preference poll: curbside or engine detail?

I have noticed I enjoy building models with engine detail and am sorry to see so many of my favorite models only being offered as curbside kits. Do you guys see more engine display models coming on the scene or do you see Tamiya and the like sticking with building curbside kits only. Models aren't necessarilly cheap so I wouldn't mind paying an additional fee to have engine detail in my models. so, give me your opinion...:feedback:

edit: sorry for originally posting in wrong section
:banhim:

Paying extra for detail? I pay $28-38AUSD for a new release Revell model and Tamiyas cost $40-60AUSD, almost all of which come with no engine detail. You can see why I make so many muscle cars now :biggrin:

I preffer Curbside Kits, this Porsche that im doing now is my first Curbside kit, and I noticed that I went into a lot more detail on this one, since I didnt have to deal with an engine.

Depends on the mood I'm in. I often find myself wasting a lot of time detailing the engine. I say "wasting" because the models with engines rarely seem to get done, but I can paint, foil and detail the interior of a curbside and have something to show for it!

I've been known to leave the engine OUT of a model from time to time, or just put in the block and exhaust - painted flat black- and leave it at that!

Other times, the engine becomes the focal point of the car. I've got a "Pro Fairgrounds" '55 Chevy that has a blown, injected Rat as the focal point....but, some of my musclecars and sport trucks don't have any engine detail. For that matter, I have several fully detailed engines and trannies - and no car to put them in because I lost interest in the project after building the engine.

Dollars to donuts? I'll take curbsides - and then bitch because they don't have engine detail!!!!!!:bigthumb:

Tim D.

http://modelcartech.com

gotta have the engine detail. I can't stand making kits without it.

But most kits don't have engine detail except for the very underneath of it:mad:

12 of you so far out of 14 prefer the engine in your kits. thats like 9 out of 10 modelers guys. now the point to all this? how do we get tamiya to realize what modelers really want? (I love a good fight:biggrin2:)
I would really like to see some more models come with engine detail as I've really enjoyed building the revell kits lately but they leave something to be desired still (the tamiya quality) and I am still working on my S15 silvia with the Rb26 swap, which just isn't feasible to cut every model up and add a motor from another model kit. thanks to those who vote/voted! :icesangel

Well, I didn't vote as neither of the choices mirror my preferences. I don't have preferences! If I like a particular model/car, I'll build it. If it has nice engine detail - that's a welcome bonus. But if not - oh well!

Originally posted by ales
Well, I didn't vote as neither of the choices mirror my preferences. I don't have preferences! If I like a particular model/car, I'll build it. If it has nice engine detail - that's a welcome bonus. But if not - oh well!

:iagree:

i would prefer an engine, but if theres a car i like, but if its only a curbside then i would still get it

I would prefer a engine in a kit but i still don't mind a curbside kit as well.
but if there is 2 kits the same and one has a engine i'll grab it

i prefer to build a model, with an engine so i can put the kind of detail i like into the motor.


Most of the curbside kits i built, turned into lowriders, since most of my work on them was custom interior, opening doors, etc., in which i really had no want to do motor work.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid66/pc3d91059246287e7f61c219d2d9977b8/fbe11931.jpg
5.4l Ford OHC motor (Lightning motor) w/ custom Intake, Custom Turbo setup, transplanted into a 93 Cobra. :) (This motor is about 1/2 done)

Originally posted by ales
Well, I didn't vote as neither of the choices mirror my preferences. I don't have preferences! If I like a particular model/car, I'll build it. If it has nice engine detail - that's a welcome bonus. But if not - oh well!
:iagree:
same here. nothing in particular. if i like the model i will build it engine or not.

give me a kit with an engine any day.
i guess this is why i mainly build revell kits.
cheers B:ylsuper: :aus:

Originally posted by ales
Well, I didn't vote as neither of the choices mirror my preferences. I don't have preferences! If I like a particular model/car, I'll build it. If it has nice engine detail - that's a welcome bonus. But if not - oh well!


same here:bigthumb:

whenever i buy i kit i always make it a point to grab the one with engine detail. i really love detailing engines thats why with my next project which is the tamiya curbside evo 6, i will be scratchbuilding its engine :)

Originally posted by ales
Well, I didn't vote as neither of the choices mirror my preferences. I don't have preferences! If I like a particular model/car, I'll build it. If it has nice engine detail - that's a welcome bonus. But if not - oh well!
Same here, but if I'm really into the car, and know there is a similar engine, but maybe not exact, I would go for the conversion!

If there were two kits of the same car at about the same price, one with engine, one without, then the engine wins every time. I don't mind curbside, but I like to mess about with the engines.

The Enzo kit I bought recently comes with an engine (as I'm sure you're all aware) and it's a work of art, even on it's own. Makes you wish Tamiya did more engines :biggrin:

I have to agree with most of you that if you like a certain model you build it and if it has an engine or not, oh well:biggrin: But being a modeler I like to make it look like the 1:1 scale version. So I would like it if more model's came with an engine........MORE DETAIL:grinyes: Why do they make curbside models in the first place?? IMO it seems like you go through more trouble makin sure you don't get paint on the chasis while your tryin to paint the half an engine and transmission than it does to paint a whole engine and trans and drop it in:wink: But thats me:flipa:

IMO, Tamiya is improving on its kits a lot more than before..

