MFH kits 1/12 question

[Redstaff]

After collecting most  of the upgrade sets for my Tamiya 1/12 FW14b I had a thought after seeing other posts about obtaining a Tamiya 1/12 MP4/6, but by the time the detail sets are added on, I'm thinking more about an MFH MP4/4 for similar money. (I think I need to do one at some point)

Now I've seen builds and such like of the MFH kits over the years, but what do you actually get in the kits and what goodies do you need to get on top, ie hoses, connectors, decals etc?

Any guidance would be appreciated for those who have been down the MFH path

 

Many thanks

Ian

 

[Malc2]

Well, the answer is not a lot really. OOB it makes a very impressive model.

As with every kit you can always add 'extra detail'.

A lot depends how good your references are and how far you want to go, have you got the MFH MP4/4 detail book and a heap of good photo references?

To help you on your way here is a link to the instructions so you can have a look at what is in the kit. The tyres are real rubber.

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1463812/Mfh-K429.html#manual

You also get all the correct smoking transfers 😉 and a sheet of templated carbon of different types.

 

M.

[keefr22]

10 hours ago, Malc2 said:

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1463812/Mfh-K429.html#manual

 

That would be a great reference for detailing a 1/20 build - if only I hadn't sold my Tamiya kit.....

 

I've sometimes been tempted to sell off half my stash just to buy one MFH kit, they really do look like some of the ultimate model cars....

 

Keith

[Redstaff]

Thanks @Malc2, really useful info there

I'll have a good look at the instructions and see if I'm up to the challenge

They do look so good and as Keith has said, they do look the ultimate model cars and I think I should build at least one at some point  

I haven't gathered anything yet as I'm not sure which way I'm heading, only thing I have got is the Haynes MP4/4 manual for the 1/20 one I have in the stash

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[Malc2]

There is a part finished one here on Britmodeller:-

Wonder why it stalled?

 

Malc

[Redstaff]

Thanks for that Malc

I'll have a good look when I get in from work and I'm not looking on my phone 

 

Cheers

Ian

[ICMF]

I somewhat disagree.  I've got a bit of a love/hate relationship with MFH - the subjects are cool and I think the kits are generally okay, but I'm always a little let down by the choices they make, and don't feel they're quite worth all the praise that some modellers heap on them.

 

IMO.

 

The resin is nice, though my MP4/4 has noticeably discoloured over time, so you'll want a solid primer coat.  Coming from the aircraft modelling world, it's not top-tier detail like, say, AiRes (things are a bit soft), but the body castings are clean and impressive.

 

The white metal is nice as far as white metal goes, but is a significant step down in quality from the resin.  Less crisp, less sharp.  Cleaning them up by hand will be tedious; using a magnetic tumbler makes life much easier.  Some people love the amount of metal (nothings looks more like metal...) but IMO most of it is wasted since it either has to be painted (like the black engine block) or else it's a different type of metal so... has to be painted (aluminium doesn't look like lead).  They also don't always clean up their masters, so you'll find build lines and voxels from their 3D printed parts.  I'd be a lot happier with the kits if they included more resin and less metal, but white metal is cheap, so it helps their bottom line.  All in all, it's kind of mediocre, and less well rendered than an equivalent Tamiya kit.

 

I also think they should include more PE and machined parts.  Particularly in the newer releases, all details are cast integrally in the metal, when many things would be better represented with etch.  I think they've even tried doing cast metal intake trumpets on a few kits, which is just awful.  They've also dabbled in cast metal hosing, which is dumb.

 

Their cast fasteners, when they include separate ones, are kind of shocking; you'd be better served buying some cast resin replacements.  Moulded-in fasteners aren't much better, and you'd often be better served lopping them off and replacing.

 

They often include gimmicky but useless details.  The working engine in the MP4/4, for instance, with absolutely no way to show it off (and pistons that are way too small for the cylinders).  It kind of infuriates me that they waste time on silly junk rather than improving their core product.  And as excited as I get for each new release, it annoys me that they crank out a new kit every month, when they'd be better served spending more time improving each kit.  And fixing what seem like frequent accuracy issues (they often have problems with wheels, even when they're based on a set spec).

 

Basically, I bought a bunch of WCT Tameo kits before I ever heard of MFH, and honestly, I'm far(!) more impressed by the average 1/43 Tameo release than by any 1/12 release by Hiro.  I think my 1/20 Tamiya MP4/4 with Top Studio's set will be a far more detailed build than the 1/12 kit, as will your Williams + details.  I think they get cut an enormous amount of slack because they're the only ones doing kits of these subjects, but in a hypothetical head-to-head, there's no way you'd buy an MFH kit if a mainstream release was available.  And I think that's the thing that really bugs me; I look at resin, PE, turned and cast metal as ways to achieve supreme detail, and something really special.  The Top Studio sets REALLY add to the Tamiya Williams.  But beyond all the hype and exotic materials, I just don't think the average MFH kit is actually any better than you'd get in a 30 year old Tamiya kit, let alone what Tamiya/Fujimi/Aoshima COULD do today.

