Which is the best model

Which is the Best overall model to build!!! help!!

maybe u can be a little bit less ambiguous

there is no BEST OVERALL model

It really depends on the overall modeller!!
:D
If you want the best overall model for you, evaluate your level of expertise, knowledge of cars (particularly the one your looking to build), and the level to which you plan to build it.
If your a great painter, Tamiya or Fujimi is you brand as they are mostly curbsiders with little detail beyond the body. Production builders (those who value quantity over quality) who amass large collections of built-ups love these kits as they are quickly built, require little clean-up work, and are nicely molded.
If you are a great detailer, Revell is your brand as they come complete with engines and complete drivetrains. Revell kits, when built by skilled hands, are unbeatable on a contest table as the detailing opprotunity available with an engine cannot be overcome by a perfect paint job.
If you are a master builder, try scratch-building an engine/drivetrain for that Tamiya model, opening the hood, and backing that "perfectly molded body" with some creativity and imagination, and build something other than what was pictured on the box!!

murco i sense sarcasm in you tamiya comments, I dont wan to start a flame war, even know I will, but there are plaenty of Tamiya kits with engines. which when placed along with a revell will make it drop dead, but It all depends on the modeler, just because it does'nt have a engine does'nt mean its not a contest winning model.

NOTE< I am not rooting for tamiya
NOTE< I am not rooting for revell

Well said :D

the Revell ITR is the best of course :D

One thing bad about Tamiya, their engine bays, Revell usually has a whole bunch of wires and such molded into the fender areas!!! For ex., Revell ITR. I got a R32 Skyline from Tamiya and there's not really any detail in the bay. that's just me, I mean I love both Tamiya and Revell kits!

Originally posted by Murco
It really depends on the overall modeller!!
:D
If you want the best overall model for you, evaluate your level of expertise, knowledge of cars (particularly the one your looking to build), and the level to which you plan to build it.
If your a great painter, Tamiya or Fujimi is you brand as they are mostly curbsiders with little detail beyond the body. Production builders (those who value quantity over quality) who amass large collections of built-ups love these kits as they are quickly built, require little clean-up work, and are nicely molded.
If you are a great detailer, Revell is your brand as they come complete with engines and complete drivetrains. Revell kits, when built by skilled hands, are unbeatable on a contest table as the detailing opprotunity available with an engine cannot be overcome by a perfect paint job.
If you are a master builder, try scratch-building an engine/drivetrain for that Tamiya model, opening the hood, and backing that "perfectly molded body" with some creativity and imagination, and build something other than what was pictured on the box!!

Of course, the really unbeatable models are Tamiya models WITH engine detail (Ferrari 360s, GT cars etc etc) ;)

Originally posted by rcmaxx
murco i sense sarcasm in you tamiya comments, I dont wan to start a flame war, even know I will, but there are plaenty of Tamiya kits with engines. which when placed along with a revell will make it drop dead, but It all depends on the modeler, just because it does'nt have a engine does'nt mean its not a contest winning model.

NOTE< I am not rooting for tamiya
NOTE< I am not rooting for revell

Just compare Tamiya's Mustang Cobra R with the
Revell-Monogram kit: there are more parts underneath the
bonnet in the RM kit than the total parts count in the Tamiya kit !
Mid-80ies Tamiya kits had great engine detail, later ones are simplified.
Simplified engine bays don't look as good and it is a pain to paint the details.

As for Revell vs Tamiya, I'd go for Hasegawa :)

just my 2 Eurocents :p
-- Eric.

Originally posted by erix7


Just compare Tamiya's Mustang Cobra R with the
Revell-Monogram kit: there are more parts underneath the
bonnet in the RM kit than the total parts count in the Tamiya kit !
Mid-80ies Tamiya kits had great engine detail, later ones are simplified.
Simplified engine bays don't look as good and it is a pain to paint the details.

As for Revell vs Tamiya, I'd go for Hasegawa :)

just my 2 Eurocents :p
-- Eric.

