Well, Chanukah is coming up (17 December) and I believe my wonderful wife is going to allow me to order one fairly large ticket item. My Dilemma is whether to go for the Airfix 1/24 Typhoon or the Tamiya 1/32 F4U-1A. Both look like exceptional kits, but which to get? The pros and cons:

Typhoon: Pros: Looks like a tremendous kit; would allow me to build Typhoons in 1/72, 1/48, 1/32, 1/24; a favorite aircraft; based on the Mosquito, may be gone soon.
Cons: A tremendous kit, where the heck will I put it?

F4U-1A: Pros: Tamiya!, will help me with my ever hopeful US fighters and their aces collection.
Cons: I already have a Trumpy F4U-1D with corrections and a new cockpit to do a -1A for the collection.

Sigh. I think I'm leaning towards the Tiffy because of my fear that it might go out of production soon whereas the Tamiya kit will probably stay around longer so I'll have another shot at it later (my birthday's in March). Still, any advice from my friends here would be appreciated!

Michael

In my view you are comparing incomparable things because two different scales.

You could approach this differently asking yourself whether you aim at a collection in 1/24 or 1/32.

Kits that may (or not) go out of production is not a good argument to me. This consideration only helps buidlign an expensive and unmanageable stash of kits that will never be built.

Less technical, but if I were getting only one Chanukah present I would want it to last a long time and the Typhoon appears to have considerable depth to light up the Colorado winter all the way up to your spring birthday,

חג שמח'
Bryan

Michael,
It's almost impossible to compare two state of the art kits in two different scales. 1/24 scale certainly offers even a higher level of detail then what 1/32 scale can. Each kit does offer an extremely high level of detail within their scale, yet to a degree some of that won't be seen on the finished model.

Display space is tough for 1/32 scale, even worse for 1/24 scale. You really need to figure out the where and how for each model. Just please don't tell me that you're going to hang either from the ceiling.

Since both are World War 11 fighter/attack aircraft, you need to consider which aircraft fits your preferred area of specific interest better. For me, it would the Corsair, simply because my primary interests are: WW11/USA/PTO/Navy & Marine. Given the option, I always seem to go that way.

With todays markets, both kits will be around for the next several years, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that issue. Heck, you can still find 1/24 scale kits from nearly 40 years ago.

And as you said, there is always your birthday in March.
Consider yourself lucky in that your wife is letting you pick out your own gift.

Joel

Michael,
Tiffie´s con looks like the definitive con. It will be very easy to feel discouraged to work, knowing that there is no place for it once finished. Maybe another 1/24 kit with that gorgeous detail level... but of a smaller plane?
Happy Chanukah

I think "Where will I store or display this?" is the real question here.

Whichever one you pick, you will lavish hours of work on it and will want your work to last, and be visible.

A few years ago, after about 48+ years of modeling, I FINALLY got the display case of my dreams when an employment suit settled and I had some extra money (for a change, d'oh, not all lawyers are rich, especially in my practice areas). That enabled me to display a completely enclosed 1/48 B-29 soon after I completed the monster. I can't imagine putting all that work into something only to have it blemished over time by dust accumulation, or destroyed by the family cat (as sooner or later, any cat owner knows it would be).

So, FWIW, that's my take.

Another plus for the Corsair is that you can build it with the wings folded, thus saving even more room.

I would say the Typhoon - because it might likely end up like the Mosquito and become totally unavailable very quickly. Whereas Tamiya kits are usually fairly obtainable and at the original price.

Buy them both, tell take Minister for War and Finance that the cost of the Tiffie was in fact the combined cost, and sneak the F4U into the stash somehow.

With the size of the Tiffie box there should be no argument!

No need to thank me, glad to be of assistance