Scale Model Shop

**colin m** · 27 July 2021, 13:57

Gentlemen, I'm wondering if this thread has reached the end of the road. Hackles seem to be rising and it does seem the personal opinions of the many involved are naturally, very different and varied. Meaning, the discussion of rating the many model companies, might never reach a conclusion that the majority would agree with.

**Ian M** · 27 July 2021, 15:45

Well that escalated quickly.
What could have been an OK thread on the pro's and cons of the plethora of plastic kits, what to watch out for and your opinion of them, the kit not the manufacturer, is different from person to person, even box to box.
I have built pretty much every genre, aircraft, armour, boats (or is it ships). Have experienced great kits from a manufacturer that have prompted me to buy that brand again. Result; a really bad kit. Airfix make some good kits, they make some not so good kits. Never had one that could not be built due to plastic issues. I have built absolut dogs from Tamiya and have built some great kits from them. I had one of their über spitfires, To say the fit was perfect would have been a lie. It took just about all my claps and a lot more glue than I would like to admit, but it went together.
Dragon kits are good. If you like paying for one and a half kits. The amount of 'left overs' after a sherman build, I could almost have built half a tank!
A thing I have wondered about the plastic quality... A lot moan about the soft quality from some of the European makers and praise the Eastern plastic. Could it be that the 'people' in Brussels have had a say on what may or may not be allowed in said plastics?

Barry started this thread with the best of intention to point out the pros and cons of the things HE has built and experienced. He has not said it was a comprehensive list.
Can we try to get this thread back on track? If you have some thing that contributes to the subject, post it, the more peoples views and opinions we get the better picture can be formed of what is what. If you have nothing to add that contributes to the subject, then dont.
Failing that the thread will be closed and removed.

**Bugatti Fan** · 03 August 2021, 15:33

Guys, not all of us can afford some of the very expensive kits on the market although their quality is generally without question.
Comparisons between manufacturers is all very well, and whilst there is nothing wrong with this, like it or not, generally the more well heeled modeller can indulge in higher end quality kits.
Less expensive newer kits are generally quite good these days so there is something to be found to suit everyone's pocket.
The industry over the years has had to develop to cater for the changing needs of the modeller. Back in the 1950's up to the late 80's there was a lively pocket money market, that has now largely been replaced by enthusiast modellers who are a lot less in number than the old pocket money market.
Some manufacturers keep peddling re issues of really very old smaller kits that may be bought to 'dip a toe' into the hobby so to speak by the unsuspecting. The downside to this is a that a potential new modeller could well be disappointed and put off by trying to build a kit made from knackered moulds dating back to the 60's and 70's.
There was a period some time ago in the past when some manufacturers were producing re issues and printing 'new' on the box instead of reissued.
Kit manufacturing is a fickle business where subject matter is all important for company survival. Hence the plethora of Spitfires, Me109's and P51 Mustangs that we see all the time. Many modellers looking through rose tinted glasses would like to see a very unusual subject that might be dear to their heart, but as for being viable to a mainstream manufacturer would prove to be a disaster. Wing Nut Wings unfortunately went out of business because the market they were producing for was too limited. Mainly highly detailed and expensive large scale WW1 aircraft was a niche market that did not sustain the sales needed.

Comparisons of quality between manufacturers is of value, but it really just comes down to what any individual can afford from their own disposable income.

**Del640** · 03 August 2021, 17:10

.... aaaand breathe!

OK, my take.

I was a keen ,off the blocks, couldn't get enough kit builder when I restarted my love of modelling.

I learnt so much from members here it was incredible. (Thanks guys)

However, buying a £30 kit would keep my attention for a couple of months as I plodded through it.

Then Wifey, for my Birthday, bought me a Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire.

The detail was brilliant, the time needed on it was three times longer than cheaper kits.

Buying the £20-30 kits quickly transpired to be not as much a challenge...

Since then my stash has drastically reduced and I only get 'higher end/spec' kits, they are more involved, take a lot longer and give me , personally, more satisfaction.

Just my take.

Del.

**Gern** · 03 August 2021, 18:28

The cost of modelling in £/hr is important to some of us without a doubt. I'm not sure the complexity - therefore longer build time - of higher end kits is the whole answer though. 60 hours on a £60 kit works out the same as 30 hours on a £30 one in terms of modelling cost, but maybe the £30 kit needs more work to correct fit/detail issues and takes you 60 hours to complete - half the cost of the expensive kit. Which one do you enjoy most though?

It boils down to your preference of build style. Do you prefer putting together 'shake and bake' kits or would you rather fight with a poor one to get the superior result you want? That has to be a personal choice and in any group of modellers you'll get a split between the two types.

I am guilty of not finishing poorer kits which require too much work for my taste. But having said that, I've also got fed up of fitting 47 zillion tiny detail bits to expensive ones. Either way, I've ended up binning kits which helps neither my enjoyment nor my pocket!

I know why I didn't take up brain surgery - I'm not tall enough - but why didn't I pick rocket science instead of modelling? I reckon it would be less frustrating.

**outrunner** · 03 August 2021, 20:47

To be honest, a modeller buys what he wants and if it turns out to be less than expected the majority of us will fiddle about to make as good as is possible with the skills we possess. If you want it and can afford it, then buy it and get on with it and if you want have a moan about it, fair enough. I found Barry's post quite informative and it is his opinion to which he is entitled. Me, I just buy what I want, cheap or expensive, if I want it then I will buy it and build it to the best of my ability, and, sometimes I have been known to bin a kit or 2 because it was beyond me to get it right, my choice, the same choice we all have. Some people think I was mad to spend seven and a half grand on my last motorcycle, but I wanted it and that was the price to pay. My next puchase kit wise will cost me around £45 when it comes out but I want it so I will gladly spend the cash.

Andy.

**David Lovell** · 04 August 2021, 03:54