My most disappointing kit ever was from Tamiya, I was ripped off. 

"What does every modeler do when they get stuck? They buy another kit!" Isn't that the answer to all life's problems? I love it!

Strange - when I read the title, I immediately thought of Airfix.

you have to be a certain age to remember Airfix kits in plastic bags from Woolworths, for a couple of bob - you need a second mortgage to buy some of the kits on offer today - stay safe

The problem here is someone flogged you a kit from the 1970s for modern kit prices. At the model shop I worked at until recently we'd sell that kit for about £10-15 - not £50! So yes, you did get ripped off - but by the model shop, not Tamiya.

Jeeeeezus!!!! Ten minutes into the video, and I still don't know which kit you're talking about...!

Sounds like your local hobby ripped you off. Not Tamiya.

Who's looking at Harry's stash and saying got that, got that, must get that..

Really your problem should be with the jerk that sold it to you. They sold you a kit that was mastered in the very early 1970's as a toy. Tamiya is the very best in model kits, they are the gold standard. Please don't trash Tamiya.

Sounds like the problem is the shop selling you what you weren’t expecting for too much money. not so much Tamiya’s fault.

Not sure why youtube rec'd this vid to me now, but I can't say I've ever had a problem with any Tamiya kits. I think you got talked into buying something you didn't need. Not the manufacturer's fault really. Having built plenty of Revell kits in the 90s, which required endless trimming of flashing, etc. my first experience with Tamiya was pretty impressive, frankly.

Harry, I’m 71 and luckily for me, I never got out of my “first” childhood! Always have had “toys”! Love modelling.

I retired ….. thank god I collected kits, todays kit prices are beyond belief.

Greetings. 1st model I ever built was a little Airfix 1/72 Hawker Hurricane. It came in a bag with a folded paper tag attached to the bag. It was made of light blue plastic and was 39 US cents at our local drug store. I think it was in 1958, or 1959. I think I was 8 at the time. I just retired from a 52 career in aviation. I think I'm going to pick it up again.

Well that was a 1975 kit and most kits back then had "rubber band' tracks and were made for motorization. Tamiya was a motorized toy manufacturer until about 1970 when they started the Military Miniatures range. Then there was transition period before the first true model kits came out. Other manufacturers like Italeri, Esci and Monogram were all very similar in style. Dragon did not appear until about 1990 and had a very bad reputation for poor accuracy, too bad to correct in some instances like the Sherman MkVc. But I think they were first with injection molded plastic track and they did try to correct issues with older kits. I have spent almost 45 years doing kit reviews for magazines, including Airfix under Alan Hall 1988 to 1993.

Tell you what I like in models, Harry. Perfectly fitting parts. No flash. Everything authentically and accurately detailed. Goes together like a dream. NO mistakes. No gaps to fill. No bloody scratch building or anything like that required, because it's all there and it's all accurate *already*. I look for kits like that and I buy them. The only thing I should need to add (if it's an airplane or ship) is the radio line and/or the rigging....and for that I'll use EZ-line or some similar product...unless it's a sailing ship, of course, in which case I use rigging that looks like rope in that scale. So, this means I love Tamiya kits! Yes, a few of the really OLD ones are no damn good by present standards, rather toy-like, as in the case of that old T-34 you bought, and quite a few other tanks in the early years of their 1/35 line. Their old 1/350 Bismarck, for another example, cannot compare to more recent Bismarcks in that scale by Revell and Trumpeter...though it was the best Bismarck when it was originally issued...and that's the thing: Find out when the bloody kit was first issued! Read the reviews of it. Then you'll know what to expect. The T-34 you were so disappointed by is from 1965, mate! What the hell would you expect? And their 1/350 Bismarck came out in 1978, whereas the far better detailed Revell 1/350 Bismarck is from 2007, and the superb Trumpeter 1/350 Bismarck is from 2020. Would it be surprising that the far older Tamiya kit doesn't rate well in detail against either one of them? But the newer Tamiya models are absolutely superb. All this can be found out simply by going to the "Scalemates" site and reading up on any specific kit you might be thinking of buying....which I expect you already know. Now be assured, I completely admire your scratch-building skills and dedication. You did some work on an Airfix sailing ship that was amazing! However, I appear to be looking for the exact opposite in kits that you are...which is fine. Whatever "floats your boat", right? 🙂 But the companies I love are the ones that put out the most accurate, best detailed, and finest fitting kits, and those are, typically, and in most cases... Tamiya, Hasegawa, Eduard, Wingnut Wings, and well, quite a few others these days too......including the *newer* Airfix kits of aircraft, which are very, very good, and including Trumpeter's wonderful warship kits and some of their other stuff. But one must always keep in mind that most of the great model companies STILL have some absolutely rubbish kits...dreadful stuff...that was originally issued way back in the 1960's or 70's...STILL getting re-issued in new boxes to this day....and that stuff is to be avoided! That includes the Tamiya T-34 kit you were so disappointed by.............but it does not alter the fact that most Tamiya models are great. You just have to do some research before you buy the kit, that's all. Get a look at the sprues online before you make the purchase.

