Gary Needham Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Tamiya Corsair, Spitfire IX Zero WNW All of them built thus far (6) . These two brands are in a league of their own engineering / fit wise. Gary Pup7309 and mpk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padubon Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Academy AH-1Z Hasegawa Bf109K Tamiya F-16 mpk and Pup7309 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanKB Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Despite Tamiya, despite WNW, my favorite build is still Trumpy's TBF-1C Avenger. Just an excellent kit that you can really go to town on and detail to within an inch of its life, should you wish, with lots of plastic, huge amounts of glass allowing easy views of the cockpit, even a rotating turret to play with, with a bomb bay, bombs, rockets, machine guns, cannons, even a torpedo! Lots of weathering possibilities to hide crappy paintwork, open panels everywhere, big old engine to detail & show off. Big enough to be different, but not too big. chrish, Pup7309, pennausamike and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 PCM Hurricane Mk1 Late WnW Hansa Brandenburg W.29 HpH Ta 154 Conversions: AIMS Me 110 G-4 Alley Cat Spitfire PR AIMS Ju-188 ( not quite finished yet) Regards. Andy Pup7309 and mpk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckD Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Gotta cast another vote for the Trumpeter Avenger. I've done both variants and they're just wonderful kits of a fascinating subject. I'd also say that the HKM B-25 is a great kit too, along with the Dragon/Revell family of Bf-110s. mpk, Pup7309 and DeanKB 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottsGT Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Three that really stand out in my mind: Tamiya Phantoms Trumpeter F-105 Fisher fat face Skyraider conversion/AD-5W mpk and Pup7309 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismcc Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 My opinions change depending on how successful the build went and of course after time all the school holidays were sunny.. After a steady diet of 1970's Revell kits I built the Hasegawa Me 109G6 which was very enjoyable to build, it all fitted. The next kit that really gave me a lot of satisfaction was the AZUR Bloch 152, not fantastically engineered but very satisfying to look at when it was finished. Then of course there was the MDC Hawker Typhoon, it made me really work for it but it looked great to me when I finished it. The last three builds were all Hasegawa, Hayate, Raiden and N1K2, all very beautifully engineered and a pleasure to build. Cheers Dennis mpk, Pup7309, Rick Griewski and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowen Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 HK B-25J Glass Nose (I have the other two kits but haven't done the builds yet). -Ro Pup7309 and mpk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanKB Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 3 hours ago, Gary Needham said: Tamiya Corsair, Spitfire IX Zero WNW All of them built thus far (6) . These two brands are in a league of their own engineering / fit wise. Gary I agree WNW & Tamiya lead the field (or led in WNW's case) in quality, but......they are so easy to build, so very easy, that does this not detract from the sense of achievement one garners from completing a kit? Your beautifully built, faultless and perfect Tamiya Mk.IX Spitfire, for example. It wouldn't take too much looking to find others with an equally good build - in fact, you may have problems telling them apart. Johnny Johnson's "JE-J" Spitfire resides in pretty much identical copies in many, many of the hobby's homes. Does that commercialism, uniformism & simplicity - arguably, perhaps, needing less skills & imagination to complete - not make finishing such a kit more mundane task? Not sure what the answer is, but I personally got more enjoyment & satisfaction from Trump's Avenger, even though my Tamiya & WNW builds were undoubtedly technically faultless and physically easier to build. Then again, when I found myself stuck with a troublesome build, I sometimes grabbed a Tamiya kit as a quick & easy alternative, whilst the other kit sat on the shelf of doom, to be moved again only to make space for the next troublesome kit. mpk, mozart and Pup7309 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 My favorite is the Tamiya F-4. The reason is it was my first 1/32 build, and the first I shared on LSP. mpk and Pup7309 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Wise words Dean, my Tamiya Spitfire IX has lain a quarter completed in its box for some years now, no real challenge in it. Pup7309, mpk and monthebiff 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 10 minutes ago, mozart said: Wise words Dean, my Tamiya Spitfire IX has lain a quarter completed in its box for some years now, no real challenge in it. Much like my Birdcage Corsair Max, had two stabs at it now and is looking good so far but just no challenge, maybe another couple of goes and I will get it over the finish line. Regards. Andy Pup7309 and mpk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 1 hour ago, DeanKB said: ..they are so easy to build, so very easy, that does this not detract from the sense of achievement one garners from completing a kit? It probably depends on what your aim is with this hobby I'd guess. Personally I love building a model that falls together without a fight. I do this hobby for relaxation, not stress 1 hour ago, DeanKB said: Your beautifully built, faultless and perfect Tamiya Mk.IX Spitfire, for example. It wouldn't take too much looking to find others with an equally good build - in fact, you may have problems telling them apart. Johnny Johnson's "JE-J" Spitfire resides in pretty much identical copies in many, many of the hobby's homes. Not sure I see a problem with that if the builder is happy with the result. Horses for courses I guess. 