I was looking for a 1/48 ICM spitfire which I knew I had somewhere, and couldn't find it. That resulted in a new order of things, instead of putting aircraft types together, I started putting manufactorers together. And that resulted in an interesting observation...

About 75% of my 1/48 aircraft kits are limited editions/profipacks of Eduard, the rest is a mix of Airfix and Special Hobby (Spitfires & P51's), 1 Italeri (an Accurate Miniatures rebox), 2 Academy (another Accurate Miniatures rebox) and a Revell (ICM spitfire rebox).

The 1/72 side of things is governed exclusivly by Airfix and Revell. Anything with more than 4 props ends up in 1/72, and I do like Allied planes much more than I like Axis ones...

1/32 is the most mixed collection wih Tamiya leading the pack, Revell a very good second and a couple of Hasegawa's & PCM's...

Thinking about how this came to be I concluded that I really like the way Eduard packages their product. They're very good kits to build (like the Tamiya's, Hasegawa's, Special Hobby's etc) and come with all the bits I usually buy as an extra...a very usable mix of etch, resin and masking. If I start adding up the money I spend on a kit I must admit that by far the cheapest ones are the Limited Editions (quite a few reboxings of other brands) and profipacks. They've got it all in one box...

The other comparison at the moment is that the money I spend over here on one Hasegawa Spitfire buys almost two Eduard profipacks Spitfire and certainly three Airfix Spitfires...

That said, I also bought the Alley Cat Spitfire prototype as soon as it came available. It has everything I usually stay away from...resin & Vacform canopy. Looks like I am going to learn something.

How do you out there choose what you spend your money on?

Harald

I don't really use any method except for whatever takes my fancy at the time.. except for WNW kits which I just buy whenever they come out..

For me the subject comes first, and given my somewhat eclectic tastes it means that I'm often limited to one choice (if that). This means that I can't choose a favoured manufacturer much of the time.

That said, Tamiya, Revell Germany, Eduard and Academy kits of the past 10 years or so are always going to be my choice if there's more than one kit going. I can always depend on these to be excellent value for the money.

I have a specific time and place I am modeling in 1/144th scale, a couple of them actually, much the way model railroaders designate a time and place for a layout and choose trains accordingly, so I look for planes (and vehicles and figures and buildings and boats and ships!) that fit into those scenes.

As a bonus, the weirder and more challenging the medium, (garage resin and vacuform especially apreciated), up to and including ground up scratch building, the better.

Hi

For me ease of build always comes first. Even if that means the kit has some flaws.(like the tamiya bf 109 series for example)
So i usually end up building Tamiya and Hasegawa kits.
As of late, i also found my way around the fitting issues with the Eduard kits so i buy a lot of them now.
I think they offer the best value for money. Both the profipacks and weekend editions that is.

Tony

I usually buy a kit based on the subject first. I also consider the price of the kit (I love the new-tool Airfix kits because they are so price friendly). I make sure I also check out my LHS closeout section for good deals (I picked up a 1/72 Hasegawa Kawasaki T-4 trainer for $6.00 and a Hasegawa 1/72 Tornado GR.1 for $10.)

Basically I want my stash to contain an assortment of subjects, so I always have something to work on when I fancy something different. (I.e. going for a jet to a prop, from a Luftwaffe to a RAF .)

I usually buy my kits online, so I look for good deals in the shops I know can deliver cheaply. (due to Norwegian law, customs is a hassle, I have to keep the cost below 20£ (not incl. p&p) unless I want to pay taxes and clearing charges.) Which again means the postage must be reasonably cheap. Luckily we have Easter Europe!

In my current (flying) stash I have in 1:72 : 7 new Airfix kits (I usually buy whatever new tooling come out if it's from my preferred timeperiod of 1930-1950). 2 Nistercraft models (reboxes I'm sure, but when they cost 2€ a piece they are great for maxing out a parcel, and are "light" modeling when I just want to do some quick building with not to much hassle). 4 Academy kits. (Great value for money, and their decals are not as horrendous to work with as some seem to think) A Revell kit (bought for 3€ to round out a order of AFV-Club and Italieri armour-kits) and a dual boxing of Eduard Hellcats.

In 1:42 I just have two Eduard kits (one weekend and one profipack) and an ancient Hobbycraft kit I bought as a kit but never got around to build.

