Here is a list of manufacturers that I have gleaned from the net that deal in WW2 model airplanes.
I have built kits from the majority of these manufacturers and have written briefly my impressions of them as a guide to enable you to make choices. Simply it may boil down to who has the kit you want to build in the scale you want to model it in. But in those situations where there are a number of possible manufacturers information and impressions can be helpful in making your choice of kit.
This is in my opinion the best Model kitset manufacturer on the market at present. Incredibly well detailed for a reasonable price, considering the amount of detail. The kit range is small but it is being expanded.
Accurate miniatures was out of business for a while but there has been a change of management and they are back stronger than ever.The fit of the kits is good and the instructions complete and exceptional. With colour call outs through out the build sequence and a detailed colour chart with several paint manufacturers listed and the equivalent paint numbers listed.
Academy is another manufacturer the produces excellently detailed kits, but the prices tend to be much more reasonable. Your getting much more kit for your dollar, these kits can be as well detailed as Tamiya for around roughly two thirds of the price, sometimes less.
There are sometimes fit issues but not to the same extent as short run kits or the lower priced kits like Airfix or Heller. I find these kits excellent value for money, twice the details of an Airfix kit for similar or less money in some cases. The instructions are generally good and there are colour call outs throughout the construction although they can leave you guessing in some cases.
Airfix Models, what can one say? I have a real soft spot for these kits! I built them in the formative years of model building. They are not the most detailed of kits and most of the old kits have raised panel and rivet detail as opposed to the accepted recessed type now. This kind of detail is easily removed by sanding and gluing, care needs to be taken to ensure that little or no detail is lost. But for a beginner they are ideal, easily built (Usually) mostly accurate that with a little imagination can be built into wonderful models.
See my article on building a 489 Squadron Bristol Beaufighter TFX. Airfix has been rescued from certain death again by Hornby and is again somewhat secure after restructuring. I personally am pleased to see their continued existence and am supporting them by buying models from my youth which I will build and detail later in my blog.
Airmodel is a German manufacturer of conversions/complete kits. The majority are for aviation modellers, however they also produce a number of kits for the armor modeller. The kits are of what is termed Luft ’46 and prototype aircraft not normally produced by the main stream styrene manufacturers. So make for interesting models. The kits are produced from resin so are only really suited to those who’ve worked with this medium, definitely not for beginners!
Aoshima Japans oldest model kit producer who market their product under the Minicraft banner. Well detailed and relatively easy to assemble. With fit issues only with the older molds. These are good kits at reasonable prices, I have built a few and there is a good range of models covering both 1/72 and 1/48 scale kits.
Antares Models is a producer and mail-order company specialized in uncommon resin conversion kits. Main point of interest are the prototypes or strange aircraft types mostly of World War Two in 1:48 th scale, which are not available at all.
They are introducing now to their catalogue resin/metal conversion sets for their kits . All their kits are released in limited-edition form. So this makes them a buy quickly or miss out scenario.
Dragon models is an innovative company using advanced slide mold technology to create models of unheard of detail. Their Master Class kits are astounding with the level of detail and photo-etch supplied make incredible kits.
Price wise they are in the mid to expensive side of things. This site is scary in terms of navigation and ease of use. But it does (for the most part) list all of Dragon’s new and upcoming releases. I just wish they put more effort into it. Why can’t these companies follow Tamiya’s example?
Eduard models are a company who produce exact replicas of the original. They make good use of photo-etch parts which are pre-painted and make a realistic instrument panel incredibly easy.
The kits are incredibly well detailed contain express masks to mask the canopy and wheels, making painting a breeze. Of course all this comes at a premium and the price is quite steep. But in my opinion these kits are worth the money and at some point I will buy one just so I can have the pleasure of making one.
Fine Molds has built a reputation for excellent kits much like Tamiya and Hasegawa. In fact I believe that these are some of the best detailed, easy assembled kits on the market.
The 1/72 scale kits are incredibly detailed for their size. I haven’t made a fine molds kit yet but there is plenty of time yet. I have the rest of my life to purchase one and give it a try, and one of my aims is to build a kit from every manufacturer who makes model airplanes from the era I model in.
Fujimi are another of the older model kit manufacturers from Japan. Well detailed excellent fit and reasonably priced. I have made quite a number of their kits over the years and have always found them to be good looking models with excellent decals and the instructions are first class. Well sprinkled with paint call outs from the Gunze sango range. The range is good but covers mostly Japanese aircraft.
Hasegawa one of the big two in main stream model kitset manufacturers. Wide range of subjects covering all of the mainstream genre’s and more. Covering a number of scales. Well detailed kits that go together with relative ease. I’ve built my fair share of Hasegawa kits and I find them great kits that give an excellent model when your done! Some of the earlier minibox kits are a little simple but make into good kits, these are earlier molds and not quite up to today’s standard but still give you a good looking kit with reasonable detail when your done.
