A few kit recommendations - I know these may have been discussed before.

[Murewa]

Planning my next year ... or more,  of building. Just wanted to feel out what the best / most detailed kits were for a few different airframes. 1/48 scale. I like building wheels up, so open canopy options not needed and fiddly detailed landing gear unnecessary, I'll just sand and fit the panels into the wing. (indeed I don't remember the last kit I made that came with a 'wheels up' option.). 

Battle of Britain

Bf109E - June-ish 1940. - made a Tamiya as one of my very first brush kits years ago but it's faded [sloppy] and I look at it with pity now .. needs replaced. Still Tamiya?

 

BF110 - early war heavy fighter variant - e.g. BoB again. 

 

Africa

Tropical Mk V spit.   (gonna make 2, one desert and one Malta) - Tamiya? Airfix?

 

109F trop - Revell? ICM? (though engine details are unnecessary)

 

British P40 later war (desert - like E and beyond - Kittyhawk rather than Tomahawk). 

 

 

Mid war escort P47 Razorback (pretty much sure Tamiya is the pick here)

 

 

Any thoughts / experience / recommendations welcome. 

I've only really built a lot of Tamiya mainly, with a few others like Eduard, Airfix and Italeri thrown in here and there.  Don'y have much experience with different brands. 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

I’ll only talk about those subjects I’m fairly confident about, so will leave the German aircraft for others to comment on. 
 

For the Spit Vb Trop, I’ll suggest the latest Airfix kit over Tamiya’s mid 90’s effort. Although I’m yet to build mine the Airfix kit has a tricky undercart, however as you intend to model yours up you may avoid issues in this area. It also comes with decals for a Malta based option, so that’s another bonus. The Spitfire boffins also suggest that the Airfix mould is more accurate shape-wise, although I wouldn’t throw away a Tamiya kit if it was given to me.

 

The Kittyhawk and Thunderbolt appear to be one horse races with Hasegawa and Tamiya leading their respective fields. 
 

Hope this helps a little. 

Cheers.. Dave 

[72modeler]

Not really my scale, but recall reading reviews on some of these- FWIW, here's what I remember of significance; I will omit the types of which I have no knowledge. I'm sure our many resident "big scale" modelers will be along shortly. Hope this gets you started.

Mike

 

P-47: Tamiya kits- no contest!

 

Bf-110: Eduard- head and shoulders above the rest!

 

Bf-109E: the  Tamiya Bf-109E-3 is said to have upper nose and oil cooler contour issues, which they corrected in their Bf-109E-4/trop boxing- other than that, they are superior to the Hasegawa kits, which don't have nearly as nice a cockpit. The Eduard kits are the most accurate and have better detail parts.

 

Bf-109F: Eduard

 

P-40E/Kittyhawk: Hasegawa is the best; the Revell/Monogram kits have raised panel lines, IIRC, and the kit cockpits are much less detailed than the Hasegawa kit.

 

Spitfire Vb- I agree with Rabbit Leader's observations; maybe, just maybe Tamiya will do a new-tool Mk V like they did recently with their new-tool Mk I/IIa at some point- if they do, it will be the one to get, if their Mk I/IIa is any indication.

Edited May 20, 2020 by 72modeler
added text

[Troy Smith]

1 hour ago, Murewa said:

Just wanted to feel out what the best / most detailed kits were for a few different airframes. 1/48 scale. I like building wheels up, so open canopy options not needed and fiddly detailed landing gear unnecessary,

'best' is a not a useful term,  as a very good KIT, maybe not be the most accurate.

If you are building in flight,  then 'most detailed' really means best airframe, as you use pilots? at least closed canopy?

Also, depends what you like/are prepared to do?  prefer OOB, or happy to do some work? 

1 hour ago, Murewa said:

I've only really built a lot of Tamiya mainly, with a few others like Eduard, Airfix and Italeri thrown in here and there.  Don'y have much experience with different brands. 

brands are in many way irrelevant,  deal with kits on a case by case basis.  As the list below will show, kits get reboxed.  

 

OK, I'll go for airframe shape as the main factor.