Tamiya's Mustang Cobra R is probably one of the worst kits they've made EVER. Not a very good comparison, IMHO.

NOTE: I'm not rooting for either, though - both manufacturers do something better than another. Revell-Monogram's '53 Corvette is still the worst kit I've seen :D

YOu guys are too rich! I can buy 3 revell kits for the price of one tamiya kit.

you can buy 10 tamiya parts for the cut off fingers you get when you build fucked up revell kits:rolleyes: ;)

okay,i never build a revell usa kit,but revell germany sucks so much...

folks,give me more tamiya!:D

okay,i never build a revell usa kit,but revell germany sucks so much...

Yes, Revell AG do suck pretty bad compared to others. And it's because Revell AG is only a marketing company and doesn't make models, they just farm out the design and production to other companies (this may now change, as the new owner of Revell purchased both Revell USA and Revell AG). Their models could never, ever compare with the latest stuff that Revell USA has been making. I can look at the new Mini and the Mercedes 600 in unbuilt form and guarantee they aren't nearly to the level of Revell USA products. The Modena Spider...well, the parts are pretty decent but one look at the body had me almost crying, it's so bad compared to Tamiya. You will spend hours fixing stuff like sink marks and mold lines on the Revell Modena that you would spend minutes on the Tamiya. Okay, my Revell Modena Spider cost only 10 bucks, the cheapest I can find a Tamiya is 30 bucks. I'm not convinced buying the Revell was a good choice...

New Revell USA kits are a great value-they have a lot of detail, are "friendly" to build-meaning no big hassles...and (at least in the US) they cost about 1/2 to 1/3 as much as a Tamiya kit. You can't get a Fujimi Integra for 9 bucks, and it certainly won't have an engine, nor 3 or more building variations in one box.

Revell USA bodies are not as finely molded as Tamiya. Tamiya uses very expensive molds and materials, and it shows. Revell bodies require a bit more cleanup. As Revell has shown on the models they've designed in the last 5 years, they can match or beat Tamiya on details, if not on mold/part quality. When you take cost as a consideration, Revell is clearly a better value. If cost is no object, Tamiya models are hard to beat. Many are willing to pay a premium for the premium "experience".

Being pinned down to say what's the "best" model is impossible, that's different for each individual. Revell's ITR and '32 Fords are probably the best kits going for detail/fun-to-build qualities and being affordable. Those two kits are probably the most popular I've ever seen-people build multiple variations, just go to a model show and see how many are successfully completed. One way to judge how good a kit is would be how much you want to build another one after the first...and the ITR and '32 Fords have many repeat builders. Revell's fenderless '34 Ford snap kit was a blast to build, and it was incredibly easy to detail-and looks fantastic built. For full-detail, my favorite two kits were the Tamiya Modena Spider and Mercedes S 600 coupe-incredible detail, easy to build into perfect replicas. Almost any Tamiya curbside would qualify as perfection. Vive la difference :D

great post.ship me some revell usa kits,i check them;)

Originally posted by Murco
It really depends on the overall modeller!!
:D
If you want the best overall model for you, evaluate your level of expertise, knowledge of cars (particularly the one your looking to build), and the level to which you plan to build it.
If your a great painter, Tamiya or Fujimi is you brand as they are mostly curbsiders with little detail beyond the body. Production builders (those who value quantity over quality) who amass large collections of built-ups love these kits as they are quickly built, require little clean-up work, and are nicely molded.
If you are a great detailer, Revell is your brand as they come complete with engines and complete drivetrains. Revell kits, when built by skilled hands, are unbeatable on a contest table as the detailing opprotunity available with an engine cannot be overcome by a perfect paint job.
If you are a master builder, try scratch-building an engine/drivetrain for that Tamiya model, opening the hood, and backing that "perfectly molded body" with some creativity and imagination, and build something other than what was pictured on the box!!

