Just depends. I want accuracy and fit. I choose the kit that best matches those requirements. Sometimes it is a challenge like Hasegawa’s Mavis flying boat (Putty Party) or like RFM’s Leo2 7V sweet. I don’t choose a kit because it has more parts. It also depends what I want in the kit. Do I want a full interior build or just an exterior build.
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lol that last phrase.
For me, It was Trumpeter’s ML-20 152mm howitzer. The gun cradle and the PE parts, and the shield didn’t sit properly; more precisely, they didn’t sit at all. so I pushed little harder. and then, crack! Right after that, I got angry, lost my self-control, smashed the kit, and threw it into the trash.
Looking back now, I wonder if I should have tried a different approach, though I don’t feel like I’m a good modeler. 
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Worst kit?
Nitto/Blue Tank LVT(A)5
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/blue-tank-tk-9001-alligator-lvt-a-5--617450
Some early Tamiya kits come in close behind the LVT(A)5
This one still sits on the shelf of doom but I think it can be salvaged
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/nitto-15083-2000-m8a1-tractor-cargo--1148559
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wow, both kits were from very old 1960s.
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Sometimes it’s you that screwed up. Sometimes it is the kit. Sometimes it is the instructions that lead you down the wrong path. You have to be honest with yourself. Not all problems are the builder, not all problems are the kit. Sometimes it is even both. Figuring it out makes you a better modeler.
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I have that one! I have great plans for it! When? Absolutely no idea.
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I use Tamiya kits as pallette cleanser. I know they’re going to go together perfectly even if the detail is comparatively soft.
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I don’t know about the pattern-maker, but Tony Davies of TD Mouldings/Armourfast was a tool-room manager for Matchbox and Lesney from way back in the day, so he’d have laid out the sprues the way he always did. The patterns were made of plexiglass at IIRC 6:1 size, pantographed down as they were cut into the tool steel - I was amazed at all the hand-applied rivet heads. I believe the tooling was moved to China for later pressings once China took over the world…
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Panda Hobbies without a doubt the Cougar MRAP/JERRV are horrible kits
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I want cheap, very accurate, clear instructions without mistakes, logical part break down, logical construction, no parts that need to be added after it is nearly impossible to add them, no super flimsy assemblies that fall apart when I sneeze, easy to paint, no flat brass parts, no printed parts, really thin decals that do not fold over or disintegrate, a minimum of repetitive assembly, everything slide molded for maximum detail, plastic that cuts well, plastic the glues well, small part attachment points, a billion dollar US gift card in the box, and a model box that stores in hyperspace so it does not take up any space.
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don’t we all!
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Well, you’re easy to please!
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Humm. Haven’t built any kits lately you say.
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I mainly go by subject. If the same subject is offered by different manufactures, I typically lean towards the Meng, Rye Field, Takom range, over Tamiya. Not sure why though.
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That’s interesting, because thinking about it they do look similar to Matchbox on the sprues. I really liked their 1/72 WW1 tanks, they were really nice little models. I was less impressed with the Tadpole when I tried to do that, but I think it’s a much older tooling.
I remember their FJ-4 Fury not being too bad either. But I did build that a long time ago.
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I like the Tamiya way
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I second that!
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I prefer the Tamiya way and I hate the Skif one.
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Would it be a sin to admit I never built a Miniart armor kit?
I did try 2 of their 1/16 figures (knight & Samurai) &…was not impressed at all. Besides some questionable choices on the knight kit (it was the French one with the pollaxe; It came with a shield, which would have been passe for this era, but no guige strap regardless, so…winning?). Both had fir issues, so eventually I abandoned the projects.
Based on that, I haven’t purchased any other kits. When looking into an M3 Lee, I went with Takom. I’m not terribly interested in interiors on armor models.
Damon.
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My experience with Miniart has been quite frustrating. I love their models, especially the wheeled vehicles, but either because of my age or lack of skill (surely the latter), the ones I’ve assembled have sometimes been a nightmare. In fact, I have some that I haven’t even started, and honestly, I may not even try. Let me give you an example: reference 35380, “G7107 U.S. Army Cargo Truck 4X4 1.5t.” The front grille is photo-etched. I don’t know if anyone has managed to assemble it. I was about to give up model building and join a convent. In the end, I had to find an alternative. It’s true that in later models, Miniart has included a plastic option, but I think their models are too difficult. I consider model building to be something to relax me, and with their kits, I achieve the opposite…
TG
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