A good model starter kit for an 10 year old?

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Looking back I started quite a bit younger than 10 but it's the nephews birthday next week & if thought about getting him a model kit, he's had a few lego technic things & liked those anyway.

I figured something that came with the paints & glue to get him started but all I've been able to find was this;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Revell-Mclaren-Mercedes-Fo...

On the fade of it it's not a bad start, comes with the paints & he can always start with the button car to practice

Anyone else have any ideas? I'm thinking more cars than boats or planes

[Eric Mc]

Cars are harder to make than aircraft.

I'd go with a simple aeroplane kit rather than a car - like a modern Revell, new tool Airfix or even a click-together Hobbyboss.

I'm not a great fan of starter kits as I don't think the paints supplied are always the best.

Suggestions -

[dr_gn]

I cant see how cars are more difficult to build than aircraft at the level of modelling were talking about. If youre after a perfect paint finish then maybe, and admittedly a silver mclaren f1 car will be difficult to get looking right for a beginner. However if you could go for a road car or someting less complicated then in my experience cars are pretty simple to build having usually a one piece body fitted over a floorpan. Id look at the Tamiya range of 1:24 cars if you want someting that will build nicely.

[Eric Mc]

I was thinking of -

paint finish

allignment of all four wheels

I think for absolute beginners both areas can be a bit tricky.

Formula 1/Indycars have the added complexity of painting, decalling, fitting and aligning all the aerodynamic bits and pieces.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

the little feller has no interest in planes though & loves cars & F1.

i know how good tamiya products (it's what i built as a kid) are & would prefer to go with them but i don't have the time to shop for;

1 the kit
2 the glue
3 the paints
4 the brushes
5 the turps etc

i just wondered if anyone had a ready to go kit i could buy with most, if not everything included?

unfortunately we don't have a dedicated model shop in town where i can go get everything individually, perhaps i should contact the likes of jadlam?

[Eric Mc]

I'm not sure if Tamiya do starter kits with everything included.

The problem with most starter kits is that the ancilliary stuff included is not as good as the proper paints that can be bought separately.

If your kid has a go with starter set ancilliaries and doesn't get on with them, it might end up being a "Finisher Kit" rather than a "Starter Kit".

[Eric Mc]

I would suggest that Revell would be the best bet for car starter sets. I don't think that the Airfix cars are that easy to build for a beginner.

Here are a couple of examples of what Revell do in starter sets -

http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/search/products/?q...

It looks like the paint supplied by Revell in their starter packs is their normal paint - so should be ok.

[steveo3002]

not sure if they do f1 cars , but you sometimes see diecasts that are ready painted and need assembly

could always do a few interior mods if you wanted

edit like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Welly-1-18-Scale-Diecast...

ebay-diecast kit...can always paint /mod /tinker with it to improve it

Edited by steveo3002 on Saturday 19th October 13:03

[LaurasOtherHalf]

I'm not sure a ten year old first timer would be up to modifying a die cast.

In fact I'm not sure what a ten year old first timer would be capable of? Does anyone think a tamiya 1:24 scale might be a bit much?

I thought maybe buy him a tamiya kit, perhaps a race car that would need decals, a spray paint & primer for the body & then he could just build the other bits in bare plastic. What else would he need? Some glue, some pliers?

[Eric Mc]

Tamiya kits are well engineered but fairly complex.

[steveo3002]

well maybe not mods that adults are capable off , but anything that brings em some joy

could be some coloured tape stripes , mods with a paint pen or marker like highlighting door handles and engine components ..maybe a bit of stick on flocking for the matts

or just make it how it comes , theyre pretty easy to make and no worrys about shonky paint finishes etc , plus it wont break if he wants to play with it

Edited by steveo3002 on Saturday 19th October 14:05

[The_Jackal]

I think the Revell car starter kits are your best bet.
Do him a favour though and buy some thin glue in a bottle w/brush (humbrol one is fine)
Forcing those tubes of cement on a young beginner will be sure to put him off modelling.

As much as we all coo over the Tamiya car kits, they are very detailed which for a beginner does mean complex. Plus the Revell kits these days are pretty well moulded. It's not like he is going to be using filler and researching the shape of the front wishbone bolt, is he?
It's good to have something to work towards and aim for, and that's if he takes to modelling.

Finally buy all your bits online, so it requires minimal time and effort looking for stuff. Modelsforsale, Relish, ModelsRGo, Jadlam, Creative Models and Hannants are all reputable shops to use. Remember their prices will probably vary for the same items.

[dr_gn]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

I'm not sure a ten year old first timer would be up to modifying a die cast.

In fact I'm not sure what a ten year old first timer would be capable of? Does anyone think a tamiya 1:24 scale might be a bit much?

I thought maybe buy him a tamiya kit, perhaps a race car that would need decals, a spray paint & primer for the body & then he could just build the other bits in bare plastic. What else would he need? Some glue, some pliers?

There are two main types of car model: The ones with full engine and suspension detail, and the 'kerbside' models which are just a floorpan, interior and bodyshell with a few other bits and pieces. An example is the Honda S2000 - here's my build of that kit. The page linked shows the main components (at least on my browser):

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=5&a...

I don't understand the comment about "wheel alignment" being tricky; most modern kits have the wheels fitted with stubs which fit into nylon sockets on the suspension uprights. At least with a quality manufacturer such as Tamiya or Revell, it's pretty difficult to get wrong.

As I said previously, the only really difficult thing about model cars is getting a good paint finish. If he's not too concerned about that, then modelling doesn't get much simpler than a 1:24 kerbside car. In fact he could leave the body in plastic, most plastic car kits have the body moulded in an appropriate colour. Failing that, get him a small spray can. with a bit of supervision he could probably make a reasonable job.