Finally, someone who agrees with me on Model kits. Tamiya kits are not for model makers, they're for model painters,

This was mostly a trash shop keeper, not really a tamiya issue.

That kit came out in the 70's. I built a lot of them back in the 80's. These days I use the RFM hull with DML and resin turrets from the stash. Tamiya kits from the last 5 years or so are vastly better than that ancient model.

Absolutely enjoyed listening to your reasons why you're not keen on Tamiya kits. It was a great reminder how individual we are and how varied our preferences can be. I particularly liked that you acknowledged that Tamiya kits are well engineered, they just don't present a challenge to your own model building preferences. I recently came across your channel on your Airfix Sunderland build and it's a perfect example of a kit that needs worked on but if the effort is put in, a real diamond can be the end result. Perhaps too many of the younger modellers don't want to work hard to get results. Looking forward to watching many more of your vids!👍👍

Disclaimer: Yes I heard the part where he said they were beautiful and well engineered kits, and that he wasn't calling them bad per-se. I just finished my first kit in 25 years since I was a kid. Their 1/48 A6M2 for $16.50 US. I tried so hard to exact-match the paint color of the Akagi model. That one spot of difficulty was nothing to do with Tamiya. It's an older kit I'm told and yet I have to say it's etter than any Revell/Monogram/Testors/Italeri kits I built as a kid. All that said, Harry gives an interesting take on it all here and there's nothing to disagree about. I think I bought the right kit to get back into the hobby. I had fun. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and I actually finished it. When it gets boring I just look at it. Lean back and take the whole thing in I've done so far and it gets fun again. Peace.

One of my only memories of my grandmother is when she bought me one of those Tamiya motorised tank kits when i was really too young to build it, i was maybe 7 or 8. I think it was also a T-34 as well. Even then, I thought it not quite the right shape, and the tracks just wouldn't glue together properly since i was not allowed to melt them together. And worst of all it was a later boxing that didn't even have the motorised parts included so i couldn't make it move. Thank goodness later on in the 90s I bought and built a few much better Tamiya kits, a Bradley, an M1, a Chieftain, an NR1 and a MacLaren MP4/4. So those newer kits made me appreciate Tamiya for their engineering if not the prices.

Tamiya can be hit or miss. Particularly their older kits. They fit together very well but lack detail. Their newer kits are better.

Very enjoyable vid to watch. Just about to try to get back into this hobby now that I'm pushing near 60. Used to build models, poorly, back in the late 70's

I disagree with you. I personally find Tamiya kits some of the best on the market and I think they give you the basics--what you do with it is up to you. That being said, older kits can come with some challenges. The T-34/76 is a 1975 kit. I was 16 years old when this kit came out. I'm 62 now. That doesn't mean it's a bad kit necessarily, it just means it's going to be more of a challenge for accuracy and cannot compete with today's laser cut molds derived from 3D modelling. This mold was cut by a blade and was based on a clay figure based on dimensions determined using a measuring tape. It was also marketed for boys and adolescents. There were no 60 year old men building models like this then. I do think you paid too much, as this kit retails for $23 USD online, and I can probably find it cheaper. As an aside, when I was into this hobby as a youngster, it was the Airfix kits that were the crap. The Tamiya were the desirable ones. I build and like both now.

