Good companies for 1:48 WW2

[Keiler]

wanted.

I am thinking of modelling again from time to time, and this time WW2 fighterplanes/bombers in the scale 1:48.

My modelling time so far is 10 years back, but I remember Tamiya to be one of the, if not the, finest companies.

Are there comparable ones at slightly lower prices, or at least other companies for the sake of choices?

 

Thanks a lot!

Matthias

[Jacques]

Depends on what you want...yes, Tamiya is going to be the easiest to assemble, but the price thing you mentioned... :/

 

If you just want to have fun building, just pick up a Revell-o-gram kit. They are still very nice for their age, they just require more work to make look as nice as teh Tamiya kits out of the box. I just finished a old 80's AH-1S cobra gunship...it had its problems, but came out just fine.

 

Fujimi and Hasegawa are good companies as well, but pricey. AMTECH is supposed to be very good, but pricey. Trumpeter kits are good and fair priced, but thin for WWII at the moment.

[Keiler]

Thanks for the input, Jacques!

 

[Edited by Keiler (22 Mar 2004).]

[ShotMagnet]

Accurate Miniatures has apparently put out some good, if pricey stuff. I bought a 1:72nd Academy P-47 Bubbletop that went together nice. The decals for the cowl weren't worth much, but the build was fun and straightforward. Dragon apparently makes some nice 1:48th stuff, so does Amtech. Eduard makes lots of 1:48th stuff, which also comes with photoetched brass or nickel detail parts and self-adhesive masks for painting canompy frames. They're kinda spendy, but then you get goodies you have to pay more for if bought separately.

I liked the Academy kits because they were reasonably well detailed, cheap, and not impossibly difficult to assemble.

 

Shot

[Keiler]

Thanks!

[EW]

Keiler,

 

I should have responded earlier to your inquiries, but decided to take a "time out" due to the Nationals. However I can't add anything to the general and sound opinions you have been given by the others here.

 

But since my modeling is focused on 1/48 a/c my question to you is, do you have a particualr aircraft in mind? If so¨, I might offer some advice on what manufacturer to choose.

 

EW

[Keiler]

EnsignW,

 

thanks for your help!

I am interested in building one the early FW-190s for a start, I dont know the model number, probably before the A4 (which didn't have the additional outer wing-cannons).

 

As well as in the P-40B/E, A6M Zero types, Spitfire MkV/XI, P38, Bf109F/G...

Well LOL, I am a bit undecided yet, and more interested in the early and midwar planes right now as you can see.

 

What about medium Bombers like the Boston, B25 Mitchell etc.?

 

Best regards!

 

M/K

[Jacques]

For early war stuff, soem of the following would be good:

 

Me-109's: Hobbycraft. Yes, they make a very nice series of ME-109's...even the B from the Spanish civil war.

 

B-25 Accurate Miniatures...best kit out there. The Revell-o-gram kit is ok...you get what you pay for with this kit.

[EW]

Matthias,

 

Here's some more input to get you really confused/undecided

 

Seriously, and while as we speak, I'm working on a FW-190 F-8 from Tamiya (Kit No 61039) which is a purely recreational project. The fit is good as always and the interior detail is sufficient for building it OOB. The price was only 189 SEK (20.5 Euro). In general, I think it's wiser to be prepared to spend some extra money for quality ("Tamigawa"), especially when somebody is fairly new to the hobby (Check out the "Filling seesm thread"). Otherwise there's a risk one quit out of sheer boredoom/frayed nerves I'm afraid.

 

The Bf 109 series. What Jacques said. I only built one (G6-R6) from Hasegawa. As I understand it, most of my Swedish peers prefer Hasegawa when it comes to this a/c. I fully understand why, since the level of detail is more than ok and the fit is good. An extra plus is that, in most kits, there are extra parts, so you can build another variant. That's how I converted a G-6 "Barkhorn" into a German desert R-6. On the downside is the price.

 

P-38. Hmmm... Frankly, if you're looking for something that's reasonably easy to build, I would advice you to wait on that aircraft, if you're thinking Hasegawa. (No experience of Academy's). The tail booms...

 

The Mitchell. I agree with Jacques

 

I did one attempt at the P-40, by bying Eduard's (ex Mauve) profi-pack. It must have been a really bad example, because it was beyond all hope. Others have had no problem what so ever with it. So if you buy it, make sure you can return it after the dry-fitting, in case it's a "Monday-example".

 

If I had the choice to promote a kit, for somebody who's interested to start again, it would be Tamiya's P-51 D. It's a very cool looking bird, with a very good fit/enough detail(s), plus not that many parts. In short, a project that can be accomplished in a rather short period of time, as long as one don't set the standard too high. It's the best "shake an bake" kit I've come across so far. And if, you wan't somthing more brutal and are prepared to spend some extra cash/time, buy one of P-47 from Tamiya. The Razoback is just awsome.

 

General rule of thumb, IMHO, Tamiya is a notch better when it comes to props, while Hasegawa is the leader on modern. If you open to a buld a jet, try out Hasegawa's F-4's. It's an easy one.

 

Hope this will get you started and good luck

 

EW