1/48 aircraft best brands?

[Gb64c]

Hi

I have posted a similar, question; what are the best 1/48 scale aircraft kits?

My intrest is mostly in armor and I have a preference when it comes to AFV, but am just getting into aircraft.

So far, I have Tamiya, Hasagawa, and Fujimi

However I see, Acdamy, Dragon, etc...

Does anyone have a list, ranking them, at least in thier own opinion.

I am wondering specifically about Fujimi kits?

The aircraft modlers I used to know liked Hasagawa, Tamiya and Fujimi.

Thanks

[Paul]

Hobbyboss and trumpeter are good kits, they fit together well but still leave a little work for the modeller giving a little challenge

Great wall hobby kits are superb, especially the mig 29's

Tamiya and hasegawa are good but you need to check kits before you buy them to ensure they are top draw

Academy are hit and miss imo some good kits some shockers.

As with any kit google the kit number and look for reviews

Ps can you please reduce the size of your signature to no more than 4 lines of text, your current one is like a page and a half in length on my screen.

[Gb64c]

Thanks Paul, any thought on Fujimi?

[Paul]

Thanks Paul, any thought on Fujimi?

Not had much experience to be honest but personally it would be a brand I would avoid, others may have different opinions though

[shortCummins]

are there many Fujimi 1/48 aircraft kits available? Hannants, Models R Go and e-Models don't have any (hannants have some 2nd hand)

[Gb64c]

I have gotten Fujimi off of eBay, and think I may have another on the way, a P 51 I think.

Never heard of Great Wall, but will look into them

[cib2265]

This has been my (limited) experience so far:

Academy - definitely hit and miss, but rule of thumb is later the release the better. Their 1/32 modern stuff is brilliant, and I believe the 1/48 Phantom is excellent. The older stuff (both by date of release and subject ie WW2 and WW1) is just remolded from various sources e.g hobbycraft. The F-15's are ok, but have some fit issues. The F-22 and CH-53E are excellent. Instructions are usually hard to decipher and paint callouts arent the best, sometimes. But for the price, excellent practice and the occasional master! Try to get the ones with Cartograph decals (it'll say so on the box)

Airfix - love/hate here. Some of their newer stuff is okay, but not up to quality of Tamiya whereas older stuff is very poor IMO. The fit issues and design of some of the recent stuff (all subjects I love, e.g Spitfires) have been bloody frustrating. I've sold all of my Airfix kits, too much trouble for me (I see this hobby as a stress relief, I dont want to be spending hours sanding, rejigging warped bits etc)

Dragon - yep they make aircraft, I have a couple FW190A's and Me-262s - these look very good but ive heard they have finicky engineering and some minor fit issues. I dont think they make new stuff anymore.

Eduard - superlative, especially if you get the Profipack sets, but even the weekend edition stuff is great. Although, watch out if the plastic inside is just reboxed Academy (e.g F-15 and P-38). I prefer the actual Eduard plastic stuff (e.g BF109, Hellcat etc).

Fujimi - I have a couple of old Fujimi kits (Bf-110) they look alright, but havent put them together yet.

Great Wall Hobby (GWH) - only seen their modern stuff up close from other chaps kits at the club - but they look spectacular, up there with Tamiya 1/32 quality.

Hasegawa - fantastic quality and accuracy, great subjects too (although it seems mainly just the Zero and the Bf109e!!!) I have several Zero and Mustangs, havent built any yet so cant comment on fit issues. Instructions look ok if a little noisy.

Hobby Boss - this is Trumpeter-lite, i.e they take the 1/32 stuff and shrink it more or less. Excellent and varied subjects,the only hit and miss is some accuracy issues and decals that sometimes, just fall apart!! Instructions are usually good but the Chinglish does sometimes mean obvious stuffups or wrong part number callouts. For the price, better than Academy stuff IMO

Italeri - be afraid. Be very afraid - can go from being absolute awful to very very good. E.g the Chinook is brilliant, Osprey not so. I generally avoid Italeri if I can as a rule, armor and aircraft they havent been the best. I have no Italeri products in my wishlist...

Meng - no direct experience, but their WW2 stuff looks fantastic (and also their WW1 armor, but thats another area!)

Revell - very good to excellent but it depends on the kit - I have most of their multi engined WW2 stuff, which looks great. I hate their instructions - worst out there - and the box they come with is ridiclously stupid (Ive reboxed mine) As a rule Revell is a distant 2nd to Tamiya/Hasegawa all round but definitely consider.