[Redstaff]

The plots thickens now after @ICMF has added another view about MFH kits. I need to sit down and have a think, hopefully get to a show or 2 soon and see if any are there and chat to the builder and ask questions.

Thanks 😁

[Sabrejet]

I've made three 1/43 MFH kits plus one in 1/24 and have the 1/12 Mazda 787B on the go, along with a stash of several more 1/43 and 1/24 kits. I've been building kits since about 1969, resin and white metal since the mid-1980s.

 

In my opinion, MFH are the best kits of any genre, in any medium. The 1/12 kits in particular contain all you need (hose fittings, hoses, cable, drive belt material, you name it). They also contain a lot of machined parts (this obviously depends on which vehicle is the subject) and oodles of photoetch. But what I particularly like about MFH kits is that, because of their multi-media content, they are able to employ the most suitable material for each item. So, for example, the seat belt buckles in the Mazda 787B kit are white metal, where I imagine others would have gone for PE. As a result the MFH items are correctly '3D' and not simple flat or flat/bent items. They also use exclusively vacform parts for windscreens, headlight covers etc in all scales, and so the level of finesse in those areas alone is unmatched by injection-moulded plastic.

 

And in terms of cost, I've often seen folks spend a great deal of money on a plastic kit + aftermarket, which has been finished in a matter of weeks: MFH kits do cost more but give countless hours more modelling enjoyment.

 

Finally, subjects. For me, MFH have an annoyingly wide list of attractive types in their range. Annoying because, for example I wouldn't usually build a 1/12 Alfa P2, but having seen the kit, it's now on my wishlist for my next "this really is the last one" 1/12 kit! I'm also tempted by the motorbikes for a similar reason: they just hit the spot. 

 

But they won't be for everyone: I fully understand that a lot of people like the "shake and bake" type of kit, and there are plenty of kits in that category that will suit. My advice? If you enjoy the journey, go for MFH. If you want a quick(er) result - go for a plastic kit and save your money for another one. 

[Malc2]

Plus 1 to that.

Well said Saberjet.

 

Comparing Tamiya with MFH is grossly unfair, the comparison should be with similar companies such as MG models, and MHF are light years ahead of them.

Tamiya is a multi million dollar company, MFH is half a dozen enthusiasts in a small industrial unit making kits for a niche market. I agree that some things like engine internals are unnecessary, and MFH have learned from this via customer feedback, and with each release MFH have tried to improve while trying to keep costs down, clearly some things worked and others didn't, the MP4/4 is an early 1/12 MFH release.

The balance between white metal and resin is driven by economics and I never had a problem with it. You get the kit, have a look and improve the bits you don't like, same as any kit - even the best Tamiya kits. Replacing fasteners is quick, simple and cheap, especially with the recently available Meng fasteners.

 

I still say OOB it makes a very impressive model. If you like the subject and think you can do it then go for it. There is nothing you can't fix with time, superglue and isopropanol!

 

No MFH kit is ever going to be a shake and bake like recent Tamiya releases.

 

Where else are you going to get a 1/12 kit of an MP4/4?

(OK there is a 1/12 die cast, but it is curbside and poorly detailed by MFH standards).

 

M.

[ICMF]

 

1 hour ago, Sabrejet said:

In my opinion, MFH are the best kits of any genre, in any medium.

 

1 hour ago, Malc2 said:

Comparing Tamiya with MFH is grossly unfair, the comparison should be with similar companies

 

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

Quote

Replacing fasteners is quick, simple and cheap, especially with the recently available Meng fasteners.

 

Yes, and that's what bugs me.  It's a kit made out of aftermarket-quality materials.  It has the capacity of rendering fine details.  You shouldn't HAVE to replace anything, and the fact that the fix is quick, simple and cheap makes it even more galling, IMO, that it's not included in the box.

 

As I said, the subjects are cool and the kits are generally okay, they just make a bunch of baffling and infuriating decisions that tend to dull the lustre for me.

[Sabrejet]

I can't comment on the F1 kits, but all the various MFH sportscars I've made (1/43 thru 1/12) haven't needed ANYTHING to be replaced. Possibly restricted to just early kits?

[Tankerman]

I have built eight MFH 1/12 car kits. two 1/20 car kits and one 1/9 motorcycle kit. The Brough Superior appealed to me, not because I have any interest in motorcycles, which I don't, but because the contents of the kit looked fabulous and the finished model was exactly like the full size machine.

I have never had to replace anything in any of the kits and the reason I enjoy MFH kits is just that, everything is in the box and I don't have to waste time on the web looking for additional parts. I admit they are challenging models to build and high concentration is needed but the end result is so much more satisfying than anything I have achieved from other manufacturers kits.