Brands?

[Aquadan005]

So, I'm recently retired getting back at the hobby after 45 years. As a kid the products available at my local hobby shop were Revell, Monogram and AMT I believe. Back then Revell was the so called "gold standard". Tamiya was a foreign brand that nobody I knew was buying. How would you guys rank the available brands today?

 

[RacerX]

So, I'm recently retired getting back at the hobby after 45 years. As a kid the products available at my local hobby shop were Revell, Monogram and AMT I believe. Back then Revell was the so called "gold standard". Tamiya was a foreign brand that nobody I knew was buying. How would you guys rank the available brands today?

Revell is still top of the heap, AMT, MPC and Monogram are what they use to be good in some kits problems in others. The world of 3d printing and resin casting have made model building a whole new world. I have been in this for 50 years, its fun to build the old classic show cars, like the Red Barron and boot hill express if you can find them. Search 3d printed model car parts, and you can also go to etsy and search their model car parts they have old kits on the site to. With all the new parts to be had i can build almost anything from scratch now. I havent built many modern stock kits lately so the other guys will be more informative on that than me. Welcome to the forum looking forward to seeing what you have in mind.

 

[BarleyBop]

Tamiya was a foreign brand

...of course 'it depends' on what you wanna build, but by and large I think folks here seem to agree that if you want an accessible, not too expensive, and for the most part, a kit with good fit and detail (fewer headaches while getting back into the swing of things) then Tamiya. Because of their success, there are many aftermarket accessories also available for them.
What do you want to build? ...That will help narrow the field.

 

[Jakko]

Back then Revell was the so called "gold standard".

This is very surprising to me Back then, I found a lot of Revell kits to be far worse quality, fit- and detail-wise, than brands like Matchbox or Italeri, while other Revell kits were of about the same level as those. Decades later, I figured out why: all of the Revell kits came in similar boxes, but some were from Revell USA and some were from Revell Germany. The Revell Germany kits were far better than the USA ones.

Tamiya was a foreign brand that nobody I knew was buying.

Seriously? The one brand where you know parts will fit, even back then? But, of course, if nobody buys the kits then nobody will notice that

Anyway, for someone starting out now, I'd say build a couple of Tamiya kits first. Find a subject you like and see if they have a kit of it. If not, best advice is to see what comes close that Tamiya does have.

After that, my advice would be to think about what thing you want to build a model of next, and look up who makes a kit of it. Scalemates is very good for that: just type what you're after in the search field at the top right (after where it says "All sections"). If you're not sure about which manufacturer's kit of it will be best for you, you can always ask here.

 

[the Baron]

...Back then Revell was the so called "gold standard". ...

I think that's debatable. It really depends on the subject and scale. For example, Revell had established itself as the leader in 1/72 and 1/32 airplanes, in the US. And their ship kits, in box scale and then in their "international" scale of 1/720, had no real rival, at that time.

Monogram had 1/48 airplanes locked up. And Monogram's 1/32 armor kits were also top of the line, in the US, in the 60s and 70s.

I had the same experience with Tamiya, and Hasegawa, though, as you did. I didn't know anyone who built them, and that section of my local hobby shop was unfamiliar territory. I did start looking at Tamiya armor when I was in high school, and was impressed with the detail. But the 1/35 scale meant I couldn't display them with my Monogram kits in dioramas. And Hasegawa's ship kits in 1/700 were better than Revell's, with a much larger offering.

Revell eventually was going bankrupt, and that's why Odyssey Partners forced the merger with Monogram, which they also owned. Revell did have the overseas presence, though, while Monogram did not. Revell's plant in California was closed and production was focused on Monogram's facility in Illinois. While the combined catalog contained most of both companies' offerings, new development from that time on, was Monogram.

For car kits, I'd say Revell and Monogram were of the same quality, though AMT was the big car kit maker at the time, and in the US. Again, while there were excellent kits from Japan, like Tamiya's and Fujimi's, I don't think as many American kids were building them, at that time.

Today, if I were to recommend brands to a new modeler, I agree with those who say Tamiya, for airplanes and armor, but also old Monogram, for 1/48 aircraft, and Revell of Germany. Besides kits that are reasonably well done and look good, something simple to build while learning and improving skills is good. Someone new to the hobby should enjoy the build, with as little frustration as possible, so as not to get discouraged.

 

[the Baron]

And as far as kits for modelers with more experience go, there is a greater selection. I would recommend Eduard, especially the weekend edition boxings; ICM and Dorawings, for 1/48 scale aircraft (Dorawings also for 1/72); and MiniArt for various subjects.

 

[Jakko]

Revell did have the overseas presence, though, while Monogram did not.

Monogram kits were pretty rare here in the Netherlands, definitely. There were some to be had, but mainly from model shops that stocked the more exotic brands (which also included Hasegawa, Fujimi, Heller, etc.), whereas the likes of Revell, Italeri, Tamiya and ESCI could be found pretty much everywhere. The main exception was AMT, because that was owned in the early '80s by Lesney, of which Matchbox was also part, so shops that stocked Matchbox kits might also have some AMT kits of American trucks.

 

[the Baron]

Monogram kits were pretty rare here in the Netherlands, definitely. There were some to be had...

That's the point. Revell had a dedicated effort to sell its kits overseas. There was a Revell-Europe office in the UK, and Revell-Germany, which eventually became Revell of Germany. They made arrangements with overseas companies to sell kits under license. Monogram focused on the American market. So you might see some distributors sell Monogram kits outside the US, but the company didn't have an effort to do it.

 

[BarryW]

I have just seen this. The answer really depends on what you want to build. You missed Airfix in your list of 'old brands' who are the most iconic brand.

Personally though I build 1/32 aircraft and can only speak about those.

Tamiya have long been the gold standard across all genres. They remain among the best kits your money can buy.

New company Kotare are really challenging them in the 1/32 space. Their initial few releases are outstanding and I would rank their early Spitfires and the bf109K to be among the best kits produce by any company in any scale. They have a challenging kit release schedule and are definitely the one to watch.

An even newer brand is DBMK who really are the one to watch. Not for beginners they also have an ambitious release schedule. I have built their 1/32 Sea Fury and it is a great kit.

Zoukei Mura produce the most detail kits you can buy, another that's not for beginners but they are superb.

Other excellent 1/32 aircraft (among other things) are produced by ICM, Trumpeter, HobbyBoss and a few others.

I have never rated Revell at all, until recently. They seem to have turned a corner with their last two 1/32 releases. Their Hurricane is surprisingly good but the 'First Edition' Meteor is a real game changer.