Special Hobby - no direct experience but heard they can be difficult but rewarding, and they also cover subjects not available by the others.

Tamiya - superb. They are called shake and bake for a reason, they just seem to fall together out of the box sometimes with no filler! Very crisp moulding and details all round, even the "older" mid-1990's kits. My choice in this scale (I just bought a few more this weekend - the FW190D9 and the Dewoitne) Decals are usually very thick, so sometimes pays to use the stencils only and go aftermarket.


Hope that helps - Im a bit harsh/critical maybe too much since Im only a beginner, but I like quality and not too much fuss. Ive acquired about 100 kits so far, thinned down after making some important lessons and only have Great Wall Hobby (F-15 and Mig 29s), Hobby Boss (F-14D and A-10), Revell F-15E (unless GWH gets there soon), Tamiya Uhu and Lancasters and some Special Hobby (Barracuda, Firefly, He-115) on my wishlist to get in 1/48 scale where I want to concentrate on modern stuff and multi-engine WW2.

[chief5437]

How can I put this politely? Its not really worth asking such a broad question. There's no such thing as the 'best manufacturer'. ALL manufacturers have good and bad kits, yes ALL of them!

You'd be better off asking who makes the best kit of a particular subject. Even then you'd have to prioritise what you want in a kit. One guy might say xxx make the best F-234, based on fit. Another guy would say yyy make the best F-234 based on accuracy.

Also, there may only be one manufacturer that makes that subject, therefore it's the best AND worst kit!

In the long run, say you wanted to build an F-15e, in 1/48. You'd need to research that particular subject. Let's say Academy make the best F-15e ever, but you ask people's opinion on Academy kits. You'll get a lot of people saying they make some right dogs, so avoid at all costs! Lol

In closing, if you have a particular subject in mind, research that subject, not just manufacturers.

Hope this helps, and doesn't come across as being rude! Good hunting mate

[Gb64c]

How can I put this politely? Its not really worth asking such a broad question. There's no such thing as the 'best manufacturer'. ALL manufacturers have good and bad kits, yes ALL of them!

You'd be better off asking who makes the best kit of a particular subject. Even then you'd have to prioritise what you want in a kit. One guy might say xxx make the best F-234, based on fit. Another guy would say yyy make the best F-234 based on accuracy.

Also, there may only be one manufacturer that makes that subject, therefore it's the best AND worst kit!

In the long run, say you wanted to build an F-15e, in 1/48. You'd need to research that particular subject. Let's say Academy make the best F-15e ever, but you ask people's opinion on Academy kits. You'll get a lot of people saying they make some right dogs, so avoid at all costs! Lol


In closing, if you have a particular subject in mind, research that subject, not just manufacturers.

Hope this helps, and doesn't come across as being rude! Good hunting mate

Yes it is a broad question and just looking for a generalization. As an Armor modeler, I could comfortably say Tamiya is a good brand, most kits are fine, instructions clear etc.

Itelari, instructions medium, quality ok, Revell/Mnogram stay away from unless you hear otherwise.

I am slowly putting together a small stash of aircraft and trying to pick up some decent kits, not top shelf$$$ but decent enough to practice on.

And so far have gotten good pointers, however a little worried if I win the Italari kit, yikes....

But so far my aircraft stash consists of, Hasagawa, Tamiya, Fujimi, Testors/Fujimi so I think I am on track.

[Gb64c]

cib2265,

Thanks for spending the time on your response.

I am surprised that Revell is good. I imagine you are talking about Revell Germany?

My only Revell kit is the Huey Hog, and it looks nice.

The Revell Germany Armor looks nice too.

[Tarasdad]

Which brand is a wide open question. As stated above it is mostly dependent on the subject and what your personal requirements are. Some brands do have a better reputation but even those can turn out the occasional stinker.

My personal observations are a bit out of date since I just recently got back into modeling and haven't built too many yet. I can give you a perfect example of the differences in just one brand, though. I recently finished two Revell aircraft (technically one Revell, one Monogram in a Revell box) and had two very different experiences with them. The first I built is the F-15E Strike Eagle. It turned out to be an excellent kit with beautiful recessed panel lines and good parts fit. It was a joy to build and turned out a great looking model. On the other hand, the A-10 Warthog is simply the 1980's Monogram kit stuck in a new box. Same tooling, same molds, Just under the Revell label and with the new style Revell instructions. All the same flaws and bad fitting parts are there, all the surface details are raised rather than recessed, and it takes far more effort to turn out a decent model than it should. Of course, when it first came out it was a great kit - but technology has advanced and model companies are capable of turning out far better kits than this.

