Best value kit?

[AndrewR]

Nominate a kit which you think gives you the biggest bang for your buck, and tell the world why.

Low price?
Good decals?
Enjoyable build?
Lots of options?
Accurate model?

Price consideration should be the average price in the shop, so don't nominate some not to be repeated bargain!

I'll start the ball rolling:


The new tool Airfix Spitfire Mk I in 1/72
Cheap, goes together well, looks good.

Cheers

Andrew

[Dirkpitt289]

I'd have to go with the NEW Airfix F-86 Sabre. I can almost equate it to every one of the reasons you posted. It was only $11, the decals were great, it was one of the funnest builds since I built the ancient Airfix P-39 Airacobra kit last month and of course there was the detail of the kit. Now I must admit I'm no expert on the F-86 but the detail, the lines, and even the weighted tires. It was a most excellent kit.

[MackemPete]

You stole my thunder Andrew!!!!
I have only built a few kits but this one(although still on the bench) has been great to build.
Cheers
Pete

[flakmonkey]

Revell's F-86D kits in 1/48 are my all time heavyweight champion bargain kit. Fits together perfectly without feeling shakey bakey, good decals, beautifully detailed right out of the box and yours for £15. You would have to go a very long way to beat that. As far as the nearest 1/48 Revell F-15E in fact.

[Beowulf Shaeffer]

tamiya mini rally car

cheap as chips, goes together really nice and looks nice when its done

the lotus 7 (a fave of mine) comes close for the same reasons

id also say some of the really old tamiya 1/35 armour stuff...........did the sas jeep recently, had a great time....i did it the first time about 30 years ago (and still have it )

[MerlinJones]

Definitely the Zvezda Mi.35M Hind E!

£17 might not seem like good value for money, especially when you consider that it's 'only' a 1/72 helicopter. However, it is much, much better value than, for example, the new-tool Airfix 1/72 Spitty Mk.1!

To be honest, I didn't think the Hind would qualify, until I worked out the cost per part. Obviously, if the parts were poor and didn't fit, then no amount of 'em would be worth your money. However...

Remember as a kid getting those kits that were 'special', due to their size or complexity? Or how you began to seek out the kits with most pieces, 'cos the average 1/72 fighter jet was just too, too easy?
(...And finding yourself moving onto 1/600 warships )

There is just so much to do with this kit that it'll keep the most jaded modeller happy for hours, if not days. If you're a kid, it's a really, really cool subject, that is obviously dead 'ard and, if you built it with everything closed up, you get zillions of spares for that greeblie-infested spaceship you're working on. Out of the box, it's as ready for a diorama as those Matchbox AFV kits and the detail is so fine, you don't really need to add extra pe, (although Eduard have both an internal and external set in the pipeline for it).

This is a truly modern kit, reflecting the increase of standards in proper model kittery that certain UK-based kit manufacturers have chosen to ignore.

...And did I mention the price?

Best Regards,
Bruce

[PaulBradley]

considering what you get in the box, it's accuracy, the amount ofmodelling time you get, and the price of comparable kits, I do think the Airfix 1/24 Mosquito is pretty good value.

Anything by Revell Germany is also good value.

[Chris]

Best value is of course subjective, the best value is often old kits bought off ebay!

If you twisted my arm i would sugest these two fellows:


Revell/monogram's classic 1/48 Me-262...kit is about 20+ years old, comes with decals for three versions, underwing stores and includes a displayable engine and guns, total cost on ebay is often around $10 (about 6 pounds)


Academy BF-109G-6

comes with three decal choices, parts to assemble it in different varients and extra canopies, and includes gun pods and extra stores, can be purchased directly from korean hobby stores for as low as $8 (what i paid for this one)

[AndrewR]

Definitely the Zvezda Mi.35M Hind E!

£17 might not seem like good value for money, especially when you consider that it's 'only' a 1/72 helicopter. However, it is much, much better value than, for example, the new-tool Airfix 1/72 Spitty Mk.1!

