First kit in 22 years !

[Eric Mc]

£15-£20?????

I get upset if I mess up a £5.99 Airfix kit.

[fatboy69]

I keep looking at all my unbuilt Tamiya kits in the spare room.

The one I keep getting drawn to is the Mclaren MP4/4 in 1/12 scale. Still in its original box, plastic bags never opened, instruction sheet never touched & the price sticker (£64.99) still on the box.

Sat next to it is a Williams FW14 - same as the McLaren. Never been touched or opened, as well as a Brabham BT44 in Martini livery, a Porsche 934 in Jagermeister livery, a 935 in Martini livery, a Ferrari 312T, plus dozens of 1/20 & 1/24 scale kits.

Should also get my built up kits back from my mums & get them back on display.

Just need an extension to house the rather large collection of models I built when I was younger!

[Red Firecracker]

Marshdweller said:

I would also take issue with him choosing to start or re-start his hobby with one of the most expensive kits available. Surely any normal person would pick up a £15-20 1/48 Tamiya/Revell/Airfix kit that you'd be happy to screw up?

Where do you draw the line though? I took a break from building a few years ago due to a lack of available time, but that didn't stop me buying kits that took my fancy. The upshot of that is that when I did get back into building, those kits (due to the type) had increased in value quite a bit. Should that mean I should not build them? To me the thought didn't even enter my head, but I do not look on a kit as a final result, I know that it can always be stripped back and rebuilt if desired. There are few things sadder than an unplayed with toy, so maybe that extends to an unbuilt kit?

It's the modellers money and the modeller's decision at the end of the day. If he/she is happy and it gives them pleasure, which should be the ultimate aim, then I say go for it. It could be argued, as has been done above, that a more expensive kit will give better initial results and thus drive the modeller onto tackling more challenging kits that may be cheaper, but if they get enjoyment out of it, who are we to judge?

[dr_gn]

fatboy69 said:

The one I keep getting drawn to is the Mclaren MP4/4 in 1/12 scale.

Tamiya only made the MP 4/4 in 1:20 scale, you're thinking of the MP 4/6.

I've got one built up and I keep looking at it and toying with the idea of partially stripping it and adding a load of aftermarket stuff; my partly scratchbuilt 1:24 XJR9 has more engine detail!

[dr_gn]

nick heppinstall said:

Ok just arrived back home. Browsing through their pretty decent Model selection and a F-84G Thunderjet caught my eye. It was only £4.99 and I had never made one before so I thought what the hell !

I've got the Academy version of this. It was on offer at Modelzone and I thought it would be a good one to try out a natural metal finish.

[dr_gn]

Marshdweller said:

dr_gn said:

Marshdweller said:

dr_gn said:

There are also plenty of 'experts' on Britmodeller who never seem to trouble themselves with actually building a model...If pressed, they might venture to assemble a few main components with masking tape to make a point

Well, this is a perfect example of what I mean.

Maybe the poster hasn't built a kit in 50 years, but has spent that time scratchbuilding excellent models, so has all the skills he'll need. However, I'm amazed that after half a century of not modelling, (a) he starts off with the £120 1/32 Tamiya Mustang, (b) he has all the equipment needed and (c) his work is to such a high standard.

The 1:32 Tamiya Mustang pretty much assembles itself by all accounts. There are so many individual parts that there isn't a great deal of skill required to make it look good simply by repeadedly painting individual parts in whatever colour the instructions call for and glueing them together. The kits are so good that it's difficult to make them look bad.

He's added no additional detail or weathering from what I can see (maybe a bit of dry brushing on some of the black bits), and he appears to have glued the engine covers in place so that's quite a bit of work on the engine removed. All things considered I'm not surprised it's looking OK.

Well, I think it's more than OK (unless the breakdown of parts is such that some of his sidewall detail is simply tiny, different-coloured parts glued together). I've got to be honest, I'm not sure I could produce something that good without practise.

I would also take issue with him choosing to start or re-start his hobby with one of the most expensive kits available. Surely any normal person would pick up a £15-20 1/48 Tamiya/Revell/Airfix kit that you'd be happy to screw up?

I think you'd be surprised at how easy it is to paint small components given good eyesight, light and paint plus the right brush and the right attitude

I quite enjoy faffing about getting small details looking right and adding extra stuff, but it does take time and the real satisfaction only comes in the final stages of assembly when it all comes together. Despite my doubts about and frustrations with the Airfix Bf109, in terms of actually building and painting the model it was overall probably the most enjoyable kit I've built over the past few years - and it was almost totally OOB.

[fatboy69]

Typo error. It is the MP4/6 & not the 4/4.

Also forgot to add that I bought some Marlboro decals not long after I bought the kit as I don't like my models not having cigarette logo's on hence all my models have the correct Marlboro, Silk Cut, Rothmans etc logos.

Hence i have Marlboro McLarens, Camel Lotus's, Rothmans Porsches, Silk Cut Jaguars etc.

Also most of my die cast models also have the correct tobacco logo's.

I bought an old Lego Ferrari F1 kit from fleabay yesterday - already sourced Marlboro stickers for it!!!