 

1 hour ago, Murewa said:

Battle of Britain

Bf109E - June-ish 1940. - made a Tamiya as one of my very first brush kits years ago but it's faded [sloppy] and I look at it with pity now .. needs replaced. Still Tamiya?

as stated, the very first Tamiya had a shape issue on nose.

 

The Eduard kit is apparetly a touch overscale, but has a fine surface. 

otherwise, any newish E kit is pretty decent, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Airfix.  I'd really suggest having a search and see what features you like. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Murewa said:

 

BF110 - early war heavy fighter variant - e.g. BoB again. 

Eduard or Dragon/Cyberhobby.

The Eduard is noted for being fiddly.   The Dragon tends to be pricey.

The old Fujimi kit I think has been reboxed by Italeri recently.  Supposed to be good shapewise, little internal detail.

 

1 hour ago, Murewa said:

 

Africa

Tropical Mk V spit.   (gonna make 2, one desert and one Malta) - Tamiya? Airfix?

what variant?   

Tamiya Vb is OLD tool, same faults as the old Mk.I.  

So Vb, Airfix. 

Eduard will undoubtedly do one.

 

Vc - Special Hobby (reboxed by Classic Airframes, Italeri and Revell) 

You will read a lot about this kits inaccuracies.  It's short, not by much.   easy enough to fix with a couple of extensions.

Otherwise its a conversion.   

Surprisingly Airfix did not do Vc.

I suspect Eduard will do one, as there is a multitude of potential markings and Eduard do love their multischeme profipacks

 

1 hour ago, Murewa said:

 

109F trop - Revell? ICM? (though engine details are unnecessary)

the Revell kit IS the ICM reboxed.

Best shape wise is Zvezda, but has full engine.

The Eduard has finest surface, but a few small issues.

 

1 hour ago, Murewa said:

 

British P40 later war (desert - like E and beyond - Kittyhawk rather than Tomahawk). 

Hasegawa.  They did the entire family, but are not that easily available new and are expensive, or the AMT/Ertl kits, reboxed  by Italeri, the do an E/K, or a M/N kit. The Italeri reboxes maybe easier and cheaper to find.  

There is also the Mauve, reboxed by Eduard P-40M which is rated as decent which may turn up used.

 

 

1 hour ago, Murewa said:

 

Mid war escort P47 Razorback (pretty much sure Tamiya is the pick here)

Tamiya

 

A bit of searching will turn up more info.   

[Sturmovik]

2 hours ago, 72modeler said:

 

Bf-110: Eduard- head and shoulders above the rest

Don't forget that the Eduard 110 in 48 has the nose gun and engine issue of not fitting properly.

[fernandocouto]

1 hour ago, Sturmovik said:

Don't forget that the Eduard 110 in 48 has the nose gun and engine issue of not fitting properly.

Sorry for not closed to the topic, Edurad 1/48 Bf110 fit IS poor at these 2 position, but on their 1/72 kits, quite better.

[Murewa]

Wow, thanks guys that's really helpful...I'll start looking into those kits. 

😁👍

[Work In Progress]

The Eduard 110, while superbly detailed and good for accuracy, is incredibly fiddly with a parts count of approximately two million, and never misses an opportunity for tricky sub-assemblies, each of which creates an opportunity to build in a fit problem downstream.  I would select it, and settle in for a fairly lengthy and painstaking haul, if doing a model with everything opened up and on show. But not for what you want to do.

 

Seriously, if you want to build wheels-up and with the heavily-framed canopy closed up, you will not get the benefit of all the Eduard features. The Fujimi one guarantees a quick and painless build, and they are often around cheap.  I don't think I've ever paid more than £8 for one to be honest, though that is at shows where we alas can't shop at the moment. They make very nice in-flight builds: the relatively simple cockpit and bare wheel wells are non-issues in that context, and the exterior is good.

 

Have a look at these three here on BM

 

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Work In Progress

[Murewa]

3 hours ago, Work In Progress said:

 with a parts count of approximately two million,

 

 

LOL, hahaha, 

I will have  search around for the Fujimi kit too then. A few people above mentioned the Eduard kit has some fit issues.