rate manufacturers you like/hate?

[icon_modeler]

Originally Posted by corvettekid_7684

I agree with the kits being good or bad regardless of manufacturer. I'm also not sure if I'm an assembler or a modeler...I guess I'm an assembler since I haven't scratch built anything except for very minor bits...

One more thing, the Japanese kit from the '70's I'm building now is one of the best kits I've seen yet (but I'm still kinda new to the hobby)

You don't need to "scratch build" anything to call yourself a "modeler". All you need is to have the abuility to overcome the short comings of an imperfect kit. Someone who only "assembles" a kit can not do this and gets frustrated and gives up.

[MidMazar]

They're all good in their own way.

[rallymaster]

Anyone having tried to build anything called CB-COM knows what means bad manufacterer !!
Appart this extremity, I don't see a particular manufacterer havong to be called "bad" like if everything from him was useless, but on the opposite side some manufacterers keep releasing perfect models and stuff, I think to Scale Production for example and I really see the AF russian buddies new brand Modeling Master being part of such reference ones !

[ManicRC]

My favorite by far is Tamiya for the molding quality and ease of assembly. AMT seems to be the worst in general with lousy detail and fit. Revell is hit and miss. I have the 2009 SRT8 Challenger SE kit and it is very good but others in the past have been lousy like the Revell/Monogram 1987 Grand National. Worst kit I have ever tried to build.

[roymattblack]

Tamiya???
Assembly-only???
Kits for novices???
I must get my kits from a different Tamiya to some of you guys.
Who wrote the rule that says a well engineered, brilliantly designed, packaged and presented kit, with possibly the best instructions ever, is aimed at novices???
That's like saying Shakespeare is aimed at children because it's written in superb prose!!!
Or Aston Martins are aimed at poor drivers/owners because they're built well and last for years. (95% of all Astons EVER built are still on the road)
Tamiya kits are amazing, incredibly detailed kits (mostly)
Give the Enzo kit to a novice and see how it turns out.
Probably one of the most highly detailed 1/24 kits ever made.
Yes, Revell are miles better than a few years ago, but they still aren't in the Tamiya league.
Fujimi????
They're now a basic, overpriced, poorly designed and badly fitting joke.
Only ancient Airfix is worse. Strangely, OLDER Fujimi kits are pretty good.
Hasegawa? - not sure as I haven't built one recently.
AMT, Monogram, etc etc - no comment.
Roy - sticking up for Tamiya.

[drunken monkey]

You're missing the point.
A kit that is engineered better is naturally easier for those with less skill to put together.
If you a complete novice, the last thing I'm going to point you towards is a 30 year old Enthusiast Porsche kit because that will only drive you nuts with it's fragile plastic and fragile mounting points and oh so many teeny tiny parts.

Which leads to that old beaten horse; which is actually the better kit?
The one that has every possible detail included in it's parts but is a bugger to put together or the simpler one that anyone can put together?

The answer lies not in the kit but your level of skill.
I like to think I'm relatively competent in this hobby and my favourite kits are often the older "crappier" ones that people complain about.
Except I don't complain.
Why?
Because the things that people complain about I can work around.
Crap suspension parts? No problem, I'll scratch up some new shocks and springs.
Incorrect body detail? No problem, I'll add a little putty and reshape as necessary.

Now I'm actually more of a car fan than a modelling fan so what I prefer in my kits are a full engine so even if it's badly detailed, it gives me a chance to improve it. I'm competent but not so good that I can happily scratch up my own engine block (not that I haven't) for every curbside kit. With that in mind, I am therefore not a big fan of modern Tamiya kits because with the exception of their once a year flagship releases, their curbside kits, nicely engineered that they are, aren't interesting enough for me. If I like the car I'd be more inclined to get one but so far, I'm happy with my older crappier kits. With that said, I'm not even that big a fan of their recent big releases. Not a fan of the Enzo, don't like the McLaren SLR, prefer a DB9 to a DBS. I got the GTR because I wanted to build all three (Tamiya, Fujimi, Aoshima - haven't touched any of them).

I build kits of cars I like, not kits from any particular manufactuer and judging by my sig, Tamiya simply don't make many kits of cars that I like. The Tamiya kits I do have are their old "full detailed" kits from the 90s and well, the 90s were at least 10 years ago now.

