Here is a post I’ve been wanting to start for some time…may already be one, but here goes
In your opinion, who produces the best armor kits out of all the manufactures ?
Try to submit your list in decending order of highest quality, detail and ease of assembly.
Here’s the problem with that question–“best” is so subjective to any goven participant here.
I would vote either CyberHobby or DML/Dragon–but DML/Dragon’s kits have awful directions and are sometimes rife with errors.
Tamiya’s kits are probably the “best” middle ground between ease-of-asssembly and detail–but their detail is nowhere near as total as D/D.And their output in 1/35 lately has been awfully redundant, and questionable as well, IMO. That little French tractor thingy–[banghead]??
CyberHobby’s kits come with tons of bells-and-whistles, and even interiors–hard to beat, IMHO.
Thanks Doog…That’s the idea here, to get a good opinion base from everyone.
I agree with CyberHobby kits…if you can afford to buy them. And the DML kits I’ve built do need some updating on their instructions. Most recently their late version Hummel, they forgot to mention trimming the front armor plating where the gun sits…I only discovered that AFTER trying to place the gun.
I don’t buy kits based on their “quality” as much as subject matter… I buy based on what type of vehicle I need for a particular diorama… If there is more than one that will work, I buy based on the cheaper of them… For instance, I don’t need a 60.00 Tiger when a 25.00 one will do…
Like Doog said, it’s pretty subjective…
If you want my personal favorites, then Tamiya is my first choice… I buy Academy kits if they’re cheaper than a Tamiya kit, and so on… That said, if I have a choice between an old Tamiya and new Tamiya kit of the same vehicle, the old one gets picked… Unless the new one is cheaper…
I have a couple AFV Club and DML kits that I haven’t built yet, so I dunno about 'em yet…
Next to Tamiya, Italeri and Testor’s/Italeri… Again, whichever is cheaper… I’ll take the Italeri GMC truck over the Tamiya, due to price, even though the Tamiya kit’s probably better quality…
Then there’s Revell, Monogram and other manufacturers that you can still find kits of, but are out of production… I am a card-carrying member of the “Monogram Preservation Society”, ya know…[:D]
Good luck with the survey… Oughtta be a good arguement or three outta this thread, lol…
As for 1/35 scale I don’t go so much by manufacturer as by subject and price. I never built cyberhobby, So I don’t know.But I take AFV Club, Trumpeter and Tamiya over Academy.
For 1/72 scale Revell of Germany and DML are the top of the line. Next is probably Trumpeter. I don’t care for Italeri. What I saw with my limited experience is just re-issues for the most part or designed for the wargamers ( Alzo Zero). But then as Doog said its all subjectiv in depends on the eye of the beholder. This are just my 2 1/2 cent.
Dragon
Like the other guys have said, it depends on the subject. The best 1/35 Tiger Is are almost certainly Dragon, the best Kubelwagens Tamiya, the best Centurions AFV Club, the best Humber Scout Cars Bronco, the best Landwasserschleppers argualbly Hobbyboss, the best Opel Blitzes Italeri.
It also depends on the relative weight you put on scale accuracy, detail, ease of build, avaiablilty, and price.
So it all depends on the individual subject, and the factors you, as an individual modeller, deem to be relatively important. That said, in recent years, I’ve bought, and built, a lot more Dragon and AFV Club stuff, in 1/35, than any other manufacturer, and Dragon and Revell Germany in 1/72.
Cheers,
Chris.
Like others have alluded to, it depends on what you want to build. I have a fondness for early war AFV’s, especially some of the Soviet vehicles. I’d love to see some of the high-end companies put out a BT-7, T-60, T-26, etc. But, beggars can’t be choosers, so I’ll happily take the models of Zvezda, Eastern Express, ICM, etc.
Ditto that BT-7. Been patiently waiting for one. I figure if I buy an Eastern Express one, Dragon will release one the next day. Guaranteed.
I guess I fall right in line with most everyone else here, but with a couple reservations. I like the DML kits, but have bought a couple Trumpeter kits that were nice even if they each had a couple errors in them. Still they’re good enough for me. Yet with this I take it a bit further into basic eras and who were the users.
*WWII & Korea kits can be a hodge podge, but once again DML is usually a good bet (but not always). The best Sherman kits are from Tasca, but you pay out the nose for one. So I just buy the DML’s. Same can be said for the Luchs too (Tasca); even though other do this same track. Most German stuff seems tobe better with DML as well as Russian stuff.
*Vietnam era stuff is a guessing game, but it’s getting slightly better. I don’t think DML sells anything from that time period unless it’s ChiCom. I did pick up an AFV gun truck yesterday that looked as good as anything from anybody I’ve seen yet (I like their WWII stuff too). I don’t like the Testors stuff very much, but often it’s the only game in town
*modern is really growing. Hard for me anyway to tell if it’s right or wrong. Have not bought much of it. Everything I’ve bought has been from DML, Academy and Trumpter, and I can’t grip too much. Still if there’s errors I really don’t know.
*1/48th; For awhile Tamiya has had a lock on it, but the new Hobby Boss kits are better. Still most all the 1/48 stuff I own are from Tamiya, but the Hobby Boss T34 makes their look like a toy
gary
As the others have said, there is no best company. All have their gems and dogs. The better question to ask is who makes the bestmodel of X. This will give you the best model of that vehicle. There are too many different kits and qualities out there to pick one best company.
It also depends on your skill level and wallet too. Some don’t mind taking an older kit w/less detail or one requiring more filling, etc. and putting the work into it to make it look great. Others are looking for one that falls together in the box. Likewise, the older ones are usually cheaper (except when it comes to Tamiya’s crazy marketing strategy). New, hi-tech, superdetailed kits tend to be more expensive. Both can come out equally as great. Lastly, a poor kit can be made into something outstanding, just as the best kit can be built poorly.
What about the Gunze Sangyo kits ? I’ve never built one, but the prices they go for on e-bay, they must have something going for them. I’m looking at people bidding over $200 for an unbuilt kit !! Are they rare and collectable, or were they superior to everything else ?
Most of the Gunze Sangyo kits were multimedia affairs and were high priced because they offered vehicles not available in kit form before. Most of the Gunze Sangyo kits were reissued by Dragon in the early days substituting plastic parts for the white metal pieces. Today, they are collector’s items which is why they go for big money.
As far as the “Who makes the best?” question, I’ll just echo what others have already said. It depends on what vehicle you want a kit of. Fine Molds makes outstanding WW2 Japanese tank kits. They are some of the nicest kits you will run across, but if you are not into IJA tanks, then the company is virtually useless to you. Plus you pay over $50 for a 1/35 scale tank that is half the size of a US M3 Stuart light tank.