What really quality model next

[Guest]

And so. I started modeling in October last. Bought mostly Revell. Hurricane Spitfire Me 109. Airfix Typoon. All of those completed. Two of my family bought me 2 Lancasters 1/72 (Airfix) for Christmas with one under way & which seems to me awful but it will be finished. I also have a Revell Lysander 1/32, seems Ok & a Revell Mosquito 1/48 waiting.

I kept to the easy & mundane as I did not want to find I was trying to achieve more than would be sensible & practicable & then loose interest. Reasonably satisfied with the results so far in that there is improvement in every model completed. But I have built up a little experience & a small amount of expertise in all the above & need to have a "go" at something of quality. For instance the Lancaster I am building at the moment is very basic & lacking in detail.

To get to the question. What models do you all suggest I have a go at remembering my lack of experience. Seen so many names other than Revell & Airfix but frankly they mean nothing to me. That is other than viewing pictures of completed models which seem so superior in detail to those I have completed.

Laurie

[stona]

The best quality models are the new mold Tamiya kits but Hasegawa and even Trumpeter (hit and miss) have some very good kits as well. Some of the new Airfix kits are also very good. Try and find a few reviews of a potential "victim" online but remember some reviews are not entirely unbiased. I built the 1/32 Revell Ju88 which is a good kit but not as easy as the reviews I had read would have had me believe.

Be aware that many companies either rebox old kits previously released under different names or re-pop kits from old molds which they have acquired.

The best kit I've built in the last couple of years is the Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire but the "new" Hasegawa Fw190D-9 and the Trumpeter Me262 both gave it a run for its money.

More specialist,older or limited run kits usually need a lot more work and some are frankly very difficult.

Cheers

Steve

[AlanG]

If you could give us an idea of what aircraft and scale you'd like to build then we could try and point you in the general direction of which kit to have a look at.

[Guest]

I like Hasegawa aircraft kits, not sure why but I always start with more confidence of a decent result with their stuff

Eduard kits have some fantastic detail and can look incredible but their instructions are sometimes a bit vague

[Guest]

If you could give us an idea of what aircraft and scale you'd like to build then we could try and point you in the general direction of which kit to have a look at.

Yes I decided not to add that info when I wrote the article to get a wide view but see it would be best if I want more detailed info to be more specific.

WW11 as you will see from my present finished squadron ! Think probably 1/48 a step up from all those I have completed. Got to say that I thought when I started that 1/72 would be tame but found they are not & have really appreciated the scale. So yes 1/48 as something different.

Thought of 1/32 but realised in practical terms from the 1/72 Lancaster I am building that they need to live somewhere on completion.

Laurie

Laurie

[Guest]

I'd recommend the Tamiya Spitfires in 1:48 I built a Mk1 recently and have a Vb in my stash waiting to go...

[Guest]

Yes, the new Airfix Spitfires are very nice:score:

[AlanG]

1/48 Tamiya FW190 aircraft are great to put together as are their Bf109E kits. 1/48 Tamiya (both versions) or Revell (bomber version) are good for the Mosquito. For 1/72 lancaster i would recommend the new Revell kit and likewise the new Revell kit for the B-17G.

As written by others above the Tamiya or Airfix Spitfires are nice. But don't discount on using the ICM kit for the Spitfire IX. Very nice too

[Guest]

Notice that some models have very indistinct panel lines which is very disappointing.

In this respect are any manufacturers better than others. The Lancaster I am building has only rivets which virtually disappear with a coat of primer. To be fair to Airfix I now suspect that this is a very early model of theirs.

Laurie

[AlanG]

Avro Lancaster Mk.I/III Review by Brett Green (Revell 1/72)

[Guest]

How about the new-tool Revell B-17 in 1/72? Gets very good reviews in the magazines!

[Vaughan]

Hi there Laurie

I personally like the 1/32 scale models find them easier to work with(maybe it's my eye sight). I started with Revells Bf109F and then the Hurricane MK1 as these were both half price at Modelzone and my first builds for 33 years. I didn't want to spend too much money in case things went drastically wrong. Both are from very old molds dating back to the 70's but do stand the test of time the details not too bad. I've just bought the JU88 by Revell this a 2008 mould and is very highly detailed. Revells plastic is quite hard which makes life a bit easier. I'm building a BF109G6 by Trumpeter the plastics quite soft so you have to be careful when sanding. It generally goes the more you spend on a kit the better the detail and quality of the molds but also the difficulty can increase. By the way where did you buy the Lysander, I presume you mean Westland in 1/32 scale as I thought it was discontinued. Anyway I hope the info helps.

Vaughan

[Guest]

Hi Vaughan

I bought the Lysander in Jersey. Possibly old stock as I cannot find it in the Revell stock list.

It is a very nice model to look at & hope it is the same to build. Started in October last & it was the first model I bought but then decided I might mess it up being my first & as it is so nice decided to postpone until I have the experience to make a good job of it.

Thanks to you & all those who have responded to my request. You have all given me a lot to think about.

Laurie

[stona]

Notice that some models have very indistinct panel lines which is very disappointing. Laurie

So do a lot of real aircraft......but that's another can o' worms. Many were deliberately smoothed out,here's the system used on the P-51 wing as an example.

"The first 40% of the wing was shot with zinc chromate primer. This was followed by enough coats of Acme Gray Surfacer No. 53N5 to cover all irregularities. Skin butt joints were then filled with Acme Red Vellunite glazing putty No. 58485. The entire surface was then sanded down and sprayed with one coat of camouflage enamel. When camouflage was deleted, the forward portion of the wing (and sometimes the entire wing) was sprayed with aluminum."

The front portion of a Spitfire wing recieved a treatment with fillers and sanding to give a smooth finish.Many German aircraft had joints in crucial areas,or even the entire airframe (most often late war types),puttied and sanded before painting.

There were also different construction methods with skins butted up,let in or overlapped. Often different methods were used in different areas of the same airframe (a Spitfire serves as a good example of this too). Given the actual thickness of the skins and size of the gaps or overlaps I think it would be impossible to mold these accurately,in scale,in plastic or resin. This is where the art rather than the science kicks in!

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Vaughan regarding the Lysander.

Tracked one down if you are interested & at a good price. They have an online shop & it was available when I looked this afternoon.

Shuttleworth Collection, Online retail Click on models & it comes up.

Laurie