It also depends on where you're at in your "modeling career". I'm 41(ZoomZoom is 42) and when I was a kid most models had engines unless they were a promo model. Detailing was done with whatever you could scrounge up, like thread for plug wires etc. No aftermarket detail supplies were available. I didn't build much from age 20 to 32 and when I returned to the hobby, all the photo etch, BMF and machined aluminum parts had been developed. I thought I was going to fully detail every model I built because it's so much easier now. I soon found out that it was unrealistic to to build them all that way, especially as my collection grew and grew. Besides, I built enough engines when I was a kid to fill a dump truck! These days I'd rather build a curbside, even if it's an engined kit I often choose to glue on the hood making it a curbside.
I've done the building for contest thing, and have many trophies I won in curbside categories and detailed categories. Just because a model has an engine doesn't make it a "contest winning model". I don't really like the wires molded into the chassis like the ITR either. If you're going to detail that model, sand those off and add real wire. There are plenty of ways to add creativety to a curbside model without scratch building an engine also.
Anywho, I'll choose quantity over your so called "quality" any day, I have too many to build without spending time on an engine bay that will be covered 99% of the time anyway.:)

Originally posted by Veyron


It also depends on where you're at in your "modeling career". I'm 41(ZoomZoom is 42) and when I was a kid most models had engines unless they were a promo model. Detailing was done with whatever you could scrounge up, like thread for plug wires etc. No aftermarket detail supplies were available. I didn't build much from age 20 to 32 and when I returned to the hobby, all the photo etch, BMF and machined aluminum parts had been developed. I thought I was going to fully detail every model I built because it's so much easier now. I soon found out that it was unrealistic to to build them all that way, especially as my collection grew and grew. Besides, I built enough engines when I was a kid to fill a dump truck! These days I'd rather build a curbside, even if it's an engined kit I often choose to glue on the hood making it a curbside.
I've done the building for contest thing, and have many trophies I won in curbside categories and detailed categories. Just because a model has an engine doesn't make it a "contest winning model". I don't really like the wires molded into the chassis like the ITR either. If you're going to detail that model, sand those off and add real wire. There are plenty of ways to add creativety to a curbside model without scratch building an engine also.
Anywho, I'll choose quantity over your so called "quality" any day, I have too many to build without spending time on an engine bay that will be covered 99% of the time anyway.:)

That must be one of the best posts I've ever read here. :ylsuper :ylsuper

Originally posted by Veyron


These days I'd rather build a curbside, even if it's an engined kit I often choose to glue on the hood making it a curbside.
To each his own...

Originally posted by Veyron

I've done the building for contest thing, and have many trophies I won in curbside categories and detailed categories. Just because a model has an engine doesn't make it a "contest winning model".
Has any curbside model ever won "Best of Show" at a major contest?

Originally posted by Veyron

Anywho, I'll choose quantity over your so called "quality" any day, I have too many to build without spending time on an engine bay that will be covered 99% of the time anyway.:)
When you croak, as we all will, do you want your family amazed by the incredible, museum-quality replicas you left, or the unbelievable number of plastic cars they have to lug to the trash dumpster?:silly2:

BTW - If you think I only build one brand, here is a quick head count of the unbuilt models in my closet;
98 Revell/Monogram kits
26 AMT/MPC kits- yes, alot of US stuff - they were the only ones available to me until about 1990.
25 TAMIYA kits
4 Hasagawa kits
4 Lindbergh kits
3 Fujimi kits
3 Starter kits
3 Mini-craft kits
2 Gunze-Sanjyo kits
2 Pocher kits
1 Doyusha kit

I build them all - 1/43 to 1/8, slammers to fully opened and tricked out, American, Japanese, German, Opel LeMans to Ferrari 250 GTO....I don't care as long as they have internal combustion engines and 4 wheels!!