The best advice I can give you is simply a repeat of what has been posted above: When you decide on a subject and a scale scour the internet for reviews of the kit and build. It will be up to you to decide what your requirements are where accuracy and scale fidelity are concerned. Same for ease of build, cost, and every other factor you can think of.

Be warned of one thing - when you do build one of the better kits from certain makers you will be spoiled for life!

[rubegoldberg]

if the hasegawa 1/32 p-51d is in your stash, burn it.

[Norman44]

Hi guys, for your advice I bought this scale model. I agree that Tamiya is one of the best chooses. The kit was built straight out of the box. Keep the right way

[angPanday]

Tamiya ftw!!!

I am impressed with Tamiya kits.. less to no fit issues, absolutely very detailed, manual properly arranged and for 1/48 PE parts are sold separately.
i have both 1/48 F-16 Tamiya and Kinetics.

Kinetics are a headache in terms of fit issues, very hard plastic which by other is good.

Academy has a superb set of sprues, extra duplicates, even 1 piece is needed you'll get the whole sprue set.

just my shre. thanks.

[Avgas]

I'm not an expert by any means but have found the newer Airfix kits to be good, Tamiya-I've never built a bad one (maybe just lucky but I've built a few), Hobbyboss and Academy, not had any issues with these and they tend to be 'easy' builds. Revell are a bit hit and miss-I have the P61 in my stash which is either a dog or brilliant depending on what review you read but they do come in ridiculous boxes, mine is nearly the size of a briefcase and thicker. Italeri tend to be hit and miss and lack detail in areas like cockpits, Trumpeter are much on a par with Academy and Hobbyboss in my experience. I have one Zvezda kit that I haven't built yet but the detail on it is insane, it's almost like looking at blueprints of the real thing. The best kits I have built though are without a doubt Eduard, especially the Profipack versions which come with all the goodies like masks and PE. I haven't built one yet that hasn't been a joy to build. So, Tamiya and Eduard would be my 'go to' kits and I would look at other makes if the subject I wanted wasn't available in those two.

The site you definitly need to bookmark is this one https://www.scalemates.com/kits/. Just put in the serial number or name of the kit and it will come up with most of the web reviews of that kit. Sometimes if scalemates misses a review you can find it here http://modelingmadness.com/kitindex/kitindexmain.htm. Also of course try the search function on this site. I never buy a kit without checking on these two sites first.

The other think worth mentioning is that some modellers like a challenge so seem to go for manky kits as they enjoy building them up into something good. Nothing wrong with that at all but if you're like me and want the best possible build OOB 'cos that's what you're paying for IMO then be careful when you read the reviews as words like 'challenging but enjoyable' usually mean 'stay away at all costs.' ! Also some folk are rivet counters, again nothing wrong with that, but they will slate a model because it half a scale mil too short or the colour of the wheel wells are the wrong shade of barbie pink. My criteria are 'Does it look like a Spitfire/insert model of choice from five feet away?' If so then it's good enough for me. Each to their own of course.

Good luck!

[Twokidsnosleep]

You have a pretty good list going so far.
I have a couple Eduard kits in that scale and they rank up there with Tamiya IMHO
My little Fujmi egg planes are cool little kits, made a Hasegawa Huey that was great for 1/72 as well
There is variation even in the good brand names as they re-box other products under their own name....scale mates scopes that out for you

My Revell experience is avoidance ....if a Japanese maker has the same kit I buy that instead

[Gaz262]

This has been my (limited) experience so far:

Academy - definitely hit and miss, but rule of thumb is later the release the better. Their 1/32 modern stuff is brilliant, and I believe the 1/48 Phantom is excellent. The older stuff (both by date of release and subject ie WW2 and WW1) is just remolded from various sources e.g hobbycraft. The F-15's are ok, but have some fit issues. The F-22 and CH-53E are excellent. Instructions are usually hard to decipher and paint callouts arent the best, sometimes. But for the price, excellent practice and the occasional master! Try to get the ones with Cartograph decals (it'll say so on the box)

Airfix - love/hate here. Some of their newer stuff is okay, but not up to quality of Tamiya whereas older stuff is very poor IMO. The fit issues and design of some of the recent stuff (all subjects I love, e.g Spitfires) have been bloody frustrating. I've sold all of my Airfix kits, too much trouble for me (I see this hobby as a stress relief, I dont want to be spending hours sanding, rejigging warped bits etc)

Dragon - yep they make aircraft, I have a couple FW190A's and Me-262s - these look very good but ive heard they have finicky engineering and some minor fit issues. I dont think they make new stuff anymore.

