PART 1: Squadron is due to publish their catalog shortly. They have ALWAYS picked a plane as their model of the year (I've been dealing with these folks since they started in Detroit). Do you think they might break with tradition this year and pick a ship like oh say the 350 scale Nimitz?

PART 2: What would your pick be for best model kit of 2004/05? Rules being it has to be released this year. It has to be a PLASTIC kit.

My vote is going to go to the Nimitz. It's due out in a week and I've heard some of the giant distributers report they are en route and are starting to get them. Oh and I also vote no on Squadron...they won't break their tradition though the Nimitz is an AIRCRAFT carrier.

Easy: Trumpeteer 1:16 T-34 due to:

1) not being a german thingie :-)

2) including a full interior

3) having a price about ½ the price of a Tamiya 1:16 kit

I hope they set a new trend in the industry!

Trumpeter F105

This year will be a tough one to pick a model of the year. There are many deserving canidates, for example just a few would be:

Trumpeter
1/16 T 34's the whole series
1/35 Hind (hey it took guts to do)
1/35 Hip (it may not be armed but it fills a void)

Revell
1/72 Type VII German Submarine

Tamiya
1/35 Challenger 2 (but it is not totally new)

DML, and Italieri have nothing that Screams to me but, I'm sure others may have opinions about wingy things or ships that should make the list. I guess I am an armor guy at heart. The above list is IMHO.

Couldn´t agree more. Definately top of my pecking list. Ive read the ongoing thread and cant wait to get mines.
But the problem may be that there are a lot more wingy builders than armor.
I would also give my vote to trumpeter to being the best company of the year also. They have really lifted the "what to expect" bar and give companies like dragon who fell asleep, a proper kick in the a%¤e!

I hate to burst your bubble but the Trumpeter Sukoi-27 will probably beat out the Nimitz and the T34 hands down . Oh well why break with tradition. :-)

Rick

I would agree on the Trumpeter T-34, don't have it but it looks awesome, more over - like MrMox said, it's not German!

We'll see what happens, afterall Squadron did give "Kit of The Year" to a Lindbergh (yes, that says Lindbergh and kit of the year in the same sentence) T-55 in about 1988...

Hi, No tough question here, at least from an armor builder's perspective.

TRUMPETER T-34, hands down. Nothing else needs to be said.

And if the good folks in China are listening to the world's market, my next year's vote will be for their 1/16 scale Am. Sherman series, again, with complete interiors, or M3 halftracks, or Sd. Kfz 251s, or Panzer IIIs or IVs, or Churchills or anything else that they think they can market that will be similar to the T-34s. PLEASE!!!!!!

Thanks and take care, Sgirty

I guess I "missed the boat" on that one. Not being a fan of large scale Armor, I wasn't even aware of the T-34. One thing I did notice though...every pick was from something by Trumpeter.

Those of us in the SciFi genre were very excited by this years release of this kit:
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/news/521&mode=&order=0




Fine Molds is like the Hasegawa of Star Wars kits
Theyre all in 1/72 scale , highly detailed,
customizable, finely molded, everything a top notch
armor or Aircraft kit would deliver

Trumpeter T34 kits.

For the Sci Fi Fans.....how about the 1/350 Polar Lights NX-01 Enterprise.

I can take a stab at next year's.....

Polar Lights 1/350 NCC-1701A Enterprise.....supposed to be released later this fall.....if you thought the NX-01 was big.....wait for this monster!!!!

Best part......the NCC-1701 will be the same price that the NX-01 was.....at least thats what I have heard!!

Without a doubt, the Trumpeters T-34's!

I think it should be the Trumpeter's 1/35 scale LCM3 very nice kit and should be recoginized as both for ship builders and armour builders.

It can be use by two major modeling aspects of modeling. It can also hit alittle of figure modeling also.

Thats just my two cents.

Happy Modeling

trumpeter t-34, i never built one (yet) but there was A LOT of oohs and ahs over it, so if they DONT pick an aircraft, thats me choice, i cant think of anything else

Being an armor guy I hate to say it but I agree with "bear". I had a chance to take a look at the sprues of this kit last week and it was impressive. (I know it hasn't been released yet, a friend has connections and got one of the test shots, and brought it to our club meeting)
My personal picks would be the 1/16th scale Tamiya Leopard 2A6 , Tamiya Challenger 2, and the Trumpeter 1/16th T-34's. Not neccesarily in that order.

Mike

Trumpeter's T34 and LCM

Trumpeter's Nimitz

Dragon's New figure releases - all allied

If yer gonna dream, dream big. You about summed it up there Buddy.

My KOY vote goes to the Trumpeter T-34 kits.

Chuck

I vote Hasegawa 1/72 He-111.

The T-34 kits look nice, but the price will keep it out of my collection for a long time.

Mika