You definitely got sold the wrong thing by the shop. Proper Tamiya kits are excellent, I've made A Cromwell and a Sherman Firefly in 1/48 and loved them. Tamiya 1/48 armour comes with diecast metal lower hulls that add some nice heft to to the kit.

I think I’m a bit like you Harry. Love building and getting bits to fit,and the basic painting,but lose the will to live when it comes to weathering.

Brings back some memories building models. Its been awhile. Was into 1/48th scale WWII airplanes mostly. Those are in storage, then got into a bunch of 1/24th to 1/25th scale cars some on display in my office. Still have 2 planes in boxes and a Formula 1 pit crew for one of my displays I never finished.

I just now found your channel and I absolutely love it. The quote about buying a new kit is so true though. I have like 20 kits sitting in my closet that I just gave up on, either cause I got stuck, messed something up, or just got bored and decided to start something more interesting.

One kit I built that threw me off their kits was a resin combrig 1/700 USS Maine. So I had got into resin models because it had a lot of new and unique kits that I was interested in. So after building the Nikos model USS Iowa(BB-4) pre-dreadnought I decided I wanted another early USN warship and decided to get a model of the USS Maine that went and was destroyed in Havana harbor. So I paid $70 dollars for it. And I was highly disappointed I had spent several days working on the PE parts and even after working on her for over a month well it was pitiful looking and I had seen several of their kits and they were nicely detailed but this was terrible. I can say I understand why you are disappointed with Tamiya as I have a similar issue when it comes to combrigs resin kits. Loved your vid Harry hope you stay healthy sir

My slant on kit choice comes down to what I can relate to personally. Like, as an example, I wouldn't built a Bristol Britania, but would a Vickers Viscount, both turbo prop and contemporaries of each other. The Vickers was flown by our domestic carrier, where the Bristol wasn't. One has personal relevance while the other not so much. One of the several crash hot reasons for being a kit builder is that I can please myself - nothing is wrong and mistakes can be corrected, or the kit recycled. But my goal is the finished model, the less buggerising about getting parts to fit because the pattern maker is not at the top of their game, just makes more work for me to do.

I am the same way. I really enjoy scratch building and fitting parts together. The painting is just one last step before the model is finished.

I only had one wife, and that was enough for me, but the good thing is that, like most women of our generation, they won’t want your stash or anything to do with modelling, there are some very fine lady model makers who could outshine me with one arm tied behind their back and blindfolded, but in general your stash etc should be safe, unlike your bank account, self esteem, home and/or mortgage 💸 payments, and kids turned against you (luckily my two are both grown up and left home). My ex-wife leaving was a really tough time, as you probably know from experience, and getting back into modelling was a way of coping emotionally, now, after 8years I can say that modelling is now my hobby again, not a support mechanism, thanks for another excellent show, thumbs up as usual. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇦🇺🇺🇦

Having never built Tamiya kits as of yet, I can't give an opinion. However, the only Tamiya products I have used for my builds in their acrylic paint and that is fantastic - but as you say the price is even high on their paints and glues. Great video!

I built up that T-34. Its one of my best kits. I did spend to get the rear engine vent with louvers and screen. I used stock track and wheels. I also filled in the sponsons and the rear hull where axle goes in. I also scratch built the ramps that knock the track pins back in. Of course you cant see the ramps.

my husband felt the same way when he built the JGSDF Type-90 and he had a Trumpeter Type-90 he loved maybe it was a mess up in shipping but the Tamiya kit had warped parts

I built a Tamiya Panzer in the early eighties that was motorized. I don’t remember what it cost but I never could get the thing to work right. I don’t think I knew it was motorized when I bought it so I just left the motor inside and unplugged it. Tamiya is all I built though because they really dominated the 1/35th market. I remember the artwork on the boxes were really nice too. Any way, great video, thanks.

Sorry to hear your experience with Tamiya was so bad. I put together that T 34 around 1990, and yes, it was kinda clunky, but I didn’t mind it. That shop keeper shouldn’t have built up your expectations!

