Which brand of model kit...

[E-Man]

Had a quick search and couldn't find any recent posts so thought I would throw this out there.

What kits would you recommend in terms of fit and finish?
I am quite fussy when it comes to detail and quality and didn't want to start throwing money at different kit manufacturers when there is a wealth of knowledge in here.

Interested in Uk/European 1/24 scale cars either standard or the rally versions.

All input appreciated

So far I have listed:

• Tamiya
• Fujimi
• Revell
• Heller
• Hasegawa
• Italerai
• Belkits (will be doing their 6R4 regardless!) :D
• Aoshima

 

[peterairfix]

Had a quick search and couldn't find any recent posts so thought I would throw this out there.

What kits would you recommend in terms of fit and finish?
I am quite fussy when it comes to detail and quality and didn't want to start throwing money at different kit manufacturers when there is a wealth of knowledge in here.

Interested in Uk/European 1/24 scale cars either standard or the rally versions.

All input appreciated

So far I have listed:

• Tamiya
• Fujimi
• Revell
• Heller
• Hasegawa
• Italerai
• Belkits (will be doing their 6R4 regardless!) :D
• Aoshima

I would avoid heller kits as their decals tend to be a bit on the thick side and a right pain in the back side as I had a f1 Renault that took 2 years and a fruitless search for after market decals and it was the same for their A380

 

[Dave Ward]

I've done some track cars from Revell & Tamiya recently. Tamiya models tend to be nicely fitting, but simplified in detail ( like the suspension ). Revell can be hit-and-miss, Italeri tend to be older moulds - I made the Lancia LC2, and I wouldn't recommend that at all - poor fit, poor decals. Heller models need a fair bit of work, but they do some unique subjects. I've heard good things about Belkits, but my brother who's a rally car maker curses the instructions.
Do your research - this is a good place to start............. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/belkits-bel-016-mg-metro-6r4--1153007 that's the Belkits 6R4 page - you can download the instructions to see what you're letting yourself in for and find what paints you need. Part of my enjoyment is the research of a model, then getting it at a good price!
Of course asking on the forum is a no-brainer - forum searches depend on modellers spelling things correctly & having a sensible title..........
Dave

 

[Andy the Sheep]

My only experience in building sport cars is rather old (late '70s) and limited to Tamiya kits.
I built a 1:24 Porsche 935 Martini (motorized), a 1:20 Porsche 928 and a 1:12 Ferrari 312T.
I can only subscribe what Dave said: nice fit, simplified details (not in 1:12 scale) but, IMHO, good to build up some experience especially about painting.
I still remember my poor results in trying to give the 928 a decent metal blue finish using Humbrol enamels.

Andrea

 

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Ian
Not my field, but I’ve a couple of cars in the stash…..and have built a couple of cars and bikes in the past.
From your introduction I would surmise you are a relative newcomer to the hobby. If I’m wrong I apologise…… If so though, I think in your place I would start with one of the newer Tamiya offerings. The decals may not always be top drawer, being a bit thick, but the fit and finish of the parts is usually excellent. You can get the date of the kits introduction from Scalemates as indicated by Dave.

 

[Jakko]

I’m not a car modeller, the last one I built must have been 30 years ago, but I do know that if you’re looking for kits that simply fit well and are easy to build, Tamiya is the go-to brand. Pretty much everything else will be more difficult to put together by some degree (some brands by a large degree), so if you don’t have that much experience, Tamiya kits are probably your best choice for now. But, as said, many details tend to be a bit simplified on your typical Tamiya kit.

 

[PaulTRose]

you cant go wrong with tamiya

heller are to be avoided til you are experienced lol..................and probably avoided even then lol

i like aoshima......currently doing an MGB

 

[outrunner]

My only experience of building cars is with Tamiy and Hasegawa, both of which were good models to build.

Andy.

 

[E-Man]

I would avoid heller kits as their decals tend to be a bit on the thick side and a right pain in the back side as I had a f1 Renault that took 2 years and a fruitless search for after market decals and it was the same for their A380

Thanks, the decals are a big part of my thoughts on model building, as I am a graphic designer and the graphics side of things is my trade. Looking forward to designing my own and trying the Decal sheets I have seen available... time will tell

 

[BarryW]

I am not a car or civilian subject modeller so I cannot speak specifically about car kits, but I do believe that what’s true of aircraft is true of any other subject. All manufacturers will have good and bad kits, some well detailed and some not, some good fitting and others not.

If I were you I would not fixate on a few manufacturers but instead Google reviews of kits that you want to build and make a decision on a kit by kit basis. You will see two types of review, in box reviews and build reviews. Both types can help but it is the build reviews (and build threads on forums) that help most.

Remember, you can always add extra detail to a kit that needs it and, indeed you may find that, as with aircraft, there are commercial detailing sets available so you may not even have to scratch much detail. By contrast a bad fitting kit can only ever be a bad fitting kit that could have you pulling out your hair.

 

[JR]

Most guys will say Tamiya for ease of fitting , that's about all I can say Ian .

 

[Ian M]

The best manufacturer of model cars in that scale, is the one that makes the model of the car you wish to build.
If a new moddeler Best to start with the "best result" for the least effort = normally Tamiya. Then as the technique is learned you can try some of the more 'testing' brands.