Last time, Tamiya kits are mostly curbside.. but now.. since Enzo till now Williams FW24.. it has been improved to realistic assembling of the 1:1 car.. Rotating disc brake.. etc.. and for 1:12 bike, ever since ZX-12.. till now the newest RC211V..

we can see that Tamiya is trying to make its models like the real ones..

btw i am not sucking up to Tamiya because i am Asian, but thay really shown improvements and skills in their recent products..

:bigthumb: :bigthumb: :bigthumb: for Tamiya..

Originally posted by ales
Well, I didn't vote as neither of the choices mirror my preferences. I don't have preferences! If I like a particular model/car, I'll build it. If it has nice engine detail - that's a welcome bonus. But if not - oh well!

:iagree: :1:

Doesn't worry me. I build a model because thats what i like at the time. If it has a engine its a bonus.

Depends on the type of kit.

If it's a street car, I don't worry about the engine, since the car is focus. The engine just takes time away from the building of the car.

I've recently gotten the urge to build mid-engine Le Mans racers. On those I plan on spending a lot time with the engines, getting them as accurate as possible. On race cars like those, the engine is as important as the car.

Originally posted by ales
Well, I didn't vote as neither of the choices mirror my preferences. I don't have preferences! If I like a particular model/car, I'll build it. If it has nice engine detail - that's a welcome bonus. But if not - oh well! :sunglasse :sunglasse :sunglasse

thanks for the responses, guess I should have made a "either way is OK" option, but oh well....

I agree with you guys, I'm not going to pass on a kit that I know I would enjoy owning, but I'd much rather have engine display

Originally posted by Biting_Point
IMO, Tamiya is improving on its kits a lot more than before..

I would agree with you tonight, but not yesterday. It's pretty hit or miss, I think. Their Skyline R34 and S2000 kits are curbside, but the undercarriage and suspesnion detail is boss for them which almost makes up for them. I can get the Sakutsa white metal engine later for the S2000, which pleases me. The old NSX and Supra both have engines, and the R32 now that I think of it, which rocks. Those peices are beautiful, besides the wimpy trubo detail and the crummy engine mounts.

But the WRX and the3 350Z kit were total bummers. Curbside, poor undercarriange, almost no suspension detail... the even pulled the weak metal-rod-axle garbage like AMT. I opened the box and fumed for hours. I expect more from Tamiya, espescially at that price!

Don't get me wrong, Tamiya kits are pretty much definative and I swear by them. But every once in a while they put out a hurried, lackluster model that disappoints me. Fortunately, they make up for it with the rest of their gorgeous kits and decals.... so I'll just keep my trap shut and keep buying.

all i build is street cars... at least up until now i am... and as long as im still buildin street carz i could care less whether there is an engine or not... if therez an engine... great... but if im gonna cover it up ne wayz... den wutz da point?? but enginez can be fun sometimez too.. so i guess i could go either way... it dont matter

I prefer engine

:iagree: :1:

If I find a musclecar model that doesn't have an engine I will be deeply offended and won't buy it at all. I'd send an email to the company complaining, but I'm too lazy. If a model is meant to be a display item I think people would be more attracted to it and would appreciate it more if it had an engine in there which had been painstakingly pieced together to make it look so neat.

details details details and more details< I usually spend more than the kit price on details like wiring, hose clamps and screw and bolt heads.

I prefer with engine detail because your able to modify the engine.

If the engine is there it's a pleasure to detail it but if there's not and i like the car it doesn't matter.

I like building them with the engines. The engine for me is one of the funest parts of putting a car together.

To me it doesent matter if there is no engine but engine-detailed model is better. :smile:

When I buy a car I like and find out it has no engine, like my R34, it kills me a little inside to see that tamiya doesn't have enough nuts to make all their models with engines. Buying curbside is okay for lowriders with working motors and such, but seriously, why waste time producing models without motors? Tamiya should put motors in all their models, and I bet their purchase rate would rise, not just tamiya, but fujimi, revell, aoshima and all the others. We need more engines!

I like to see engines in models. Not only that but full suspension detail without things like exhausts etc moulded into the chassis. I like to build a miniature car that can be examined closely to see the detail rather than something that looks good on the top only.

It's a real bummer for me then that most of the cars I find interesting come as motorized kerbside kits! :disappoin I guess the one advantage of a kerbside is it takes much less time to build and the assembly is far simpler without having to worry about hinged parts or getting decent gaps on opening hoods etc. That said i still would rather have an engine :iceslolan

At the moment I'm kind of happy to do a few kerbsides to feel like I'm making some progress while I spend forever fabricating and detailing my Auster model :iceslolan :iceslolan

Well, I didn't vote as neither of the choices mirror my preferences. I don't have preferences! If I like a particular model/car, I'll build it. If it has nice engine detail - that's a welcome bonus. But if not - oh well!
yep..... :iagree:

LOL... the threads back from the dead

the engine for me is the funnest part!!

If i like the subject matter, i will build it regardless if its curbside or engine detailed. to me fit quality is the most important! theres nothing worse when building a kit and it just doesnt line up right.