Hobbycraft Canada have been in the game for many years now, the company has been going since 1938. I have made a number of their models and i have found them to be very well priced and of excellent quality.
I have had a few fit problems but nothing to drastic and the level of detail is usually always good. However there have been some discrepancies with the dimensions of the model reported by some reviewers. Not being overly obsessive over outline shape as long as it looks like the subject that’s good enough for me! And the price is a great incentive!
ICM are one of my favourite kit manufacturers their kits in 1/72 scale are outstanding see my post ICM 1:72 scale Me109E-7 Trop. Well designed well detailed and very cheap compared to similarly detailed kits.
The plastic is a mite soft but it glues and dresses nicely. Also means the part is more likely to bend than break. Just as likely to ping off from between tweezers and disappear on the great concrete floor monster! A wide range of models covering a lot of the soviet aircraft and models some main stream manufacturers would steer clear of as being to much of a risk to produce.
They consider that the demand would not be great enough to warrant the expense of the mold manufacture. Their initial releases were perhaps not as well quality controlled and some badly formed kits were dispatched but that seems to have improved immensely and I personally have not had a bad kit from them!
Italeri are another manufacturer who are innovative in their approach to the kits they produce. They cover a lot of Italian subjects that might other wise be neglected. These kits are sometimes produced from molds from other manufacturers.
A case in point being the TBM Avenger in 1/48 scale which is actually the Accurate miniatures mold but with different decals by Cartograph, the Rolls Royce of decal manufacturers in my humble opinion! And I find it’s my opinions that count! Also Italeri have purchased the majority of the Esci molds when the company went under and are now releasing them under their brand. I’m enjoying this as Esci was a favourite of mine back in the early 80′s.
Modelcraft have the old frog molds so they are being released under the Modelcraft banner. As well as their own molds. Good kits in interesting subjects and in a variety of scales.
Reasonably priced and with good detail and reasonably easy to assemble. Obviously the Frog molds will have raised panel line and not be as detailed as the current crop but Frog still produced some good kits. I’d buy them if only for sentimental reasons!!
Revell/Monogram seems like they’ve been around forever and truth be told they are amongst the oldest of kit manufacturers. I remember Monogram fondly from my childhood.
The kits were a little gimmicky and toy like but they were marketed as toys at that stage. They were large scale had operating undercarriage and sliding canopies and the like. Detail was okay but overscale in some respects due to having to make the wheels work or the canopy slide.
But generally well detailed, however it was mostly raised panel line and rivet detail. They generally fit together well but over the years the molds have become worn and fit has become an issue with the older kits. And flash has also increased.
Roden a relative new comer has built a reputation for manufacturing WW1 biplanes to an exceptional standard. And has recently branched out into WW2 and later aircraft kitsets.
Roden has also just started on a line off WW2 armour kits which are made to an exceptionally good level of detail if somewhat expensive for my tastes. But still incredibly well detailed kits.
Well Tamiya has come to epitomise all that is good and wonderful in the kit making world. I call them shake and bake kits they go together so well that if you were to toss a tube of glue in the box and give it a shake a made kit will come out! These have to be some of the most well engineered and simple to put together kits on the market.
How ever if like me you enjoy the challenge of making these kits fit together then I only build them once in a while when I want an easy kit to build. But the level of detail never ceases to amaze.
Trumpeter one of the new breed of Chinese kitset manufacturers. Initial kits had quality issues and were not up to the level of modern kits. But they were innovative, and as with most Chinese ventures quickly improved in quality and quantity.
I like these kits they are substantially cheaper than their Japanese counter parts and beginning to surpass them in quality and detail. One thing I do like is the the Chinese are not afraid to tackle subjects that western companies might normally shy away from.
They also provide a good supply of Chinese subjects. I always look to see what Trumpeter are going to produce next. I have built a number of their kits and I like them they have few fit issues now and make into excellent models.
I must admit that the majority of the Trumpeter kits I have made thus far have 1/72 scale armour kits for my wargames armies. I have been able to find cheap well detailed models of kits that I might otherwise not have been able to find. (yes I also model small scale armour!)
Zvezda is the largest Model and game manufacturer in Russia today. They produce a range of kits and figures in the usual scales. Zvezda produce a good number of Russian kits, Aircraft , Armour and the like. The kits are well produced, look good and are well detailed. They go together well and the instructions are what you would expect from a model company that sells it’s models overseas, most languages are covered and the instructions are simple and easily understood. There are colour call outs through out the instructions with numbers for what I assume are Russian paints and model master paints. So you should be able to work out equivilant colours from other manufacturers.
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