:D

is the one you feel like building at the moment!!:rolleyes: :cool: The vast differences in our building preferences and styles are the reason I prefer to make AF my modelling home:) I've gotten so much insight and access to so much information through this forum that my mind is currently scrambled to the point that I can't build right now! I just received 9 kits and 5 sets of wheels in the mail that are from all styles of building! From a '65 Pontiac Grand Prix(wish I had a REAL one!) to an Aoshima VIP Car(wish I had a real one!) As long as we respect each other's preferences, they all are the best model except for the latest release of AMT's '67 GTO-pure HELL to build into a decent replica but it is possible to anyone determined to do so. I forgot what I was trying to say but I say build what you like and don't worry about what others may think! Just try to do the best job you can with it!! :monkeypis on "this is better than that".

Has any curbside model ever won "Best of Show" at a major contest?

I'm sure it has happened, on the other hand I've seen detailed models with orange peel paint finishes win major Best of Show awards too. It's all subjective, even winning Best of Show doesn't mean it's the best model in a given contest. Sometimes 1/12 scale models win because of their size, they have more "gotcha" factor, when a 1/24 scale sitting next to it really might be superior. Most of the mega detailed models I've seen like, for example, a NASCAR with $200 worth of etch and machined parts, end up looking like a magnet that's been dragged through metal shavings or very unrealistic IMHO.



When you croak, as we all will, do you want your family amazed by the incredible, museum-quality replicas you left, or the unbelievable number of plastic cars they have to lug to the trash dumpster?

I don't build them for my family(who are already amazed), I build them for me. After I croak, I won't care! Besides, they aren't that heavy.:p

Originally posted by tonioseven
is the one you feel like building at the moment!!
:monkeypis on "this is better than that".

You da man Tonio7!!

Originally posted by Veyron


After I croak, I won't care! Besides, they aren't that heavy.:p

ROTFLMAO!!!:spit: :greenchai

OK guys...put your flameing suits away :p

This could go on for every about what make is better blah blah blah.
At the end of the day it comes down to you, the modeller and what you want to build and what you like at the time.

I dont care what brand the kit is....if Revell made the kit i liked....i'd buy that.
At present 99% of my cars are curbside....thats what i like at present. Who knows, one year on i'll start building my Drag cars again.
Sure Revell takes alot more work then a Tamiya, thats mainly due to there molds being not as a higher standard then Japanese kits...but they still turn out all right with extra work.

If Revell is your fancy...then by all means go for it if thats what you want to do. I dont think just because you build Revell kits makes you any better then the person building a Fujimi kit.

At the end of the day, we are ALL MODELLER'S who enjoy the same hobby

PMans 2 cents worth for the day :finger:

haha i guess everyone is liking this post!!!!

After I croak, I won't care!

No kidding! Neither will I. You can't take it with you.

If you croak any time soon, can I have your Italeri 250SWB kit and the Lancia that you snaked out of me and then had to build? And your Gulstrand.

And perhaps that new 1:1 Contour SVT in your garage...thank gawd it isn't a Buick!

Oh, and now you have to scratchbuild a model of it and let someone resin cast it:devil: :flipa: :cool: :D ;)

My two cents...I'm too poor to buy cheap stuff!! I'd rather get bang for my buck, but whatever company produces the kit I want, I'll buy it from them.

Also, any time I feel a Tamiya kit is too overpriced, I just remember my former hobby, video games, where new games cost $50-60. A $25 Tamiya model will provide to me just as much satisfaction (if not more) than a video game and will probably take longer to complete too! :)

If you croak any time soon, can I have your Italeri 250SWB kit and the Lancia that you snaked out of me and then had to build? And your Gulstrand.

Maybe us modelers should make a living will.:devil:

Hard to be humble! :coolguy:

I'm a collection builder and therefor I'll buy any brand in 1/24 who brings out a car that fits into the collection. I never plan in advance on how the model will be, curbside, engine detail, straight from the box etc. That's something that I just let happen - nowadays I'm working on these older DTM's and am ending with adding to much detail :bloated: , but still I like it that way. And if someone likes my job, for the better, if they don't, well so be it, as long as I like it. Is winning the Tamiya trofee with a curbside model at the IPMS UK Nationals some years ago, good enough as a reference. Who knows, I liked doing that model and so did the jury, that's all there is to it.

