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Tamiya vs Zoukei-Mura ?


Greif

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Hi modellers,

I understand the tittle could sound a bit strange; here's the explanation:

I have the chance to go to Tokyo for 3 weeks for business 😜😛....

There, surrounded by dozen of hobby shop, I should lock my credit card in my hotel room to prevent from doing crazy things, else I should rent a container to bring back all the stuff to Italy ....

Well, my interest is mainly WWII fighters in 1/32 and bombers in 1/48.... I'm not a rivet counter, but I like the kits to be quite accurate...

My first idea was to bring back a Zero in 1/32 from Tamiya, which seems to be a gorgeous kit....quite tempted also by the Corsair though....

But Tamiya is not alone on the market (I don't forget Hasegawa, but I already know their quality standards) , because now there is also Zoukei-Mura.... And the idea of a TA152H0, a Shinden or a Do335 in 1/32 is also tempting me..

Now, my question: does Zoukei-Mura worth the money? Does this brand stands the comparison with Tamiya and Hasegawa in 1/32?

Comments from modellers that had the chance to build one of these kits are more than welcome!

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

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Lucky you! I spent many pleasant hours in Akihabara when I last visited Tokyo, and will return the next time I'm in Japan.

As to your question, it really depends on what you want. The Tamiya 1:32 Mustang and Corsair are superb kits, worth every penny. ZM stuff is just as good, but more expensive. My biggest problem with ZM is that a lot of the detail you pay for gets buried inside the model. Once done it's never seen again. It's a matter for you to decide whether the extra cost is worth it. For me it's not, and I'm happy with what comes in the Tamiya box. You may see things differently.

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Be sure, you won't need a container. I just returned today from Aki and other places. I have seen a ZM A-1H for 100 Dollars at Mandarake total Chaos in Osaka. But they should have it for 50% more in Aki as well. Volks anyway.

Make sure to know how to ask if you can have a look at the inside of the box. I got me 2 Hasegawa Ta152H ( yes, they exist ) in 1/72. Dumb as I am I was thinking it would be Aoshima. Of course it was Dragon. None the less, I got 5 Aoshimas :D

Mandarake and Yodo are good starts in Aki. Yodo also has a decent food court on floor 8.

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I would echo the sentiments of Admiral Puff. ZM makes excellent kits, but you pay for a lot of detail that is never seen.   And sometimes this unseen detail, if not put together correctly drastically affects the parts and seams that will be seen.  i like their models as I have the Raiden, Owl, Horten, Ta 152, Shinden and Skyraider, but I like their concept of how their models are designed. So, if you don't mind paying for detail (lots of it) that will never be seen once built, ZM is great. Otherwise, I would go with Tamiya.   I have their 1/32 Zero, Mustang, Spitfire and Corsair and all are great kits.   Just remember, bulk shipping reduces your overall costs per unit. Just buy enough units!

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Big "DEPENDS"...

Tamiya you can be pretty sure will just fit together, is cheaper and will be well supported by the aftermarket industries. ZM are brilliant, but (a bit like Eduard) if you screw up even slightly in construction, the  problem quickly snowballs (as the engineering tolerances are SO small) - they look amazing done tho! And like has been said above, most of the ZM detail ends up hidden (so its a bit like an adventure in seeing what you end up with); but if you're looking for the basis of a workshop or crash dio, could be worth the pain!

 

There are obviously times when ZM wins out though - Ta 152 and Ho 229 and Do 335 and Shinden, which I don't think anyone else does in 1/32 (well, PCM does a fair 1/32 Ta 152H and C, but it's a short run kit, and old now, so we'll ignore it); same goes if you want a 1/32 Spad - the Trumpeter kit appears to be typical of Trumpeter (but in fairness, not even close to some of the BAD Trumpter stuff). And owning a few of the aforementioned ZM kits (I WANT the Do 335 too), they are challenging but look AMAZING.

But really, depends mostly on what you want - the only real 'side by side' race I can think of is Mustangs and He 219.

He 219 - Revell vs ZM: for me, the ZM wins on detail alone; but at about 1/3rd the cost the Revell is awesome value. And those savings help pay for some a/m Radiators, Gills, Wheels, PE, etc, which are notable short comings of the kit. The other short coming is the lack of Rear Transparency in the Revell (all operational He 219 A-0's, A-2's and A-7's had this) and the notable glass/perspex insulators in the rear upper too.

Mustang - Tamiya vs Dragon vs Hasegawa vs ZM: I'm not really a Mustang person, so can't really comment, except the Price Point on the ZM is about 5-6 times that of the Dragon and old Hasegawa kit.


This doesnt really help you at all, does it! Damn it, I keep coming back to 'IT DEPENDS'.... But if it was me, that Do 335 would be on the top of the List! ;)


Dan

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Many thanks for your answers guys, really appreciate it. 

 

Well I'm going surely for a ZM TA152 to complete my german fighters series... but I still have (too much) time to change my mind !

Actually the Do335 is really seducing my too, but I have already the Tamiya A-12 version to do in 1/48; and it's already a very big bird in this scale (as big as a Bf109 in 1/32)... I can't imagine it in 1/32! 

 

Anyone has experience on the Bf-110 series in 1/32 from Dragon? 

 

Cheers

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Well, as they used to say: It is good to know that it is there. It was how the superdetailing started. You couldnt see much, e.g., behind the 'curtain' in a Canberfra, but good to know that it was there!

 

I am most happy that ZM does not make Spitfires. I would end up a poor man!

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I would probably go for some Zoukei-Mura if it was me.

 

I have the Skyraider and it's an amazing kit with an outstanding level of detail.

 

I think the one thing that would swing me towards Zoukei-Mura is the availability in these parts. They are usually harder to get hold of an subsequently more expensive.

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Oh one thing I should add, was talking to a certain friend who is decal manufacturer and a/m part manufacturer/master-maker today - of all the people he speaks with, he reckons ZM are the most often 'unfinished projects' he hears about.

Modern CAD engineering is a double edged sword - you may end up with an AMAZINGLY well fitted kit, BUT the tolerances are so tight that even a coat of paint can throw things out, so if you mis-align something (or even too much pre-painting), you're doomed (apparently that happens to the 1/32 Revell Mirage III if you screw up the intake trunking a little, for example)... This happened to me on my first Eduard Fw 190D build - brilliant kit, just you REALLY need to be careful around the firewall and getting that wing spar perfectly central). AND, in my experience, if you make one alignment error, thing snow balls the firther down the track you get, until you have the whole thing together or even in paint and that "WHA?!?!? Oh... Crap...." feeling sets in (personally - Eduard Fw 190D wing spar, when I went to attach the gear; other people, Revell Mirage III wings don't attach 'level', if you screw the intake trunking).

Still, if you're a careful 'test fit - test fit - test fit - glue' modeller, the ZM shouldn't be a problem...


D

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Well, I had the chance to open the Tamiya Mustang box this weekend at the hobby model Expo of Milan. 

Focusing on the fin (not to mention other parts), and comparing it to the ZM Mustang, I would go for the Tamiya one  because of the level of details and quality of molding that I found lower on ZM.

Maybe it's just an impression but I found that Tamiya ( in this precise case) was superior to ZM.

Unfortunately, I didn't had the chance to see the TA152H... But sooner or later I think Tamiya will do some german fighters too. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

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