Give us a clue about what type of car he'd like (ie standard road car, road sports car, racing touring car etc) and I'd be happy to look for something I think would be OK.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Cheers Dr,
I was thinking of the same, perhaps a roadside model of some kind of touring car, perhaps an old 911 as his grandfather & uncle have brought him up well

How about the Jaegermeister 935 by tamiya? My old 911 was in that colour so it might strike a chord

[dr_gn]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Cheers Dr,
I was thinking of the same, perhaps a roadside model of some kind of touring car, perhaps an old 911 as his grandfather & uncle have brought him up well

How about the Jaegermeister 935 by tamiya? My old 911 was in that colour so it might strike a chord

Might be a bit difficult - I think it has full engine detail photo etch etc?

Strangely enough my first thought was the Revell Jagermeister 956. It's orange, kerbside and I've not seen a bad one built yet.



Parts breakdown, painted (not mine - from a random forum):



I've got the Revell Kouros Mercedes in the stash and it looks a very simple but effective kit.

[Eric Mc]

dr_gn said:

There are two main types of car model: The ones with full engine and suspension detail, and the 'kerbside' models which are just a floorpan, interior and bodyshell with a few other bits and pieces. An example is the Honda S2000 - here's my build of that kit. The page linked shows the main components (at least on my browser):

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=5&a...

I don't understand the comment about "wheel alignment" being tricky; most modern kits have the wheels fitted with stubs which fit into nylon sockets on the suspension uprights.

I was thinking of older kits.

The OP asked for advice.
On that basis, I am assumed the OP asked because he doesn't know much about car kits.
I therefore mentioned a pertinent fact that may be an issue with older kits. If the OP isn't that well up on what kits are old and what kits are new he may buy an old kit not realising that it is old.

Of course, I may be have been completely wrong in my assumption and if I was, I humbly apologise to the OP.

I mainly built car kits in the 60s and 70s when I was a youngster. With the exception of Tamiya (who were always quality) other manufacturers could have various issues. Quite a few of those older kits are still being produced.

[dr_gn]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Cheers Dr,
I was thinking of the same, perhaps a roadside model of some kind of touring car, perhaps an old 911 as his grandfather & uncle have brought him up well

How about the Jaegermeister 935 by tamiya? My old 911 was in that colour so it might strike a chord

Ah - I just checked - is it the 934 you meant, not the 935?



It does have photo etch, which is tricky (if you use it), but otherwise it looks to be a fairly straightforward kerbside model, albeit not as easy as the 956 by the look of it.

If you think he'd definitely appreciate a '911 esque' kit rather than the more obscure 956, then I'd be inclined to take a bit of a gamble and go for it.

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

dr_gn said:

There are two main types of car model: The ones with full engine and suspension detail, and the 'kerbside' models which are just a floorpan, interior and bodyshell with a few other bits and pieces. An example is the Honda S2000 - here's my build of that kit. The page linked shows the main components (at least on my browser):

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=5&a...

I don't understand the comment about "wheel alignment" being tricky; most modern kits have the wheels fitted with stubs which fit into nylon sockets on the suspension uprights.

I was thinking of older kits.

The OP asked for advice.
On that basis, I am assumed the OP asked because he doesn't know much about car kits.
I therefore mentioned a pertinent fact that may be an issue with older kits. If the OP isn't that well up on what kits are old and what kits are new he may buy an old kit not realising that it is old.

Of course, I may be have been completely wrong in my assumption and if I was, I humbly apologise to the OP.

I mainly built car kits in the 60s and 70s when I was a youngster. With the exception of Tamiya (who were always quality) other manufacturers could have various issues. Quite a few of those older kits are still being produced.

You didn't qualify your statement with it being about older kits, therefore if, as you assume, the OP isn't 'up' on what's old and what's new, then how could he possibly know that many newer kits are far more simple in terms of wheel attachment/alignment? I've got experience of old and new car kits and that was why I made the comment.

Is that OK?

[Eric Mc]

I was making a general comment that some car kits can be difficult.

I really do get fed up with being picked up on nearly every comment I make.

I sometimes wonder why I bother saying anything.

In future, I'll leave all the model advice up to you as you seem to know best.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

dr_gn said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Cheers Dr,
I was thinking of the same, perhaps a roadside model of some kind of touring car, perhaps an old 911 as his grandfather & uncle have brought him up well

How about the Jaegermeister 935 by tamiya? My old 911 was in that colour so it might strike a chord

Ah - I just checked - is it the 934 you meant, not the 935?



It does have photo etch, which is tricky (if you use it), but otherwise it looks to be a fairly straightforward kerbside model, albeit not as easy as the 956 by the look of it.

If you think he'd definitely appreciate a '911 esque' kit rather than the more obscure 956, then I'd be inclined to take a bit of a gamble and go for it.

Yes ignore the typo, I meant the 934 turbo rsr model-I think being the same colour as my old one would be fun but photo etching would be a step too far no?

To clarify for the bickering I doubt I've built a model since my early teens (I used to travel the country with my local club showing them-happy days) so I'm really not sure what the norm is these days but back then I used to build almost exclusively tamiya as the quality was so good.

I remember the curb side 956/62, I actually spliced the Jaegermeister with the Rothmans & FromA kits, as IIRC that way I could get the engine detail of the Rothmans, the remove able front nose of the FromA & the decal kit of the Jaegermeister. I might be wrong? It's a long time ago!

Anyway, yeah a racing 911 would be great though obviously one with only one body colour so he doesn't have to learn to mask straight away. I'm assuming he could get away with a rattle can of the body colour & the Matt black to make a good go of it? Who even makes the spray paints these days? Humbrol still? Tamiya themselves?