So there's always a kit handy when I get the urge, that's my main goal anyway!

I used to buy what I like at that moment. When I saw a nice subject that I would like to build, I looked around for a nice kit, reading reviews. If kits were really badly reviewed, I stayed away from the kit, but it had to be really badly reviewed to be the case.

However, i hardly buy any kits anymore, as I think my stash is such that I can't justify it anymore buying new kits (I have a stash of +/- 10 kits, which are kits I really consider worth building, the lame stuff is sold). So most money is spent on helping the others kits actually being build (tools, masks, paint, etc), which costs already enough money.

Only if I really want to buy a kit, it will be bought, but it has to meet high standards (subject and quality).



Jelger

well, I am trying not to buy anything at the moment, in an attempt to beat the stash :-)

Otherwise, I allways buy the best kit around (in 1/48 scale) for the subject that I want to build. I just don't see the purpose of buying a kit of poor quality just to prove that I can also build bad kits.

On the selection of subjects, that is more difficult. Modelling is just one part of a general interest in military airfields and buying a kit can be the consequence of reading a book about one or another topic, or an interesting news article, or a sudden insight in a particualr historical or political event.

Nearly all, but not all my kit purchases are based on a theme. Theme's running are Naval aviation with the FAA at its heart with Grumman heavily mixed in with USN subjects, Battle of the Bismarck Sea, Fw-190's and lastly Recce birds (purpose built not with a pod slung underneath) all in 1/48. I also build anything that takes my fancy in 1/144 and a Silver wings / Hawker theme in 1/32.

Most of my 1/72 has been sold except for my F-14's, Jaguars and a few interesting others mainly Hurricanes

I have a couple of pieces of a real Jaguar (1st Gulf war vet) and a Hunter so would like to model them as they were.

I have the impression that a lot of rationalisation is going on, reducing stashes, and concentrating on a core scale and/or subject.

I base all my kit purchases on my interests & scale. Not on price. I do check online reviews from a few trusted sites, and I need to know who did the review, as not all reviews are equal, & of the same quality. Price just doesn't enter into my decision making. Kit quality and accuracy is my sole concern.

Scale: 1/48 only. No if's and or buts.
Time Period: Pre-WW11 through 1st generation of jets.
Favorite subject: USA Navy/Marine WW11 Pacific Theater.
Collect Slowly collecting 1/48 scale kits of Grumman aircraft yet my favorite WW11 aircraft is the F4U Corsair. Go figure.

Joel

When it comes to it my two favourite scales are 1/35 and 1/32 but it all boils down to price.
With a SWMBO and two ruggies to support there are plenty i would like but few i can afford so Revell leaps ahead by miles,Tamiya does a really nice kit and Dragon virtually puts everything you need (and then some !) in the box but they`re pricing policy is just ridiculous.
I have a fair few Trumpeter kits but they have a pricing policy that dances between the two camps (£50 for a 1/32 F6F Hellcat seems reasonable but for a 1/35 truck is taking the mickey !).
On a note of Praise keep up the good work Revell - Your recent 1/32 aircraft kits are BRILLIANT,The cost versus quality of these really give the far east boys the kicking they deserve ! (IMHO not the websites).

I‘m focussing on post-WWI aircraft in 1/48 scale and complementary vehicles/armour/personnel that even includes ships (PCF Swift Boat for example). With such a long timeline regarding eras and types I really like the comparison in size which is only possible by sharing the same scale. Put a P-51 next to a XF-23 and the development in aviation becomes apparent.

At least I‘m trying to think in themes or theatres: century series, vietnam, FAA, DAK, Falklands/Malvinas, aerobatic teams, drones and so on. In the end everything that gets my interest that fills a real or perceived gap in my stash (like the XF-23).

Regarding the kit itself I‘m going to have a first look e.g. checking online reviews or sprue shots to avoid buying a POS or to prepare for certain shortcomings. And sometimes it‘s better to wait and you‘ll be rewarded as with the upcoming Revell Tornado instead of HobbyBoss‘ try.

I got some royal or limited editions as well (e.g. Bf 110 or Su-22 from Eduard) but in general they are not my cup of tea as IMHO they are increasingly marketing-driven. That‘s the reason Hasegawa kits have no relevance to me anymore. Comparing the MiG-29 or F-15 editions by Eduard with their GWH counterparts I‘ll tend to the latter and buy the best current kit available or buy the original Academy kit at a third or half of the price.