[dr_gn]

fatboy69 said:

Typo error. It is the MP4/6 & not the 4/4.

Also forgot to add that I bought some Marlboro decals not long after I bought the kit as I don't like my models not having cigarette logo's on hence all my models have the correct Marlboro, Silk Cut, Rothmans etc logos.

Whether the tobacco advertising is correct or not depends on the specific race. My Top Studio Tamiya MP4/4 will probably not have Marlboro decals (even though I have them) becasue I'd like to model it as I saw it race at the 1988 British GP where tobacco advertising on cars was banned.

My Tamiya 1988 Jaguar XJR9 has the correct aftermarket Silk Cut decals (which it raced in at the Silverstone 1000kms that year as well).

[Eric Mc]

As Dr Gn says, even in the early 1980s there were specific races where the cars were not allowed to carry any ciggie logos. They could keep the colour schemes but not carry the wording.

So, it should be perfectly correct to omit the cigarette wording in some cases.

Having said that, I prefer to see the ciggie wording on models wherever possible - and I've never smoked.

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

As Dr Gn says, even in the early 1980s there were specific races where the cars were not allowed to carry any ciggie logos. They could keep the colour schemes but not carry the wording.

So, it should be perfectly correct to omit the cigarette wording in some cases.

Having said that, I prefer to see the ciggie wording on models wherever possible - and I've never smoked.

There were some clever attempts to get around the ban, "West" being replaced by "East" on the Zakspeed and "CAMEL" being replaced by "CAME1st" on the Lotus.

[Eric Mc]

And Buzzin Hornets or Bitten & Hisses on the Jordans.

Marlboro liked a barcode type arrangement.

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

And Buzzin Hornets or Bitten & Hisses on the Jordans.

Marlboro liked a barcode type arrangement.

Still blatant Marlboro imagary even on the 2012 Ferrari.

[Eric Mc]

At least the red is back to being proper red as oppposed to being based on Marlboro's dark orange hue.

[The_Jackal]

dr_gn said:

I've got the Academy version of this. It was on offer at Modelzone and I thought it would be a good one to try out a natural metal finish.

I am actually finishing building one right now, lovely crisply moulded kit.

[dr_gn]

The_Jackal said:

dr_gn said:

I've got the Academy version of this. It was on offer at Modelzone and I thought it would be a good one to try out a natural metal finish.

I am actually finishing building one right now, lovely crisply moulded kit.

Yep it does look beautifully engineered.

[Eric Mc]

I have the Hobbyboss easy build F-84.

[nick heppinstall]

Eric Mc said:

I have the Hobbyboss easy build F-84.

Have you built it yet Eric ?

[Eric Mc]

nick heppinstall said:

Eric Mc said:

I have the Hobbyboss easy build F-84.

Have you built it yet Eric ?

No.

[Marshdweller]

Red Firecracker said:

Marshdweller said:

I would also take issue with him choosing to start or re-start his hobby with one of the most expensive kits available. Surely any normal person would pick up a £15-20 1/48 Tamiya/Revell/Airfix kit that you'd be happy to screw up?

Where do you draw the line though? I took a break from building a few years ago due to a lack of available time, but that didn't stop me buying kits that took my fancy. The upshot of that is that when I did get back into building, those kits (due to the type) had increased in value quite a bit. Should that mean I should not build them? To me the thought didn't even enter my head, but I do not look on a kit as a final result, I know that it can always be stripped back and rebuilt if desired. There are few things sadder than an unplayed with toy, so maybe that extends to an unbuilt kit?

It's the modellers money and the modeller's decision at the end of the day. If he/she is happy and it gives them pleasure, which should be the ultimate aim, then I say go for it. It could be argued, as has been done above, that a more expensive kit will give better initial results and thus drive the modeller onto tackling more challenging kits that may be cheaper, but if they get enjoyment out of it, who are we to judge?

No, of course you shouldn't avoid building them. My comment was slightly tongue-in-cheek, as I'm suggesting a "normal person" would have exactly the same opinion as me, as if I'm the epitome of normal.

If he's happy to pay £120 for a kit which is going to be his first attempt at building a model since the 1960s, then that's entirely up to him. If I were in his position though, I think I'd start with something like the new range of 1/48 Airfix kits which, by all accounts, have no fit issues, a decent level of detail and are quite straightforward. That way, if I cocked it up, I've wasted significantly less money.

I'm also a little sceptical, with a lot of those threads on Britmodeller (not necessarily the one I've linked to), whether that REALLY is their first kit in so many years. Given the skill on show, I sometimes refuse to believe that someone can take a break from the hobby for so long and not come back to it a little rusty and not up-to-date with some of the techniques and technology. I think some of them are "look-at-me" threads designed to garner praise for the author's natural gifts at this modelling lark.

Anyway, I didn't want to completely hijack Nick's thread with what was meant as a throwaway comment. My apologies Nick!

[nick heppinstall]

No problem MD :-) I did consider banning you from the thread but as I'm in a good mood tonight I'll let you off.

Seriously though I'm not one to be bothered by thread hijacks ! As far as I'm concerned I've a lot to learn from the more experienced modeller.

In other words someone who has built more than one model lol !

So hijack away !