So my answer to the question, the best kit ever?
Those that I made of course :D :finger: :D

And again: "Happiness is not around the corner, it is the corner!":angel:

Originally posted by ZoomZoomMX-5

Yes, Revell AG do suck pretty bad compared to others. And it's because Revell AG is only a marketing company and doesn't make models, they just farm out the design and production to other companies (this may now change, as the new owner of Revell purchased both Revell USA and Revell AG).

Whoa, that's a pretty bold generalisation. Revell AG still has its production facilities in Buende Germany,
plus some exclusive contracts with tool makers in Poland and elsewhere.
Revell do their own designs but nowadays often have other companies cut the tooling (the New Mini and
the Smart were designed by Revell AG).
Apart from that they rebox a lot of models from other manufacturers: from the ones you mention
the Modena's come straight from Italeri, whilst the Mercedes 600 is a Protar kit.
That doesn't make Revell AG a mere marketing company: Tamiya does exactly the same reboxing Italeri kits in Japan.

Their models could never, ever compare with the latest stuff that Revell USA has been making. I can look at the new Mini and the Mercedes 600 in unbuilt form and guarantee they aren't nearly to the level of Revell USA products.


Funny, the Revell USA Corvette C5R kits were done in exactly the same way as the Revell AG New Mini:
designed in-house, with the tooling and production done in China.
But I assume you're referring to the wonderful Honda Integra kit, yeah that one is one of the 'old school'
Revellogram kits: lots of craftmanship in the tooling rather than lots of computerized cutting.
Trouble is that Revell can not afford to do lots of those kits anymore.


New Revell USA kits are a great value-they have a lot of detail, are "friendly" to build-meaning no big hassles...and (at least in the US) they cost about 1/2 to 1/3 as much as a Tamiya kit. You can't get a Fujimi Integra for 9 bucks, and it certainly won't have an engine, nor 3 or more building variations in one box.


Actually the base Fujimi Inch Up Integra R sells for 1000yen (that's $8 plus shipping).
True, it is only a curbside, but you do get better tires :p

Bottom line(s):
Please don't generalize: Tamiya did some dogs as well and Revell AG is capable of doing some
very fine kits (check out their BMW 850i kits for instance);
Revell AG and Revell US have been sharing almost all of their resources for a couple of years now.

-- Eric.

This whole thread could of been rounded off by saying, It is all up to choice.

Some people would buy the Revell version because its cheaper, and they would prefer the challenge of restoring a lesser quality kit (not that I am saying that revell is lesser quality) and would prefer the added parts, in some kits, that may be the engine, seperate suspention parts and maybe just because they are that little bit smaller.

On the other hand, some people pefer Tamiya, because they have a reputation of being the better quality kit, less bits to paint and assemble (in some cases) and there is that saying, "you get what you pay for", Meaning that Tamiya must be the better quality kit because it is more expensive, although this isn't always the case.

I didn't write anything about what I prefer or I didn't just say Tamiya is crap or Revell is crap, I wrote it as I see it, how I think most people see it.

Although most of the time, people will buy the kind of car they like, not giving a damn if it is Revell or Tamiya. At least, thats what I do.


I have realised that there has been a few little debates about this issue, in multiple threads, so that has to show that everybody has their own opinion.

Whoa, that's a pretty bold generalisation. Revell AG still has its production facilities in Buende Germany,plus some exclusive contracts with tool makers in Poland and elsewhere.
Revell do their own designs but nowadays often have other companies cut the tooling (the New Mini and
the Smart were designed by Revell AG).
Apart from that they rebox a lot of models from other manufacturers: from the ones you mention
the Modena's come straight from Italeri, whilst the Mercedes 600 is a Protar kit.
That doesn't make Revell AG a mere marketing company: Tamiya does exactly the same reboxing Italeri kits in Japan.



