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Modeling in General
General discussions about modeling topics.
opinions on Maquette brand models wanted
Bratushka
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Indiana, United States
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 12:48 AM UTC
i saw some interesting kit subjects on eBay under the brand name of Maquette. i am not familiar at all with the name and thought i would ask before buying. what are these kits like in reference to fit and detail? are they decent kits or one of those brands that need lots of clean up and correction?

EDIT: same questions for ACE and Mirage brands.
yeahwiggie
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 01:35 AM UTC
I have 1 Maquette kit (PzKfw 38(t) command version) and it is horrible!!
It looks as if the sprues of 2 or 3 different versions of the same vehicle have been thrown together, judging by the varying greytones. Fit of the main parts is a disaster, detail is crude.
But maybe I have one of those "mondaymorning"-kits....
Bratushka
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 02:27 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I have 1 Maquette kit (PzKfw 38(t) command version) and it is horrible!!
It looks as if the sprues of 2 or 3 different versions of the same vehicle have been thrown together, judging by the varying greytones. Fit of the main parts is a disaster, detail is crude.
But maybe I have one of those "mondaymorning"-kits....



glad i asked! that is one of the kits i looked at. i was sort of suspicious because most of the kits were $20.00 and under...
Sabot
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 03:02 AM UTC
In 1/72 scale, ACE kits have a limited run quality (read: crude, but accurate). They have HEAVY sprue attachment points and sometimes the point looks more like a blob. Almost every part will have a heavy mold seam on the edge.

Mirage 1/72 scale kits are rather nice. I have some of their M3 Grant/Lee kits, a Panzer IV C and a few of the 38t based kits. I recommend them.

Maquette is all over the board with some accurate but thick kits. One of their kits I have, a howiter version of the T-26 is actually the Zvezda kit with a resin turret and white metal gun.
Bratushka
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 04:01 AM UTC

Quoted Text

In 1/72 scale, ACE kits have a limited run quality (read: crude, but accurate). They have HEAVY sprue attachment points and sometimes the point looks more like a blob. Almost every part will have a heavy mold seam on the edge.

Mirage 1/72 scale kits are rather nice. I have some of their M3 Grant/Lee kits, a Panzer IV C and a few of the 38t based kits. I recommend them.

Maquette is all over the board with some accurate but thick kits. One of their kits I have, a howiter version of the T-26 is actually the Zvezda kit with a resin turret and white metal gun.



the kits i looked at were all 1/35. 1/48 scale armor is a bit challenging for me with the tiny parts. i built a 1/48 T34/76 and I had to buy a second kit for parts because I kept breaking the darned grab handles cleaning the sprue remnants from them and many tiny parts once dropped were immediately stolen by carpet gremlins. (oddly enough 1/48 aircraft don't present as many problems).

the seller on eBay who had all these kits whose brands i am unfamiliar with is called duwaii. in the interests of disclosure i do not know him nor am trying to promote him. he just has quite a few very reasonably priced kits that i though would be fun to build. but, since i am not familiar with the brand names so i'm hesitant about ordering them lest they be of poor quality and not fun to build at all. i did see an RPM armored rail car that appears to be the same one reviewed elsewhere in this forum, albeit that one had Russian markings while this one is German marked. if anyone has time to and would be willing to check out some of his stuff and would PM me or post back with something positive i would be most appreciative.
Sabot
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 06:19 AM UTC
Ace are strictly 1/72 scale but Mirage have a wider scale selection because they rebox other companies' kits.
http://www.acemodel.com.ua/
http://www.mirage-hobby.com.pl/index.php?lang=eng
KoSprueOne
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Myanmar
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 09:20 AM UTC
I bought and built the T-34-85 with mine roller. The kits contents were as yeahwiggie mentioned, piece sprued together. But a couple of my CMK kits are that way too.
The mine rollers were not as detailed as I would have liked and are inaccurate from photo ref. The seam lines were a lot of work too.
The fit during build was not perfect but was nothing that I couldn't handle.
The tracks were the disappointment. They were the IM link type but were skinny casts. The plastic didn't fill the mold completely and was packaged anyway.
The Maquette kit was the only one of that subject that I can find in 1/35 scale.




PantherF
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 11:53 AM UTC
If it's a subject of interest that no one else is making, then get it. But if it's available from someone else, avoid it.

It's a kit you must work with, not one that assembles very well.
Bratushka
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 03:39 PM UTC

Quoted Text

If it's a subject of interest that no one else is making, then get it. But if it's available from someone else, avoid it.

It's a kit you must work with, not one that assembles very well.



your last sentence refers to Maquette kits I assume?

i try to balance out fun and challenge when building a kit. there are some that regardless of subject require more effort than i care to put into one. assembly, detailing, and finishing are what i like to do. i don't care for re-engineering woefully fitting parts, flat surface warpages, and total absence of detail. i have seen some awful stuff from my airplane and car model building days. i'm still gaining experience in military model building. this time i have access to experts so i can try to avoid disappointment in buying poor quality stuff. to me, Dragon, Trumpeter, Tamiya, AFV Club, and those names set a standard.
SSGToms
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Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 07:14 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I don't care for re-engineering woefully fitting parts, flat surface warpages, and total absence of detail.


Then Jim, steer clear of Maquette kits. If you get one you will not be a happy modeller.
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