well, these two are really going at it. they are producing the same kits at the same time.
Afv club is offering very nice kits that are dead on accuracy. While Dragon is offering boatloads of extras but with less accuracy.
So what kits do you plan to buy from what makers?
I will go by both over time but i think I will start out with dragon. The extras are to good to pass up, and at the prices they offer compared to AFV club…[:0]
dragon seems to be looking good for me, but i’m still keen to see AFV do some more mainstream stuff
…just so long as tamiya gets the kicking it deserves for complacency and over-pricing i don’t really care!!![:(!][:(!][:(!]
[;)]
well, i’m hearing great things about AFV’s M18 Hellcat so that is on my christmas list. I also want Dragon’s 3-in-1
Seems to me as long as there’s competion between more than one company then the ‘winners’ are the end-users, meaning us modelers! I’m for that! So what does it say about Tamiya moving from 1/35th to 1/48th? Have they been on top of the 1/35th market for so long that they have lost interest in remaining there? Let’s hear it for AFV Club and Dragon! Another thing to factor in is that AFV Club comes from Taiwan and Dragon comes from Hong Kong, which I read as China! Some history there between those two countries there, huh? Enjoy!
Glenn
For me, Dragon’s inclination towards inclusion of normally AM stuff like aluminum barrels and PE grills make them a better value vs. AFV even with somewhat less overall accuracy. I’m not a bolt/rivet counter when it comes to things like that so my tolerance level is somewhat broader than others in that arena.
I’m definitely in agreement with Glenn, competition is good whether between Dragon and AFV, Dragon and Trumpeter, Dragon and Tamiya, the consumer ultimately benefits from more choices and better market price points to determine their buying.
personally Ive never bought an afv kit so I really cant comment on their quality, but I have been very impressed with the new dragon kits and all the extras. and the prices. Given that the AFV kits Ive seen in the shop are usually at least 30% more, I’ll buy the dragon one every time. Im like Bill when it comes to accuracy, 2 mm here or there doesnt really matter to me.
The real winner is us as modellers when we have choices in kits from one company to the other,Digger
Yup, I agree with that. The consumer is the ultimate winner. Dragon still offers the most for the least.
I would agree that both companies are setting the standards that others will have to attain and the ultimate winners are modelers. From a purely sales point of view, I would assume that DML is out selling AFV Club by quite a substantial margin and it will take quite a shift in model-buying habits worldwide to change this. All-in-all, it’s good, health competition that benefits all of us.
there are some inacurate AFV Club kits (like there Hellcat, the Academy ones ment to be better. i have both and dont like the AFV clubs barrel)
The Dragon Panther, Kingtiger, Nashorn, Jagdtigerand Hetzer kits are great kits and Dragon are £10 cheaper than AFV Club kits (over here)
so im going with Dragon all the way
I have bought 251’s from both companies and I think they are equally great. AFV Club has great detail and does put some extra parts in the first edition released of their kits. I just bought the DML 3 in 1 251and I love the extra parts. My parts bin will be overflowing soon. I’m still not sure about buying the Tigers that are being released by these two companies. I guess I will just have to wait and see what comes in the boxes. I wonder if DML could be talked into doing a 3 in 1 Sherman or a 3 in 1 U.S. WW2 halftrack kits.
You never know Erik. This might be a new concept that they are watching closely to determine what direction they take for the future. I for one am going to grab the new Tiger when it is available, though I wouldn’t mind a mid-pro one. At least Dragon has apparently studied what the consumer is looking for in a kit and has hit a homerun with their new 3 in 1’s.
On the surface, I would throw my support behind ‘Dragon’. They/It seems to produce a broader spectrum of kits (in 1/35). However…AFV does a better job in terms of addressing the various skill levels of modelers. (I think to the issue of tracks) AFV provides the, albeit less stylish, one piece vinyl tracks…while Dragon consistently includes the ‘build it yourself’ track. For less experienced modelers, the latter might prove a bit too much in terms of a challenge. If asked to recommend one of the two…I would edorse AFV.
I never thought of it like that, we the modelers are winning. Thats a really good point!
im gonna go with dragon. look at all the extras!!! i can pass up a little accuracy for that!
dragon’s got my bet. AFV’s got lots of extras, but they’re so expensive, and with the extras dragon’s giving away, you can add that accuracy youself. yep definitly the cheaper dragons
You all forgot(or did i miss one?) that competition between so many manufacturers, and tamiya’s abdictating the throne leads the model production world into a maelstrom(lol) of whirling death. If one of them screws up, they could destroy their entire outlook on the future. Tamiya, i think has gone a little crazy, but it is nice to know, that you can make a dio of a tank destroying a plane in scale withought trying to find one or the other in scale…
But, a great benefit for us is, more extras, better molds, detail, accuracy or price!
take your pick, they are all out there now!
I love a good value, and you can’t argue with the value-packed items that Dragon is releasing. They have my vote, and my money [:)]