I live in the Uk and i was wondering if anyone would recommend an easier kit for me to do. I am thirteen.
A lot depends on what you want to do and your skill level to begin with. If you want to produce a highly detailed kit and are able to justify the expense with your own skill level I would recommend Tamiya for aircraft and both Tamiya or Dragon for AFVs with photo-etched parts However, I'm going to assume that you're more middle of the road when it comes to skill level and experience, not to insult you're skills just working off broad assumptions based on my own levels at about your age. I'd probably rate Revell kits quite highly all things considered. I'd avoid the pre-packed started-sets myself since these end to come with a limited choice of paints (Usually only two or three and rarely enough to actually paint the kit in the package). Airfix are OK, but many of the moulds date from the 1960s and suffer somewhat in the level of detail compared to Revells efforts. A lot depends on what you're trying to achieve, if you want a painted model as the end result (Which I'm guessing you do), I'd pick up one of the many cross-reference charts that are available both in stores and on the internet for paints, both Humbrol enamels and Tamiya acrylics rate higher than Revell enamels as far as I'm concerned, I'd probably go for acrylics if you can as they're far easier to clean (Just use a jar of water) and are far safer to use, giving off far less in the way of odours or fumes. Kits. As far as commonly available kits go, Revell represent pretty good value for money, they're reasonable quality, not too fiddly and not too expensive. Airfix are competitive pricewise, but suffer by comparison as the moulds are dated. Tamiya and Dragon are good, but tend to be pricier and more detailed, but in a nutshell, if you screw it up it'll cost you more to fix or replace, and it''l be easier to screw it up in the first place. If you're just starting out, I'd recommend investing in a selection of knives, these needn't be that good at this stage, disposable stanley type knives are good enough, if you can get ahold of them some needle files are great (If not some good nail files or warding files will do), a few different grades of sandpaper might be usefull and a rough assortment of paint brushes (Again, I'm going to sound like a rep for them here, but Revell or Humbrol are pretty good value) and enough paints to do the kit. Don't be afraid to open the box in the shop to read the instructions and find out all the paints required, they don't always list them all on the box itself, and most stores wont mind providing you're not ripping open every box in the place. Overall, I wouldn't spend out too much at this stage, much of the stuff such as files and scalpels will last you a long time if well looked after but at this stage you needn't be spending (For example) £5 a brush on top quality brushes that you simply wont get the benefit out of. Be prepared to make some mistakes and have many kits in the "pending completion" stage too, we all have probably more than we'd like to admit. Hope I've helped slightly.
I'd rate the Dragon kits excellent in terms of detail, but that comes at the price of a lot of very small details. While individual track links are a plus, when you have to assemble 200 track links (and maybe even assemble each track link from several parts), it'll be too tedious for a starter kit. Tamiya are better in this regard. Good detail, but far fewer parts, and well thought-out assembly. They have a lot of good kits from the nineties, which are at a reasonable price level now. Tamiya's new Tiger II kits (I don't think anyone sells the old ones from the seventies, but ask in the store or check the date on the box - the new ones are from the nineties) would be a good place to start. You'll get an impressive model of an impressive tank, without too much hassel. If you're a bit short on cash, I agree with Simon that Revell is the way to go. You can get some really nice 1/72 tanks and aircrafts at a lot price (less than GBP 10). Relatively easy assembly without having to slaughter the bank account By the way, Tamiya is properly pronouced approximately as dami-yar, with a hard D, though don't expect people outside Japan to understand you if you pronouce it like that. Most people pronouce it as ta-my-yar. Revell is correctly pronouced along the lines of ra'-fell, but most people outside Germany would probably say re-vell.
Not sure if the UK has them but I like the 1/72 scale Hasegawa armor kits. They are quite simple but look good when finished. Not to mention they are affordable.
Tamiya 1/35 kits for sure.Well engineered as far as parts fitting together and they have clear and accurate instructions.Great for a beginner.For 1/72 scale kits I'd recommend Hasegawa.
Agreed regarding the Hasegawa kits, Italeri planes are also pretty good although they tend to come up a bit more expensive than Revell. Where I live the Italeri's recommended paints (Can't remember the name off hand) are pretty difficult to come by, so you'll probably have to try and match them with another manufacturer's. If you are interested in aircraft, one usefull piece of advice is to avoid bi-planes and tri-planes to start off with since the struts, bracings and upper wing(s) can be an absolute pig to get right.
Two relatively simple ones I'd recommend for a beginner are the Tamiya Marder II, and the Italeri Opel Blitz. They're both relatively easy to do, and kinda fun in a way.
If you want to make tanks, a really simple kit to start off with is anything by JB Models (Example here) - they have the wheels & tracks all as one unit that you can simply stick on to the hull, rather than having to paint and assemble loads of little wheels and tracks. For aircraft, something simple is a good start. I recommend any 1950s jet (F-86 Sabre, MiG 15, etc), as propellors are very fiddly, and later jets have lots of underwing stores.
Check out the line of 1/72 scale kits by Armourfast.Simple to build kits that allow you to concentrate on painting.
Hi Panzerkampfwagen, you definately came to the right section for your question. As you can see our members have all different kinds of answers, tips and tricks. For additional (general) tips on how to perform building a modelkit, you may also want to check the thread "modelling tips", which is made sticky in this section. Enjoy and good luck on your build! PP
If you can track down any Matchbox 1/72 AFV kits (they're no longer made) they would make a very satisfying starter kit - they were quite well made - not too difficult and (here's a nice touch) came complete with a detailed diorama base sometimes featuring figures. Edit : I've just discovered that Revell have been reissuing some of these complete with diorama base - they seem to be everything on this page from the Sherman Firefly onwards - http://www.ontracks.co.uk/index.php?page=catalogue&cat=1072&toplevel=1&page_now=2 The pair of French tanks looks particularly interesting and good value.
I think I read somewhere that Heller is doing some of the old MatchBox and Airfix kits. Is this true?
The Revell Sherman Firefly comes with a decorative base, not sure I'd consider it a diorama as such but you get a half of a busted brick bridge, quite good really and it can make it look more dramatic than just being perched on a shelf. As far as others go I'm really not sure.
It may be a small diorama but it still qualifies because of what it represents (and quite well if I remember). The term decorative basecould refer to a piece of polished wood with a brass name plate on it, for example, which is very nice but clearly is not a diorama whereas a base which is a clear representation of a real world 3D context certainly is a diorama.