[roymattblack]

I completely agree with all your points.
MY point however, was that I didn't agree with the earlier comment that Tamiya kits were in some way no good.
Surely nobody can deny that they are (generally) pretty amazing.
I too am first and foremost a car fan, and a kit builder second.
I've owned 5 different Lotus, 2 Jaguars (My current car is an XK8 Silverstone) and a Porsche Carrera (Horrible car - I ditched it afer 6 months) And I've rebuilt a '72 MGB GT from a heap of scrap, and a '70 Spitfire that was even worse!
My 'dream' kit would be to restore an old E-Type Jaguar.
I love Tamiya kits as they 'fit' but I also go 'overboard' and add LOTS of extra detail.
I agree, they also make some pretty awful subject matter - I HATE Porsche with a vengeance - and they make LOADS of nondescript Japanese garbage, but the occasional gem emerges.
The recent Aston was lovely, but a sadly missed opportunity to make a superb detailed kit.
I actually did a RHD conversion on the kit, that featured in the 4SW model car magazine and on a few other forums. A lot of work, but at least I ended up with a 'proper' Aston Martin.
Have a peep here for my WIP:
http://www.escalemodels.com/forums/i...showtopic=7577
I also love some of the ancient kits and enjoy the challenge of making a 'silk purse from a sows ear'.
I think we both have the same kit building ideas in mind.
I'm 57 and have been kit building/bashing for almost 50 years.
I NEVER build a kit 'out of the box' any more, but I still love the challenge of tweaking a Tamiya 1/12 F1 car kit.
The only trouble is finding somewhere to put them.
I currently have 10 different 1/12 kits, and 3 x 1/8 kits, including the amazing 1/8 McLaren from DeAgostini!!!
That doesn't include quite a few 1/16 and 1/18 kits!!!
(I'm still after the Tamiya 1/12 Ferrari 314T....)
Above all, I enjoy a challenge!
An ancient Revell Chevrolet Bel air was one of the most 'fun' builds I can remember.
I'm currently sorting out a half-built Brabham BT46 that was a mess!
This hobby is fun......
Roy.

[drunken monkey]

Originally Posted by roymattblack

I completely agree with all your points.
MY point however, was that I didn't agree with the earlier comment that Tamiya kits were in some way no good.

you may want to go back and read the thread again; no one said they were no good.

[dozman]

Roy, you are mad You rebuilt a Spitfire!!! Although an E-Type would be interesting.

I don't really see any manufacturer of plastic kits as being bad though sure some of their kits aren't the greatest (including some of the old skool Tamiya).

I think the bad element is when manufacturers over state the kit contents, I'm thinking more along the lines of some of the re-releases by Fujimi here. They have a wide range of kits but some of their "racing" car kits leave a lot to be desired for the price the customer is expected to pay.

As for me being an assembler or a modeler, well I have assembled a collection of unbuilt kits that I intend to model.......

[corvettekid_7684]

Well, I still think I'm an assembler since the biggest problem a kit could have is to not exist, & would be beyond my skills to build (assemble?)

I also like to have engines in mine

[roymattblack]

I like an engine too.
It bugs me these days when some new kits come out and they're 'kerbside' (UK here...) but they still charge £30 -40!!!
Newer Revell are great in this respect though - some VERY nicely detailed kits at bargain money.
The new 1/16 Rolls Royce is a case in point. Brilliant.
Roy.

[SmokeyR67]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

there are no good/bad kit manufacturers; only good/bad kits.

Or in fact, only good/bad modellers

[eyckles]

To me Tamiya is the best manufacturer for model kits, because they go well together. So i prefer that, but i also build revell, fujimi, hasegawa and italeri kits and never had a bad kit. I had problems with them, but as a modeler there is always a solution IMHO.The only thing with revell and italeri is, that you have to do some modifications to turn them in to a nice finished model. The only problem with fujimi and hasegawa. There in my opinion to many parts. Like the Lotus 79 from Tamiya has far more less parts than the Hasegawa, but why do they look the same when finished! I personally think you have to put more effort in a hasegawa kit than a tamiya kit to get the same result. It's also the same with fujimi kits. Just my 2 cents.

Atb,
Lesley

[drunken monkey]

Originally Posted by SmokeyR67

Or in fact, only good/bad modellers

or perhaps a combination of both:

good modeller/bad kit
bad modeller/good kit
good modeller/good kit
bad modeller/bad kit

which if we imagine the results of those combinations, goes back to reinforcing your statement that there are only good/bad modellers.

I've never been sure what the obsession with "best model manufacturer" is.
Why catagorise them as good/bad?
I've always seen it as a case of hard kits and easy kits; kits that require more effort and kits that don't; in fact, in the same way that Revell categorise their own kits with the skill level on the box (although they tend to relate it to kit parts count).
Is it because some people don't want to accept that perhaps they aren't as good as they think they are and so rate them as good/bad instead of hard/easy because well, they don't like the idea that a kit is too hard for them so it must just be that the kit is bad?