Whats your favorite kit manufacturers and why?

[Chuck Most]

That's like asking which lung is my favorite, or which one of my taste buds I favor over all the others. They all make good and bad stuff- for me, it all boils down to subject matter. If I like the subject the kit depicts, I'll buy it, regardless of who manufactured it.

[Bennyg]

Companies would be aoshima, moebius and tamiya in my book.

My favourite kit would be the lonestar so far. If moebius does a mack it will be my new favourite kit.

Ben

[ZTony8]

I go for subject.No one maker produces everything I want to build.

[disabled modeler]

Man I haven't seen a JOHAN kit in years!! Probably 30 or so I think. All I can remember is trying to build one of those things when I was 14. It didn't work out too good. It would be a different story today but haven't even thought of JOHAN until I saw it on this forum.

Joe....the old Johan kits required a bit of work but well worth it in the end result....My first model was the Johan Haulin Hearse kit and Heavenly Hearse kit...Loved the company for they made kits of cars no one else would...AMC,Chrysler,Dodge,Oldsmobile,Rambler,etc....Ill never turn down a Johan kit of a 60s to mid 70s car.

[mustang1989]

Joe....the old Johan kits required a bit of work but well worth it in the end result

I've been checking in to that ever since that post was made here. There's a Johan thread here that I've been following and noticed some good builds to include the Turbine. The more I build and hang around places like this I'm seeing that pure skill and and bold persistence play large parts in a successful build. I'm building a Monogram SBD Dauntless right now and it's nice to have an "easy" one for a change!

[disabled modeler]

I've been checking in to that ever since that post was made here. There's a Johan thread here that I've been following and noticed some good builds to include the Turbine. The more I build and hang around places like this I'm seeing that pure skill and and bold persistence play large parts in a successful build. I'm building a Monogram SBD Dauntless right now and it's nice to have an "easy" one for a change!

Hey Joe I even like some of the Johan,AMT snap kits...talk about easy. Now the Johan Chrysler Turbine car was pretty detailed and a test fit every part build type...still a cool one...snap version was easy but much less detail. Best advise anyone ever gave me on building is to treat every part as if it was a model itself.

[mustang1989]

Best advise anyone ever gave me on building is to treat every part as if it was a model itself.

That right there has been my motto for a while when building scale models(its also a reason it takes me in the upwards of 6-9 months to build one model!!! lol).

[Shardik]

Joe, I agree with you about Eduard. I've built the 1:48 Albatros DVa from both Revell and Eduard, and although it's actually the same mold, the Eduard kit includes a PE fret for both added detail and to correct the errors in the Revell molding. But, If your talking WWI aircraft, the hands down winner is Wing Nut Wings. Their accuracy, detail, engineering and customer support are the model that the rest of the industry should be following.

On the automotive side:

For European sports cars I like the Fujimi Enthusiast series.

For more esoteric subjects (like the Messerschmidt KR200) it's Gunze/Sangyo High tech series.

For unique, older American cars I like Moebius; their selection is limited, but the detail and engineering are top notch.

This actually applies equally to Galaxie Ltd.

For everything else, it comes down to who makes the subject I want to build. In fact, this is really the central question. If I had no interest in the Hudson convertible, I would never have bought a Moebius kit.

[mustang1989]

You know Johann I've not built any WWI aircraft kits yet. I have a high respect for the builders because of all the rigging and the wood replication but haven't tried one. At this point I'm sticking mainly with Luftwaffe stuff but do jog it up every once in a while with a Pacific plane build. I've got an SBD Dauntless I'm working on right now but its a Monogram with a lot of parts from the Hasegawa kit to spice it up a bit. Maybe one day I'll tackle a WWI build but for now I'll hold out for that Eduard 109 G-6 that's supposed to be released in 14.

[Shardik]

A G-6 !?!? Cool, sign me up! 109's and Spifires were the kings of the sky. Dragon has a pretty nice Emile.

Here's the Revell DV:

Edited October 31, 2013 by Shardik

[mustang1989]

Nice!!! I like that mud on the wheel/ tires and on the wing and rigging!!

[mustang1989]

A G-6 !?!? Cool, sign me up!

Eduard unveiled it a E-day this year. I'm all over that like a rat on a cheetoe!!!

[Tom Geiger]

My favorite manufacturer is Premier! Where else would you find a beauty like this one. Maybe it will be reissued someday!