I really appreciate your highly personalized views on the subject of scale modeling. You bring a human factor to the table that coincidentally I identify with to large degree. I myself just coming back after a 45-year hiatus, rediscovering these childhood pleasures and wanting to take it up as a hobby. The kits I find inspiring are objects that I have some connection with or personal experience, being it cars, planes ships, or whatever. Popular car models from my child hood, iconic car designs, airplanes I saw in the sky or travelled with and so on. Regretfully the bulk of kits today is military, sports cars (I hate sport cars) and fantasy objects. I have to look long and far to find the few kits that ring my bells. I agree with you on focusing on your own interests and setting your standards to your own taste. This way you get the most possible personal satisfaction out of this hobby. I only do it for myself, not to impress others or to mimic some "experts" on youtube. Thank you for sharing your self this way. It rings with me 🙂

Many a decade ago my grandfather and I went to a tiny hobby store in Toronto, Canada just about every Saturday and bought a little Airfix aircraft in the little plastic bags and we would spend the next week of evenings building it up. Biplanes were the topic of choice, and we could have more than one of type in different colours. They were then attached to lengths of thread and pinned to the ceiling of my bedroom in various attitudes of flight, in little groups of dog fights. My grandmother pinned little tufts of cotton balls to the ceiling to make little clouds. Some of the best memories of my life.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and history. I can identify so much with you being a 1959 model! I have recently gotten back into modelling. My nemesis is Italeri. Hopeless. Thanks once again for sharing with us. There seems so much emphasis on painting it does take away from the building aspect of modelling.

I have made the best from the worst kits out there. And everytime I do,I improve my skills. As far as getting burned buying a toy,buyer beware. Not every manufacture gets it right the first time. It has happened to me. And it will happen again,I'm sure.

I bought a kit model of Harry Houdini and one of his famous illusions and it was a complete rip off. Even though the box was completely sealed, all the parts of the figure were completely gone when I opened it.

Used to luck out sometimes even back in the 70s with the Revell kits. Some had some good detail with riveted panel lines on the ww2 planes. But, overall; lots of flash, trimming up, puttying back then.

Dude! You are my hero I've been saying this for years, I have the old (1970+) Revel 1/32 Spitfires, Mosquito, Hurricane, F-14, Beaufighter, Hasegawa FW-190 etc, etc, etc. I sand all the raised panel lines etc, and re-scribe correctly and add correct details, build cockpits from scratch, and I LOVE the BUILD. We are the 'same cloth' brother, no one else in my model club does this.

I built the same Tamiya T-34 kit, probably about 45 years ago. At the time, I was about 12 years old, & Tamiya kits were new & incredible to me, & that (at the time) some of Tamiya's 1/35 scale tanks were motorized & remote control made them so much better & interesting than the static Monogram tank models I'd built, before building some Tamiya's tank models. Yes, the T-34 was kind of toy like in detail, but to me, it was a much more detailed "toy" than what I would have expected for a motorized toy tank to have, that was made by a toy company, rather than a model company. But back then, Tamiya was the only model company that offered motorized (& also remote control, for some kits) model tank kits, that I was aware of, & to me, that made Tamiya stand above the rest. But back then, Tamiya also had a 1/25 scale line of tanks, with some of these kits motorized & some R/C (I believe). I built 2 of these 1/25 scale kits, the Jagdpanther & the Cheiftain (which I still have). Both models were motorized (without R/C), & were considerably more detailed than the Tamiya 1/35 scale tank models that I had built. I believe Tamiya set a higher standard for detail over 45 years ago, but comparing the details of today's modeling technology to even Tamiya's modeling technology of 45 + years ago is probably rather like the apples to oranges non-comparison. Anyway, I get that you were disappointed with the Tamiya T-34 kit, & reasons why you were, but I suppose I see the the old kit from a little broader perspective, & so feel a bit different about it. On the other hand, the last models I built were the Airfix 1/76 scale Aerial Refueling Set, which included 2 tanker (Bowser) trucks; a Bedford QL & an AEC Matador. These models were quite fiddly to build properly (which I was rather expecting), & I scratch built a steering wheel for the Bedford, & windscreen & windows for both models (as these parts weren't included with the kits). I only built these 2 Airfix tanker models as a "one time effort", for the experience, & I figured I could put a lot of time & effort into the builds, only to produce a decent (not outstanding), result. After completing the 2 models, which took about a year, my assessment of result was basically correct, but the models did turn out better than I thought they would. In summation, the time consuming trail & error scratch building process could have been avoided if the mentioned scratch built (basic) parts had been included with the kits to begin with. The fine details of the kits were actually quite good, but the fitment of parts was often not precise (again, as I expected), & required careful filing for proper fit. Was it worth it to me? I suppose so, but I don't think I'd do it again. Great post, btw!

