Arbatron Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 This is completely opinion based but does any one company stand put as the guys that produce superior model kits? Or does it vary from kit to kit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It varies. There's no way to say any one company makes the best kits. Individual model companies have made great kits and lousy ones. And it also depends on your definition of "best." Most accurate? Most detailed? Easiest to build? Most optional parts? And on and on. This question has no answer. However, if your question is who makes (or made) the worst kits, I think Palmer would be the choice of most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Really, different companies seem to excel at different things, and some kits from the same company and time period are better than others. Some of the old Johan and AMT annual-based models were pretty spot-on as far as proportions and exterior scaling went, but were light on the details. Older Revell kits had lots of details, but were often considered difficult to build because of their intricacy. Most recent Revell kits are very nicely done, but the occasional large mistake creeps through. The re-engineered AMT kits over the years have been quite nice, with much more detail than earlier versions, but there's also been the occasional lots-of-problems kit. Moebius and Galaxy kits are very very good, as are the beautifully-detailed Accurate Miniatures kits...but again, the AM kits are seen as difficult. I personally really like the very well detailed Fujimi enthusiast series of Porsche kits, but there are some not-so-great Fujimi kits out there too. It really just depends on where your interests lie, and what level of detail, fit and accuracy you can live with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arbatron Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 Honestly I do t expect a definitive answer. I was just looking for opinions and the reasons they feel that way. Kinda like Ford Vs Chevy. Both have their dedicated fans but when it comes down to it they are both good cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Honestly I do t expect a definitive answer. I was just looking for opinions... A guy who loves to build funny cars might say Revell makes the best kits, a guy who likes to build foreign exotics might say Tamiya makes the best kits. In the end all you have is a bunch of opinions and no actual answer... because there is no answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I think Bill pretty much summed it up. And within a manufacturer, it depends on what era a kit was developed in. For instance, there was a young guy who was buying AMT kits. He bought some kits that the tooling was developed in the modern era, like the 1955 Chevy Pickup, 1966 Nova, 1957 Chrysler... then he went and bought the 1962 Buick Electra kit. He came screaming to the board like he had been tricked! While the other kits he bought had a lot of detail and full detail chassis, the Buick is a very simple kit with a one piece chassis. We had to explain to him that the Buick kit was developed back in 1962 and was created as a promotional model, thus the one piece chassis. The simpleness of the kit also had to do with the state of injection molding 50 years ago! So if you are not familiar with any kit that you'd like to buy, it's always a safe bet to come to the board and ask! Guys here will give you a straight answer about the kit, it's origin and the challenges of building it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillyb1 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Oh, please! Don't let these guys mislead you in their rush to claim it is all a subjective matter. The three best companies with the best overall quality in injection-molded plastic car kits are, in no particular order: Tamiya, Tamiya, and Tamiya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maltsr Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Oh, please! Don't let these guys mislead you in their rush to claim it is all a subjective matter. The three best companies with the best overall quality in injection-molded plastic car kits are, in no particular order: Tamiya, Tamiya, and Tamiya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatatom Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) I have to agree with Tamiya, but then I like sports cars and open wheel race cars. Edited April 18, 2014 by Miatatom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Smith Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Tamiya is not perfect, but overall, they consistently make the best model kits - accuracy, engineering, etc. Aoshima's newer items are as nice or nicer - older ones are a mixed bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
checkmate Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 There's only one real issue with Tamiya, their subject matter is garbage. And remember this is only my opinion but German and British touring cars, F1, Japanese cars and European supercars have zero interest to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin T Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 There's only one real issue with Tamiya, their subject matter is garbage. And remember this is only my opinion but German and British touring cars, F1, Japanese cars and European supercars have zero interest to me. Well I really am not a wagon guy so Tamiya work out for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinfan5 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Bandai, Tamiya, Aoshima, Fujimi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridge Rider Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Does any company make the best kit? Yes As already mentioned there is no definitive answer-similar to your Ford vs Chevy analogy. The Japanese kits can be excellent but I prefer American vehicles and I am just happy to see any new tooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arbatron Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 Thanks for the input guys. I now know that Chillyb1's 3 favorite companies are, in no particular order Tamyia, Tamyia, & Tamyia. But the answeres are kinda all over. Which doesn't surprise me. I'll just jVe to start building and see who's side I join. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chitownbri Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 if you like super cars, f1 and dtm tamiya is prolly tops. for muscle cars and classic american cars revell and amt both produced some fine kits, amt also had some of the best pickup truck kits, for big rigs italeri has the edge in my opinion. moebius is still a relatively young company but their kits are top notch. like whats been said before; it depends on what subject matter you're building in as to who has the best kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
checkmate Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Well I really am not a wagon guy so Tamiya work out for me! Wagons are cool, vans are even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
om617 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 I recently dig into an older Tamiya Testarossa and there are plenty of issues as warping and pin marks. The pin marks cant be excused by age,but maby the warping can. I also looked thru this AMT 62 Bel Air bubble top and this kit still amaze me with how beautiful done it is. Overall the Tamiya kits are excellent,but there are some very nice ones from Revell and AMT as well. As for the best i would say Model Factory Hiro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Tamiya and the other Japanese kit manufacturers had the clear advantage for quite some time once they got over their "motorized" phase but don't be in a hurry to dismiss American manufacturers as they are slowly catching up. You also have to consider scale, kit price, subject matter and target market. I'll let you in on a little secret.......in the end, it's not about the kit but how skilled the builder is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 (edited) I don't build Detroit Iron, so for me it's Tamiya, Hasegawa, Aoshima and Fujimi, with Revell (Germany) hot on their heels. Every company has "misses" as well as "hits," especially among their older tools. But the Tamiya LFA I'm currently building, and the Aston Martin DBS I built a couple of years ago, are hands down the best model car kits I've ever built. The shapes and detail are spot on, the engineering is thoughtful and the fit is perfect... bestest, M. Edited April 18, 2014 by Matt Bacon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuzzed Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 No. With few exceptions, they all do. See all the previous posts for the reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatatom Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 There's only one real issue with Tamiya, their subject matter is garbage. One mans garbage is another mans treasure. That's why flea markets and yard sales are popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelmartin Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Tamiya have been consistently the best for the last 35 years. I will argue that to the end. Many others produce excellent kits but for sheer consistency and continuous improvement no one can equal Tamiya. I love all kinds of kits and will build what I want from anyone's offerings. One of these days I will attack my Pyro Auburn boat tail speedster. Sure it is a crappy kit but no one else makes it. I may also build my Tamiya Honda RC166 with all four detail sets. It is one of the best kits Tamiya have done....ever. It is a jewel. I love my AMT trophy series kits, Fisher Porsches, Fujimi 917, 911s, Monogram, Jo-Han, Italeri, Heller Classic cars, Pyro Brass 1/32 kits, My Revell, AMT and MPC dune buggies. I have nearly 400 kits and they are all awesome or I never would have bought them, But Tamiya is the best!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoRover007 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 As far as quality Tamiya is consistently the best imo. Always crisp molds, complete with window masks and metal transfers. Lately Revell has rivaled them with their latest works in my opinion. In a few years I think they will equal them. Aoshima is also very good. Fujimi has interesting subject matter which is what makes me buy their stuff sometimes. But a lot of their kits, although are crisply molded have inaccuracies and sink marks. They often lack engine detail too. Their enthusiast kits are extremely detailed though the parts fitment isn't very good. But those are old kits so it's understandable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin T Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Wagons are cool, vans are even better. I like vans. Picked this guy up recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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