But each to his own. It‘s a great time for modellers now!

Hi Harald

Since joining Kitmaker, I have to admit that a lot of the kits I've bought have been to fill gaps in our Reviews list (probably not the wisest way to spend my money! LOL!).

But with the ones that are purely down to what takes my fancy, it's just that - if it catches my interest and I can afford it, I'll go for it. I don't have any strict criteria over subject matter or scale - and sometimes I buy something way outside my "comfort zone" specifically to widen my perspectives.

All the best

Rowan

Well it normally starts with "that's nice", then I will wait and read a review of the kit or look in the box, a lot will depend on the scale, 1/48th is my preferred scale, but I do dabble in 1/72nd and I do have a few 1/32nd kits.
My preferred medium is injected plastic, but I'm not adverse to going resin. I have a couple or three vac from kits which I haven't had the courage to start yet.
Manufacturers wise, Eduard are my favourite, followed by Tamiya. Dragon kits are nice but can be a little frustrating at times.
But being staff I don't seem to build much anymore, just collect. When I wasn't staff for a couple of years I went on a figure kick (which is still ongoing), but didn't really get a chance to build much due to circumstances.
All in all I build whatever takes my fancy at the time, be it sci-fi, figures, armour or aircraft.
Andy

Straight to the point(s) -

1. Subject

2. Price

3. 1/48 scale

I collect (and try to build) 1/32 aircraft (WW1 - WW2) and Cold War/Modern jets in 1/48. I also collect 1/35 armor and vehicles.

When looking at a kit, the most important things to me are accuracy, subject and quality. While I will of course try to find the best deal on a given kit, price is not really a factor.

I used to buy the latest/greatest kit as soon as it came out, but now I usually wait until I see some reviews and preferably at least one online build before I will make the purchase. I've seen a few kits that look great in the box turn out to have major accuracy issues

Doug

Andy, you're a way braver man then I. I've never gotten past the stage of looking at a resin or vacuum form kit, as my skill level would surely cause the end result of those builds to be a closet Queen at best. Just build what you want, when you want, and let us share your modeling journeys.

Joel

Doug, Like you, I've really come to rely on a ever growing group of online reviewers from a few sights that help me steer away from kits that just aren't what they should be. And at the price of today's kits, a educated purchase is a necessity.
Joel

Thru past experience with a manufacturer,whether I trust them or not,then I back that up by trying to find build reviews and build blogs,not in box reviews which are almost worthless in my opinion.

Anthony, interesting point about in box reviews, which seems to be the rage these days. Exactly what can one expect from them other then the parts looks crisply molded, and are flash free, as well as a description of the decals and instructions.

Joel

I don't think we need to stress over what kit to buy. most important is that we be inspired.

Check out the Obsolete Kit GB here on Britmodeler for some superb models of less than state of the art kits.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234946340-gallery/

I read no stress here, on the contrary.I see a lot of extremely valid observations on how people enjoy this hobby,which they all use to do what they like to do. I see a lot of different choices, and all of them are very logical to me.

I visited the IWM in Duxford this morning, and apart from having a great time I spoke to a gentleman who was working on a tiny piece of metal in front of a 1:1 scale version of what looked like Johnny Johnsons Spitfire. During the conversation that followed when I asked him what he was doing most of the above listed reasoning was mentioned, from "sometimes it needs to be absolutely perfect" to "some days I look at what's there and I pick something and just enjoy what's there and put i back again." Seems to me that the concept of scale doesn't even matter in how we look at things...

I really like what I read here, thank you all for sharing this,

Harald

To more adequately explain what I meant when I said 'stress' is that for me, what matters most is that I be inspired and or keenly interested by the subject. I try not to put too much stress on accuracy. Of course the kit must be buildable and reasonably represent said subject.

In another thread there was discussion about whether scale modelling is an art form. In a way I think it is, so inspiration is important.

As I am retired now and living on a modest pension, another factor in the choice of a kit is price. Recently I picked up three very inexpensive older kits. I've already built two and am soon to start the third - I am enjoying them very much.

it is interesting to hear everyone's opinions. I cherish being a part of Aeroscale very much.