I have enjoyed every Tamiya kit I've encountered, but you make a very good point about them being too well done. I personally like the painting and detailing a lot more than the actual build, but I can definitely see where they could be extremely irritating for people who prefer a bit of a challenge making parts fit just right.

Recently retired and I too became a 'Born again modeler'! but where to start? Well I always wanted a model of the SHAR (Sea Harrier) after the scrap between the UK and Argentina, I was a big Fan of the sea harrier but the only one I could find was a Tamiya one! What a dog! ...or was it me? I hadn't made a model for nearly 50 years (I'm 65) and I must admit I nearly abandoned the whole model thing but I cant remember a Airfix model where the parts just didn't fit? What saved me from giving up was RU-vid for after I watched a few videos on the Tamiya sea harrier kit where it was thoroughly slammed by numerous model makers, I didn't feel so bad and now I'm really back into the hobby and even learnt to airbrush as Id always been a pant brush and enamel paints man/Youth but after an initial reluctance to use acrylics I now love them! So the moral of the story? Don't restart model making with the Tamiya sea harrier or you will never pick up a Tamiya kit again" (and I haven't either!)

I just love the history he gives, never mind the model!!

My "never again" manufacturer is (was) Kitty Hawk. I tried, and failed, to build their 1/48th Lockheed F-35B. I swear that kit didn't even have one single test-fit trial before it was released on an unsuspecting public. It was horrible. Nothing fit, seams in strange places, huge ejector-pins marks everywhere..... It put me off the manufacturer for life. I have never, and will never, build another Kitty Hawk kit ever again. Pity, as they covered some unusual subjects that other manufacturers just don't cover at all. So I wasn't sorry when they went bust not too long ago. Good riddance! ;-)

Great story. Am my self a builder, not a painter. I build all kits, I don’t really have a maker I don’t like, if it’s an old poor kit we’ll it’s just a bigger challenge 😄. Just came back to the scene last year after 30+ years. And a lot has happened since last I built 😄👍🏻

I can definitely see where you are coming from with this. I had a Königstiger kit from that same line from Tamiya back in the Day. Now, I was too young to really notice the issues in context with Scale modelling (I was just building the Kit to play with it without painting or anything), but even then, I always thought that it was very "basic" and not really something I would take seriously as a model kit. Looking back with the experience I have now I could probably make a decent model out of that kit, but I don't think it would be worth the hassle when there are cheaper, far superior options available.

Great content. I come from a completely different direction. Just getting back into the hobby and amazed at how many options there are and how much easier it's gotten to make a model look realistic. Painting, decals and weathering are my jam. I'm a graphic designer and illustrator who has always loved planes and ships. And as a kid I'd just glob the kits together as fast as I could, with horrible seams and gaps and sprue ends and sink holes and I didn't care one bit, because I wanted to get to the GOOD PART... researching, matching paint and camo, correct weathering. The builds -- as canvas -- didn't do the artwork justice. While in college I joined the nearest IPMS group (nearly 2 hour drive away!) and realized many modelers (especially when it comes to competitions) are primarily focused on the building aspect, one of seamless perfection. And in comparison I felt my modeling was inadequate, and when I tried puttying and sanding and filling it bored and aggrevated me to no end. So I quit. In 1995 I just stopped. For ME, a modern Tamiya kit is a godsend. It provides a quick easy way without hassle to replicate the object physically and get to the part that I enjoy. If I knew someone like you in the North Texas DFW area, I'd say "How about you BUILD 'em and I'll PAINT 'em?"

Horses for courses. Good on ya for learning early on what you like, and don't like, in a kit. An interesting story with an uncommon perspective on Tamiya. These days, most modellers that post online spend about 80% of a "build" in the paint booth creating hyper realistic models. Your candour is refreshing.

Tamiya is the golden standard usually.....

Brilliant story mate, thanks. Just come back to the hobby after a long time and am having a blast. 1:72 German armour, 4 kits in now, loving it.

