?
Ain’t that why ya have to pay 50.00-80.00 for a “good” kit these days?
a kit that requires little to no putty, assembles well and has enough detail that I can be happy with.
That being said I love taking old kits and detailing the hell outta them, aka revell 1/32 birds…but the putty required and fit is a pain
I like a kit that has good detail for the money more than anything because I am on a limited budget! If I am going to be paying $30-40 dollars on a kit, it better have great detail and fit!! That said, I like Revell/Monogram kits–they are a nice bang for the buck, the fits are normally not too bad and I can practice scratch-building if I want to.
OWL
first priority- cool subject. don’t care how smooth a build it is if the subject bores me. second- what you pay for must be useable-for example, sanger’s “randy” is unbuildable in that if you finished it most of it would be scratch, kitbashed or aftermarket, so why not scratch the whole thing!!! third- value for money. always a moot point and completly in the eye of the beholder; if i pay a lot of money for a mainstream injection kit i expect it to be easy to build, properly researched, etc., but i’m a lot more lenient with limited run or cottage industry kits- but i still expect what i pay for to be useable…are you listening, combat models?
i don’t mind minor fit problems but major problems are a bummer!I like to check kit reviews on FSM and modeling madness to ensure i don’t buy a Turkey!
1: Large Scale (I can’t really do anything under 1/48 anymore).
2: Good Quality Plastic (Not the thin cheapo stuff that breaks if you look at it wrong.)
3: Decent Fit.(I don’t need it to line up to the submicron, but I do NOT want to spend three weeks just filling gaps and sanding down the grand canyon.)
4: A good amount of detail. (And I am one of those who could care less if the panel lines are raised or recessed.)
5: A good amount of parts. (I don’t like kits with 10 pats that should be in a McDonals’s Happy Meal.)
6: Clear and specific instructions as to paint and fit. (My Dragon P51 doesn’t even list all of the colors they refer to by number in the instructions.)
7: REASONABLE accuracy. (I don’t need it accurate to the micron, But I like it to be close.)
8: It needs to be reasonably priced. (I’m on a real tight budget so I get kits that are under $20 maximum.)
That’s about it. Simple really.
Rich