Tiger models also puts out some really nice kits. both of the kits I built fit together really well.
I liked the Zvezda T-90A it was a fun kit and looked great built until you put it next to other t-72/90s. It looks over scale to me.
Thanks everyone.
Interesting thread.
Two years later, any other best fitting kits come to mind?
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IMHO the 45 + year-old Testors/Italeri M47 still stands the test of time as one of the best fitting kits. Iâve built a dozen over time and still have 5 in the stash, 3 currently in the completed stable, and one shelf queen. Aftermarket is catching up to this kit as well. You can find a metal barrel, Friul metal tracks, photo etch, mantlet cover, and decals, for at least 2 to 3 dozen operators. It is a âhandsome/majesticâ kit when completed.
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My favorite model of the last year was a Hobby Boss (former TriStar) Panzer 38(t) Ausf. B. Even the individual link tracks were fine. It was a near painless model.
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Iâve only just caught up with this; Iâve sadly, become used to working with OOP kits or those that range to the esoteric regarding manufacturers, with all the struggles that such kits dictate, but I must say that in addition to Tamiyaâs superlative fit within their kits, my recent efforts building the Takom M103 were a revelation; I almost didnât need glue! Simply a joy.
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Iâd forgotten about this one; youâre absolutely right - a great kit.
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FLAWLESS FITS - No putty required.
Meng Rolls Royce armored car.
Tamiya Jagdpanzer IV L70A.
Magic Factory M2A4.
Takom M31.
RFM M4A3E8.
Zvezda WC-52.
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Iâve never considered HobbyBoss kitsâŚalways considering them Tamiya âlightâ. Might have to rethink them.
The three built M47âs in my stable. Great fitting 1/35 kits.
Jordanian Six Day War, Friul tracks, DEF Models mantlet cover, Passion Models .30 cal brass hull machine gun, Eduard PE.
This Portuguese M47 has the Aber metal barrel, the DEF Models mantlet cover, plus some of the other goodies already mentioned.
Somalia M47, knocked out in 1993 by Amercian forces (oh the irony). Rain channels and brass rod for grab handles, added to turret, foundry markings to the hull, then some typical aforementioned goodies
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I have the Meng RR and the Tamiya Jagdpanzer IV L70âŚtelling me to put post it notes in the kit to indicate flawless builds. Thanx for the tips.
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@vettejack In general, Hobby Boss models are very hit and miss because they tend to be simplified. However, Hobby Boss also has some or all of the old TriStar molds. In my experience, TriStar models are still quite good by modern standards. The one issue you may run into is that those molds are getting old. There were small amounts of flash and old mold weirdness on the Panzer 38(t) I built.
Your M47s are really nice! Definitely envious. Italeriâs M47 was the first âadultâ model I ever built and the M47 remains my favorite tank to this day.
@SSGToms That is fantastic. A bunch of those models are on my want list. Now above the Takom Saint Chamond. That was a joke. But not really.
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Have the WC-52 coming in the mail, should be a fun kit to build 
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I get the premise of this thread is Best Fitting Kits, but personally I donât rate that as highly as Most Accurate Kits. In other words, for me a badly-fitting kit thatâs the most accurate beats a great-fitting kit that needs a lot of work to make it accurate every time. Bizarrely I prefer the challenge of fit-fixing more than fixing inaccuracies - but in the end I just make kits I want to make so whether itâs fit-problems or inaccuracies, bring it on.
Anyhow in the context of this thread Iâd put in a word for MiniArt â some of their kits have nearly sent me over the edge but never for fit-problemsâŚor any serious accuracy problems either. Just all the other problems, like did they ever test-build any of their products?
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Sorry. Long essay inbound.
Based on the responses I am seeing, and knowing this crowd, it appears most responders are adding âfundamentally accurateâ to the requirements.
So far, I have only built one model from MiniArt, a GAZ-AAA. It was challenging. Attaching the spare tires was beyond my current skill. I do not regret my other acquisitions from MiniArt but now exercise more caution before making a purchase from that company. My modeling skills need to develop more fully before such projects feel comfortable.
One year after returning to model building, I now have a much better understanding of my needs and skills.
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Very complex models look great in the box but are a waste of money. This makes me wary of most models from MiniArt.
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Old, cheap, easy models with significant accuracy issues no longer interest me. Spending an additional $10 to $20 US will save 20 to 50 hours of my life. Old models from Italeri and Tamiya fall into this category.
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Models with major accuracy issues never interested me. The moment I see âmajor issue with dimensionsâ in a review, I am out. Academy, Hobby Boss, and Trumpeter regularly manage to disappoint me.
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Models that leave out too much detail do not interest me. Academy, Hobby Boss, and Trumpeter often fail on this criteria.
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Models with vinyl do not interest me. I regularly reject kits from AFV Club and Trumpeter.
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Models with excessive and difficult to fill ejector pin marks do not interest me. I do not care about the quality of the molding if you put ejector pin marks all over the interior, all over the fenders, and in the middle of every track link.
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Models with incorrect tracks do not interest me. The people at Academy cannot produce plastic tracks with hollow guide horns.
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If the model has an interior, I expect to see decals for the instrument panel and stencils.
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After all that, the parts need to fit. What works in a CAD program on the model makerâs computer may not work in reality. I am running afoul of this problem on many modern models.
It is like navigating a mine field.
To be clear, I do not automatically reject a model because of the company. Just today, I looked at the new Academy Panzer I and motorcycle. To avoid unpleasant surprises, due diligence is required before every model purchase.
This discussion is fantastic because I know the people responding care about the issues listed above. They actually built the models they are recommending.
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Amen! I can never get dials and switches right. If Tamiya can do it for their 1/72 aircraft kits, why not 1/35 armor kits too?
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All valid points. What you did is save me a lot of writing/typing. 
Additionally, I pretty much replace old technology kits with better technology. I relegate those older kits to the vendor table.
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Doug, I too hold exactly all of those same model buying standards, plus a few more. There are certain brands and vintages I wonât buy, simply because at my age I donât have the time to invest in them to produce a great model.
Some modelers will take all those points in passing, correcting them in stride, âHey, thatâs modelingâ, and some modelers will, in 2024, not want to deal with the bullsh!t. All of those points could have been eliminated by manufacturers a decade ago, if they listened to modelers and if they cared. There is no reason today for a well engineered kit to have any of those features.
Thankfully, Tamiya, Meng, RFM, and Takom are producing kits that are free from the faults that you have posted. There are kits coming out today that require no putty, no carving, and no deciphering.
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