I’m not trolling, but I’ve heard rumors of poor fit on Takom kits, that they have no better detail than the average Tamiya kit, and that you have to add/redo weld seams, etc. Any credibility to these claims, or just build errors from random modelers who have to blame the kit?
No manufacturer is perfect but I think they do ok. OldWarloke has posted many Takom builds on both sites, judge for yourself if they are truthful or not.
I’ve built numerous Takom kits, mostly modern and cold war stuff. The fit is not Tamiya like but really no worse than any other kit manufacturer. In my opinion their detail is better than Tamiya but not overly engineered. They generally include PE but the amount is not overwhelming, usually no more than 1-2 smaller frets. Most times the tracks are link and length and some of the kits come with a jig that allows you to assemble both runs completely. Once complete you just slip them off and add them and the running gear to the lower hull. They are unusual in that the sprues are not round but angular and the attachment points tend to be a bit heavy. Overall I have no complaints.
All of those claims are completely baseless. I have built several of the Takom kits, one being the M31 (based on the M3 Lee chassis). The hull is very complicated with it’s numerous flat panels and angles and many part seams. Each panel of the hull is a separate part. I was expecting an alignment nightmare. The parts fit perfectly. So perfect that NO putty or Mr. Surfacer was needed at the join seams at all. The rest of the kit fit just as well. Detail on Takom kits is crisp and accurate. Weld seams are present where they belong. Fine parts in PE are just right. I’d put a Takom kit up against a Tamiya kit with Eduard set any day. Whoever is spreading these lies needs to take up another hobby.
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I’ve built one, the M60A1, the army one without the reactive armor. Rock solid kit with no issues at all, detail was light years ahead of Tamiya, and the texture was much better, in my opinion, than the AFV Club M60’s. I liked it so much I’m thinking of replacing all my M60A1/A3’s with the Takom kits. The only area that required some tweaking was the bustle rack PE, I used the supplied jig, then tweaked into final shape with Exacto knife handles, fit great after that.
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Some of their early efforts, like the 12.8cm Flak cannon, had some issues but they have generally improved over time. Still not as shake’n’bake as Tamiya but generally better detail and other things as well. Certainly tackle subject matter Tamiya would never do.
I have built their Gepard, FV 430 Bulldog and Chieftain Mk 10 and found them to great builds as long as you clean up the parts properly. Their attachment points can be a little heavy, so care is needed in clean up but no more than any other. AFV club have heavy attachment points at times.
Level of detail in the ones I have made is great, better than Tamiya - the AMX 13 being a good example as similar in age of moulding, etc. Takom Gepard is more accurate than Meng’s in most respects, except the rear hull and way better than Tamiya’s ancient offering.
The FV430 came with the link an length tracks and frame to build them on, as stated previously, but you do NOT build the complete run on it. That is not what it is designed for. The instructions show to build at top and bottom run separately. Fortuitous in my case as I found the actual kit benefitted from one extra link than stated.
Members of my club have built their Bergepanther, M48 , Panzer 3 and Jagdtiger and have not had a problem with fit, level of detail or buildability overall.
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Everyone has said the positives above on the Takom kits and 100% support the comments.
Have built the Takom King Tiger with interior, Chieftain Mk11 and Desert Grant, all are very well detailed kits.
The only area Takom could improve is taking the step forward to release crew figures with the kits.
Michael
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If I can my points, here they are. Attachments points are pretty thick and too often on a visible face of parts so expect more cleaning time. Instructions can be tricky especially when you have a 2 in 1 kit. The first time can be disturbing but when you get used of them you only have to pay attention to the concerned steps. I also found that the color plates for the decorations are not well researched. I recently built their excellent G6 Rhino and the top view color areas did not match with the side and front views.
All in all Takom is a very good brand which I recommend.
Olivier
I have noticed with their King Tiger kits I have two is upper hull warpage. Causing fit problems with upper to lower hull and rear plate. I would sooner do Meng Dragon or Tamiya for a King Tiger.
I’ve built several of their subjects (M9 ACE, M31 TRV and others), and have heard feedback from customers at the hobby shop I work at on others. The positives outweigh the negatives, they’re not over engineered million part monsters nobody will finish.
I’ve built a bunch of Takom kits. Their subject matters tend to be quite interesting. Like the answers above, I’ve had varying degrees of success with them. My biggest complaint are the instructions; they tend to be small with cad/cam illustrations that aren’t that clear. Airfix, Meng and Tamiya all are leaders in the clear instruction race. I have some Takom kits in my stash and I’ll buy more in the future.
So far I have completed 2 Takom kits, with another two in the stash. I’ve completed the M3 Lee & the M60A1. I can say that the M60A1 was great, & my favorite kit of this tank on the market. You could probably build it as a later Rise/Passive as it appears all the parts are in the box as well. The M3 Lee was less satisfying as I had a lot of trouble with the upper hull, molded as a series of flat panels. I started working on their T-54B, which is so far so good, & have an AMX-13 in the stash too.
Takom makes a very good impression in the box. And if other kits build up like the M60, then I can highly recommend. The M3 I’m not as sure about, but it very much could have been my own errors that led to the problems.
Damon.
I have just finished building their M47 and no complains, good fit and good detail
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All the ones I have done have gone together well, including cars and van.
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I’m with Matt on this one, my- albeit limited- experience of Takom kits to date has not presented me with any issues of fit or excessive sprue gates etc. Then again my Takom builds have been “civilian” (ish) BMW , VWT3 and Pajero- so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about 
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