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my first Tamiya 1/32 plane build - not what I was expecting


npb748r

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I'm mid-build of Tamiya's F4D - mostly likely being finished as a South Korean plane. This is my first Tamiya 1/32 plane build, I've previously built lots of their armour kits over the past 40 years or so and early on built a couple of their smaller scale planes (I seem to recall they did strange scales like 1/100).  The majority of my 1/32 kits have been every manufacturer other than Tamiya, I'd guess mostly Trumpeter as they offer aircraft that I'm interested in building the most. The F4 has been in my stash for many years, well over 10. 

 

Having read over the years all of the plaudits that constantly get written about Tamiya kits when comparing manufacturers like hobby boss or trumpeter,  I was expecting a much better quality kit. Some of the fit issues are really bad and have fought me all the way, a couple have been due to my poor building skills however some are just poor kit quality - the wing fit and lower tail section aren't good and some of the engineered elements such as the large gap inside of the air intakes and strange raised non-existent panels have really caught me by surprise. 

 

I had been planning on buying their F15E, Mosquito and late model Spitfire at some stage in the future however given the high price points of the latter 2 I'm not sure they will be worth the money.  Are these kits much better compared to the F4, I assume given the age of the F4 things have improved with their later models but thought it worth asking the question as £220 for say the mosquito if it's the same quality as the F4 is just not good value for money.  I did consider before typing this that maybe all of the fit issues are my poor building skills however I've re-traced my steps several times and given that these large components are screwed together there's little that the builder can do to make an error.  I can't see what I've done to cause the wing and tail poor fit and the poor engineering is definitely not my issue.  Would appreciate the views of those of you who have built some of the other Tamiya kits, particularly those I mentioned.

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That F4 is a pretty old 80' molding isn't it?  The later 32nd scale offerings A6M5 Zero, Spitfire onwards and particularly the Corsairs and Mosquito are the finest fitting kits you could ever wish for, absolutely sublime in fact so don't be put off!

 

Regards  Andy 

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Hey NPB,

 I built the same kit a few years ago and quite frankly I thought it was disappointing. There were plenty of fit issues and it certainly wasn’t a “shake and bake” kit. I have a bunch of their 1/32 kits in my stash, including the mosquito which frankly seems light years ahead of the quality of the f4. I’m certainly not the greatest modeler out there and perhaps my fit issues were just down to me! I believe the f4 is one of their older kits, which may explain why it’s a little more “temperamental” than the more modern releases...

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Well you did most certainly pick an oldie that has that time periods downfalls. It simply cannot be compared to their Mossie, Corsair, Spit, or even the F-15E or F-16. I've built them all,  no comparison. The F-4 kit can't be used as a gauge of current Tamiya quality being 26 years old (1995).

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I’m building the Tamiya Spitfire Mk IX right now, my first Tamiya kit too. I can only repeat what Andy has said, the fit is sublime. I love the consideration that has been put into the design of the kit; for instance I was working on the undercarriage yesterday and was initially puzzled why the legs were supplied in two halves, then realised a metal rod is inserted for strength.  Clever, crossing al the “t”s and dotting all the “i”s. 

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Seconded regarding the Spitfire, Corsair and Mosquito, the fit and engineering are top notch . As for the Phantom, I built it a long time ago but no longer have the finished model. 

 

In all honesty, I preferred the Revell Phantom as, with all its faults, it looks like a Phantom and is 1/3 - 1/6 the price of the Tamiya effort.  Everyone can have an off-day. even Tamiya!

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You certainly picked the worst of them all!

 

The F-4 (1995) and the F-14 (1994) are oldest and the very first 1/32nd scale kits Tamiya made and they were actually pretty good when they were issued.

 

But as compared with the kits Tamiya does today, they can´t hold a candle!

 

When they issued the F-15 it was a giant leap forward and a much, much better kit and from the Mitsubishi Zero and onwards, they are the best kits you can buy for money and well worth every penny!

 

Cheers!

 

Stefan :beer:

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There are no better kits available than the Tamiya 1/32 WW2 warbirds. The Zero, Mustang, Spitfire, Corsair and Mossie are a joy to build and worth every penny.  Other good 1/32 Tamiya’s in my experience are the F16 and F15.   
 

Don’t hesitate, do yourself a favour and get them all.  I do recommend aftermarket decals or, better still, paint masks for the main markings though

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I've done two Spitfires and a Mustang, and can only echo what others say about the fit and overall quality.  I'll reserve judgement on the F-4 until I've done one, but I've seen a few completed models and they looked very good.

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From what I've read and seen, the F-15 kit will also be a challenge in terms of fit and finesse - check out Chuck's magnificent build of an aggressor Eagle.  The Eagle dates from the early 1990s, so not to the same standard of fit and finesse as the F-16, Spitfire, Corsair and Mosquito.

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2 hours ago, npb748r said:

..  I'd look at the corsair if it's feasible to build as a FAA plane as well. 

I don't have one, but I vaguely recall looking at one once, and in my memory the wings were short and needed parts adding for the tips: almost as if Tamiya were planning for a RN variant (and please don't start a rumour thread on the basis of this post).  Can anyone who has a kit confirm this or otherwise?

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