Model Kit Brand Names, Is One Better Than Another

[FrankJ]

As some of you may know I am still at the beginner stage of scale model building, I've built the Revell 1/700 Titanic with perseverence I got it completed and was happy with the build and parts on the sprues were ok. 

 

For the next kit I bought a Italeri 1/24 Ford Escort RS1800 MK2 to see how I would get on building a model car, I've found quite a few of the parts on the sprues were not very good mouldings/quality or having to file excess bits  plastic off a lot of parts to get a half decent finish, a propshaft that was a few mm's short, all in all I don't think Italeri was as good a kit as the Revell was. Maybe it's just me or I got a unlucky package, too late to take it back cos I'm 3/4 way through it.

 

Do you guy's have any favourite brands of model kits that you stick with, any brands you dislike?

 

Got a spray can of Humbrol Acrylic gloss varnish, sprayed it on the car wheels (painted gloss blue), colour now looks like a matt finish instead of gloss. Learn me to do a sample spray first next time. Not been a lucky car for me.

[Redstaff]

Hi and welcome  

Depends on what you fancy building

Hasegawa do some nice kits, so do Beemax and Belkits if you're into rally cars, but as a newbie wanting to gain a bit of experience I would recommend you have a look at Tamiya kits as they are my go to kits if I want a nice relaxing build and the fit of parts is very good.

Heller and Italeri I've found can be challenging and the Escort is very challenging, hope it didn't put you off

 

Have a look round at some wips and finished builds and you can see how other people got along with them  

 

Ian

[johnlambert]

There are a lot of variables to consider but Tamiya is generally a dependable brand.  Some of the parts can be a bit fiddly on the newer kits and some of the older kits can be a bit basic; especially if they are adapted from motorised or radio-controlled models.  Newer releases of older kits are more likely to have problems with excess flash where the moulds have worn over time (something that is true of all kits not just Tamiya).

 

I've got a Fujimi Honda Prelude on the go, a basic kit in terms of detail but pretty simple to put together.

 

I've got a couple of Revell kits in my stash, they look OK but I've not started them to see how good fit and location of parts is.  The same goes for the Trumpeter Ford Falcon Ranchero.  In all cases the parts do at least look nicely moulded.

 

I'm nearly finished on an old AMT/ERTL kit (Plymouth GTX) that has a few tricky bits where the parts don't seem to want to go together and have poor locating pegs/holes.

 

My only experience of Italeri was a 1/24 Bugatti Royale over 30 years ago.  I got it together but it wasn't an easy build as it had a massive parts count with things like separate chassis rails and body in multiple pieces that were a challenge to get together squarely.  I think it slowly returned itself to its component parts over the subsequent years and ended up in the bin.  I quite fancy an Italeri Escort, which I'm sure is nothing like as bad, but I guess my past experience makes me a bit cautious of taking one on.

[Spiny]

I would suggest that rather than focussing on a particular brand, find a kit you like the look up and Google it. There's a good chance that somewhere on the interweb there someone will have a build thread or comment so you should be able to form a picture of it.

 

That said, I can't argue with John that you rarely find a bad Tamiya kit. Of the other manufacturers I've built up so far, Revell can be very good (especially the Trabant), but some of their older kits can be a bit iffy. Aoshima do nice kits, but there some older kits which they say aren't up to modern standards - I have one of those in my stash which doesn't look too bad, just more basic than the new stuff, but without putting it together I can't swear to it. The one Belkits kit I did was pretty good but did need a little fettling, and I would say their kits aren't for beginners.

[Orso]

As companies keep reissue old kits there there can be a varied quality from one company. I agree with finding something interesting and check it out on the net before buing.

[Noel Smith]

The newer Revell Germany car kits are very good generally and at a fraction of the price of the Tamiya car kits. Your wheel painting problem. Did you spray acrylic over enamel/ lacquer? It is ok to spray on enamel over acrylics acrylic dried out fast. Enamel paints take a long time even when touch dry. They will try to bleed out of acrylic is applied over them.

[FrankJ]

Thanks for the replies folk.

Noel, I had acrylic gloss (blue) on the wheels and used Humbrol acrylic gloss varnish expecting it to leave a glossy finish, it turned out a matt finish. I shook the can for about 2 minutes before use, paint had been stored indoors since purchasing 3 weeks ago. 

 

I did a test spray on a empty black sprue, turned a horrible grey ish matt finish. Perhaps someone messing around with caps in the shop. 

I'm reluctant to try it on the white shell of the car (also painted gloss white acrylic) and mess it up. 

[Noel Smith]

Frank, the Humbrol products should have been OK. You shook the cans thoroughly, so the only thing that  can think of is what were the conditions like when spraying.?

If the atmosphere is a bit on the damp or humid side paint can go a bit flat as it atmospheric moisture can make it bloom. Other than that, if the cans were a bit cold it could affect the viscosity of the paint being sprayed.

An old trick is to partially immerse the aerosol in warm (not boiling) water for a few minutes and this helps to thin the viscosity an allow it to spray easier. HTH.

[Mattlow]

Hi Frank

 

I'm no car expert (a total novice in fact) but if you're looking info on certain kits my 'go to' location is Scalemates.

 

For any given kit they'll have a page of info which gives you a history of the model (sometimes a kit is in a new box but is decades old - not always an issue but worth being aware of). Their timelines will also tell you if kits are re-boxed products. So, for example, Airfix and Heller tended to release each others' kits in their own boxes, Revell of Germany and Hasegawa did the same, the list goes on. This can mean you are getting a better (or worse) kit than the manufacturer's brand would indicate.

 

Here's a link to Scalemates for the Italeri Ford Escort RS1800 Mk.II - https://www.scalemates.com/kits/italeri-3655-ford-escort-rs1800-mkii--1029950

 

Timeline shows you a 2017 release contains 1979 plastic (later releases almost always have far better decals though). Further down you'll find places to buy and then, very usefully, links to reviews.Further again you'll find equally useful links to associated items - decals, etch etc.

 

My first port of call when I'm trying to find out about a kit.

 

HTH

 

Matt

[cmatthewbacon]

I'd day the first thing to think about is what car/s you want. The manufacturers all have different ranges and specialities (and often licensing agreements). You're not going to get a Tamiya Series III Land Rover, if that's what floats your boat. That said, some of the best bang for your buck, if you like the subject matter, is in the more recent Revell Germany originated kits. Then Mini, Golf and aforementioned Land Rover if you like more ordinary fare, or Mercedes SLS and AMG GT, Audi R8, BMW i8, Porsche 918 or Ferrari 599 GTO and SA Aperta if your tastes run to supercars. Tamiya is extremely reliable for anything kitted since about the Ferrari 360 Spider. The Mercedes McLaren SLR, Lexus LFA, and new Honda NSX or Toyota Supra are excellent. Pretty much anything by Tamiya dating from the 2000s onwards is going to be good from a fit and engineering point of view. Unfortunately, some of their most desirable kits from a Brit modeller's point of view, like the Jaguar Mk2 and Morgan (not to mention Alfa GTA or Alpine Berlinette) are OOP, though hope is on the horizon because they've announced the Lotus Europa and Seven as being reissued this year, so a few more of those classics might see the light of day again. Aoshima's just reissuing its good (but engine-less) MGBs, which can also be found in older Airfix or Revell boxes, if they float your boat.

 

If you wanted to drop some hints about what kind of (or specific) cars you might like to build, I'm sure people will jump in with advice...

 

best,

M.