Kit makers

[BarryW]

I was going to keep out of this thread but i have to point out/cannot bite my tongue anymore, that i disagree with the above comment regarding Revell being 'shoddy'. Are they a cheaper kit to buy? Yes (No need for a bank balance of a small country to buy one). Are they less detailed than so called 'uber kits'? Yes. Do they need some clean up? Yes. But nothing too bad. Are they totally over-engineered like ZM kit? No not in the slightest.

Best thing to do is like was suggested a few posts back. Look at Scalemates for the kits you like and see if they have reviews for them. Then make a choice. Because opinions are like buttholes. Everyone has one. Some just spout more .... than others though.

LOL Alan. We can certainly agree to disagree over Revell. I did say they have some great kits but I absolutely stand by what I said about how they can be shoddy, look at their 1/32 Spitfire II for instance. They do not take the level of care with production, design and presentation that most other companies take.

Zoukie Mura over engineered! well let’s have a lot more of that kind of ‘over engineering’ bring it on.

As for price, indeed Revell are cheap and perhaps what I don’t like comes as a result of trying to bring kits in at such a low price. Price is one thing, value is another and value is subjective to all of us.

[AlanG]

Zoukie Mura over engineered! well let’s have a lot more of that kind of ‘over engineering’ bring it on.

As for price, indeed Revell are cheap and perhaps what I don’t like comes as a result of trying to bring kits in at such a low price. Price is one thing, value is another and value is subjective to all of us.

In my butthole opinion ZM kits are a pointless waste of time, money and resources. Why build so much into a kit that is going to be buttoned up never to be seen again and have the joys of paying a small fortune to do that. But it's our own money so i suppose we can all pay whatever we want to justify paying for our hobby.

As for you not liking Revell because they 'dare' to do things on the cheap. Well that cheapness has allowed my kids to buy their own kits and thus bring 'new blood' into this fine hobby. So the cheap price that allowed my children to buy their kits produced massive value to them and myself as a parent when they built them. But as you point out. It's all subjective.

Sorry to Doug for detracting from the OP. I'll now butt out of this thread

[flyjoe180]

Hi Doug, lots of information and opinions already provided I see.

I would add that the best 'reviews' are actual build threads. Build threads on sites like this forum provide honest opinions and can help you discover issues and solutions which may or may not influence your decision to buy a certain kit. It's easy and quick to search for builds of certain kits.

Be wary of videos in particular where the kit has probably been provided by a channel sponsor. Match the build thread with a Scalemates (or similar site) kit review. You'd be surprised how often kit reviewers bang on about no disadvantages or issues, when they haven't even built the thing. An average builder will find the kit's weak points without a doubt.

That's often how I make my kit decisions. All the best, looking forward to seeing your builds.

[David Lovell]

Sorry Doug, its all down down to subject matter and how far you want to go ,if the subject you want to build is only supported by lets say one manufacturer and is classed as a bad kit you'll just have to put in the extra if its what you want on the shelf.
You will find most shake and bake subjects are all the same (boring stuff)from loads of manufacturers. Things haven't changed that much if your just getting back into the hobby read instructions set out your work area remove parts as instructed and glue together just get on with it ,loads of modern products that make it easy now not that following instructions and glueing parts together has ever been hard ,dry fit dry fit ,or try twice glue once sorry pal but its a learning curve that has to be ridden.
As some of the lads have said better looking for builds on here its warts and all ,only looked at scale mates once load of up there own butt rivet counters its only their opinion of whats good or bad i still can't get my head around why people think they have that rite to condemn anything that's not shake and bake you will at the end of the day only get out what YOUR prepared to put in. As my father would have said just get on with it son it won't hurt/kill you.

[Waspie]

Sorry Doug, its all down down to subject matter and how far you want to go ,if the subject you want to build is only supported by lets say one manufacturer and is classed as a bad kit you'll just have to put in the extra if its what you want on the shelf.
You will find most shake and bake subjects are all the same (boring stuff)from loads of manufacturers. Things haven't changed that much if your just getting back into the hobby read instructions set out your work area remove parts as instructed and glue together just get on with it ,loads of modern products that make it easy now not that following instructions and glueing parts together has ever been hard ,dry fit dry fit ,or try twice glue once sorry pal but its a learning curve that has to be ridden.
As some of the lads have said better looking for builds on here its warts and all ,only looked at scale mates once load of up there own butt rivet counters its only their opinion of whats good or bad i still can't get my head around why people think they have that rite to condemn anything that's not shake and bake you will at the end of the day only get out what YOUR prepared to put in. As my father would have said just get on with it son it won't hurt/kill you.

I think there have been massive changes. For a start more manufacturers available than there were in the 60's & 70's!. It may be me but the plastic appears thinner. Glues have moved on, the thick polystyrene glue of yore has been replaced by thinner cements and applied by brush.

[KarlW]

I think there have been massive changes. For a start more manufacturers available than there were in the 60's & 70's!. It may be me but the plastic appears thinner. Glues have moved on, the thick polystyrene glue of yore has been replaced by thinner cements and applied by brush.

You can still get the thick glue in tubes, I still use it from time to time too.

[Waspie]

You can still get the thick glue in tubes, I still use it from time to time too.

I found a tube supplied by Airfix in the Sea King kit! Unused, only because I thought them too messy in the past so decided to give the thiner 'stuff' a go!!

[David Lovell]

I think there have been massive changes. For a start more manufacturers available than there were in the 60's & 70's!. It may be me but the plastic appears thinner. Glues have moved on, the thick polystyrene glue of yore has been replaced by thinner cements and applied by brush.

Yep fifty years on ,one would hope moulds and injection techniques had changed ,but the same principles still apply remove parts glue together as per the instructions ,made so much easier now with the products available ,any doubts about using some of these can usualy be put to bed by flicking through YouTube.
Crack on share your build on here everybody will willingly give help and advice. Dave