Tamiya are and continue to be heads and shoulders above the competition . Accuracy and ease of building are what l want from a kit and is what l get from them .I don,t like the over the top , complicated and over engineered assembly of some of the other model firms . l want to enjoy the hobby not be awed and frustrated by it .

Have you ever heard of Lindberg Models? I bet you would love them.

Ive always had an amazing experience with tamiya, just amazing quality both armour and aviation, recently been making a trumpeter kits, also great if not better

Great video and I appreciate the honesty. I have only built a hand full of Tamiya kit's myself and so far I have enjoyed them. Have a great day. -David

Was a massive Tamiya fan, but then discovered other manufacturers and never looked back, I do occasionally do one when my mojo is low but on the whole I try and avoid them

HH, I just subscribed to your YT channel; I really enjoy your frank, authentic anecdotes, and friendly advice. As for being rotten at relationships, right there with you, mate. "The worst day fishing beats the best day at work",is a saying you may have heard, but I came up with "The worst day single beats the best day in a bad marriage". So, at 65, I have take up renovating old Matchbox and Hot Wheels and Corgi vehicles, and I find it very soothing and relaxing and challenging as a means of tuning out the World and focusing the mind, right?

I grew up building Tamiya kits. 😆 It’s hard to find hobby shops here in California. I usually end up ordering everything now. I agree with you as the journey is more fun than the destination. I build RC planes now especially the balsa variety. 🥂

My friends that emigrated to Western Australia from the UK, lived in Kalamunda, but have since moved from their, I did visit them when they lived their, very nice place

One thought about Tamiya which I have found to be as you say: easy builds; great painting/weathering practice opportunities…box art is superb. Let’s acknowledge how many kits are sold on box art alone. Cheers!

I bought a Dragon Jagdpanther and after that kit I could never go back to Tamiya, I had built the Tamiya Hanomag kit with figures and again once I had built and painted some Dragon figures totally lost the love for Tamiya, mostly because of the not to scale reviews I was seeing and those damn rubber band tracks that you were supposed to join together with a hot screwdriver head, and those nasty mould lines on the old figures,,,,,eeeeeek. You brought back some horrific memories there Harry 😅🤣

I hear you Harry and I get where you’re coming from. We find our own enjoyment and it doesn’t have to be the same thing. Life would be so boring if people are all the same. 😊

I was chuckling while watching this video. I could definitely relate to the desire to "make the kit work" . I do like the wunderkits of today but I also like tackling an older kit and making it into something nicer. Classic Airframes P-43 Lancer was atrocious, yet it sits finished on my shelf with scratchbuilt interior and all sorts of improvements. And I have more P-43 pictures than almost any other plane. This model was partially crushed while moving across country. Another example, Pyro's Gloster Gladiator and recently, Hobbycraft's Hawk 75 with the mishappen cowl. Well, a Monogram B-17 cowling, suitability modified made it look more correct. Anyway, thanks for the fun video.

Tamiyas best were the 1/12 F1 cars.I built 5-the 1970 Ferrari-Matra-Lotus-Honda-Wolf,awesome.

After building a few Airfix kits after getting serious about the hobby (I tried them first based on your experience) I can safely say that I enjoyed one of the 2 I got. I'm not put off the brand, I'm just not building another F/A-18 from them again. The BF-109 kit I got is pretty. Basic paint job for a beginner, and I intend to get two more. Kit went together easily, adjustments were made where needed, and I bought masking tap & glue for it because I knew what I was gonna need as an absolute BASIC bit of paint work. As far as ships, you probably have a comment from me on a recent video about my current IJN Shokaku build. She's my first Tamiya kit, and while it seems very much like a more advanced LEGO set, I wont say I'll build them for the rest of my life. My previous ship was Fujimi's Yamato, and boy was she COMPLICATED. I loved every bit of it. The only part I hated about it, was how much fun she was to build, and the fact that I wanted to keep going. I love a good bit of actual problem solving that's not work related

Same here, I just love putting them together, painting I don't find fun and relaxing, just necessary and I don't bother with weathering besides a pin wash, maybe some dry brushing and dot filtering and done with it

I’m currently working on the first Airfix kit (1/72 A6M2B). I must say that for the price, I’ve been blown away by the fit and detail, in fact, I would say it’s as much or more than the Hasegawa 1/48 Zero I have which went together with a few fit issues and incorrect dihedral on the wings. Thankfully the 1/48 is a crash diorama so I really didn’t worry too terribly about the fixable build problems.

