I want to simplify my first ten builds or so to get my feet wet. Im thinking (hobby lobby) german 75mm anti tank gun? I really want to start doing armor but what could i use besides little kits like the pak40 to hone my skills?
thanks
Wish i could help you out but I am new to the armor scene as well and just purchased my first kit. Its from Cyber Hobby and its a 1:35 scale Sherman M4A4 75mm gun. It just came in today so im still in the stage of looking through the instruction booklette but looks to be a good build. After I found out what the painting numbers ment. 
Good luck though in your search.
Start with simpler kits such as Tamiya’s M4A3 Sherman, Panther A, T-34, or other older kits to start. Once you are comfortable with those try your hand with more complex kits from Tamiya, Italeri, Dragon, and Trumpeter. Stay away from kits with individual track links, brass, and resin, etc. until you are better with the basic assembly of AFVs.
Tamiya’s panther A is great for a n00b. Pretty much any old Tamiya kit will be good. Not accurate as today’s offering, but they fit well, are cheap, and look the part. I would not recommend something with a lot of road wheels though, forget Panzer 4’s. Shermans, Tigers, Panthers, etc are good. They also have a panzer 2 ausf. F I believe. Afrika Korps. It’s like $13, comes with 4 figures, and is very simple. I highly recommend it. Anti-tank guns have a lot of small, fiddly parts. Big tanks have more armor plating, less of that stuff. The Tamiya Pak 40 is ok, but not as easy as you may think. good luck!
I’d recommend trying one of Tamiya’s T-34 kits. They have some issues with accuracy and the kit tracks are awful, but they are simple builds, (perhaps easier than the Pak 40), that can yield a good looking model with just a little work. The cost is pretty low allowing you to experiment with technique all you like and there’s no worry about ruining an expensive kit. That’s my two cents.
I concur about the Tamiya T-34s but would like to say skip the Tamiya Panther A. Although simple, it’s such an inaccurate dog that it shouldn’t be built. period.
At hobby lobby, the Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog is nice. Also the Tamiya M4A3s. If you want something more complex, get the Tamiya Hetzer or Marder III or Stug IIIG or Stug IIIB kit.
This is what I did earlier this year at Hobby Lobby after a long break. I got the Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog for $9, after a 40% coupon. Then I got the Tamiya Stug III for about $30 using the 40% off coupon. Now I might get the Tamiya Panther for about $16.
OK: I don’t claim to be a model master but methinks you were smart to post this. Armor obviously has its fans: it’s armor, the almost “anything goes” approach used by many very good builders toward weathering and painting brings out the inner child, it’s armor, you don’t have to mess with masks, it’s armor and it’s armor. But like all guilds, what goes for the guildmaster does not go for the apprentice. The armor addicts are a little like fly fishermen: they take delight in making things harder for themselves. Buy the best and most detailed kits with several hundred parts. Pile on the aftermarket detailing products. I daresay some of the best kits made by Dragon would delight the master and send a new modeler back to airplanes for life.
What you want is something that’s both simple but a real live 35 scale kit that will introduce you to the subject without overwhelming you. (A 72 scale kit can be a very false economy. They’re very small and have some very small parts, and once complete are almost invisible. Others may disagree. 48 scale is probably ok - I’ve never done one.) I strongly suggest the old 35 scale Tamiya kits - things like the Panzer II G/F, the Japanese Type 97, the Stuart, or their basic Panther or entry level T-34/76. These kits are cheap: you can find the Stuart or the Panzer II for under $15 easily: all under $20. What you sacrifice with these kits is detail and perhaps near perfect proportions. But if you don’t really care deeply precisely exactly what a Panzer II looked like, you’re still very much in the ball-park. These are not at all toy kits like some of the Testors aircraft are. Indeed, they were once “state of the art.” The kits are not simple exactly, but Tamiya kits work. The parts fit. The instructions are very good. The tracks are vinyl but quite easy to attach. (There are ways to duplicate track “sag” with vinyl tracks. Many (but not all) guild masters will favor individual track pieces: they look neat but add 200 parts to the kit. Or get metal ones for more than the kit costs. Or use Tamiya’s and paint them up right and weather them a little or a lot.) At the end of assembly - which will keep you awake but not break your brain - you have a terrific canvas for the real joys of armordom - painting and weathering. Check on this site, armorama or missing-lynx.com and find photo-builds or follow the useful kit instructions. Anyway, you won’t go broke if you decide that airplanes are really your thing. You will end up with a perfectly nice kit. And if you like it, a few months down the road you’ll find yourself blowing $100 altogether on a top-end kit with extra-market metal tracks and photo-etched ammunition boxes. (BTW: if you find you like armor, you might be the kind of odd guy that likes ships. Hunt down a Tamiya 700 scale battleship for a starter there. I’m partial to HMS Rodney. If you think guildmasters run the armor world, you’ve never logged onto the ship sites. But warships too are made of armor.)
