Just wondering how the kits compared from differant manufacturers. I build in 1:72 scale and so far have only built airfix kits. I was just wondering what the quality and detail level on other kits compared to airfix, seeing how you can get two armourfast tanks for the price of one airfix one. Plastic soldier company revell and tamiya seem on par price wise but what about details and quality? Are the cheaper kits inherenyly poorer quality or have less detail such as zvezda or armourfast?
I may have missed some manufacturs so please can i have your thoughts on them please?

Hi Gavin,

Firstly, Airfix kits are 1/76 despite what it says on the packaging. A lot of the moulds are now over 40 years old and require a considerable amount of work to get them up to modern standards. The Armourfast and PSC kits are aimed at Wargamers, as are the Italeri quick-builds. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the detail is not as good as some more expensive kits. I have seen some quick-builds turned into spectacular models with some work. The Zvesda models, Tiger 1 and T34 are exceptionally good models for the price. If you want a good, detailed model at a reasonable price try Revell and if you have deep pockets Dragon. There are so many manufacturers out there now it is difficult to give a concise run down on them all, but if you go to this web site and have a good look around I am sure all your questions will be answered.

http://www.onthewaymodels.com/kitlists/manufacturers.htm

Hope this helps,

All the best,

Paul

I'll started with the top four most accurate:
#1: Dragon (Cyber Hobby)
#2: Trumpeter (Hobby Boss)
#3: AFV Club
#4: Tamiya
Now, the easiest to build:
#1: Tamiya
#2: Academy
#3: Italeri
#4: Revell

Brilliant replies just what i was looking for, thanks chaps

In 1/72 scale, Dragon offers excellent detail but at a high price. Academy, Italeri and Hasegawa also offer kits in 1/72 at better prices, although the quality can vary. Trumpeter and Revell both have a wide range of modern subjects in 1/72 with decent to good detail at reasonable prices.

Your best bet would be to check out any reviews you can find, starting with the reviews section right here on Kitmaker
If you discover that the kit you're interested in has not yet been reviewed, try asking about it in particular. Chances are that one of our members had built it, or at the very least looked over the plastic.

In general, anything produced within the last 10 years is going to be much more detailed and easier to assemble than something 40 years old, so consider when the model was produced when you're thinking about buying it. Don't let that stop you from doing an Airfix kit though, they're still lots of fun to do even when you have to work at making them go together. They give you a lot of modelling bang for your buck.