Hah.. this was entertaining. Becker and I got into a bit of a convo over that same company after my experience with the 1/32 F-14. I had always expected super high quality of a kit out of a box from them. Companies like Zvezda, Trumpeter - I know are "research this subject" companies, but I expected high-quality. 13 Shekels for a rebox of a kit made in the 70's.. that was my breaking point. I don't mind paying shekels.. but not for old molds/designs. I also don't mind doing extra work, but I'd like to know that going into it, but I also don't want to shell out shekels for the base kit. :) Now, I might decide to pick up one of their kits, but only if the subject is one I really want AND it has some in-box reviews I can look into. Thanks for sharing HH. Hope you're doing ok stayin' dry.

Considering that T-34 kit is something close to 40 years old, and just been reboxed. It's not and never will be to modern standards. I have built several of those kits, and the shopkeep was selling you on the modern kits, not knowing or lying that this kit is getting close to collecting a pension.

Nice and informative video, I think that every modeller that sometimes has, that there is a kit that is not to your liking or that the building does not go as you wish, and that is sometimes part of this hobby.

Love your down to earth videos man!😀🇬🇧

Yes, you got an old Tamiya kit tooled in the 1970's, which was quite a good kit for the standards of the day. The fact is most manufacturers re-box old kits, your beloved Airfix had decades long production runs but kept the prices in line with new toolings. Is this fair - NO and Airfix did get the message and now box old kits as Vintage. But most companies do not.

Hi Harry, Just getting back into the hobby after retiring last year,i think Tamiya have now been caught up and in some caese overtaken by other manufacturers, I have nearly finished the Airfix Katy ambulance,and have the a couple of other Airfix kits to get into,and must say they are good quality,although you have to look out for short shots ,i think a tighter qaulity control should be in place , All the best Harry.

I love tamiya but each kit is individual, some good some bad but you can turn them out stunningly even the bad ones.

worst kit i ever had was a model railway kit of a class 40 by Q's kits, it was basically a block of resin that you filed to shape yourself, after many years of in and out the box it was "trodden" on to exorcize the spirit, i grew taller that day...

I think Special Hobby's kits would make your day. Any short run technology kit, that requires fiddling, scribing, reshaping, scratch building yet represents interesting subject with decent surface detail

yup ,, i started my modeling journey on the good old airfix kits back in the sixties ,, and they just had to be war ships ,, built a few tamiya kits which from memory were good so i ve been lucky i guess ,, now after a 40 year lay off ,, its hms victory by heller which is a real challenge ,, keep up the good work harry ,,

When I built my first kit in the summer of 1959/60 a Monogram F4F produced in dark blue plastic, there were no Tamiya kits around then. The selection was from memory limited to Airfix and Monogram, but my memory has let go of a lotta stuff now, so who knows. In latter, much latter years when I caught the bug and built from plastic kits piston engined allied fighter aircraft from WW2 and civilian airliners, Tamiya became a favourite; a preferred manufacturer, because the kits they produced seemed to fit together more easily than the kits made by some other brands. Ultimately, it all comes down to the abilities of each individual model builder what kind of result can be obtained from any kit. Yet, I reckon that after all, it's always helpful to buy a good quality kit to begin with. Thanks for another, enjoyable, entertaining and informative show, Harry. You are da man😉😎🙂

Your story is so much like mine, started building Airfix around 1960 when I was 8-years old. Bought them at the local newsagent and hardware store. I remember the Revenge, Mig-15, A-4 Skyhawk. I was also very fond of Frog which used the same 1/72 scale but featured mostly RAF and FAA aircraft.

