Choosing a First Kit

[scorpiomikey]

Usually if someone asks me what to start on, i refer them to the airfix or revell starter sets. They come with a brush, some glue and a few paints and a kit. The main reason for this is because usually they dont have anything, they just want to have a go. All you need is a stanley knife (box cutter?) and you're good to go. Wont be fantastic, but itle get you a good feel and the kits usually arent half bad. When i started i went through a few P-38's this way, built up a wee paint reserve (which i later swapped out for my dads paints which he had stored at his parents 50 odd humbrol colours)

[Stikpusher]

Yes and no on the shake n bakes. I agree that early kits should be simple, but at the same time, many of those shake n bakes are priced quite steeply. I was never put off by any previous build results. Finish it and drive on to the next one. I would say that the kits for a novice should be good fitting, simple, and inexpensive. I would point any beginner today to many of the new tooled Airfix kits in 1/72, before a new tooled Tamigawa kit. I personally feel that jets are great starter kits in many cases. Why? Usually less parts such as propellers to break off. But yes, a recommendation depends very much upon the builders interests. Many youngsters today love sci fi, gaming, and anime. Gundams are perfect for getting those kids into this hobby. If you're looking for introducing a kid into WWII single seat fighters, have a look at Pegasus line of those in 1/48. Perfect for the novice, and a fun place to work your magic for the advanced builder.

[BorgR3mc0]

For a first build my advice would be to find a kit that balances price vs ease of build vs interest.
- price: to high a price will be a barrier to start in the first price. But what is "high"? That differs, for a kid a high price is something completely different then an adult.
- ease of build: the fit has got to be as good as possbile, not to fiddely or lots of small parts. Tanks or figther planes are often the way to go. Also take size into account, for kids a 1/48 of 1/35 kit maybe to big to hold all the parts when glueing. So a nice 1/144 of 1/72 may be more appropiate.
- interest: if you lose interest in a kit you toss it away... so even your first kit should be of something you like! That can be a plane, car or tank but also something completly different. I had some cousins who really liked to build Warhammer and Gundam models.

[LyleW]

Gentlemen, thank you for the advice. It is all good. Simple kits with a relatively small parts count would seem to be good starter kits, regardless of the manufacturer or price. When I was young and started out, seams and gaps bugged the hoo-hah out of me, but I didn't try to fix them at the time. Worried more about glue skills, etc.

Sadly, "vinage" has become a new word for over priced on ebay. Add in Shipping and it is just as cheap to go to the LHS or a Hobby Lobby and find something.

Many thanks for the information.

[DoogsATX]

I always recommend Tamiya's handful of 1/48 "two-sprue wonders" - the P-51B and D, F4F-4 Wildcat, Bf 109, Spitfire Mk.Vb, Dewoitine D.520 and so on. They're nicely detailed, extraordinarily well-engineered, fit perfectly and do it all with a low parts count. I think once you get into the Corsair and especially the P-47 you get into a different realm. Excellent kits, but not what I'd recommend to a total noob. The two-sprue wonders are also rather cheap - $15-20 in most cases if you look around for more than five minutes.

I can think of some others, too - Revell and Airfix have some excellent 1/72 kits (RoG P-47, Airfix P-51 and Typhoon, etc) that could make good intros, too.

But mostly I advocate, just like Jim, against going with an archaic mold in a new box. When I first came back to modeling, I tried to do so with Revell's SBD Dauntless. Ugh. Out of the box, it's a terrible kit. Yeah you can make something of it, but it'll take a lot of work. I picked up Tamiya's P-51B instead and was blown away. It was a great "quick win" that propelled me back into the thick of things.

[Thomas_M]

Hard to get those days except as re-issues from Revell are the good ole Mtachbox kits. Man, I did build a lot of them when at school!

Great and interesting discussion on this here. Thanks, Gentlemen! I only wonder if there still are "knowledgeable" people in hobby shops to assist youngsters to get the "right" kit to start with. Only kits I could get here locally are being sold in a news and paper shop by elder ladies... But I guess this is another topic to be discussed elsewhere.

[Drifter]

Not so sure I agree with all the above. You can start with any kit you want. I usually spend more time researching the subject, than actually building it.

** Edit, just dont start with an Academy 1/48 Mosquito, or Trumpeter 1/32 Mig 15 BIS.

[BorgR3mc0]

Not so sure I agree with all the above. You can start with any kit you want. I usually spend more time researching the subject, than actually building it.

** Edit, just dont start with an Academy 1/48 Mosquito, or Trumpeter 1/32 Mig 15 BIS.

You do not have to agree, it is a dicussion board after all!

But I do think that first time builders should not be overwhelmed by the kit they are buidling.

When I was a kid my parents gave my a 1/48 Spitfire in Hi-tech edition wit white metal and PE parts. They where told that you could use ordinary hobby glue for that..... that kit was way to much for my limited skills. So from that experience comes my opninion that a first kit should be appropiate for the skills set of the builder.
I have seen people sell 90's short run MPM to little kids, that is a reciepy for dissapointment!