Eric
I would agree with most of EBergerud’s suggestions, the Tamiya Panzer II, and Type 97 in particular are very simple and fairly inexpensive kits that build up into nice models. The Tamiya / Italeri / Zvesda M13/41 and Semovente kits are also pretty nice beginners kits. There are also several armored cars that I’d suggest, Tamiya’s SdKfz 221, 222, 231, Daimler Dingo and Italeri’s SdKfz 234/2 Puma can usually be found for less than $20 and there are no tracks to deal with. The screen top of the 221,222, and 231 can be tricky but not too bad as long as you take your time when you cut and glue the screen.
The Christie suspension used on many British and Soviet tanks is good to look for, they are basically just wheeled vehicles with a track around the wheels. The German’s made some of the most complex suspensions although the British Churchill definately gave them a good run for the most moving parts.
I see no reason why you can’t build Tamiya’s newer releases such as Wespe, Pz III L, StuG III G Early to name a few. Trumpeter’s KV 1-2 series is very cheap and relatively simple to put together, including the link-and-length tracks. Monotone color too.
Hey buddy,
I’d HIGHLY recommend (as a great kit anyway and as an easy build for a newbie too) both the Tamiya Cromwell and Tamiya Hetzer.
The Tamiya StuG III is a good choice too btw.
My Cromwell…(I think this was about my third ever build)?
Tamiya Hetzer box and artwork…
I’ve already built the Cromwell a long while back and what a suerb kit - an easy build with lots of weathering potential if you want to test yourself.
I’ve got the Mid Production Hetzer in my stash and that will be my next WIP. It got very few parts (about 215), the wheels are big (38t chassis) and it’s easily painted/detailed too.
I’d stick to rubber band (vinyl one piece kit tracks) to start with instead of link and length but that’s my personal opinion.
Go onto Youtube and look into all the modelling videos; there are stacks of great videos on detailing and other methods to help you on your way. One of the first skills you’ll need to learn is the ‘drybrush’. It’s VERY effective and can make a huuuge difference to your build. Look up drybrush on Youtube or do a search on here.
Remember to ask questions all the way and everyone will help you out. I only started building in May 2009 and my modelling has improved massivley thanks to the help from these guys.
When you have decided on your kit let us know and guidance you shall get! Start a basic blog and we’ll direct your build accordingly. Soon you’ll be a pro modeller - just like me! [whstl]
HTH & ATVB
Ben [:D]
YouTube is awesome to watch different kinds of techniques. There is a whole Japanese TV show on modeling posted in 8 parts per episode. These are not in English, but great to watch for the building process. I also watch Model Railroad videos for weathering ideas.
I am building the Tamiya Cromwell now as my 3rd kit and an very impressed with the fit and detail. I got it off ebay for about $25 and ordered the paint needed at the dsame time. Tamiya’s website has what paint is needed for each kit. Also Armorama has reviews with pictures of the sprues and copies of the instruction sheets.
DROOOOL over the british cromwell. I was going to wait awhile to do it because its really like that particular brit medium tank. Im not sure which direction ill go. I hate to sound like a retard but im not 100% clear on painting and weathering armor. To me painting/weathering completly takes a model to another level. I really really appreciate all the help guys Il try to stick around and keep you guys updated with what i start on next w/ pictures.
Painting is generally a simple process, it just takes an understanding of layering and how to get a certain effect. An weathering will come. REally, it’s just a lot of experimentation. Also, considering how AFV’s are treated, there’s no “wrong” way to do it.
I can’t believe nobody suggested the Tamiya 1/48 series…come on guys!
That said check out the Tamiya 1/48 armor series, they have some great kits that are nice to bite your teeth on. (Heck that’s how I started out.[;)]) Especially check out the KV-2 and other russian tanks, they have simple paint schemes, not a boatload of roadwheels, link and length tracks, and they have quite a bit of detail with the potential to add lots more.