What I posted was told to me by a Revell USA employee who works in the engineering department. If my generalization was wrong, so was theirs-sorry if the information is incorrect or misleading. He may have been referring only to their lineup of cars, I have no idea about the other products.

The Modenas are from Italeri? I'm shocked, as the body (at least my Spider) is pretty bad-like the Z8, and even Italeri usually does a much better job than that. I cannot believe how bad the body tools are for kits like the Z8 and the Modena-the parting lines and sink marks are miserable by today's standards. They even make AMT bodies look like fine precision models. There's the big difference between Tamiya and Revell...the Tamiya Spider takes minutes to prep the body for paint, the Revell will take a couple of hours to make it into the same league, and a builder's skill at bodywork is paramount to a successful finish.

I knew the Mercedes was Protar (pretty basic, about like a basic Fujimi kit and nowhere near as nice as a Tamiya), and I was lead to believe the Minis were not sourced in China but from Europe, however their body quality was a notch above what I've seen of the Modena and Z8. Their chrome parts were pretty bad, the plating is terrible and some parts are almost too small, like the headlight and taillight buckets. The Revell USA models sourced in China are generally of very high quality, though for some reason they dumb-down their diecast kits using plastic parts under the bodies that are not nearly as well executed/finely detailed as seen in a plastic kit.

Who did the Revell AG BMW's in the 80's? I built the 750IL, which had lots of detail (the working hood hinges are very neat) and builds up nicely but I remember it had some pretty nasty bodywork, and very poor wheels that I replaced w/some parts from a diecast promo. The kits were also incredibly expensive here.

The Integra is sourced in China. So is the new pair of Civics. They are shipped to the US for packaging, and were designed in the US. Revell USA use different in-house design teams, and you can usually tell when the "A" team works on a project, like the Integra...their knowledge of design and building skills shows-building the models you can tell that real model builders actually designed them in the first place. The Civics look to be as good as the Integra. The Corvette racer has always had shortcuts and compromises, I haven't built one yet. I think they use the "A" team on the kits that have potentially the biggest sales. Kits like the Integra are built in multiples by the consumers, partly because of subject matter, and partly because the first ones usually go together so well they want to build another variation...or two.

Back when the only Integra available in kit form was by Fujimi, their prices were over $20 here, and availability scarce. There really isn't an official Fujimi importer to the US, so you can't really compare the yen price to the local discount store that has Integras in stock for $9, vs. a kit one must buy over the internet and pay for shipping. I notice that Fujimi prices on older kits tend to drop, I found an FTO for about 800 yen this year. I can't believe people want to pay 3200 yen for seriously ugly vans by Fujimi.

This thread really only proves only one thing...everyone has different opinions, and there is no one model that's "the best". That definition will be different for each and every modeler, depending on their taste, their skills, and their budget. ;)

I would say the model that makes you happy when you build.....

Every model can be your best model.....

It doesn't matter what brand it is.....

:)

Originally posted by AccordTypeR
I would say the model that makes you happy when you build.....

Every model can be your best model.....

It doesn't matter what brand it is.....

:)

exactly.
The bottom line is that we all love what we do and that we all want to share it and show it. Otherwise this forum would have no meaning of existence! :D

H A P P Y M O D E L L I N G, to all of you. :cool:

Totally agree on that.
My first two kits were from Tamiya, they were easy but they are ugly.. (crappy skills..) my third was an AMT kit. A really pain in the bum model, fitting was very bad, but it is still my nicest looking kit I have. (don't mind that I'm stil busy with number 4.. Aoshima, also pretty easy to build..)

Greetz
Stefan

I must like building cars that are never finished... :bloated:

Originally posted by jay@af
I must like building cars that are never finished... :bloated:

No comment ;) ;)