1 hour ago, DeanKB said: Does that commercialism, uniformism & simplicity - arguably, perhaps, needing less skills & imagination to complete - not make finishing such a kit more mundane task? Again, it's a personal thing and your mileage may vary but I tend to choose kits I like and enjoy building. If I finish one that's a bonus 1 hour ago, DeanKB said: Not sure what the answer is, but I personally got more enjoyment & satisfaction from Trump's Avenger, even though my Tamiya & WNW builds were undoubtedly technically faultless and physically easier to build. Then again, when I found myself stuck with a troublesome build, I sometimes grabbed a Tamiya kit as a quick & easy alternative, whilst the other kit sat on the shelf of doom, to be moved again only to make space for the next troublesome kit. You pose valid questions to which there are many answers. We should all be happy that most of the spectrum of personal choice is accommodated by todays kit manufacturers so we can all build what we enjoy Cheers and happy modelling. Pup7309, mpk, Basta and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Eagle Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Where do I start? But, to put a final stamp on it, the HpH Me-410 is my number one. Pup7309, mpk and chrish 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckD Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 2 hours ago, DeanKB said: I agree WNW & Tamiya lead the field (or led in WNW's case) in quality, but......they are so easy to build, so very easy, that does this not detract from the sense of achievement one garners from completing a kit? Your beautifully built, faultless and perfect Tamiya Mk.IX Spitfire, for example. It wouldn't take too much looking to find others with an equally good build - in fact, you may have problems telling them apart. Johnny Johnson's "JE-J" Spitfire resides in pretty much identical copies in many, many of the hobby's homes. Does that commercialism, uniformism & simplicity - arguably, perhaps, needing less skills & imagination to complete - not make finishing such a kit more mundane task? Not sure what the answer is, but I personally got more enjoyment & satisfaction from Trump's Avenger, even though my Tamiya & WNW builds were undoubtedly technically faultless and physically easier to build. Then again, when I found myself stuck with a troublesome build, I sometimes grabbed a Tamiya kit as a quick & easy alternative, whilst the other kit sat on the shelf of doom, to be moved again only to make space for the next troublesome kit. So, you're saying the poorly engineered kits that don't fit together worth a damn are better? (I'm kidding! ) I can agree with this sentiment to a point, and it's a great thought to explore as part of the philosophy of this hobby. I don't do too many Tamiya kits because there I feel like there's not much challenge in the build. That said, if a kit is too bad, it can be equally as unfulfilling (looking at you SH Brewster Buffalo). Often, I feel that with well-engineered kits that the challenge is the finish. With almost any kit out there, aftermarket decals exist to change up the options. For those fortunate enough to access to a mask cutter (or a friend with one), the limits of the finish are boundless. Then, even with those uniform duplicates that you describe, there are still nuances - and this is a hobby defined by the word "nuance." Yes, lots of copies of JE-J are sitting in homes across the world, but I challenge to find you two that are absolutely identical. Each artist makes his or her own mark on the world. Even I would be hard pressed to make two models that are exactly identical myself. So, are those kits mundane? No. Less challenging? Arguable. For my personal tastes, I have come to prefer replicating the quiet warriors, those faceless masses that were the workhorses behind the headlines. I'll likely never do a Glamorous Glen, a Marge, or a Fiery Ginger. It's for that reason that I rarely use the kit decals for more than simple stencils, and if I ever do a Tamiya Spitfire, it will likely not be marked JE-J. But, I've also been at this hobby long enough that I've gotten kind of bored of just building a machine and putting it on the shelf. I've recently found my creative stride in making vignettes or small dioramas. Putting the machine into context has started to become more appealing to me. Anyway, neat conversation topic. Glad you brought it up. mpk, DeanKB, Pup7309 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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