After reading the review of Special Hobby/Eduard Me-109 E-4 it renewed my interest in that scale. I used to build Airfix 1/72’s in the sixties but have moved on to different subjects several times. In the member’s opinions, what would be the best 1/72 aircraft in terms of fit, detail, and accuracy. High parts count in small scale is not an object - I’ve built Flyhawk’s 1/700 Bismarck with some 800 pieces! I prefer WWll subjects.
It’s hard to answer. Good manufacturer not always means good model.
You rather should ask: I’m interesting of 1/72nd scale FM-2 (for example 
). Which one is the best in this scale? Then my answer will be - of course Arma Hobby FM-2
Well…which company has the best (in general) reputation for making the most accurate, the most well-detailed, and the most well-engineered 1/72 aircraft ie; Tamiya, Eduard, Airfix, etc?
The answer is not that simple as most manufacturers have a not so good kit in their catalog and most also have old kits or released kits still in or re-entered into their catalog. So are you need to narrow it down a bit more.
In general you can say Tamiya but they also rebox Italeri kits (Italeri have some basic but also some very nice kits) and their range is not as big as others. If you want a Hurricane or Wildcat then Arma Hobby, a small newish company from Poland. Eduard have some very nice kits but some of their early kits can be a challenge also depends if you have worked with pe as a lot of their kits come with pe. Academy like wise have some good and relatively easy builds but also some dogs.
The list goes on the same for most manufacturers.
So if you can say I want to build x aircraft then you will get better responses.
I’m (almost) a 1/72-only builder and I have built a few great kits lately that I can wholeheartedly recommend, most of them happen to be WWII stuff as well!
I am a bit biased towards Arma Hobby but there are good reasons for it: they are new on the scene but have managed to produce absolutely top notch kits anyway and they are releasing more new 1/72 than just about anyone else (there is of course Airfix but in my opinion they do “only” good kits, not top notch!). Eduard are also up there but with a more mainstream and limited selection of subjects in 1/72.
Below are links to some of my builds, if you’re just looking for something to try your hands on in 1/72 I can recommend any one of them. None of them are hard to come by or expensive.
I’ve done the Mk I as well but it is a slight bit fiddlier when it comes to the cockpit installation.
If you’re in to gull wings, there is the Arma PZL P.11…
…and if you’re into things Soviet Arma does the Yak-1b!
The Eduard Spit kits are just SOOO nice, here is a Mk XVI, if you’re not into bubble-tops I would recommend going for a Mk VIII!
Anyone for a classic Focke-Wulf 190? Also from Eduard, short nose only though.
And if you want something that is a bit more complex but still are incredibly nice kits, Eduard does a whole family of 110:s, here is a C and a night fighting G!
There are MANY more kits that are nice out there but I think Arma and Eduard are the ones who give most bang for the bucks. Airfix kits are generally a bit cheaper but single engine 1/72 isn’t really expensive anyway and if you want to bring an Airfix kit up to the standard of Eduard you’ll need to invest either time and skill into scratching detail or money into some detail sets. Hasegawa does a whole lot of very nice models but generally they are more expensive and I wouldn’t rate them on par with Eduard today!
Just to make things clear: I have nothing against Airfix and have built several of their kits, most recently a Gloster Gladiator finished a few months ago that I really enjoyed doing but if I were to choose between a modern Airfix kit or a modern Eduard kit of the same subject I would always choose Eduard!
Magnus
Thanks for your reply and links. Especially for the Hurricane…that was always one of my favorite aircraft, more so than Spitfire. I’m going to look around for Arma Hobby kits! I’ve seen them advertised but had my reservations as they were an Eastern European brand, and I hadn’t seen any of their builds. Now I know better! 
Airfix’s brand new 1/72 Spitfire VC is very nice. I have a build log of that on here. Note to self, I must get back on with that.
If you’re looking for something bigger, their Whitley bomber is also really nice. Builds up really easy and fills an important gap in the early war bombers.
As others have said, it varies a lot. In the past couple of years I have built these:
Airfix Spitfire Mk I - this kit is about as close to perfect as I can imagine. Fit is awesome, everything is clean, comes with a pilot.
Tamiya Bf 109e - the only thing that makes this less than perfect is that there is no pilot figure. Seeing the build on the new Special Hobby kit that looks pretty good too.
Airfix Bf 109e - not as good as the two above, but still a nice kit
Airfix Hurricane Mk I - this is a good kit, but it needs some TLC.
Airfix F4F - mmmm, I think this is a better kit than the time I had with it. Didn’t finish
Academy P-47 - awesome kit. I mean, really awesome. But the decals are REALLY AWFUL. I built a couple of them and used aftermarket decals on the second one and it was great.
Wow!! I just read a review on Arma’s Hurricane ll B/C, and Arma’s are available in my country, out west, so quick delivery! 