What's your BEST kit?

The one you thnk is the most complex, accurate, or whatever. NOT which is your favorite. Which kit do you think made the best representation of the 1:1 you were replicating?

My best kit (I think) is my Accurate Miniatures McLaren M8B. I haven't built it, it's a little intimidating, but looking through the box is always a treat. It seems that included is every part that you would find if you broke down the real thing and put it in a box. The instruction book is just that - a book! 40 pages of step-by-step instructions (with boxes to mark to make sure you didn't forget anything) and information about the real car. It's just fantastic! It is by far, unequivicably the BEST instruction book I have ever seen for ANYTHING. The diagrams and drawings and explanations really make construction clear, it's not just a handfull of obliques with arrows and junk, but many views, with many callouts, telling you exactly what to put where and how. I haven't put it together, like I said, so I don't know how fit and finish is, and how accurate all these parts look when it's together. Nevertheless, this kit seems more like the really involved aircraft kits I've seen than any car kit I've ever come across. I also have one of AM's TBM Avenger kits; one of my favorite planes from WW2 and it's just as impressive. I think it's a shame that they got out of car models, and I am not sure if they are even around making planes anymore? It would be a huge shame if they were gone all together.

Close is the Tamiya FW24. That kit is almost as impressive, and seems much better tooled even though it's only 5 years the McLaren's junior. There are probably just as many parts, and it's probably more sophisticated, but it just doesn't have that "woah, step back now," effect that the AM kit does, even with the addition of the SMS superdetail set.

These two kits are the crown jewels of my collection. Not rare, not particularly close to my heart as far as subjects go (though, the M8B is undeniably cool!), but the two kits are the kits that I look forward to the most, and am most apprehensive about. What about you guys?

Uhhh, the Tamiya Enzo. That was easy- it's all downhill from there. :sly:

THe AM M8B sure is one ambitious kit. But the fit and molding quality let it down somewhat. Being such a cool car and so detailed I'd have to agree it is something special.

I's also add the Tamiya Williams FW14B, the last ever Tamiya 1/12th car.

The Tamiya Enzo; and I have no clue if/when I'll ever get to it.

Otherwise, my favorite build that also is incredibly accurate inside/out and just looks "right" is Tamiya's Mercedes Benz S600 coupe. I went all-out on it, and it rewarded me w/two significant awards at the GSL competition in '97-1st in box stock, and best paint. It went together perfectly-you can dry-assemble the gorgeous V-12 w/o needing any glue. I painted it w/custom-mixed Testors enamels, and it's still my best paint job. I should take some fresh pics of it and post them.

EDIT: Pics/description added.
Tamiya Mercedes Benz S600 Coupe (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=3035517#post3035517)

I d say the tamiya 2CV would do it for me , it just captures the real car's aura perfectly well, and it s really well detailed, and possibly has more parts then the real car itself too !

Oli

Tamiya ENZO
Tamiya's DTM series

Tamiya DTM cars are all awesome. My personal favorite for pure intimidation is my Gunze High Tech Lotus Elan with the twin cam metal engine.

i havnt tryed to replicate any cars that well so id have to say my HKS r32 and sard supra are neck and neck.

Mine would be Tamiya's Enzo Ferrari and Accurate Miniatures Corvette Grand Sport. At least that is what I have in my posession (none of them were built yet :lol: ).

For me, it's a toss up between my two Enthusiast series kits - the 246GT Dino and the 365GTB/4 Daytona.

However, Dad has a High-Tech series Gunze Sangyo full detail Ferrari 250GTO and Tamiya 1:12th scale Ferrari 312B.

it must be my bmw 2002 turbo and renault 8 gordini,and maby my nissan skyline gt turbo widebody.
i love the look of this cars.

1/12 Rosso NSX. Its a real shame what happened to them, they produced better kits than Tamiya.

I only buy Tamiya, and my best kits are the Enzo, 360 and CLK DTM. They have lots of parts, superb detail and even good build guides.

My favourite kit so far is Fujimi's BMW 6-series from the Enthousiast series. I simply love the amount of small parts and feautures it has.

