I have been out of the hobby for many years and I am getting started again. Mostly built 1/35 armor any advise on starter kits to get the old hands going again?
2 Likes
Welcome aboard and back to the hobby. You cannot go wrong with most Tamiya kits. I say most as some are other manufacturers rebox and might not be best out of the gate again.
2 Likes
One of the newer Tamiya kits or maybe a Takom. Both are straightforward builds, few if any real fit issues, reasonably accuracy but can be improved if you are so disposed, clear instructions and a minimum of fiddly parts to deal with. Also reasonably priced.
I’m sure others will chime in with their opinions. Good luck.
1 Like
Trumpeter KV’s
2 Likes
- Find a subject you might be interested in
- Ask in the forums to get opinions and advice about kits and be prepared to find a new subject if the only available kit is a horror story of extreme masochism
2 Likes
This is probably the best starting point, enough parts to be interesting without being fiddly. Very well detailed and a great price for the quality of kit. They can be had for about $30USD and are really nice for the money
3 Likes
Thank you for the response. I have been looking at Meng and RFM. I like the modern vehicles and they look like some nice kits. The MRAP and Typhoon
1 Like
My first “get back into it” kit after finishing off some relics from my stash was Takom’s AMX-13/75.
Simple build but with good detail. No fit issues. Lots of room for playing about with paint and such.
RFM kits are outstanding! I think the nicest kit in my stash is an RFM tiger, at least in terms of how the molds look
For starting in armor, I would be most concerned with finding out what tracks come in the kit. ( Rubber, metal, single links, or plastic). I would suggest getting you feet wet with a rubber tracks to get started. Just get the basics down and work your way up from there. Next might look on how many wheels are on the tank. The more wheels the more complex everything gets. (Lesser wheels tend to be easyer)
Lastly I would Always recommend Tamiya kits myself.
As fair as supplies I just highly recommend to Buy Tamiya the green top glue either quit set or regular and get a nice set of sprue cutters and you can go pretty far.
Grab a Tamiya kit , build it and get that old feeling back. If the kit advertises a million parts, save that adventure for a little later. I swear that they will have bolt together kits soon in 1/35th. A full interior with individual link track has become common in todays kits. Unless you take Prozac, I would hold off on those for a while. Tamiya kits fit well and don’t have an unreasonable parts count… Pick up you where you left off in kit complexity…
Places to shop online
Spruebrothers
Scalehobbiest
Andys Hobby Headquarters
I don’ know how long you have been out of the hobby, however since the Triassic or Permian eras, things have changed, mostly for the better except the loss of the brick and morter stores.
Tamiya paint is still good for airbrushing but other brands are better for brushing. Tamiya’s extra thin cement is popular. Be prepared to see things out of stock. There is a lag in the supply chain as the economy cranks up so a lot of stuff is on container ships waiting to be unloaded.
3 Likes
I’m in the kiddie end of the pool again,after being away for near 25 years.searched (model tanks) on you tube and got fired up,hope it goes good with you.
Welcome back! And welcome to the KitMaker network, I’m sure you’ll find it’s a place full of inspiration. As for good beginner kits, I suggest heading either to your local LHS or a good store like Sunward Hobbies, Great Hobbies or Sprue Brothers etc and just browsing what they have! Perhaps a newer Tamiya kit - the instructions and part design make them really friendly for beginners. At the end of the day though, the best way to get back in is to get a that makes you excited to work on it - the rest will come back as you work on it. Happy modelling!
Thank you all for the welcome and advice. I don’t have any real models shops here so I ordered a basic Academy Bradley IFV. I think I built one twenty years ago.
1 Like