Positive comments on your own personal nominations please, not comparisons with others. We are not discussing the relative merits of the nominated kits

[MerlinJones]

Sorry...it was the 'telling the world why' bit and comparing my choice with other possible contenders.
If it was simply based on personal, subjective opinion, the whole concept of 'value' is open to much and varied interpretation and I could suggest an Anigrand resin kit is good value, because you get 3 'bonus' kits.

I believe that even the new Hasegawa Su-33 Flanker D is better than any new kit from Airfix, simply because I value modern quality standards over other things.
Some people could suggest that the Hasegawa 'Egg' Planes are great value, based on their 'fun' aspect.

If someone was to use this Thread to ascertain what was a truly worthwhile purchase, then they ain't going to get much by way of guidance, simply a list of (current) favourite kits.

Regards,
Bruce

[johnsan]

The problem with this question is that prices vary so wildly around the world. An example: the Revell 72nd Hunter that cost me €9 when I lived in Germany costs me ¥3000 in Japan. Revell kits are not such a great value in Japan. To a lesser degree this is true of Italeri as well.

So with the above note in mind, I offer Tamiya's 109E. Great kit that is mostly accurate, has a great surface finish, super fit, requires no effort to build, and has a good decal sheet that can be used for more than the 3 subjects offered. This very neat little kit has the MSRP of ¥900 but is discounted in many shops to ¥670.

I think I'd better run out and pick up a few more.

[Softscience]

For the very same reason that MJ was applauding the Zvezda Mi35, I'd say that most Accurate Miniatures kits are the best value. They're not entirely chump-change, but for a fair price you get outstanding detail, great decal sheets, challenging but enjoyable builds, and a really great looking model at the end. Their Yak-1, IL-2, and TBM series are particularly noteworthy

[SJPONeill]

The Lindberg 1/48 Douglas X-3 Stiletto...

Low price? Absolutely - around USD10
Good decals? OK but only one option in the box
Enjoyable build? Oh yes, nice and simple - would be great for blitzbau and mojo restoration GBs - and is a decent size when done...
Lots of options? No, only one in the box but the uber-cool ultra-modern shape inspires me to a range of whiffery options...
Accurate model? Doubtful, certainly not the supplied 'engines' but certainly looks the part...

The original may have flown like a dog, the model soars like a soary thing...

[AndrewR]

The problem with this question is that prices vary so wildly around the world. An example: the Revell 72nd Hunter that cost me €9 when I lived in Germany costs me ¥3000 in Japan. Revell kits are not such a great value in Japan. To a lesser degree this is true of Italeri as well.

So with the above note in mind, I offer Tamiya's 109E. Great kit that is mostly accurate, has a great surface finish, super fit, requires no effort to build, and has a good decal sheet that can be used for more than the 3 subjects offered. This very neat little kit has the MSRP of ¥900 but is discounted in many shops to ¥670.

I think I'd better run out and pick up a few more.

Your choices are going to be dictated by local pricing and supply, as well as what you have built and like to build, that is quite reasonable!

[AndrewR]

Sorry...it was the 'telling the world why' bit and comparing my choice with other possible contenders.
If it was simply based on personal, subjective opinion, the whole concept of 'value' is open to much and varied interpretation and I could suggest an Anigrand resin kit is good value, because you get 3 'bonus' kits.

I believe that even the new Hasegawa Su-33 Flanker D is better than any new kit from Airfix, simply because I value modern quality standards over other things.
Some people could suggest that the Hasegawa 'Egg' Planes are great value, based on their 'fun' aspect.

If someone was to use this Thread to ascertain what was a truly worthwhile purchase, then they ain't going to get much by way of guidance, simply a list of (current) favourite kits.

Regards,
Bruce

But it is based on your own personal subjective opinion, that's the whole point of the question!