Tamiya D2 DTM c-class (not clk dtm 2000) it has a beautiful engine and sooo much detail. i'm way too scared o ruining it to build it yet.

Fujimi's Enthusiast Series' Porsche 356: even the interior of the engine is reproduced! :D
(Ferrari, Dino, BMW, Lamborghini of this serie are ALL outstanding too!....) :thumbsup:

I must admit the AM McLaren M8 can be put in the list too: what a kit! :eek:

And I found the old Heller's 1/24 Citroën 15/6 to be better than I expected concerning the level of details and accuracy of shapes... I'm quite sure some other Heller models of the "old" time may be impressive, like the Buggati, Delage... :grinyes:

Maybe Tamiya's Enzo is the only modern shake and bake kit that can match those legends, I mean: giving the impression of building a real car, or something complex enough to feel like a car... Unfortunately, the car itself doesn't look half good as his predecessors... ;)

Tamiya's Opel Calibra DTM kit was one of the best I have built so far, easy fitment compaed with the C-Class body.

Many of the already mentioned models is on my list to. AM's Mclaren, The Tamiya Enzo, Fujimi's 356, Daytona, Dino, 288 GTO.....etc. There is so many to choose from but these one's stand out in a class of their own.

Niclas

probably this one, there are over 100 metal parts alone not to mention all the other plastic and multi-media parts. hoses etc all included. i love looking at all the parts but to afraid to build it. this one might still be in the box when i die.
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/500/77057rare.jpg

1/12 Rosso NSX. Its a real shame what happened to them, they produced better kits than Tamiya.

You made me bury my face in my bed and sob uncontrollably just now...

Well, I haven't built many kits but from the ones that i have built the ones that looked the most accurate and were less of a paint to build were the Tamiya R32, Revell Civic Hatchback, and the Hasegawa (EG) Civics (Hatch,Sedan). Fujimi's are just... argh.

Many of the already mentioned models is on my list to. AM's Mclaren, The Tamiya Enzo, Fujimi's 356, Daytona, Dino, 288 GTO.....etc. There is so many to choose from but these one's stand out in a class of their own.

Niclas
:iagree: I still wake up screamin`when the dreams of me trying to assemble the exhaustsystem of the Fujimi Enth. Dino comes in the still of the night :sleeping:

Hrm... I guess that would be my recently accuired Fujimi Enthusiast's 1/16 Ferarri 288 GTO. (what a mouth-full!)

It just seems to capture the soul of the car better than anything else I've come across, and that's saying a lot considering it's a Fujimi.

erm....don't have many kits under my belt...buuutttt.....one of the best so far in terms of detail etc etc

tamiya raybrig nsx...based on honda's 1998 entry into jgtc.

*drool*

From my kits it has to be the Tamiya 1:12 Caterham JPE (also the other Tamiya 1:12 Caterham kits are as good in detail). In 1:24 my favourite is the Tamiya Opel Calibra DTM. I have mostly Tamiya, Revell and AMT models, but have built also several others and done some comparison. I think the Tamiya Enzo is also a nice model kit, the car just happens to be the most ugly Ferrari model ever...

erm....don't have many kits under my belt...buuutttt.....one of the best so far in terms of detail etc etc

tamiya raybrig nsx...based on honda's 1998 entry into jgtc.

*drool*
i agree, there's a lot of detail, i'm glad it has an engine. im converting mine into a Le Mans car, but i wouldnt reccomend the conversion is long and painful. but the detail is sweet and the wheel look so good with the plating the only improvement they should have made is a FULL roll cage the top and front is missing, its annoying to scratchbuild those bits too.

I'm going to be an oddball here (and everywhere else!) but for me it would be the AMT '62 Bel Air. It was the kit that got me back into the hobby seriously. It went together so well that I went on to build a couple more of them. The Tamiya R-34 Skyline is a close second.

hmm?
Tough question.. I would have to say the Tamiya RC211V.
Although the Enzo and M8B are still sitting there looking at me....
I know for sure that the worst kit would have to be the Fujimi enthusiast Lamborghini 5000s, what a nightmare!