I think as you say there are different reasons why people buy Tamiya that don't float your boat mate. The painting and weathering is a particular modellers thing, a nice easy build to restart the mojo might be another, even dio fillers to put alongside other kits. Over here, they are cheaper than a lot of other kit manufacturers (although you could say the quality is reflected in the price) as you say, you can't say Tamiya make bad kits, they are just not your thing. I cannot build a length of tracks from separate links, it would frustrate me how long a build is taking.👍😉

Wow, I've found a kindred soul...lol! I'm with you Harry. I have several Tamiya kits in my stash, but no interest in building any of them at the moment. I enjoy the construction part of model building most of all, and solving fit problems. With Revell kits, it usually just means a lot of flash cleanup. Painting is not my favorite part, but the worst for me is decaling. I don't think I've built a kit in the last eight years where at least one of the decals didn't rip, silver or moved out of position on me whilst left to dry overnight. Thanks for the video! I feel better about not being on the Tamiya bandwagon.

Yep like a good challenge myself and that is why I make 1/76 scale metal and resin kits of military vehicles. Lots of file work and adding detail. Keeps me entertained for hours.

Same thing with me. 20 years out of the hobby and I start with 1/200 Iowa with a bunch of metal

Actually, I like the Tamiya T-34 but I know it's a 1970s kit and, as such, isnt the same as a kit designed I. 2020. On the other hand, its $20 USD versus $90 for Bugler or Lizard.

First time I've ever herd someone complain that parts fit lpl

Hey, thanks - I really needed to hear this. Been a modeller you could say similar circumstances to you. My bro wants to get my nephew into modelling - he's a lego technic kid but i think he seems to find them easy, hence why the consideration for kit building. My bro built the Bismarck when he was younger and I remember it being a pretty pucker job. Anyway I've never built Tamiya apart from a couple of boxes of US and Soviet figures back in the day. I've been getting reviews of Tamiya as great beginner kits but after your input, I think it may be a bit too basic for him - so that's probably a mistake well avoided. Open to suggestions about any other beginner yet not too basic brands. (P.S. I like painting but never ventured into weathering yet - like yourself, I'm more of an intricate details man). Once again, cheers for the advice.👍🙂

Hi great video's btw, may I ask? Are all the kit boxes behind you empty because you have made them? Or are they your stash?

Great update I am with you about the ex wife. Took all my money and my Harley. Thank you for your story. Thank you for the heads up on a bad kit. Have a great week Sir.

Tamiya aircraft and cars are typically great things, their armour, not so much but that's why I always research kit details these days, hate going in and paying a seemingly marked up price for a 70's kit with a fancy box.

Great video, good to listen to someone with an alternative take on model building. I too find some kits to well made which give me a sense of underachievement. Regarding painting because of cost and storage I keep my colours to a minimum. I love model making (all manufacturers) and will continue to take the bad with the good or ugly.

As a lad in the sixties, Airfix was pretty much all that was easily available, so we loved it - ! But by today's manufacturers standards, they were pretty poor. However, I recently bought the original mould Type B bus and the Dennis fire engine as a challenge. With having to correct all the mould sink marks, over mould points, flashing, mould lines etc., it's going to be interesting - ! I still argue that Tamiya are hard to beat for quality, straightforward models of great fit. It's horses for courses and whatever floats your particular boat.

I hate making tank tracks. I would rather have rubber bands or link-linked tracks.

It is amazing how many models you can assemble when you are celibate.

Thanks for posting this! I build 1/24 scale exclusively, which means I spend a lot of time with cars and only a few ventures into armor, aircraft, ships, etc., so this was a very interesting take. From a car builder, Tamiya kits are great because of their ease of assembly and foundation for kitbashing/customization...but I can absolutely see where that would be a frustration for what you build. None of these would be appropriate subjects to drop a Ford 302 into, or swap out the wheels and brakes for a set of aftermarket performance parts.

I feel the same on loving the build way more than painting and weathering. So much so that while my ships will get weathering and rust usually any armor or aircraft I do to decompress from a challenging ship build I paint factory fresh. No rust, chips, dings, scratches or dirt. Like you I love building and correcting the most. Probably why I also have 6 or 7 ships in process at any one time.

I like Tamiya but I understand your point. Half of the challenge/fun is finding the flaws and doing the research and correcting them. Airfix on the other hand is what almost every child started with, lots of nostalgia there! Still love them. Hasagawa has some really great and unique armor models in 1/76 or1/72. Dragon in 1/35 is similar. Right now I'm building the Airfix Churchill with the "flying dustbin" gun in 1/72. Petard or AVRE. Have you tried "Das Werk" yet? Cheers from The Netherlands, love your channel.Keep it up! (lol)