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wdolson -> RE: WITP and me (8/9/2007 1:21:57 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Grotius
I shouldn't have read this thread, because now I want to try making a model! I suppose a plane would be easier to start with than a ship? Might be fun to try a Zero or a Wildcat. Anyone have suggestions on where to start?
By the way, the only models I've ever made were, indeed, of the Starship Enterprise. I still have one sitting near me here. :)
1/48 scale is the most common these days. They are large neough to have some decent detail, but small enough not to take up a lot of space. Hasegawa makes the best 1/48 scale Zeros on the market. They recently released a collector's set with a kit of every version of the Zero ever built, including the prototype. Tamiya has an absolutely gorgeous Wildcat in 1/48 scale, as well as most of the WW II marks of the Corsair, which are also fantastic kits. Hasegawa and Tamiya are both a bit more expensive but fewer headaches than most other brands.
An American company called Accurate Miniatures has kits of many US Navy aircraft in 1/48 (though not the Wildcat). AM makes some of the best kits in the world. They have F3Fs, the complete SBD line except the -6, a series of Vindicators, as well as most of the WW II versions of the TBF/TBM. Among their other kits is a B-25 kit has a full interior including a toilet and a copy of Life Magazine.
If you want to get into larger scales, both the Zero and Wildcat exist in 1/32 scale and the Zero has been rendered in 1/24 by a Chinese company called Trumpeter (A6M2 and Rufe) and also by Bandai (A6M5). The Bandai kit is hard to find these days, but it's an older kit. The Trumpeter kit has only been out a few years. It has nice detail, but they got the shape of the nose wrong.
In 1/32 scale, Trumpeter has a Wildcat (also released in North America by Hobby Craft out of Canada) and there is also an old Revell kit. The Trumpeter kit is generally well designed and has very good detail. Just about every Japanese company has come out with a 1/32 Zero. There is an old kit originally released by Tomy of the A6M2, that has been re-released by Swallow and Dyushua. It has nice external detail, but a horrible cockpit and no engine detail. 20th Century Toy, which releases mostly kid's toys has a 1/32 Zero kit which isn't bad. It usually runs for under $10 at Walmart, which is a steal these days.
Hasegawa has a good 1/32 A6M5, but Tamiya takes the prize with an A6M2 and an A6M5. The Tamiya kits retail for around $100, but they are pretty close to the most detailed 1/32 scale kits ever made. Tamiya had a chance to take apart and examine a real Zero. They reproduced everything from the back of the pilot's seat to the prop in exact detail as well as the wing armament and oleo landing gear struts that really work.
Bill
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