[oldcarfan]

I don't really have a favorite right now. It all depends on the subject. In the old days my favorite was always MPC, especially their annuals!

[johnbuzzed]

I have no favorites. All manufacturers have their flaws, from engineering problems to production problems to list price, et al. One kit from a certain manufacturer might be the best I've seen in my 58 years while another kit from that same manufacturer might have me coining some new, rather colorful colloquialisms. I go for the subject and as long as I haven't seen or heard an absolutely horrible review or critique of the kit, I'll buy it.

[kitbash1]

I can't name a "favorite" manufacturer. I buy a kit based on my interest in the subject and the scale of the kit... I couldn't care less who the manufacturer is.

My thinking as well. I'm just waiting to see the list of new releases from Embro, hoping there's a few new older F! cars coming.

[Ace-Garageguy]

For American manufacturers, it would have to be Revell...hands down. Mostly due to subject matter...a bunch of pretty nice '32 hot-rods, a bunch of model-A Fords over the years, race cars like the Challenger and Orange Crate, and the beautiful '50 Olds and '57 Ford kits...just to name a few. Though I've been critical of mistakes Revell has made, it's probably because overall I've come to expect such high quality with scale and proportion that when they goof, it's more noticeable than some of the other other guys. It helps that the 'real' Revell is still sorta around...unlike AMT and long gone Johan.

When I was younger (much) I preferred Revell kits for the level of detail, and opening features like on the '56 Ford pickup, and the tri-5 Chevys. I'm still a hoarder of the vintage parts packs, which I think are some of the best things out there.

For Japanese, I'd have to go with Fujimi...again for the subject matter...the wide range of exquisitely detailed Porsches.

[sjordan2]

I agree with those who say it depends on the subject matter. I'm not familiar with the often-praised quality of leading Japanese brands, but the others seem to swap out tooling from a variety of brands, under different labeling and especially in larger scales. So it's really a mixed bag for brands like Revell / Testors / Italeri etc., with lots of old-tool reissues. But in general, I've usually been happy with Entex/Minicraft reissues originally created by companies like Gakken and Gunze Sangyo.

Edited November 4, 2013 by sjordan2

[Shelby 427 1965]

Has to be Tamiya for me - they were the first kit I ever made and I love the box art on them. And for quality, they are second to none.

But, as with others, subject matter really comes into play.

[lordairgtar]

My favorite manufacturer is Premier! Where else would you find a beauty like this one. Maybe it will be reissued someday!

Interesting. I have an unpainted one sitting in my display cabinet

[lordairgtar]

I have to give a shout out to Heller. Very fiddly kits on some, but nice when built with care. They did a cross market with AMT and gave us such beauties as the Renault Gordini, Renault Alpine racer, Lotus, Matra...all sold as AMT kits in double boxes and in their own box.

[peekay]

If I had to choose then I'd go with Johan - for their accurate body shapes, fine trim and badging and less mainstream subjects.

Of course chassis and motor are often third rate and early interiors are too shallow. And none of them ever saw a plastic bag - the parts were apparently thrown into the boxes from some distance.

But I've learned to live with their short-comings and wouldn't part with any of my collection. (I also love the re-issued promos).

[deja-view]

Since I build almost exclusively 1/12 and 1/8 scale, I'd have to say Doyusha/Otaki first, then Tamiya/Fujimi/Rosso/Hasegawa, and Entex in the 1/12 kits (although the Testor's Lamborghini LP 500 was a spectacular kit (and, I think it was really Doyusha). The 1/8 choices are slim, but the Revell/Monogram have had nice offerings over the years while Entex/Imai/Grip had the great Lotus 72D kits. The Lindberg 1/8 hot rods are pretty good, to. But that's just cars. Ships, military, planes are another discussion.

[dantewallace]

My Favorite is Tamiya, why?. Crisp molding, next to 0 flash or mold lines, PE is sometimes included, real rubber tires.

[_TRF_]

i really like TAMIYA - very good research and docu in the manual. great quality parts and fittings and great models

My favourite Tamiyas:

+ Alfa Romeo Guilia Sprint GTA

+ VW Karmann Ghia

+ Jaguar MK2 racing

and i really love car's from the late 60thies up to the late 70thies, such as Ford Escort's, BMW 2002, Lancia Fulvia, Opel Manta,

Alfa Romeo's