I agree that painting for the most part is pretty basic. Camoflauge can take it to another level. I’ve seen very good to very poor camo jobs here, but it’s the weathering that takes the vehicle in most cases to the next level. I think it’s equally difficult doing a spectacular understated weathering job as opposed to a beat up vehicle.
Frankly, for new guys, I never recommend anything from Tamiya in their 1/48th scale series except the wheeled vehicles, simply because they’re not exactly cheap… They run as much or more than than the early 1/35th scale offerings, and a new guy doesn’t know if he even likes to build armor kits yet…
I’d suggest going along with some of the other’s choices from Tamiya, i.e., the M41 Walker Bulldog, T-34/76, T-62A, Panther A, and the like… Anything under 30.00 is about where you wanna start, and pick one with the Christie suspension, like the T-34, and one without it, like the Bulldog… That’ll whet your appetite and give you enough variety to decide if armor’s your bag… The early Tamiya kits give you a great deal of experience withoout breaking the bank… They’re also good because you don’t need to invest in airbrushes and compressors, they can be shot with a rattle-can with results that’re as good as an airbrushed finish, especially when we’re talking about single-color camouflage schemes… You also can save yourself some money to invest in other areas of armor building, like buying a pin-vise and a drill-bit selection. Simply drilling out MG barrels and deepening cooling jacket holes can do wonders with a stock .50 cal.
Along with the early Tamiya kits, Revell has re-released a number of the 1970’s-era 1/32 scale Monogram armor kits that were originally released in the 60s & 70s… they’re inexpensive, fairly well-detailed, and can be built up into really good models… Most of us who started building armor in the 60’s and 70s built these kits, and when they came with the “Tips on Building Dioramas” sheets from Shep Pain, well… A BUNCH of us diorama guys started right there & then…
You can view some of those Monogram works here (These are downloadable .pdf files):
http://sheperdpaine.atspace.com/index.htm
and here:
http://sheperdpaine.com/gallery/armor/index.htm
Also, if you can find it (I think there’s some used copies at Amazon DOTcom fairly cheap), Shep Paine’s book, “Building Tanks and Military Vehicles” is a wise investment for the cherry tread-head… It covers everything you need to know for your first few builds, including, basic assembly, suspension work, painting, weathering, adding battle-damage, applique and “soft” armor, and making extra stuff from scratch to add-onto the tank like bedrolls, ration boxes, tarps, tie-downs, etc…
Those diorama tip sheets and Monogram kits are what got me ALL up into building armor dioramas at about age 13, and I’ve never looked back, still building them at 51…
I was comparing my as of yet unassembled Tamiya PzK III L with their PzK II G which was the first tank I built. The newer kit is certainly superior in detail and appears wonderfully made. Yet the part count is much higher and it costs over twice as much. The new one looks like a great kit, but I’m glad I started simple. (BTW: whoever suggested the Tamiya Marder, thankee. I’d managed to miss that kit and I bought it. Never done something with an open fighting interior: looks very interesting.)
I’d also plug another kit if you have any interest in figures. Tamiiya makes a British Universal Carrier MK II (everyone else in the world not working for Tamiya called it a Bren Carrier). There were about six trillion of these buggies produced and were loved by the Commonwealth forces - historically a very important vehicle. Anyway, it’s relatively simple and a modest $15. This one has an open interior which raises some neat challenges for painting. (You could do it very simply, but it’s also possible to do some wood work and heavy weathering if the mood strikes.) And it also really begs for figures. I don’t usually make them, but the Bren just needed a Tommy or two. I can sure see why some modelers are fascinated with figures - it’s a real challenge to make them look right. If you can paint a good figure, I’d guess those skills would help in any kind of modeling that doesn’t require an airbrush.
Eric
Ditto that one being a great kit… Loved the scene featuring it in “The Longest Day”… The Beachmaster saying to the Tommies who had theirs flooded-out, “My grandmother used to say. when dealing with anything mechanical, just give it a good bash!” and whacking it with his Shillelagh…
I’m going to add to the Tamiya M4A3 kit. It was my first armor, as well. Enough parts to be detailed, but not so many as to be overwhelming. The tracks are basically, one big rubberband. In fact, it was so easy, it actually made me pick up a few more armor kits.
Unlike Trumpeter’s SAM-6, which I just built, which uses the worst kind of individual links - plastic with no pins. So now, not only do you have the headache of individual links, but there aren’t any pins to join them. So you have to align them, glue them and then wait for them to dry (meaning you can only do 2 or 3 links at a time).
-Fred