Eduard - superlative, especially if you get the Profipack sets, but even the weekend edition stuff is great. Although, watch out if the plastic inside is just reboxed Academy (e.g F-15 and P-38). I prefer the actual Eduard plastic stuff (e.g BF109, Hellcat etc).

Fujimi - I have a couple of old Fujimi kits (Bf-110) they look alright, but havent put them together yet.

Great Wall Hobby (GWH) - only seen their modern stuff up close from other chaps kits at the club - but they look spectacular, up there with Tamiya 1/32 quality.

Hasegawa - fantastic quality and accuracy, great subjects too (although it seems mainly just the Zero and the Bf109e!!!) I have several Zero and Mustangs, havent built any yet so cant comment on fit issues. Instructions look ok if a little noisy.

Hobby Boss - this is Trumpeter-lite, i.e they take the 1/32 stuff and shrink it more or less. Excellent and varied subjects,the only hit and miss is some accuracy issues and decals that sometimes, just fall apart!! Instructions are usually good but the Chinglish does sometimes mean obvious stuffups or wrong part number callouts. For the price, better than Academy stuff IMO

Italeri - be afraid. Be very afraid - can go from being absolute awful to very very good. E.g the Chinook is brilliant, Osprey not so. I generally avoid Italeri if I can as a rule, armor and aircraft they havent been the best. I have no Italeri products in my wishlist...

Meng - no direct experience, but their WW2 stuff looks fantastic (and also their WW1 armor, but thats another area!)

Revell - very good to excellent but it depends on the kit - I have most of their multi engined WW2 stuff, which looks great. I hate their instructions - worst out there - and the box they come with is ridiclously stupid (Ive reboxed mine) As a rule Revell is a distant 2nd to Tamiya/Hasegawa all round but definitely consider.

Special Hobby - no direct experience but heard they can be difficult but rewarding, and they also cover subjects not available by the others.

Tamiya - superb. They are called shake and bake for a reason, they just seem to fall together out of the box sometimes with no filler! Very crisp moulding and details all round, even the "older" mid-1990's kits. My choice in this scale (I just bought a few more this weekend - the FW190D9 and the Dewoitne) Decals are usually very thick, so sometimes pays to use the stencils only and go aftermarket.

Hope that helps - Im a bit harsh/critical maybe too much since Im only a beginner, but I like quality and not too much fuss. Ive acquired about 100 kits so far, thinned down after making some important lessons and only have Great Wall Hobby (F-15 and Mig 29s), Hobby Boss (F-14D and A-10), Revell F-15E (unless GWH gets there soon), Tamiya Uhu and Lancasters and some Special Hobby (Barracuda, Firefly, He-115) on my wishlist to get in 1/48 scale where I want to concentrate on modern stuff and multi-engine WW2.

(....and....)
Monogram Great to excellent if you can get them. Finely detailed inside & out, often re-released by Revell (see above) with better decals but these kits are a fine starter for less experienced modellers. Possibly one of the best for 1/48 kits from back in the day with slightly softer details than say Hasegawa but not suffering as it's still more than adequate!

[Backfire22]

Good thoughts CIB, and also Chief has a great point...research. usually past experience is what makes me pick a subject to model, but then I research online. Especially build reviews , not just video reviews but written reviews of the kits themselves. Hope this also helps.

[Homerlovesbeer]

Adding to this thread, there is a new KING of 1:48, AMK! A new manufacturer who is managing to beat the old dogs at their own game



Patrickroos thread here http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 50&t=16354

[jgaudon34]

I have to echo the folks with the Eduard choice. I have built a few, "superlative" is a good word to describe these kits. They just fall together with little putty if you do it right. Great detail!

My only criticism would be kit choice. They don't model all the machines I would like to do.
Please, someone give me a good Spitfire Mk XIV!!